No words can accurately describe how wonderful it is to have Layla as your wedding photographer. Her photos are otherworldly and her personality is genuine and kind. She is so easy to work with-- when you first meet with her it is as though you have been friends forever, and while shooting, she makes you feel confident, comfortable and relaxed. My husband and I originally had hired Layla to photograph our traditional wedding in Naperville. After meeting her, we immediately knew she was the one and wanted to cancel all of our meetings with other photographers (what was the point?! Layla was perfect for the job). A few months later, we ended up cancelling our traditional wedding in favor of changing to a destination wedding in Punta Cana. We contacted Layla to see if she would still be interested in working with us, and she immediately said of course! No questions asked. We are so grateful that she chose to come with us. From wedding planning day one, Layla was the ONLY vendor (including our venue!) we were sure about. She did not disappoint. Her style is natural and candid. Her photos are a true depiction of what actually happened at our wedding. Many times, wedding photographers focus on the traditional photos or posed shots, and they often miss out on the beautiful organic moments. Layla caught every.single.one. The photos immediately evoked tears. While going through the photos, it was like I was reliving my wedding day. Every shot was sequential and comprehensive... like a movie. Not one guest was passed over. The emotion caught on film was seriously staggering. Like, not kidding, staggering. I didn't even know it was possible to show such happiness through pictures. I am in love with every single picture she took. I have something like over 800 photos stored in my favorites on her client website... and that is me narrowing them down a million times. I want them all. I want to print every single one and frame them and put them all over my house like a crazy lady. I think it is safe to say that we LOVE Layla. You will too. For those of you considering hiring Layla-- do it. Seriously, don't even question it. Just do it. After everything is said and done, and the wedding is over, all you have left are your photos. Layla's photos are one of a kind, and for such a cherished memory as your wedding day, you shouldn't want anything less. read more

There aren't enough words to describe how incredible Layla was in capturing our special day. I met Layla at a bridal expo, and even though she was a little out of our price range, within 5 minutes of meeting her I knew I wanted her to shoot our wedding. She has so much passion for what she does, you can feel it beaming out of her when she's working. She goes to great lengths to capture the perfect shot, climbing on tables and chairs, wiping away spider webs with her bare hands, moving goose poop so it wouldn't get on my dress because it was the perfect lighting to get a picture. She works so meticulously and swiftly to make sure everyone and everything in the shot looks fantastic. She always answered my emails promptly, is always professional, and in the weeks leading up to the wedding we discussed what shots we wanted so there would be no time lost on the day of trying to decide what kind of pictures we wanted. When we returned from our honeymoon there was a package from her with a personalized thank you box with a handwritten note and a USB drive with all of our high-def pictures waiting. I highly recommend Layla to anyone who wants one of a kind pictures for their special day. She works for herself so all the booking, communication, planning, shooting, editing and retouching is done by her, not by a company. I've noticed other brides that have used larger photography companies have more basic/standard shots that don't really capture the personalities or vibes from the day. I could write for another hour, but thank you Layla, you truly outdid yourself with our wedding pictures we cannot thank you enough!! I have also included the link for our gallery so anyone who is interested can see what talent this beautiful soul is capable of. https://client.laylaeloa.com/guestlogin/reneeandnickswedding/?return=/reneeandnickswedding/ read more

My now-husband and I assembled an absolute dream team of vendors for our September 17, 2016 wedding and Layla was the best of the best. Layla responded to emails and questions from me and my planner promptly. She helped us plan the shot list and schedule in the weeks before the wedding and helped me through some concerns I had about my family. Layla works FAST. We received our engagement photos back within two weeks and our wedding photos within a month (we were still on our honeymoon!). The quality of the photos is incredible. Layla captures light and plays with focus to create really beautiful, unique images. She has a distinct style, which is well represented in the sample images on her website, so you can know what to expect. She has a lot of impressive camera equipment and clearly knows how to use it. Layla is easy to approach with your preferences and ideas, and when I told her I didn't want some of the more cliched images (no standing-in-a-field engagement photos, no shoulder-tap for the first look), she helped us pose in a way that felt natural to me. She's a hard worker, fun to get along with and she has a great attitude - our wedding took place on her birthday but she seemed like she wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. Finally, the price is great for the responsiveness, quality, professionalism and personality you get with Layla. The package we bought, which included our engagement and wedding shoots, online albums, USB drives with high-quality images, and a wedding album, was completely worth it. We have no reservations about recommending Layla wholeheartedly. She is the best. read more

