I recently joined Yelp to review industry services and was blown away by the reviews for Absolutely Loved. Admittedly, both 1 star experiences sound awful and I feel compelled to talk about what an artist/ photographer is, and how not every piece of their art is the greatest if the inspiration is not there. Not to say every wedding party should worry about being an inspiration to their photographer, but to say that if you are paying high prices for the best, be prepared to approach them as a revered artist that will react poorly to non reciprocating subjects. ( Believe that Stephanie has shot a multitude of satisfied clients to earn her title. Being painfully German and having precise understanding of her camera's lens potential I've witnessed her rely on only shooting and perfecting the joy and beauty she sees around her with that camera, and will not use it on anything less. Thus the bad reviews.) This is coming from someone in business for themselves that relies on Absolutely Loved to photograph well during product shoots and events. As a customer I gave them 4 stars. I can advise prospective clients on how to get your photographer on board with you before the shoot even begins, regardless of who you hire. Stephanie Riedel is the best for a reason and her award does not come without merit. She has photographed many weddings that I have been at, and I was amazed at how professional, attentive and no nonsense she was with her daughter doubling as a fantastic prodigy. While her daughter is 17, she shares a passion for people and photography that is unheard of at her age. Keeping the business family is respectable and I personally look forward to the kind of photographer her daughter will become at peak prowess. As for price, all photographers are expensive and without much overhead the prices honestly do ring high. Any service is going to cost you above average the more acclaimed that service is. A good surgeon is paid for what his hands are capable of and you wouldn't take a chance on a bargain surgeon in your critical hour. I have seen her hand's work at it's best and you simply can't find better. The photo book does sound cheaply made and that leads me to believe Stephanie probably didn't make it herself ( bad ) or was lowballed on that budget ( worse.) In our age of digital materialism, plan on spending large on your only wedding book with original film. For anyone still considering Absolutely Loved ( after two terribly awful reviews,) ask to see an example of the book you are paying for and have that same material and layout in your contract. There is no reason not to get a good artist in on your terms. Having said all that, we all know that people can suck too when it comes to taking pictures while acting entitled. You can't polish up a shot if the moment was not there to begin with and if the client and photographer are not on good terms chances are the best moments will happen exactly when the photographer is not around. With all the negativity excreted by the reviewers, it sounds like one of those all around negative situations between client and company that began with money... unfortunate. No artist can save or remedy their work once that one bad feeling perpetuates into the flow of their work. Sadly, instead of scrapping your piece of art you are basically scrapping someone's wedding shots. So I feel really bad for those two poor people out of hundreds. Lastly be sure to have everything in writing. Take the negative YELP review on any service and bring it to their attention. Then understand that an artist needs you as an inspiration if you are the subject. Then approach your dealings with them accordingly, especially if they are going to have a camera in hand on an important day of your life. read more

I chose Absolutely Loved Photography because I was in search of a very specific style of wedding photography. For me, the best type of photographs captures moments in their purest sense. The sample shots available on their website and Instagram account are pure magic and you could tell that Stefanie and her team have an unique artistic ability. I showed my, now, husband the samples and he was also very impressed, especially when we compared the photography to other wedding photos we have seen. Our only concern was the price, which to be fair is completely on par with other top wedding photographers on the island. When we contacted them, we told them how much we loved their photography but that we were also concerned about the price. We were encouraged to come in and meet with them, and we initially met with Stefanie, who was amazing from the start. She showed us more samples and then took the time to work with us to create a sample timeline that would capture everything we wanted, within a set time frame, which would accommodate our budget. Wedding photography is an investment and, while I know everyone has a different budget, my biggest advice is to invest wisely in this aspect of your special day. A picture, good or bad can last forever, and when you look back on you wedding day I think it's important to have images that take you right back to specific moments; Absolutely Loved Photography provided this for us. On the day of the wedding, Stefanie and Anna were just too wonderful. They arrived early and stayed later than scheduled. They made us feel comfortable in front of the camera, which enabled us to get the most natural shots possible. They were acutely aware of when I was getting overwhelmed, especially during the family photo session, which got a little chaotic. At one point I felt a bad headache coming on and they provided lavender oil and immediately got in contact with my wedding coordinator to arrange to have Advil and water brought out. In addition to ensuring that we took advantage of all of the special common places at our location, they also ensured that we had photos that were uniquely ours, something I expressed was really important to me from the start. Finally, they were so patient and wonderful with our dog and captured some very special images of our family, and him alone. Words can't really express how happy I was and continue to be with our decision to use Absolutely Loved Photography. I high recommend them without any reservations and know that I will contact them in the future for and photography needs. read more

