5 out of 5 stars and 60 reviews
5
(60)Photography for the tender hearted | Based in Northern CA.
About this vendor
Gretchen balances documentary awareness with editorial artistry to create imagery that's both true to life and deeply expressive. She edits with a film-inspired aesthetic and works with people who understand that photographs become lasting evidence of what matters most.
Details
Business Attributes
- Woman-owned Business
Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
Photo Shoot Types
- Bridal Portraits
- Engagement
Photo & Video
- Digital Files
- Drone
- Film Photography
- Online Proofing
- Photo
- Printed Enlargements
Photo & Video Styles
- Artistic
- Classic
- Documentary
- Dramatic
- Lifestyle
- Modern
Wedding Activities
- Rehearsals & Parties
- After Party
- Wedding
- After Party
Awards and Affiliations
4-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2021.2020.2019.2018.
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
Hall of Fame
Earned by winning 'Best of Weddings' four or more times.
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Reviews
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5
out of 5.060 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 9
The absolute BEST! We hired Gretchen for our wedding this September and are so grateful we did.
Like other reviews note, Gretchen is a breath of fresh air. She is low stress, ada...
ptable, polite, mindful, and thoughtful. She built instant rapport with us and eased our stress throughout the day. She made us so comfortable in front of the camera and gave clear direction when needed, but let us be ourselves.
And then there is her talent! She completely "gets it" and took photos that felt like us while also capturing us at our best. We ended up with photos we love (and we haven't even seen all of them yet). Her style is candid and journalistic without being too much so- she has an eye for the special moments. She captured the vibe of our day in the best way!!
We absolutely LOVED working with Gretchen for our engagement shoot in Bodega Bay, CA. She has a true, genuine way of making you feel comfortable, loved and seen as a couple! Her ph...
otography is second to none, and she really has the eye for finding the perfect backdrops to really every photo she takes. We were very early on in our engagement, and looking back at our photos now we are reminded so wonderfully of our time as an engaged couple. Every time we look back at our shoot we did with Gretchen, we can't help but smile and it's all thanks to the lovely, talented Gretchen Gause!
Gretchen's photography is nothing less than extraordinary! We were initially drawn to Gretchen's photography style- soft, dreamy, and romantic- and we could not be happier with how...
our photos turned out. Once we began our introductory Zoom call with Gretchen, it confirmed what we had already been feeling- we needed to lock her in for our date! Gretchen has strong communication skills and was easy to work with leading up to the wedding. We were immediately at ease knowing we had her coming! On the day of, Gretchen and her second shooter, Danielle, arrived early to get acclimated and were warm and friendly. My partner and I don't take a lot of photos of ourselves together and were pretty nervous about how we would pose and photograph in general, let alone with so much pressure on us on a special day. Gretchen and Danielle put us at such ease- the poses felt incredibly natural and the photographers blended in so well to our group we almost forgot we were being photographed. Our photos are truly magazine-worthy and we can't wait to enjoy them for years to come! Thank you so much, Gretchen Gause Photography!
Gretchen is a total dazzling gem in the intimidating world of choosing wedding vendors. We have nothing but accolades for this genius! My husband and I didn’t want stiff posed phot...
os for our wedding, and we admittedly have a very particular aesthetic that we thought would be hard to match. We scored big time finding Gretchen—a wildly talented photographer, warm, fun, and hilarious person, and an always calming presence during what has the potential to feel like an overwhelming event.
She did our engagement and wedding photos, and both times she managed to turn our initially awkward and stiff reactions to the camera into an unbelievably gorgeous set of photos, capturing all the little authentic moments between our more awkward or contrived poses. She has a knack for capturing landscapes, finding the best backdrops for romantic photos that don’t feel forced.
She was always warmly willing to humor us in our bizarre requests, like photographing us with our microscope. She has a way of making you forget that you’re being photographed and instead it feels like you’re hanging out with a fun friend.
Her photos speak for themselves. We could not be happier with how they turned out, and we are endlessly grateful that we’ll be able to remember the special day with Gretchen’s art.
Photos are a very special way to capture a once in a lifetime experience, and Gretchen is definitely the person you want on your team. We found her pricing so much more reasonable than many other photographers, and the quality of her photos much more I be like with what we were looking for.
Gretchen places brilliant emphasis on the importance of kindness throughout her process. In an industry that can quickly feel material and cut throat, she brings such a refreshing and genuine perspective to the wedding world, focusing on the importance of love (while also giving plenty of space for her clients to embrace some inner diva 😊).