We are beyond grateful to Layla for capturing our wedding day through the most beautiful and timeless photographs. From the very beginning, Layla was an exceptional communicator and planner, guiding us every step of the way and making the entire process feel seamless and stress-free. We first fell in love with her photography style during our engagement session, and she exceeded our expectations yet again on our wedding day! Layla has an incredible gift for providing clear direction and posing while still creating photos that feel candid, natural, and filled with genuine emotion. Her kind, bubbly personality instantly put us at ease and made being in front of the camera feel comfortable and fun. We were also so impressed by her dedication; Layla and her assistant truly went above and beyond, running everywhere to ensure no meaningful moment was missed. Every detail, every emotion, and every important moment was captured so beautifully. If you love timeless, elegant, and airy photography, Layla is truly the perfect match. She made our wedding look like a fairytale! Photography was one of our top priorities, and Layla's work is absolutely worth every penny. These photos are memories we will treasure for a lifetime! read more

Layla took photos for our wedding in April 2016 and we were delighted with the pictures. When we initially met Layla we were very impressed with the photos from previous weddings, in particular the lighting in her photos in a variety of conditions from rainy to sunny days and evening shots; her excellent eye for lighting and framing photos is evident in the photos of our wedding as well. Layla was always very accommodating during booking, in particular customizing what services (number of hours, album, photo printing rights etc) we wanted included, and on the day with locations and timing. She was very popular with our guests for her friendly attitude. She was efficient at getting through a lot of formal family shots and always made us feel relaxed and comfortable. She took delightful candid photos throughout the speeches, dinner, and dancing which perfectly capture our wedding day. Layla used an assistant on the day which made a big difference in helping with the set up for shots and lighting for evening photos. The photos look very natural, are well framed and the lighting and color is perfect. Our guests have all been very complimentary about the photos and we would not hesitate to book Layla again. read more

Layla was exceptional to work with! I have a huge family and majority speaks different languages, Layla made it a seamless process during our wedding photograph session. She has an impressive mastery of lighting. We had indoor and outdoor photographs and we were sooo moved by her work! She captured emotions and the over all experience of our wedding. The presentation of her work was also another must mention. The usb and the encasement of everything was an adorable presentation that essentially is a keepsake :) Our album is beyond words. The quality of the pages and the photographs, not to mention, the patience Layla had with me to design the photograph layout for the album, it was over all WONDERFUL! She is truly a gem!!! She worked so well with our videographer too, you would have that they had worked together in the past but they had met the DAY OF THE WEDDING! We have now worked with her for our engagement, wedding, and now maternity pics and for our upcoming baby shower too :) read more

Layla was the best investment we made in our wedding, because her work allows us to revisit our wedding with such beautiful photos. We couldn't be more happy with the photos and how she operates. She is a true artist with a great eye, and gives great direction throughout the process. We had so much on our minds that day and we couldn't think of ideas or even make decisions. Layla knew exactly what to do and effectively lead us through the process, so that we could just enjoy our day together taking wedding photos and not having to worry about figuring everything out. Going out and taking photos was actually super fun for us and a great memory that we might not have had we hired a lessor photographer. read more

Layla and her assistant traveled to Detroit for our wedding day photos. We were so lucky to have her as our photographer for the day and during the evening. Both settings, all types of lighting, and lots of stops along the way- and Layla was a true professional. She listened to us and got to know us before our wedding day, and followed our requests for the types of pictures we wanted. We were so lucky to have someone that appreciated our humor and followed our vision while incorporating her own. I will be recommending Layla to all of my friends and friends of friends that will be getting married, and I hope you all do the same! You will not regret it. Thank you Layla!! Stephanie and Nate read more

I met Layla at a bridal expo in Chicago and I knew right away that I wanted her to be our photographer for our wedding. After meeting with a couple of other photographers (who were awkward or just downright creepy), my husband and I met with Layla over coffee and we knew right away that we were going to hire her! I love Layla and during the 18 months of planning I raved about how excited I was to have her as our photographer. She has a calming personality and is genuinely such a sweet person. The engagement pictures and the wedding photos turned out fantastic and we have no regrets! Cannot wait to frame them all :) Also, the turnaround time on her work product is superb! read more

