Salem Elopement Photographer: Why You Should Hire Tessa & What to Expect

Are you looking for the perfect Salem Elopement Photographer to capture your special day? Look no further! With over a decade worth of experience photographing weddings, elopements and couples in love, Tessa Klingensmith Photography is passionate about helping couples feel comfortable in front of the camera, making us the ideal choice for your elopement. Read on to learn more about me, why you should hire me, what clients are saying and what to expect when working together.

About Me

Hi! I’m Tessa. I’m a Salem based wedding and elopement photographer who is passionate about capturing the unique beauty of your relationship in an authentic and stress-free way. Whether your wedding is intimate or lavish, traditional or adventurous, I’m here to help make it intentional and centered around the two of you. 

My specialty is documenting special moments that you may miss and offering helpful guidance throughout the entire wedding experience. That includes vendor recommendations, location scouting and more! I’m an advocate for quality and believe in taking the time to curate timeless images that celebrate your journey together. 

When I’m not behind my lens at a wedding, you can find me walking my rescue pup Jojo. I also enjoy weight lifting, starting new hobbies like pottery, or reading.

Above all else, I’m a champion for love, and am so excited to join you on your unforgettable wedding adventure. 

My Values & Promise to You

1. Authenticity & Trust. At the heart of my wedding photography is a desire to authentically capture who you are, without compromising your uniqueness. As I take on the task of capturing your special day, I will place my trust in you, to show your true selves to the world, allowing you to be completely free and genuine. After all, you have something truly beautiful to share. 
2. Sustainability. I believe, as stewards of our wonderful planet, we have a responsibility to keep it beautiful and in good condition for future generations to enjoy. That’s why I’m passionate about educating and ensuring that adventure elopements adhere to Leave No Trace principles. We are all in this together.
3. Inclusion. All love is welcome here. Whatever your love looks like, I believe it should be cherished & proudly celebrated.

We are a good fit if…

• You want wedding photos that last a lifetime, not just a trend cycle on social media 
• You want to include your fur baby in your celebrations
• You want to get beautiful photos without worrying if everything is picture perfect
• you want to be present and let your wedding day unfold naturally

What to expect with me as your Salem Elopement Photographer

With over 10 years of experience in the wedding scene, heres what you can expect from working with me: 

1. The Ultimate Elopement Planning Guide. All of my elopement packages include my elopement planning guide, which is 50+ pages full of tips and tricks to craft your day. It has everything from brainstorming, logistics, how to elope with family, keeping it legal and more!
2. Custom Vendor Recommendations. It can be stressful knowing where to start with planning your elopement. Which is why I offer custom vendor recommendations based off of your personalized wedding day needs.
3. Documentary photos that last a lifetime. My style is very documentary and I strive to capture your day how it naturally unfolds. With some posed & prompted photos thrown in. I’ll be a fly on the wall when it comes to your wedding day. But I am never shy to jump in and take charge when needed.
4. A lot of candids. My sessions are a combination of posed portraits and candid documentary style, capturing those vulnerable & honest in between moments when it doesn’t feel like the camera is watching.
5. Natural & Effortless Posing. You don’t have to worry about posing. That is my job. I will be with you every step of the way to help with posing & to help make you feel comfortable in front of the camera.  
6. Personalized Photo Timeline Creation. Every wedding and elopement day runs different, which is why I always help my couples craft their timeline to ensure we make the most of our coverage and get all of the photos they are envisioning.
7. An unforgettable experience. My sessions are all set up to capture your genuine connection between you and your partner, so make it a date night, and let’s make some memories! 

What past clients are saying

With a 5 star rating on Google don’t take my word for it, see what past clients are saying. 

From Caroline: Tessa was wonderful to work with for our wedding in September! She got there early and was so helpful making sure we stayed on schedule for the entirety of the day. She also really listened to what we wanted prior to the wedding; we wanted the photos to be more casual and really capture how much fun we had that day and she did just that. I would recommend her to anyone getting married in the Boston area!

From Julie: Tessa was amazing to work with from start to finish! She made sure she got to know us, and that we got to know her prior to booking so that we made the right choice. The engagement session went smoothly! The day of came and Tessa came in and was ready to work and kept a calm personality on a whirlwind day. She made sure all important moments to us were captured, and gave us our sneak peaks very quickly. I would recommend Tessa for your engagement and wedding photos!

From Natly: Tessa was amazing! Helped us plan out the photo locations and group shots, so we weren’t left winging it on our big day. She was patient, sweet, ready to jump in and help with anything, and invisible during the ceremony. She communicated well leading up to the wedding and had great communication during the shoot. She took so many amazing photos, it’s hard the pick which ones to print out haha 10/10 would hire her again!

From Kyle: Tessa is a fantastic wedding photographer both in her artistic vision and style and in her skill in executing a flawless day. My spouse and I worked with her on our small elopement ceremony in downtown Boston, and we could not be happier with how it went. Tessa maximized every single minute she was there with us, capturing all of our important moments and beautifully creating the more posed shots. It’s like she read our minds with what we envisioned for our wedding photos—or, more accurately, she thoughtfully considered everything we spoke about in our pre-wedding meeting with her and made it perfect. She is a true professional; the entire process with Tessa was phenomenal, from the booking and planning to the day of the wedding to the day we received our photos.  I genuinely could not be happier with the work she did and have been recommending her to everyone I know. Thank you again, Tessa!

Read more 5 star reviews on Google about your salem elopement photographer!

How it Works

1. You send an inquiry through my website. I will be in your inbox within 48 hours to set up a free consultation call to get to know each other and see if we are a good fit. Elopements are incredibly personal, so it is vital that you feel comfortable and trust your elopement photographer.
2. After our call, I will send you your contract and invoice for your retainer. After that is signed and paid you are officially booked! I can’t hold anyones date with out a contract and retainer.
3. Once you are booked, that is when you get access to my Ultimate Elopement Planning Guide. That is when we can start planning all of the fun information too, like picking a location, custom vendor list and more!
4. You have an unforgettable wedding! Within 2 days, I’ll have your sneak peaks ready and delivered in your personal online gallery.
5. 4-6 weeks after your wedding, you will get your full gallery to relive your full wedding day and share the memories with all your family who couldn’t make it.

Ready to capture your day, no stress attached? 

Let’s connect!