We can’t recommend Gretchen enough and we are endlessly grateful we had the chance to work with her. Now we’re looking for more excuses to photograph events and work with her again!
My husband and I absolutely loved working with Gretchen and cannot recommend her enough! We had Gretchen take both our engagement photos and wedding photos and we are absolutely th...
rilled with how they turned out. It has been such a treat getting to work with her.
The photos are BEAUTIFUL. Gretchen has an incredible eye, a really special use of light in her photos, and gave the perfect amount of direction (enough, but not too much). Her photos captured us and our guests in such a fun-yet-reverent-yet-also-emotion-filled way. She also managed to find time to capture stunning detail photos at our reception venue. She has a calming & fun demeanor - she put us at ease on both occasions. She and Danielle blended into the background at both the reception & the ceremony!
Also, sort of a niche thing, but we got married at City Hall (a very symmetrical place) and Gretchen's photos were perfectly centered & aligned. No strange off-kilter backgrounds on Gretchen's watch!
Logistics:
Gretchen is organized, responsive, and punctual. She is an excellent communicator and was always the first of our vendors to reply & check in as important dates were approaching leading up to the engagement shoot & the wedding day. Gretchen also made sure to to arrive to our locations early to get a feel for the spaces & make sure she was prepared to capture them. During the planning process, she also provided excellent guidance and feedback on our timeline. Listen to Gretchen’s suggestions!! She’s right! After the two shoots, she delivered our galleries ahead of schedule and we are still just blown away with her talent and the results.
Hire Gretchen!
We are blown away by Gretchen's work! She is very professional, super energetic and truly passionate at what she does. We absolutely loved photography style and the pictures came ...
out stunning. Gretchen and second shooter Danielle made our SF city hall experince very smooth and stress-free by providing very detailed itinerary suited to our needs. Highly recommend!!
It’s hard to put into a review what Gretchen’s photos mean to us! I fell in love with Gretchen’s photography style the moment I found her site (she is incredibly talented), but eve...
n more I was drawn to her story and deeper purpose behind being a photographer. We were planning our wedding and I ached for my brother who I knew would not be there after passing away a few years prior. After reading Gretchen’s bio I knew our big day would be captured with genuine love as she too understood the bigger meaning behind a moment and a memory.
And that was just the start to our amazing experience working with Gretchen and Danielle. They were professional from start to finish, but also SO KIND! I was more of a DIY bride and she guided me through everything from our timeline and photo lists to advice for minimize photo sessions so that we could spend more time with our guests.
What I love most about Gretchen’s vision is that she focuses on true candid moments rather than awkward posed photos that we’ve all seen a million times before. The truth is, I wish I got to talk to her more at our wedding, but it’s proof they blended in so seamlessly that at times we forgot they were even there. They made us feel so natural and at ease, which allowed us to focus on our friends and family and soak in the moments all while knowing they were being beautifully captured.
It has been 9 months since our wedding, and I'm still in awe of all the gorgeous photos! My family and I have gone through the collection many times, laughing and recapping what a spectacular day it was. We've already made a few photo books as gifts and they turned out beautifully. These photos will last us forever and I couldn’t imagine a better person to have been there on such a meaningful day.
Thank you Gretchen, you are one of a kind and I am deeply grateful for everything!
Gretchen is an amazing photographer and I absolutely love all of the amazing & authentic photos she took of us during our wedding day and engagement shoot. Gretchen came highly re...
commended from a friend for our destination wedding in Healdsburg. We first met her in 2019 to take our engagement photos in Marin. It was great to meet her and see her style in action. And on top of getting fantastic pictures, she was also very fun to spend time with.
Fast forward to 2 covid date reschedules and we finally had our wedding in August 2022. Her skill at capturing our special moments really shines through. She shot our non-traditional "fun run" the morning of the wedding, as well as the wedding itself. Her photos are genuine, in the moment and give a real sense of the event, our guest experiences and how special the day really was (especially after a 2 year postponement).
We will forever be thankful for these unique digital images.
I cannot say enough good things about Gretchen! Not only are our photos absolute perfection- I truly cannot stop looking at them, but Gretchen is the most wonderful human. Gretchen...
was supportive, positive, and beyond helpful during every phase of our wedding planning process. Gretchen captured the most beautiful, raw moments from our wedding day, and my husband and I are forever grateful to have such special images to relive our day through. My husband and I highly recommend Gretchen for your photography needs!