I got Married September, 2012 at the Moana Surfrider, I choose Stefanie to photograph my wedding, I organised my whole wedding online and Stefanie was a stand out just by her online web page... I got to see many of the places I considered getting married in Waikiki, The Moana was a stand out hotel and Stefanie's shots of the hotel were amazing... I had a few emails go back and forward getting costs and details about the photography Stefanie offered.. it was a little more than I budgeted for but was worth it in the end, Stefanie helped me a great deal on my wedding day, I only had a small wedding but Stefanie was always on hand to help out which was very unexpeted, I am forever greatful to her for this... getting chocolate cake all over our hands trying to set up my cupcakes the hotel 'forgot' to do, was actually quite hilarious after a couple of fun shots with that, Stefanie made sure I was 100% happy the whole day. I was never stressed on my wedding day. The wedding photos are magical, elegant, crisp and very much my style, without actually meeting Stefanie in person before my wedding day (she did offer to meet with me but I was to busy enjoying Hawaii) I don't think I could have chosen a better person to capture my wedding day to perfection. I look back at my 4,000 pictures and it is every single step of my day, feels like I am back in the moment. and that's the whole point of getting a professional to capture your day... Stefanie really does capture you in your most natural pose, most of my pictures look like I am straight from a wedding magazine. everybody is different and will have a different experience, mine I wouldn't change for the world, my advice, listen to Stefanie and take her advice on all shots, she helped me alot feel natural and beautiful. my address is sara.holzie@outlook.com please email me and I will answer any questions you may have and send a few photos to prove just how great she really is. read more

We arrived for our toes in the sand beach wedding in the midst of 2 hurricanes about to converge on Oahu... they fortunately did not, but Stefanie was so empathetic to my concerns about the rain possibility that she kindly agreed to come to the location 2 hours before we had planned. That relieved so much pressure for me... The sun was out and the photos were amazing! She and her son Lucas captured all of the moments so beautifully and naturally and they both had such warm and calming energy which was really wonderful to be around, especially on a big day like that. She also got the thumb drive of our photos to us incredibly fast so we were able to put together a slide show for our reception 10 days after our ceremony. I just can't say enough really about their talent and also the easy way the afternoon flowed. My husband and I are still patting ourselves on the back for making the decision to hire Absolutely Loved, lol. But really, it's one of the most important moments in life so to have a photography team there that makes everything seem (and most importantly look!) so natural was a huge, huge relief. I'll wrap up here by pasting my email to Stefanie shortly after received our Flush Mount Album: Dear Stefanie, So we just poured a glass of wine and opened up our album that arrived today. It's absolutely beautiful! We love it! We keep going through it, then starting again. You did such a great job from start to finish and we are so happy that we found you to photograph our beach wedding...we honestly couldn't be happier. We didn't know exactly what the album would look like but now understand what "Flush Mount" means and it's awesome! Thank you for everything, Stefanie. Much Aloha, Shannon & Teddy read more

We live in Chattanooga, TN., but our daughter was married on May 20 on the 18th Green of Turtle Bay Resort. Our wedding planner recommended Stefanie as a potential photographer. We contacted her and another photographer on the "Recommended Vendor" list at Turtle Bay. We liked both, but choose Stefanie after receiving immediate responses to every email and telephone call we made, her willingness to answer every question we had, and her assistance in designing a package that allowed us to get the coverage and albums we wanted on the budget we had. We felt as though we knew her before we ever arrived in Hawaii. Upon our arrival, the bride and groom met with Stefanie to clarify expectations on both sides. Stefanie and Anna photographed four events and each went without a hitch, and we have breathtaking photos that chronicle everything. If you have seen photographs by Absolutely Loved, you know that they speak for themselves. Everyone has gone crazy over over ours. Stefanie and Anna are a gentle, yet unbelievably efficient presence when photographing. Stefanie and Anna captured many, many romantic moments of a couple known to shy from any public display of affection. The newlyweds' montra is now, "no kiss, almost kiss, kiss; gorgeous; one for Anna" They had great fun with the entire process. It is surely obvious by now that our experience was nothing short of perfect. I highly recommend knowing exactly what you want before your event, communicating that to Stefanie, finding out beforehand what they need from you in order to satisfy your desires, and your diligence in following their recommendations. It pays off in gorgeous photos and wonderful memories. We recommend Absolutely Loved without reservation. read more