Layla did a fantastic, top-notch job photographing our wedding! She was able to capture photos which were both stunning and candid throughout our wedding day to weave together a great story. When I look back at the photos months later, they immediately transport me back to the emotion and memory of that day. Amidst a hectic wedding with lots of non-traditional idiosyncrasies, Layla worked thoughtfully and with ease to create an amazing collection of pictures. Layla is very professional, communicative, and talented in her craft. We are very grateful to have had her as our wedding photographer and recommend her without hesitation! read more

Layla was so amazing to work with from start to finish. She took the time to sit down with me to explain all the package options and the pricing. She was super flexible with scheduling our engagement shoots in Chicago and then flew out to PA this past April to shoot our wedding. She was so patient and professional and indulged in all my family's photo requests. The photos turned out absolutely gorgeous and we could not be happier!! All my friends family have been raving about the photos and asking who my photographer was - Layla! I highly recommend Layla and would not hesitate to use her in the future. Thank you again!! read more

Layla photographed us for both our engagement and wedding. She was the perfect photographer for these occasions. She was prompt, kind, and her work is so high quality. Our guests commented that they didn't even notice she was there, which is nice. She was able to seamlessly blend into the event and still capture all of the important moments. She also takes wonderful reception photos, which I really like. She's very easy to work with, has a wonderful personality, and really has an eye for this job. Your photos will turn out so wonderful and you will be glad you chose her. read more

Layla was the absolute best and I can not say enough amazing things about her. She was our favorite part of our wedding hands down! Our pictures were everything we hoped and wished for! She captured our style and vision and we could not be happier. All of our friends rave about our pictures and I can't recommend her enough! If you want your pictures to be perfect you have to have Layla for your wedding. Our wedding would not have been the same without her. We can not wait for the next time that we get to use her for photography! Absolute best and such a joy to work with!!!! read more

My brother's co-worker who is experienced in photography saw Layla's online photos and said she would want her for her wedding, and we're so grateful for her suggestion. We planned our wedding long distance and she was so accommodating to work with. Layla and her assistant were so patient with our large family and capturing our requested photos. We absolutely love our wedding photos and the little treasure box she mailed them in. We could not be happier that Layla was our photographer! Thank you, Layla, for capturing our wedding in such a beautiful way. read more

Layla did our wedding photos this past July and was the absolute BEST to work with. She was flexible, fun, and brought a creative, artistic eye to our wedding photos. I am thrilled with the pictures that Layla took. Layla got every photo that I could have possibly dreamed of, and then some! Layla was so professional, timely, and thought of everything. We had a large wedding party, and Layla was still able to get all of the wonderful photographs that I wanted. I would HIGHLY recommend hiring Layla for your engagement and wedding photo needs! read more

Our experience with Layla couldn't have been better! She is a great photographer and a lovely person. Layla has the creativity and sensibility we were looking for our pre wedding pictures in Hawaii. We were very comfortable during the photo session and the result was a lot better than we were expecting. The pictures shows exactly what me and my husband are as a couple, proving how good the photographer was. Layla has great photo equipment and, more important than that, know how to use them with her heart. read more

I met Layla at a Bridal Expo and her photos stood out among all the other vendors so I scheduled a consult. Her prices were a little above our price range but after looking at other photographers in the area, there was a big difference in quality, trust me you get what you pay for. After all of our research, we decided to pick Layla. So, save yourself some time and book her before someone else takes her!!! We absolutely love all of the photos and we now have memories to last a lifetime :) read more

Layla did a fantastic job! She was professional throughout the whole process, answered all our questions and gave great suggestions when needed. On the day of our wedding she kept us on time, coordinated with our transportation and got all the pictures that we asked her to. She even got some great candid ones without being in the way! The pictures came out amazing as well! And we got them much faster than I thought we would! I can't recommend Layla enough! read more

We just love Layla's work! I think we could not choose a better person for our special day. She is just amazing and did exactly what we agreed on before. I definitely recommend this young lady !! Fiquei extremamente satisfeita com o trabalho da Layla, superou minhas expectativas no dia e no recebimento das fotos, não só pela qualidade e beleza das foros, mas pelo cuidado, carinho e profissionalismo que ela nos entregou! Uma excelente profissional!! read more