I found Gretchen after she took the most breathtakingly beautiful engagement photos for my friends. After speaking with her and seeing how incredibly warm and experienced/professio...
nal she is, my now-husband and I immediately knew we wanted to work with her for our wedding (and engagement shoot). We didn't interview any other photographers because we didn't need to, and it was a great choice! She captured our wedding day beyond beautifully, and we will cherish her photos for years to come. Even a few things that I thought looked a little awkward in real life on the wedding day... she made them look beautiful in the photos, haha! A blessing! She also REALLY knows how to run things and work with other vendors to make the entire wedding smooth -- a true seasoned wedding pro. I felt like I could always go to her for advice about a lot of aspects about the wedding, even stuff beyond photography. Plus, she and her second shooter, Danielle, are a joy to work with and be around, which of course is so important for someone you're spending your wedding day with! It is impossible to overstate how strongly I recommend working with Gretchen!
I found Gretchen from a list of vendors shared with me from my dress shop. I was simply just browsing at the time but when I saw Gretchen's page I immediately filled out her questi...
onnaire to see if she had availability. I loved the real moments captured in her portfolio and knew I wanted a similar candid style.
Gretchen makes it a point to get to know her clients, which really creates a comfortable setting for the day of. My husband and I can be awkward taking pictures so it was nice to be able to discuss that in advance and figure out a formal photo game plan that fit our priorities while still capturing all the essential photos. (Side note, listen to your photographers when they say 3 minutes per group formal photo, there's always someone missing.)
Gretchen provides a teaser album shortly after the wedding and a full gallery later. Our teasers were amazing and provided us with plenty of photos to show to friends and family. We just received the gallery and WOW. The lighting is spectacular, there are tons of adorable candid moments of our guests, the detail photos really captured our day, and our formal photos are everything we could have dreamed of and more.
Trust me, you won't regret booking her!
So happy we chose Gretchen to be our wedding photographer! We were a pandemic wedding couple, originally supposed to have our wedding in 2020 and moved to 2021. We appreciated her ...
flexibility and clear communication throughout the entire process!
As far as day of, Gretchen and her second shooter Danielle were amazing to work with. Extremely professional and it was evident she knew what she was doing!! Absolutely no time wasted and directed us seamlessly.
By no surprise, the photos are incredible which was why we chose Gretchen in the first place. Our day was captured so beautifully and naturally and we are so pleased with the gallery!
Thank you Gretchen!
Hiring Gretchen was truly one of the best decisions we made for our small elopement ceremony (during COVID times). First of all, she was a joy to work with. She is kind and flexibl...
e and helped us structure our ceremony so that we would get the best shots and lighting. She came early to scope out good places to shoot. She made us feel so comfortable (even though we had never taken professional photos and were nervous about it). We even forgot that she was there at times! Her photos are so breathtaking-- she captures so much emotion in her photography-- we couldn't believe it.
Working with Gretchen was an absolute dream. Her ability to put us at ease and make us feel comfortable and natural in order to capture memories that will be cherished for a life t...
ime was so impressive. She was extremely communicative and professional and clearly explained what could be expected from working with her from the very beginning. The images she captured left my husband and I in absolute awe! She worked diligently to make sure we were comfortable during this crazy time of Covid and approached all our concerns and asks with compassion and understanding.
She brought so much love and joy to the experience and I couldn’t recommend working with her more.
Where to start my glowing review! Gretchen is a dream to work with and delivered beautiful wedding pictures. From the get-go, Gretchen responded punctually and was was transparent...
about pricing and logistics. She also counseled me through different location and timing options. At the shoot, Gretchen and Danielle were so great. They served as mini wedding planners and therapists, and our guests loved their company. Gretchen and her team were a very special part of our celebration and I can't recommend her more highly!
When reflecting on the experience of Gretchen, the words that come to mind are MAGICAL and WARMTH! Working with Gretchen was an absolute dream! From our first phone call, and eve...
ry single communication after that was deep, thoughtful, and warm.
When my partner and I were looking for a photographer for our July 2020 wedding, we both wanted someone who captured a romanticism with a photojournalistic approach and someone who is warm, honest and embraced a level of vulnerability. Gretchen is all those things and more!
When we stumbled across Gretchen's website, we were struck by and drawn to her level of vulnerability and depth. Her photos reflect honesty and intimacy that are true extensions of herself. When we spoke for the first time, it was clear that she was the right fit for us. She held our hands each step along the way, embraced an open partnership of collaboration, and honored our values. Each leg of communication was reflective and rich with kindness and integrity.
On the day of, we felt held by the experience and a natural trust in her ability. Gretchen is like a ninja -- seamlessly weaving in and out of encounters effortlessly — A true professional!