There is not a single day that goes by without me glancing at my wedding photos, which are sprinkled all over the house, with a big smile & and happy feeling in my stomach. They are absolutely beautiful and capture all the magic of that special day. Stefanie and Anna's work speaks for itself. A designer friend of mine from Paris forwarded me her link "Absolutely Loved" as I was trying to arrange my wedding in Maui from Europe/Monaco. I still remember it was 3am in the morning and I was all stressed out with arranging my wedding via long distance and I opened her web site and was absolutely taken by her stunning work. What amazed me the most was the use of light (later I would find out that they are not only experts in using all the technology to make the backdrop of a sun set look like one in a million but they also know to the second on where to go on which island which beach to achieve the best effect of the light depending on the season). I reached out to Stefanie that night and to my absolute delight she responded within a few hours not only to confirm that she would do my wedding but also with wonderful suggestions for location, florists even the priest as I wanted to have a traditional authentic Hawaiian wedding. We took pre-wedding photos at the North Shore of the Big Island and the wedding took place a few days later at a little private beach plantation on the South tip of Maui. Stefanie and Anna are a wonderful very professional team, a great pleasure to work with and to be around on your most special your most private day. Their photography is exceptional and can easily rival with any professional photo shoot. I look forward working with them again in the future. read more

I can't say enough good things about Stefanie :-) My wife, Maggie, and I live in Australia but decided to get married in Hawaii. We don't know anyone over there so in preparation for our big day Maggie did a lot of research and "Absolutely Loved" stood out far and above every other photographer we looked at. When we contacted Stefanie we found her to be extremely helpful, patient, prompt, accommodating and professional. She gave us great ideas and advice which all helped to make our wedding day special. On the day of our wedding Stefanie and her assistant were totally fantastic. They arrived at our hotel on time and got straight into their work. After taking shots in our room and around the hotel we all left to go to the ceremony. As it was just Maggie and I we were going to take a cab but Stefanie graciously offered to take us in her car. I certainly didn't expect this but we realy did appreciate it. It also made things easier later as we were planning to do a few location shots after the ceremony and finding cabs to ferry us between them would have been difficult and time consuming. A week after the ceremony Maggie and I were back in Honolulu and were able to catch up with Stefanie to collect the CDs of our photos. When we arrived at her place she had a slide show of her selected shots ready to show us and they were amazing. I'll never forget the happy look on Maggie's face as we were watching them. Every single photo was beautiful and we are so happy with them all. Stefanie, thankyou for capturing our wedding day so perfectly. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend "Absolutely Loved" to anyone looking for a photographer in Hawaii. You just can't go past the best. read more

Picking a wedding photographer is one of the most important aspects of planning a wedding and can seem endlessly daunting at first. The photos are basically all you are physically left with in the end, so you want to make it count. After looking at many different portfolios of Hawaiian wedding photographers, Absolutely Loved was the only one that really stood out for me on an artistic level, as most others seemed very "cookie-cutter" with not a lot of differentiation between them. However, taste is very subjective, and I cannot emphasize the importance of closely looking at and ultimately loving the portfolio of the photographer you decide to go with. As for me, their style and aesthetic is so beautiful and unique that there really was no other choice. Stefanie was my primary contact, and she is an absolute pleasure to deal with. She always replied immediately to any email correspondence and is very kind and accommodating to work with while also being very upfront and honest. We did an engagement shoot a few days before our wedding as well, and Stefanie and Anna are both genuinely great people aside from being fantastic artists. We could not have been more pleased with how awesome the photos turned out for both the engagement and wedding shoot and have received nothing but the highest praise from everyone who has seen them. I should also mention that Stefanie was very cool and perceptive to the idea of allowing me to select a lot of photos to be edited from the raw footage rolls since I am very hands on with an eye for photography myself. We cannot wait to receive our copies of the book to see the final results! read more

The first time I saw Absolutely Loved photographs in Stafanie's work space I was amazed at the artistic sophistication in her photographs. Besides capturing photographs that are truly art in themselves, she also has a skill for making people look not only their absolute best, but absolutely stunning. So many of the brides in her photographs looked like movie stars to me, but she tells me that not all of them are actresses. When I looked closer into all of her work, I realized that she is just able to capture the true beauty through her talent as a professional photographer; through her sophistication in the use of light, her artistic eye, and also her attention to detail. This is so telling in her life-size poster prints that she has in her work space. Her daughter Anna who also shoots for Absolutely Loved Photography is no joke either. Anna's photos are so professional and she also brings a youthful artistic eye. As a team, Stefanie and Anna do not miss a beat. Recently I referred one of my closest friends to Stafanie Riedel Photography for her wedding. I was in this wedding, and got to see Stefanie at work, being amazing! The picture taking went so smoothly, and Stefanie made it a very relaxed and fun experience. My friend is so happy with her wedding photographs that resulted! I would recommend Stefanie Riedel Photography to anyone! read more

