About this vendor
Leigh approaches every person she photographs with genuine excitement and a desire to give them the image they will treasure for a lifetime. After photographing weddings for 11 years, Leigh still feels it is an honor to be allowed to share such special moments in her client's lives. Call today!
Details
Photo Shoot Types
- Engagement
- Trash The Dress
Photo & Video
- Digital Files
- Online Proofing
- Photo
Photo & Video Styles
- Classic
Wedding Activities
- Wedding
Awards and Affiliations
2-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2013.2012.
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.
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Reviews
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5
out of 5.013 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 4
Leigh and her husband Jeff were the photographers for our micro wedding at a lake house in Cadiz, Kentucky in August 2024. I cannot say enough amazing things about them and definit...
ely recommend hiring them for your wedding weekend. We personally love her aesthetic and framing so if you like the photo samples, lock in a date because she books fast!
The package Leigh offered us perfectly met our needs both in hours and pricing. She didn’t try to sell us on something we didn’t need but did advise taking an extra hour to give us transition time. This was honestly better than if we’d try to squeeze everything in so thank you for that!
She arrived well before her start time and walked in with the cameras ready to go. She was very intuitive about knowing what photos we'd want to have after the event we didn't even think about and made sure to include those as well.
Both Leigh and her husband were incredibly professional the entire evening and seem to really love what they do. They were great with the guests and directing them for group photos after the ceremony. They kept it quick enough so they guests could rest before the reception without sacrificing quality.
Definitely do a consultation with Leigh to go over the details once you book. She offers great wisdom and experience on pacing and things to look out for that might alter a good photo op (morning-of sunburns on every part of the face except the eyes look bad in photos apparently 😉).
She got the photos to our portal in a shorter time than estimated and communicated well throughout. There were more than enough options to choose from for a smaller wedding group/package and we could not be happier with the final product!
Honorable Mention: Leigh was able to get a photo of our entire family which spanned four generations. We weren't sure we'd be able to get this shot due to some health issues but we're all very glad she sort of pushed for that because it was a special moment we now have forever in our homes.
General Wedding Tip for Readers: Hire a professional like Leigh (and her team she brings for for bigger events). Don't get your best friend to 'just take photos on his iPhone'. Don't skimp on the costs or try to fit it all into less time to save money if you can afford it. The photos are the only things you'll have left after the wedding day to remember the moments by. It goes by VERY fast - a pro like Leigh understands this better than the bride and groom. Listen to her - you're in good hands!
Leigh is amazing. I went to her studio a couple times and her work is stunning. Before the wedding Leigh and I discussed the big day and my expectations. The day of the wedding she...
exceeded my expectations. When she arrived it was as if we were friends for years, so personable. At the state park where we took pictures, she kicked her shoes off rolled up her pants and jumped in the creek to shoot the best photos ever. We also had the photo booth which was a total blast at the wedding. Leigh will definitely be photographing my trash the dress as well as my newborn pics in the future.
Leigh and her crew were so wonderful! I had no worries about them missing anything! They showed up early, and made it so comfortable having them around; everything just felt natura...
l. I was even struggling with my hair at one point and Leigh let me borrow her hair product to fix it! She helped me put my garters and shoes on, and fixed my dress when it broke. She calmed me when I was stressed, and made my mom laugh when she was about to cry. They are VERY personable and did shots we would have never thought of. They were great on the price, and were so helpful throughout the whole process. We made our own package with rehearsal dinner coverage as well as a photo booth at the reception. They will work with you to include every detail you could think of, and their pictures are phenomenal! They really know how to capture the full emotion of the day. I HIGHLY recommend them, and wouldn't have picked anyone else to cover our special day.
She and her crew were great! I had to boss everyone around the entire day, but she showed up prepared, and knew exactly what to do. It was such a relief knowing she would do her ...
job well without instruction from me, unlike every other vendor and person helping me out. I just received my proofs and they look awesome! She was very easy to keep in contact with before and after the wedding also.