And, when we received our photos, we were blown away! My wife and I had to shift our plans because of COVID-19. We could not get married at the Berekely Botanical Gardens as planned and pivoted to an intimate backyard ceremony. We are so grateful that Gretchen was still able to photograph our day because she captured the most beautiful and intimate moments, exceeding our expectations despite the limitations and circumstances.
Unequivocally, Gretchen is our photograph for LIFE!!! Mutually, we cannot wait for other milestones simply so we can be graced by the gifted and soulful nature of Gretchen's presence. Like others have said, HIRE HER — immediately if possible. You will be glad you did and feel enveloped by her warmth and talent. PFL — Photographer for life <3
Two words: HIRE GRETCHEN! Gretchen is absolutely fabulous and I've recommended her to anyone and everyone who will listen.
We booked Gretchen for both our (now postponed to 2021 d...
ue to COVID) large winery wedding and our intimate elopement this year. When researching wedding photographers, we were struck by Gretchen's ability to capture authenticity and tenderness and the evocative quality and composition of her shots. After our first intro call, Gretchen's kindness, warmth, and genuine interest in our relationship, values, and love story sealed the deal.
Her approach is not staged or posed, instead she seeks to capture you and your partner's love in its truest, most organic form. She strikes the perfect balance of active coaching (e.g. catching the right lighting, framing the shot) and blending into the background. She was also super flexible and up for anything, expertly finding and capturing amazing vignettes at an unfamiliar location (SF Botanical Gardens). Gretchen made our elopement so so special and we cannot wait to have her shoot our big wedding next year as well!
Gretchen's photos speak for themselves: romantic, intimate, genuine, and unique. She captures love with her lens in such a way that her audience can literally feel the love and war...
mth in each photo. Gretchen herself, is as amazing as her photos. She is so freaking cool, sweet, fun, and kind.
If I could leave more than 5 stars I would!
I can't say enough good things or words of gratitude for Gretchen. Her photos speak for themselves but what you don't see is how excellent she is at capturing them. It felt like sh...
e was invisible but always there to catch any special moment. She's so warm and kind and completely put us at ease. With minimal direction she was able to help us get exactly the type of photos we wanted. We really did have a budget wedding but knew the one place we wanted to work with an experienced person was for the photos we would have forever. Not only is Gretchen's pricing reasonable, it's worth every penny and more.
To the moon & back a million times over.
This is how much my husband and I love Gretchen and her impeccable work! Her style is refreshing, romantic and like nothing else we've see...
n in the wedding photography scene. From the first e-mail, to numerous phone calls and endless questions we asked, Gretchen was warm, genuine and like an old friend ready to help and guide us every step of the way. On the big day, she was able to help my husband and I stay focused on each other while she took care of the timeline and details.
Gretchen was able to tell the story of our wedding day from start to finish the way that our guests and we remember it: lively, joyous and full of love. Every photo was exactly how we pictured it and so much more! A candid moment caught in time exuding so much emotion and intimacy - that's what every photo showed. She didn't miss a thing and even caught some surprise moments! Our first date was at a Starbucks in San Francisco, and Gretchen snapped a few shots of us walking in front of one (we didn't even know - thank you for this gem!).
There are so many wonderful things to say about Gretchen and could go on and on forever. Having her on our side for the wedding day is something we won't forget or ever regret. We hope to work with Gretchen again in the future for other milestones!
Where do I even begin about Gretchen!? As a wedding planner, I work with a lot of photographers, and I can honestly say that Gretchen is one of my absolute favorites! Not only is ...
she incredibly talented, she is such a lovely person that brings such great energy to every wedding day! She is professional, organized, so much fun to be around, and has a true gift of making everyone feel comfortable in front of the camera. Gretchen is a DREAM to work with, and an amazing colleague and I can't wait to work together again soon!
Gretchen was the perfect photographer for our special day. We had to work within a pretty tight time frame at our venue but she was incredibly communicative and accommodating. She ...
was always where we needed and wanted her. More than that, she got so many amazing candid shots of our friends and family and knew just how to find the perfect light for our formal shots. In particular, the photos from our sunset session are ones we'll cherish for the rest of our lives. She really captured the energy and love and magic of the day.
My husband and I do not have enough wonderful things to say about Gretchen! We found her via a friend who used her for her own wedding, and we had no idea what to expect (besides s...
eeing my friend's beautiful wedding photos). We first met Gretchen in person for our Couple's Session, which my husband and I were both totally freaked out about, not ever having professional photos done before. Gretchen was AMAZING at making us feel comfortable, guiding us ever so slightly but still capturing our natural movements and affection with each other. She was so sweet, kind, professional, and truly an artist and it showed in the photos.