Wow~ where do I start!? I just Absolutely Love Stefanie and Anna!! They are so professional and fun to work with. They always make me feel calm and relaxed during our shoots, which is very important! I did my first shoot with Stefanie when I was pregnant with my identical twins. She took such magical maternity shots of us on the North Shore of Oahu. My husband and I will treasure them Forever. Then after we had our boys & got settled, we did their newborn shoot. The photos are so precious. We also arranged a family shoot. I have blown these up on canvas and my family is so happy that we were able to capture these cherished memories forever!! Stefanie also did a little holiday family shoot last December when our twins were 7 months old. This past July we had our Vow Renewal... this was very, very special to us since we had our real wedding in private 2 years prior. So this was the official celebration with our close family and friends. Stefanie & Anna did such a fantastic job.. I'm so glad I chose them to do my photos. I wouldn't have anyone else!! Their artistic eye and attention to detail are so impressive. Absolutely Loved Photography is the Best of the best in all the Hawaiian islands. I highly recommend their photography services.. you'll be so happy with the magical photos you get that will last a life time! Aloha read more

As with most other people, it was a destination wedding so I was only able to meet the photographer a few days before the wedding. However during the planning process, Stefanie was always very responsive and seemed very personable on the phone. I met Stefanie and Anna for the first time for our engagement shoot. They made us feel very comfortable upfront. The entire shoot was fun. They were very creative and picking spots here and there so we ended up having a wide variety of different scenes and backgrounds which I really liked. On our wedding, it's also good to have 2 photographers onsite to capture things at different angles and from different perspectives. And they made up for each other for things maybe one had missed so that was really nice. Later in the evening when we were at the reception site at Waikiki, Stefanie pulled us out for some sunset pictures overlooking Diamond Head. Those were AMAZING pictures and showed that Stefanie is a really experienced photographer and knows when and how to take the best pictures. They also didn't keep us waiting long to see pictures. Stefanie started posting pictures on Facebook and her blog as they were working on the pictures and got me all excited! It also didn't take long to receive the digital copies of my pictures so I am very satisfied with their service. read more

We hired Stefanie to shoot our wedding and couldn't be happier!! First, she met with beforehand and discussed our wedding day, addressed all of our questions and concerns, and, importantly, offered some suggestions for planning our day. We followed her advice and lead and let her do what she does--rather than trying to give to much direction. This was a bit of a leap-of-faith for me because I normally like to control things! But I figured that it might not be a good idea to try to put too many constraints on an artist...and I was right! Our pictures came out absolutely amazing! We especially liked our "romantic" pictures that she took before the reception. Now, I really don't like posed photos--but Stefanie's were different. She really made us feel comfortable and natural! And the photos look like something you see in a magazine! In addition, I do a bit of photography and I know the lighting was really challenging during the ceremony (it was back-lit) but she somehow got some great shots!! She also took some cool detail shots of things like the rings, flowers, and dress--which were nice details in our book. She also definitely took a bit of the stress out of our day and we totally love the photos!! We always get compliments on our photos when people see our book! We highly recommend her! read more

My husband and I worked with Stefanie for our engagement and wedding photos. Everyone -- near and far -- absolutely love our wedding photos -- honestly, they are almost legendary. People have made comments years later after seeing them. Personally, I uploaded them to Flickr and return to them from time-to-time to enjoy and reminisce about the event. It's important to note that Stefanie is an artist who offers clear direction. My recommendation? Listen to her direction and solicit her advice. She has a wonderful sense for settings that will bring out both your personality and the vision of the event. Further, if you're concerned about getting specific types of shots or scenes, then make a list and familiarize Stefanie with your wishes ahead of time. You wouldn't expect the caterer to show up without a menu -- it's helpful to think of your photographer in the same way. Put together a plan; there's no better way to ensure that you get the photos you want. Last, but certainly not least, Stefanie's daughter Anna is incredibly talented. Some of our best shots were from Anna's camera. She's poised, confident, and has a wonderful eye. If you're considering Stefanie and Anna from Absolutely Loved, please feel free to message me directly. read more

I cannot recommend Stefanie and Anna enough. I am an older bride and she made my entire family look beautiful. The composition of her photos was amazing. I was planning a long distance wedding in Hawaii from California in short time. I found Stefanie on line before Thanks giving and hired her for my wedding 6 months later. We were able to get her because we got married on a weekday. She not only provided the greatest custom package, but her recommendations for local florist and videographer were wonderful. It was like she helped me plan my wedding. When I finally met her in December before the wedding it is like she was family. The day of the wedding she even took her own hair clip off and gave it to me to help get mine out of my face for the ceremony. I didn't bring any with me so she stepped up to help when we were taking pre wedding photos. Her amazing customer service didn't stop at the wedding. She knew I wanted to use one of her photos for my thank you cards and she had several of the best emailed to me within 2 weeks of the wedding during her busy season so I could order them before school was out. She is a fantastic photographer and a consummate professional. read more

