Joe is the kind of guy that the first time you meet him, you feel like you've known him your entire life. Joe from Spicy-Meatball Photography was our DJ and photographer and he worked SO HARD and everything came out BEAUTIFUL! I wanted group photos of every different group that came to our large wedding, and he got it all done during the cocktail hour. He made my husband and I feel at ease from day one, he made us feel like part of his family, especially since the planning meeting he makes you an amazing Italian dinner at his own home! He captured all the beautiful moments of the day and we got our photos back so fast! I've been part of 9 weddings, and myself and everyone in our bridal party kept saying all day that he actually made taking pictures fun! He respected all the family drama and always came in with recommendations but put what I wanted first. Amazing guy, amazing family, amazing photos, don't even think about booking another photographer! read more

Spicy-Meatball Photography - Event Photography Near Me - Scandia, Minnesota

We hired Joe based on a recommendation. Come to find out later his wife wants the one that was actually recommended. Joe was difficult to work with the day before the wedding, asked to sleep on the groom and groomsmen's couch the night before the wedding, and the day of the wedding was so upsetting. Joe could not seem to figure out who to take pictures of when wedding pictures are usually some of the same people at each wedding. It's the same process so he should direct and have a plan. He kept showing us the pictures instead of snapping away and visiting with guests instead of taking pictures. He left the music going at the reception, unmanned, decided to tell the guests we were taking a 20 minute break, which was more like and hour, and the guests starting leaving before the dancing got started!! The wedding party started taking over the music so there was some type of DJ going on. There was no sneak peek on the pictures and we waited a month and a half. In fact, a basic picture to take wasn't even taken- a picture of the bride with the flower girls. He was even seen in the video just standing around while the bridal party is coming out of the ceremony. Why wasn't he taking pictures??? He said inappropriate comments to a 15 year old bridesmaid and frequently mentioned boobs to many of the girls. I wish we had never heard his name or chosen him. Now we know why he doesn't have a contract- no accountability!! read more

There aren't enough words for us to properly thank Alison for all her hard work on our wedding. We hired Spicy-Meatball to be our photographer and DJ. From the very first conversation with Joe to the delivery of our photos, everything has been so easy and perfect. Rather than tell the story of why we chose them I'll list out why we did. As someone who had to pour through so many reviews looking at vendors I hope this will be easier for future brides/grooms to look through. The price - During our initial conversation with Joe we discussed our budgetary constraints. What I really liked about working with Spicy-Meatball is how they work with you on a fair price. Joe really takes the time to explain what they can do at what price points and how that can work with your budget. I liked this model a lot more than simply saying "we have a gold tier package." Responsiveness/Easy to work with - We worked pretty much with just Alison. She was such a dream to work with. We are in California and she is in Minnesota, so there was a time difference working against us. Whenever we needed to have a Skype session she would make time in the evening (like 9:00pm their time) to talk with us. She also responded to any questions/concerns we had usually within 24 hours. She also really helped us navigate through decisions regarding music, photos, other services, time lines, etc. It was really nice to have someone take that time to explain everything simply and clearly. Extra services - So one thing we learned sort of going down the wedding rabbit hole is that there is stuff you may want or need that you never thought of. Spicy-Meatball has you covered on all fronts for any unexpected extras that pop up. If they can't offer it to you, they probably know someone who can help out. The one thing we took advantage of was hiring an extra photographer. A lot of our friends told us that having a second photographer was a big help at their weddings. Alison was able to find us a second photographer and kept us within budget. So now the big stuff. DJ services - Who would think of combining your DJ services with your photography services? At first I was skeptical of the idea, but in the end this was probably one of the best decisions we made. One of the big things about having Alison be our DJ was that she could control the timeline. If photos were running late or if something needed to be adjusted it wasn't a big deal. Alison could take her time with the photos and adjust the dances as needed. It really kept us from feeling stressed about getting the photos in. Alison also did a great job with the music. We borrowed our friends' wedding playlist and tweaked it to match what we wanted. We then sent Alison the song list as a sort of suggestion of what tone we wanted the night to have. She did an amazing job with it. Everyone loved the music and danced the night away. Something that a lot of my friends noted is how quick she was to also play requests. My friends said that usually they have to wait to hear a song, but Alison had it ready right away. They really appreciated that not only did she listen but she also played them quickly. Photography - As I said earlier we had two photographers. We had Alison as our primary photographer and she also brought her friend Jose with her. We didn't want to do a lot of posed photos. Instead we wanted to do more candid/capture the moment photos. Alison and Jose did such a great job with them. They were like photography ninjas. You wouldn't hear them or really see them, but they were always right there getting the great photos. At one point Jose was in the corn field snapping photos of the wedding party doing a walk through. They were really dedicated to being the fly on the wall. The photos themselves have been a HUGE hit with friends. You really got the sense of joy and fun that we had that day. We even had someone we didn't know comment on how much fun the wedding looked! Alison and Joe also have a mentality when it comes to their service that they are there for you for the entire day. Unlike other services where you get a photographer for 6-8 hours, Alison was with us from start to finish. The difference with that is she was able to capture really special moments at the reception/dancing. Had we hired a traditional wedding photographer I don't think we would have gotten the same dedication. Alison really went above and beyond for us in every way. Everyone we talk to about our wedding says how much fun they had. Looking at the photos now everyone remarks at how special and amazing they look. Alison really helped make not only the day special but the memories something we will cherish forever. Again, this simple review isn't enough to convey our deepest gratitude for a job beyond well done. 99/100 read more