Leigh was absolutely wonderful! She did both our engagement and wedding photos both of which were perfect. She was great with us and she knew just what to do to make for awesome pi...
ctures. She's super nice and was great with our wedding party and family. She made the whole process very easy and it was so smoothly. She's always thinking outside of the box to come up with gorgeous pictures. We also has the photo booth at the reception. Everyone LOVED it! They had someone attending to it at all times and everyone that came through got to keep their pictures and at the end of the night, my husband and I got to take the photo booth book home and have a great keepsake from our wedding. I highly recommend Leigh for anyone for any occasion. You won't be disappointed!!
Love Leigh Bedokis Photography!!! Leigh was great throughout the whole process from when we first met with her through our wedding. She was easy to talk to and always got back to...
me right away with any questions or concerns I was having prior to the wedding. The day of the wedding we had some bad weather and I really wanted outdoor pictures, Leigh did a great job taking advantage of the opportunities we had that day to get outside and take pictures. The pictures turned out amazing and we couldn't be happier with them. Definitely recommend Leigh Bedokis Photography!
I have known Leigh for several years but had not had an occasion to hire her professionally until my daughter's engagement and wedding. I was truly impressed with all the services ...
she offered and how she was able to work within our time frame and accommodate most of the special requests my daughter had . She and her staff were professional at all times. The pictures we have seen so far are absolutely amazing. She has a way of creating some of the most unique photographs I have ever seen. Leigh Bedokis Photography also offers a photo booth for rent which we rented for the reception. Our quests loved the idea of using the props that were furnished and creating fun pictures for the bride and groom to keep in an album and duplicate pictures for them to have as their favor. I would, without hesitation recommend Leigh Bedokis Photography and would be happy to furnish more details if requested.
We did not use Leigh as our photographer, but we did rent her photo booth. It was fantastic. Our guests had so much fun! They brought fun props, and guests got a copy and we got...
a copy! The worker put together a scrap book for us, and our guests got to write messages to us. We used this as our guest book, and we laughed a lot reviewing all of the funny strips. They came and set everything up, tore everything down, and did a great job directing people how to use things. They have different packages for how many hours you'd want them to be there.
Leigh Bedokis Photography was absolutely amazing. They went above and beyond to ensure the photobooth was exactly what I wanted. It was the highlight of my entire wedding! The line...
never stopped! If you are looking for ann actual photobooth with great value for your wedding, then you must have Leigh Bedokis Photography!!!
Leigh is by far the best photographer! She went above & beyond for my special day! She has since been our family photographer & every moment is captured! I've been SOLD on her tale...
nt's for 1yr & a half now! I strongly recommend her business for YOUR wedding!
Leigh Bedokis photography did my wedding and they were fantastic! Leigh is very professional but also cordial and friendly. She always has new and fun ideas to try for poses and ...
such which is why I absolutely love my pictures. I look at my album constantly because it is perfect! Even though Leigh is located in Southern Illinois, she will travel to St. Louis and that is exactly what she did for us. It worked out perfectly. I love Leigh's work and will continue to use her in the future because she did such a fantastic job with my wedding.
Erin Hausmann
Leigh Bedokis-Gusta is an amazing photographer. I found her by word of mouth and had only seen her website. I called her and she made an appointment to meet with me within a week. ...
She showed me a slideshow of her work and it was beyond beautiful, to say the least. She was exactly what I wanted and I hired her on the spot. We talked and she got details of what I wanted and didn't want in capturing my special day. On the day she was there ahead of time and ready. She was so happy and easy to work with. She went with the flow and had beautiful ideas. Her use of light turned out beautiful. She was up for anything I asked for and was ready when there were moments where I didn't know what I wanted. She flowed so well with the day and I was very grateful for her laid back, easy approach. She did a great job of using different angles and different sources of light and backgrounds. We had a wonderful array of photo's to choose from. We love the photo's from that day, and we often tell people about Leigh Bedokis Photography!
If you are looking for a photographer with a ton of experience, someone who is up for anything, someone who will flow with you and really capture you in your photos, someone who will have fun and take different photo's than you've seen before, someone who's not afraid to try something to see if it will work, someone who will end up being a friend as well as a photographer then this is your woman!
LOVE LOVE LOVED her!!! From start to finish she was great to work with and offered great opinions while respecting my budget and ideas. She kept positive on the day of the wedding...
even though the heat index was over 100 degrees and the wedding was outside!! Our pictures are absolutely perfect!
Contact
135 South Division, Carterville, IL
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