Stefanie's photography is nothing short of amazing! Both Stefanie and Anna (her daughter) were very professional and their work was nothing short of perfection. Check out her website and see for yourself. To this day my wife and i look through our wedding pictures and can remember every moment since she was able to capture it with much emotion. She has a way of framing a scene to make it look like it should be something out of a magazine! We also scheduled a "trash the dress" shooting where we met Stefanie and Anna on the north shore and they took beautiful pictures with waves crashing in the background. I'm not sure of these negative things other reviewers have posted in the past.....She was on time, professional, stayed late since there were multiple family pictures to take, consulted us prior to make sure she grabbed the shots we wanted, and even helped build a shoot to fit our budget. See for yourself....visit her website, and if you have time, go meet her in person...you will not be disappointed! Thanks Stefanie and Anna! Thanks for making our day special and preserving it forever. read more

I had a wonderful experience working with Stefanie Riedel of Absolutely Loved Photography. Stefanie and her assistant Anna were such a pleasure to work with! Stefanie has a romantic and artistic eye, and although I thought my wedding was beautiful (of course...), Stefanie made it look even more beautiful than I remember. She was open to discussing with me what type of pictures I was looking for. I wanted some "pretty" pose-y ones, but mostly I wanted pictures of my family, my friends, and just to overall capture the fun feel of the day. She did exactly that! I'm having a really hard time picking out which pictures I want to put up in my house, because it's hard to narrow down a thousand beautiful pictures into just a few favorites! I can't say enough good things about Absolutely Loved Photography. I felt comfortable the day of the wedding, which was priceless, and I had fun talking with Stefanie and her lovely husband. They treated my husband and I with kindness, respect and aloha. I would highly recommend Absolutely Loved as Stefanie is a true artist with a big heart. read more

What in the world are these people talking about? We are thrilled with our choice of this photographer and Anna, her adult daughter who is a talented and experienced photographer in her own right. I looked at hundreds of wedding photos Absolutely Loved did before Stefanie did the photo shoot for my daughter. Both Stefanie and Anna's photography turn a standard wedding with an average-looking couple into a romantic fantasy where the love and hope of commitment just shines right in and touches your heart when you see the pictures. I LOVED my daughter's photos!!!! My daughter is gorgeous already (okay, I'm a little prejudiced) but I would not have believed it was the same girl. That's how amazing the photos were. Stefanie definitely has a take-charge (but pleasant and professional) personality when she's on the job, but that's what we wanted to get the best shots. As far as the photo book, we chose from many that were offered, for a range of budgets, and we didn't choose the cheapest one! She IS the best on the island and I would definitely choose her for my next wedding! read more

Stefanie and Anna were the most INCREDIBLE wedding photographers. Truly, they are magic. From the moment we met them they were warm, friendly, accommodating, kind, passionate, fun and excited. They made it their mission to get the best shots possible, while always considering the fact that we enjoyed every moment of our day. It felt like having friends take our photos; we felt so close with them from the outset, and we knew they were sharing in our joy. They went absolutely beyond expectations, even travelling with us to our dinner venue to take more photos, which happened after they were due to wrap up their session! It turns out those are some of the most special photos of the day! Working with them was one of the highlights of the day. The photos they took for us are phenomenal; we cherish every picture and feel they not only captured the best day of our lives perfectly, but enhanced it! Stefanie and Anna, we cannot thank you enough. You're the sweetest, loveliest, most professional and talented photographers. Thank you, thank you, thank you! read more

Absolutely Loved Photography has assisted my clients time and time again with epic shoots that portray warmth, beauty and shine!!! Stefanie and Anna Riedel have the eye for capturing the smallest details and the photography gear to bring your photos to the next level and beyond. Every one of my clients have had the greatest joy when expressing their love of the photos that were captured on their wedding day. The timeless memories that are portrayed with your photographer from your wedding day need to be given the greatest of attention. I suggest ONLY THE BEST and the best of the best that I have seen is Absolutely Loved Photography with Stefanie and Anna Riedel. When choosing romantic photos of my husband and I, my favorites are always the shoots Absolutely Loved Photography has captured. I suggest having Absolutely Loved Photography for your Hawaii Wedding and as a Destination Wedding Photographer for any place you wish to hold your Event! read more