Now the wedding is really where our jaws literally dropped to the floor. Not only was she an absolute JOY to have around all day, and super helpful with misc. items (like calling out a wrinkle in my dress I missed, or ordering us gals more champagne), but she just executed on her/our vision flawlessly. All family and bridal party photos were a breeze, and after that we barley noticed her! Besides getting pulled for sunset photos, which I am eternally grateful for as those are some of my favorite photos of the day, she let us enjoy our moments with our guests and each other.
When we received our photos, my husband and I were blown away! Our cheeks hurt from smiling for the two hours we spent looking through the photos - she captured everything perfectly. The vibe, the colors, the warmth - I could see each happy moment in the pictures being played out in my mind exactly how I remembered it.
Bottom line, Gretchen is a class act and her photos will make you weep with happiness. I can't wait to hire her again for family photos some day!
Absolutely don't think twice about hiring Gretchen. From the start, photography was one the the most important things to us in our wedding planning process - it is the only way we ...
have to capture the emotion and memories of the day, and it's the photos that will stay with you for years to come. I was so tired of seeing overdone boring "wedding photography" that as soon as I saw Gretchen's work I was in love. Gretchen's photography is so beautiful: perfectly composed, beautiful use of light, and above all she is able to capture emotion and interaction in such a natural way.
She is such a joy to have by your side on your wedding day. Whoever you hire as a photographer is going to be with you A LOT so this is super important. She has such a calm, wise & thoughtful presence that not only didn't distract, but added to the feeling of the day.
Looking through our wedding photos for the first time with my new husband (!) was like re-living that day in the most beautiful way, and living for the first time all the moments she captured that we missed. She really gave us a gift that we'll treasure forever. These are now my absolute favorite photos of myself, my husband, and my family. We feel so lucky to have worked with Gretchen, and now we're always trying to think of opportunities to be able to work with her again :)
Gretchen is the cream of the crop. She’s an incredible artist, weaving softness and lightness and just enough drama into her images, all while keeping it light and fun “on the set”...
. Perhaps what I loved and appreciated most about working with her was that she was opinionated (that’s why I hired her)— suggesting settings and poses and helping my husband and I look our best, while still feeling like us.
She’s a consummate professional. If you’re moved by her images, don’t hesitate— hire her now.
I chose Gretchen because her work stood out to me.
My wife and I had looked through a few photographers and they all seemed to be the same typical wedding photos you would see on...
Instagram. Stereotypical shots that are supposed to represent the happiest days in people’s lives but they all seemed lifeless. Then we found Gretchen.
Her photos had an editorial Vibe to them that seemed to capture exact moments in time. THAT is what you look for not only in a wedding photographer but in someone who is a TRUE PHOTOGRAPHER.
Gretchen truly has a gift in what she does and I’m certain that if she were to venture out of wedding photography she would also find tremendous success.
She was an absolute pleasure to work with and we can’t say enough good things about her.
Working with Gretchen was an absolute dream. One of the things that worried me about wedding photography, was having those “generic, awkward” photos that you’ve seen a million time...
s. I cannot stress enough that I just did not want it to look like typical wedding photography. When we saw Gretchen’s work during our research, we instantly knew she was the one that we wanted to work with. She captures so much emotion and makes you feel as though you’re there, experiencing the moment that is happening in her photos.
On our wedding day, she made us feel so unbelievably comfortable. Neither of us had ever taken a professional photo in our lives, and both consider ourselves to be quite awkward. Gretchen and her wonderful assistant Danielle made everything seem so natural and it reflected in every photo. They turned out better than imagined and I cannot thank her enough for capturing this day for us so beautifully and leaving us lasting memories that we can pore over for years to come. Thank you, thank you!!!
Bethany and Will
I 10/10 recommend Gretchen! She was so nice to work with. She helped with scheduling for the perfect lighting on the day of, and her team fit seamlessly into our day. Beyond that, ...
she’s just a really cool gal to be around and made taking pictures fun and special. Not to mention, her work is phenomenal! I’ve had so many complements.
Gretchen was a total magical dream to work with. She immediately puts you at ease (even for someone like me that hates to be in front of a camera). She is so real and sweet and I j...
ust had so much fun working with her. I couldn't even believe the beauty she captured in the photos. They were gorgeous and truly captured the essence of the day. I can't recommend her highly enough.
Gretchen is absolutely amazing. She’s incredibly artistic, and continues to blow me alway every time I work with her!! Not only is she a natural at capturing candid and precious mo...
ments, she’s also so helpful with details of the wedding day!! She’s so calm and such a pleasure to work with, I highly recommend her for my fellow brides’ weddings!!
