Serendipity Photography, LLC by Mellissa Stanturf

I’ve followed the work that Mellissa from Serendipity Photography does for at least a handful of years. Just like you follow or admire your favorite artists work. I wished for the day I could use her for my very own engagement/​wedding photos. And then that day came. She was actually the second person I contacted to let know that I was engaged and to ask to use her services. So to begin with my experience with Mellissa. She responds QUICK! She makes you feel like you are number one and very important. When you become engaged and start really planning your wedding, there is NOTHING better than a quick response, someone who is patient, kind, creative, unique and thorough doesn’t even begin to cover it, she is so thorough. It is so refreshing! Mellissa is all of this. She is extremely helpful with everything. Even things you have no clue that you need to know about. Location idea’s/suggestions, themed photography, outfits, hair/​makeup if needed and so much more. She has got you covered! I wonder when this lady sleeps cause she is really «at your service»
Working with Mellissa and her talent has been such an amazing experience and I feel so blessed that my precious memories have been captured by her. There are many photographers out there but when you find one that when you view their work and it fills you with emotion and then you actually get to use them, there are just no words. Our engagement photos are finished and I know my wedding day (photos) that is soon approaching will be safe in her hands and beautifully done.

Simply amazing.
Mellissa is extraordinary. I met her at a bridal show (I was SO out of my element here…) and she made me feel immediately at ease. I knew that she would be perfect to capture our wedding day. I’m not usually the type of person to note another’s ‘aura’ or ‘vibe’, but this is different — I swear! Mellissa has this calm professionalism about her that just takes the energy down to a calm level and allows you to just ‘be’ in the moment.
I was so nervous about the photography part of our wedding. Neither my new husband or I consider ourselves photogenic and just feel really uncomfortable in front of the camera. Mellissa’s style was perfect for us. She patiently guided us to poses and used some really neat tricks to evoke true emotion from us both. The best part — once we were in place she just stepped back and did her thing. We both felt like we had all of these moments of private togetherness on our big day. It was the best gift she could have given us!
I am beyond thrilled with the final product also. Turn-​around time was really quick (much faster than she quoted). The photos were nicely edited down to a reasonable number of photos (around 400-​ish, I think) that perfectly told the story of our day — capturing it all without having to click through thousands of photos to find ‘the good ones’ — they are ALL good ones!
Between the experience and the outcome, I cannot recommend Mellissa highly enough! I will absolutely reach out to her first when the time comes to capture more of our life story (babies, anniversary shoot, I’ll find a reason!)!

Where can I start with Mellissa? Well let’s start at the beginning… I came across Mellissa on a Facebook posting where she was offering a special deal on her stylized engagement shoots. After looking through her portfolio online, I booked with her and the planning process began! Even from the beginning stages Mellissa was detailed and thorough in the execution of the shoot. Everything from theme, to location was set on a Pinterest board and planning was under way.
In regards to mine and my fiancé’s shoot, we chose to have a wintery & snowy engagement shoot up in the mountains near Bend/​Sisters, OR. So the day of we met together and carpooled up the mountain. This was our first in person interaction with each other and much to mine and my fiancé’s surprise, it was a totally comfortable 2+ hour car ride (minus the tense moments of driving through the heavy snow in a Toyota Camry) Mellissa provided background on her and her family and her inspiration for her photography and in turn my fiancé and I shared about our background as a couple. Before we knew it we ended up at Sister’s coffee company (location chosen by Mellissa… and what a GREAT choice it was) We set up for a super cute coffee house style shoot and the best part was my fiancé and I didn’t even realize she was there most of the time. We got to act normal and be comfortable just doing what we love (drinking yummy coffee and spending quality time)
After that we headed back up the mountain to get our snowy shots and those were MAGICAL! Mellissa did a PHENOMENAL job in regards to capturing the candid shots and emotion of who my fiancé and I are as a couple. While she gave a little bit of direction, most of the photos were inspired by us chatting about our favorite memories together or what we love most about each other. These are shots that I will truly treasure :)
Afterwards we received our edits super fast and even had the pleasure of being featured on Oregon Bride Magazine’s blog! (That’s how good her work is!)
Overall I think Mellissa truly deserves 5 stars. (and I don’t give those easily!!) She has gone above and beyond even what is mentioned here to give me the utmost respect and service as a client and I will refer her to anyone looking for a photographer who is truly invested in their work and clients!