I cannot say enough good things about Gulnara. As an amateur photographer myself, photography was my top priority among all the details of putting our wedding together. I wanted, more than anything, that day captured for the rest of our lives. And no one can do it like Gulnara. Coming from a career in photojournalism (and with a Pulitzer nomination!), it is no surprise that Gulnara tells a story with her photographs. She gave us the most incredible gift not just by documented what "happened" on that day, but what it was truly about. Its as if she bottled up all of the overwhelming emotion on that day and handed it to us to hold onto forever. Of course she catches every major event and every minute detail on camera and makes it look beautiful, but she also catches the subtler moments that tell the true story with an honesty that I have not seen accomplished anywhere else: the glances, the body language, the facial expressions of your family and guests. Gulnara's story is about love, its about relationships, its about all of the heightened emotions of that incredible day. I could not say enough that she was the most important person that I hired that day!

I must also mention the behind-the-scenes. I had a very large wedding of 450 people. Gulnara made it through the crowds to catch every moment as it happened. She didn't miss a beat! Its as if she feels the moments before they happen so that she is in exactly the right spot at the right time. While she manages to get through the crowds to where she needs to be, she remains invisible the whole time. She works so quietly, and while her job is to get the perfect shot, her true priority remains to respect the day for what it is, and she kindly remains in the backdrop the entire day.

Personality is more important than I realized in hiring a wedding photographer. I have never been comfortable in front of the camera. Gulnara makes sure you have an opportunity to get comfortable with her first, before the wedding, so that no one is nervous and you have magical shots of you two on that day. She has a gift for not only making you comfortable, but directing in a way that you forget she's there, have a ton of fun, and then - poof - you end up with beautiful, meaningful shots. Working with her is fantastic, because she is such a genuine pleasure to be around. But have no fear - when it comes time to be serious and getting things done, oh they do!

I cannot recommend Gulnara more highly. Of all the details I toiled over in preparation for that day, there are only two that matter to me in retrospect: the marriage ceremony itself, and the photographer. I am so grateful I hired Gulnara, and I can promise you will be too!