Working with Gretchen for our wedding was perfect! I reached out to her after coming across her amazing pictures online. From our first interactions I could tell that she really ...
loves and enjoys what she does and wants to make it special for you. She did an amazing job communicating leading up to the wedding and on our wedding day she was reliable and just overall a pleasure to work with. My husband and I weren't used to having our pictures taken and she made the experience feel so natural, it put us at ease. I would 100% recommend her and would definitely work with her again if I have the opportunity!
First and foremost, Gretchen is one of the kindest human beings on the planet! She is so amazing to work with, she seriously makes you feel so comfortable and at ease. She really c...
ultivates such an amazing experience and her work is just phenomenal. I really couldn't be any more pleased with our photographs!
I can't say enough good things about this woman Gretchen. Her talent, her demeanor, everything about her is perfection and worth every penny. She is so personable and lovely so wor...
king with her was a breeze. She overdelivered for our wedding and we couldn't be more thrilled with the output. These photos are priceless. I want her to photograph our lives at every milestone because DANG she is so good and captured us so beautifully.
I was first introduced to Gretchen when she photographed my friend's wedding and after seeing her work I knew immediately I wanted to book her for my wedding. Outside of my wedding...
planner she was actually the first vendor I hired for the big day! I was initially drawn to the way she uses light and is able to capture a full spectrum of emotions in every picture. We of course made sure to get the staged family and wedding party photos but by far our favorite photos from the evening were the ones taken during "sunset hour". My dad actually used the term "mind-blowing" when describing the photo gallery. We can't wait to receive hardcopy prints so we can show them off at home! I cannot recommend Gretchen and her team enough!
I am so glad that I hired Gretchen Gause Photography to shoot my wedding! I actually found Gretchen through The Knot and got in contact with her because I loved her work (some of t...
he pictures I first saw of hers were featured in The Knot magazine). Gretchen is easy to work with, professional, and her photos have a certain warmth to them. She is excellent at understanding timing (I used her recommendations to time the rest of my wedding activities), and she got plenty of photos of my guests, too, which was so cool, because as the bride, you don't necessarily get to see all the action while you are gone taking photos. I am also not very photogenic, so I was surprised that there were dozens of excellent shots of me and my hubby...for once, I actually enjoyed sharing the pictures with people. But the best part of her photography is how she captures emotions, and her ability to choose great locations. She was able to convince the venue to let us take the golf cart to a close-by trial that they usually don't go to. I was really grateful for that! I would hire her and her team again in a heartbeat!
Gretchen is the person you want at your wedding, she went above and beyond at our wedding in Sonoma. She had perfect locations scoped out for our first look, family photos and suns...
et session. She is amazing at making everyone feel comfortable and then capturing the perfect moments. Somehow she blended into the crowd while never missing a special moment. She helped us put together our timeline and picked the perfect time to sneak away when the light was golden. So much planning and preparation goes into wedding planning for one day but Gretchen's photos make the day last a lifetime!
Gretchen was great to work with. My husband and I love all of the photos. We really wanted the celebration captured and our wedding album is full of so many candid laughs and smile...
s. These are photos that we will cherish forever! Gretchen is someone you can trust completely to help commemorate your wedding day.
Gretchen is simply AMAZING! I am a wedding coordinator who has worked with countless wedding photographers, but no one compared to Gretchen. Her attention to detail, responsiveness...
and willingness to collaborate with the vendor team makes her the ideal photographer to work with. In addition to that, her photos are outstanding and literally take your breath away. She is an absolute joy to work with and executes flawlessly on the day-of. I can't recommend her enough!! Thanks for everything you do Gretchen!
Five stars being "the best ever" is pretty accurate. Not only for quality of end product with gorgeous photos, but for professional, prompt, and cheery communication, before the ev...
ent, during, and after. She was relaxed and focused at our wedding, which put me at ease. Her photography covered everyone and everything we'd want to remember from our wedding, as well as being very artful and unique. Truely could not recommend Gretchen more.
I don’t know where to start in my praises for Gretchen and her photographic work. Every time I glance at her photos of our wedding I am swept back into the joy and love of that day...
. I couldn’t ask for anything more then to have a treasure of memories to look back on for the rest my life. Her attention to detail, as well as the lighting, and emotion that are captured in her photographs; are the reason I didn’t even second guess my choice, when I saw her portfolio. Her professionalism and easy-to-communicate with mentality made our experience fantastic. I will always be so grateful to have her art capture one of the most special days of my life.