We had our wedding in June, and I was first hesitant about hiring Joe & Alison for both photos and DJ, thinking that it would be so much for them to handle. As it turned out, not only did they DJ and take fantastic photos, we also practically got great toastmastering at the reception, and Joe went from table to table for photos and make sure we got our guest book filled out. He seems to be able to make everyone smile, and I think he became a friend with everyone there. He also gave comprehensive photography advice to my brother-in-law who would do some photography at another celebration overseas. Having them at our wedding thus made our big day so much more wonderful! read more

Joe and Allison recently did our photos for our wedding. They were so excited to work with us, and made it a point to make sure we were all having fun the entire day. Joe and Allison took all the pictures we asked for plus some of their own creative ideas helped making some unique one of kind wedding photos. I absolutely love my photos, they are beautiful, elegant, and reflect all the fun and happiness we had that day. The couple also took their time to be our DJ's for the night as well. I cannot believe how many compliments I received from my guests on how much fun they made the wedding. They kept my party out on the dance floor all night just like we wanted. If you want to have THAT wedding - where all of your family and friends just can't stop talking about how great it was - Then you will want to call Joe and Allison Joe and Allison - we cannot thank you enough for everything you did for us! - MacDonald's read more

Joe and Allison were both the photographers and dj's at our wedding. It was perfect, they were fantastic! They got more shots than we thought possible and were there ALL day! Super creative shots and very focused on giving us all the photos we wanted (AND MORE). They're fun awesome people, very creative and a blast to be around. I'm positive that the day wouldn't have been the same without having them to capture it and be there to celebrate with us. Thanks you two! We'll keep in touch and definitely have them do all of our pictures in the future. Jean and Shane King 9/13/14 read more

Spicey-Meatball Photography has to be the best of the best. We were lucky enough to have them be apart of our wedding day two years ago. They made everything so personable. From the thousands of pictures they took to them getting everyone on the dance floor by being amazing Dj's. I am so pleased still with my pictures and how our big day went. Thanks Joe and Allision its still so much appreciated! read more

The one positive thing I can say is that Joe is obviously dedicated to what he does. Having said that, this guy is a jackass. I attended 2 weddings this summer where he acted as DJ/photographer. The first one I was a casual spectator for and the other one I was one of the groomsmen. At the first wedding he dominated the microphone and even went so far as to lecture the attendees about the importance of the couple's first dance. This wasn't a "hey everyone please pay attention," it was a full on power trip. Stopped several times and called people out for chit chat. Total understatement to say he was a distraction. Also refused to play songs that the BRIDE requested because she "didn't know the crowd." The 2nd wedding was more of the same. He and his wife actually brought little sandwich bags and took some of the food intended for the bridal party! If he offered his services for free I would turn him down. Consider yourself warned. read more

We were so pleased with Joe's dedication to capturing all the incredible wedding memories at our daughter's wedding. He stayed at the reception longer than any photographer normally would to capture fun shots at the reception and dance. He was very professional and respectful of the sanctity of the church alter. I didn't even notice he was there. We would definitely recommend his skills as a photographer to anyone, just check out his work on his web page. read more