My husband and I were planning an unconventional wedding and to make things even more difficult, we were planning it from our home in Philadelphia. We were not able to meet any of ...
our vendors in person, including Gretchen, but after speaking with her on the phone, I knew we were going to be in good hands. But we had no idea at the time just how lucky we were to have her capture our special day.
Gretchen is absolutely incredible—she is someone you will never forget once you meet her. She has an energy that is so passionate and calming at the same time, and she makes you feel comfortable and relaxed even if you’ve never taken professional photos together (like me and my husband).
She has an unbelievable talent for using the natural light and shadows and the surrounding areas to complement each frame. I cannot even express in words what a special gift she has! When we got our photos, I stayed up all night looking at them over and over again, crying over how amazing they are (and I NEVER cry)! Thank you so so much, Gretchen – not only for your patience and kindness, but for your ability to go above and beyond unlike anyone else. We will truly cherish these photos forever and ever.
Gretchen was amazing to work with from start to finish! I knew from the moment I saw her website that we needed her to be our wedding photographer. She has an eye for capturing bea...
utiful moments and the emotion of those moments. She is so kind, caring, and fun! My husband and I are a bit camera shy, but the first day we met her for our couples shoot she instantly put us at ease. We felt like our close friend was taking our photo (albeit a very professional friend, able to offer us gentle direction). During both the couples session and our big day she captured everything flawlessly. Your search is over, you have found your girl! Gretchen, thank you for the beautiful photos that will allow us to re-live our day for many, many years to come!
We cannot recommend Gretchen enough. We had a strong feeling when we met her, and even though her services was a little over our budget, we decided the extra cost was well worth it...
. From when we hired her to the day of the wedding, she took time to get to know us, listen to what we were looking for, and quickly responded to our inquiries, especially when it looked like rain would change our entire shoot.
We were impressed by her professionalism and warmth, and she is extremely easy to work with. We received our photos in a timely fashion, and we could not be happier with the results. In searching for photographers, we were extremely wary of our images looking too posed, too saturated, too saccharine and corny; Gretchen took great care to make our photos look natural, candid, and almost ethereal. We were so lucky to have her!
When I began planning my wedding, I didn't want a professional photographer because I think wedding photos often look so staged and artificial. Then I saw Gretchen's work and was ...
deeply moved by the beauty of the emotions that she captures in her images.
I am so grateful that she was available to work with us. Our photos are beyond anything I had hoped for and capture all the love and joy that we feel, in the most beautiful way. Gretchen has elevated her genre to the status of ART. Not only do we have beautiful photos from our wedding, but we also have timeless portraits of those we love to cherish for the rest of our lives.
I also have to say, that neither my husband, nor I, like to pose or have our picture taken. Gretchen made it all very easy and fun. We were able to forget about her and enjoy ourselves while she captured everything meaningful in the most stunning image. She is a truly gifted and talented Soul!
I knew immediately when it came down to choosing a photographer for our special day that I wanted it to be Gretchen. Growing up I've known of Gretchen through a close friend of min...
e and seen her work from afar for many, MANY years. Choosing her to photograph our special day was not just decided because I Google'd "local wedding photographers", I truly have seen her first hand in action and it really is amazing to see someone with such a natural gift. This beautiful lady was undeniably born to capture the most special moments in others' lives in the most artistic yet subtle way. Gretchen is absolutely one of the SWEETEST people you will ever meet, yet also has the assertiveness and capability of having kept my wedding party, as well as myself and the groom :), in check and making sure photos were taken in a timely manner. I even had my other vendors (videographer/coordinator/etc.) telling me "wow, your photographer definitely knows what she's doing!". Her professionalism is perfection, and her work speaks for itself when you truly are able to feel the emotions looking back at each photo. My husband and I could not be happier with the outcome of our photos and I would/will recommend Gretchen to anyone in a heartbeat. She is undeniably amazing at what she does and we would do it all over again exactly the same if we could! <3
Gretchen is awesome. I immediately fell in love with her portfolio because of the natural, intimate quality of the photos. Throughout the planning process, she was responsive, flex...
ible, and overall, an absolute pleasure to work with. When we had to change our venue last minute due to the fires in Sonoma, she was willing to travel to the city for our day, even though she herself was personally affected by the fires AND make the most of small spaces and busy city streets. Gretchen has an ease about her that makes those of us who are camera shy feel comfortable. We received our photos last week and we are in absolute awe. We keep reliving our day through these incredible images. I could not be more happy with our decision to work with Gretchen.
I'm currently trying to decide on the top 200 photos from our wedding. It is so difficult and my husband and I have spent weeks trying, but scrolling through our album is such a jo...
yful experience. I figured now is a great time to thank the woman who blessed us this with challenge.
Oh, Gretchen. Gretchen is incredible. She is truly talented as a photographer, but beyond that, she is an amazing human being. When searching for a photographer, my fiancé and I met with numerous options. I wanted something more than happy go lucky average Instagram photos. I tried to describe the photos I wanted to a photographer, and she actually told me to check our Gretchen. I browsed her Instagram and it was love at first sight. Her photos are real, raw, emotional, artistic, and beautiful. We did the engagement photos and we both had a blast, and loved the photos. The wedding photos were perfect. Absolutely perfect.
If you look at Gretchen's work and like it, if you like the way it makes you feel, and if it makes you smile and swoon and sometimes cry, call Gretchen. It was the best wedding decision we made. She is genuine, open, and oh so talented.
Thank you Gretchen, from the bottom of my heart, for providing us two collections of photographs we will cherish for a lifetime.
Finding vendors for your wedding is a lot of work and often an incredibly difficult decision. That wasn't the case for us with Gretchen- I knew I wanted her the second I came acro...
ss her website. In fact, we sent in our retainer check after our first email, without meeting her or even a phone call, because we were that certain and didn't want to risk loosing her to someone else. I have to say, this easy decision was also one of the best we made in the entire wedding planning process.
Working with Gretchen was just as easy- it really felt more like a close friend was taking our photos. She was amazing at making us feel comfortable but also keeping the entire day on track and moving smoothly.
As for the photos themselves, to say they are beautiful would be a complete understatement. I didn't think it was possible to recreate the love and magic I felt that day, but there it was again right before my eyes. I looked through all the photos 4 or 5 times immediately upon receiving them and just cried tears of joy the entire time. The day of the wedding went by so fast that in a way it felt like a beautiful blur, but seeing these photos I was transported back to specific moments of love and emotion, and that fuzzy blur ironed itself out into a collection of absolutely amazing memories I know I will never forget- and thanks to Gretchen's photos, never have to.
Gretchen- from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your raw talent, your big heart and for capturing a love 20+ years in the making <3
I've been waiting anxiously to write Gretchen's review. I hadn't gotten my photos yet, but wanted to write one anyways because her calming, organized, FUN, and beautiful presence o...
n the day of our wedding was enough for me to sing her praises. She created a calm and celebratory environment, even in spite of a scattered family and slightly-buzzed bridal party. But it didn't feel honest to write a review before I got my images ... well, we received our photos yesterday and I am SPEECHLESS. I didn't think that the other-worldly kind of joy I felt on my wedding day could possibly translate into photographs, but Gretchen somehow pulled it off. Our pictures are genuine, candid, organic, and clearly the product of an artist who has the patience and vision to capture the perfect moments. I wasn't convinced that I even cared about pictures on the day of our wedding, but now they're the most precious thing I own. The only thing I would differently would be to invest in the largest package possible with Gretchen, so I could've captured every moment of our wedding weekend. Gretchen is incredible - both as an artist and a person. Other than saying "I Do", choosing Gretchen to be our photographer was the best decision I made on our wedding day.
Gretchen Gause = THE.BEST.EVER
Before we were referred to Gretchen, we were thinking about not even doing a photographer and just doing a custom video short of the day. We rational...
ized our choice with thoughts like: Who even looks at their wedding photos anyway? Why spend all that money for something that is just going to collect dust on your bookcase? Who needs 1k pictures when you're only going to hang 3 or 4 up in your house?
After looking at her website and the couples featured, I immediately noticed her amazing ability to pull the beauty and love of her clients through to the image. I loved that she featured a diverse set of clients. After speaking via email and on a couple calls we were sold on working with her and completely trusted her to capture our special day.
After an amazing wedding day and Gretchen's talent, I can answer all of those above questions with confidence. Who even looks at their wedding photos anyway? I do! They are the background to my Apple TV so also anyone that comes over to my house. I also show them to people that are looking for a photographer for weddings, even if they are out of the area. I say, find you a photographer that can do this (showing the photo) with all of this (hand in a circular motion in front of my face). Why spend all that money for something that is just going to collect dust on your bookcase? I would do it again in a heartbeat. Who needs 1k pictures when you're only going to hang 3 or 4 up in your house? I do! I need all 1019 of my photos. They are ALL AMAZING!! Literally not a bad one in the batch. I love them all, which is why it's so hard to decide which to frame. Maybe I will just make a wall paper out of them all.
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