Celebration Engagement Session - Kate & Andrew

When life gives you tornado warnings, make beautiful pictures. Anybody who visits Central Florida has probably heard that if it is raining, just wait 5 minutes and there will be sunshine. Well, last week Central Florida really wanted to quash that stereotype. 

It was dark and stormy all week. Amanda and I were watching the weather all week because we had an engagement session scheduled on Wednesday at Lake Runnymede. Lake Runnymede is a beautiful area, but because it is a natural park, any rain can really make all the paths impassable. On the Wednesday of Andrew and Kate’s engagement session, the weather took a turn for the worse and even turned into a tornado warning!

We knew Andrew and Kate were driving into town from Jacksonville, so it was too late to reschedule We had to make a call to change the location and pray that the weather conditions wouldn’t worsen even more. We stayed in communication with Kate throughout the day and settled on downtown Celebration as the best spot with the weather the way it was. It still has plenty of the natural woodsy spots, while also providing enough shelter from the storms. After a short pit stop to pick up a couple of clear umbrellas for our couple to use during the session,  we were ready. 

Luckily, on our way to Celebration the rain had slowed down to barely a drizzle. We arrived a little early and scoped out the area to check just how wet the paths were, and we were ecstatic that the paths were wet, but not puddled. When Andrew and Kate walked up, they looked amazing in their outfits!

Kate and Andrew handled the bad weather like pros! Plus, we love how the clear umbrellas look in the photos. They add another dimension that’s so fun to play with. Kate and Andrew, thank you for trusting us with the location change and for being so great to work with! We can’t wait for your wedding later this year!

Are you looking for your own Orlando wedding photographer for your big day? Click here to reach out!

Luxmore Grande Estate Wedding - Kim & Thomas

We love working with wedding planners! They are always organized and make any wedding day go by infinitely smoother. We’ve never worked with a wedding planner like this though. This time, the wedding planner was our bride!!! Kim is the owner of Pearl White Events, a great wedding planning business located here in Central Florida.

We love Kim and have worked with her and her team of planners in the past. When Kim approached us to photograph her wedding, we were BEYOND honored! As a planner, she knows of all the photographers in the Central Florida area and chose us to capture her big day!

After photographing Kim and Thomas’ incredible destination engagement session at Red Rock Canyon in Las Vegas, we knew that their wedding was going to be EPIC! They planned a two part wedding, with both parts being hosted at the beautiful Luxmore Grande Estate. The first part was a traditional Vietnamese tea ceremony honoring Kim’s Vietnamese heritage, followed by a break where everyone could change and relax before returning a few hours later for the second part: a fun, evening wedding reception.

There were so many special and sweet moments throughout the day. And also, Thomas makes the best faces. Keep an eye out for a few of them scattered through this post.

Kim and Thomas spared no expense on their wedding day. There were so many moving parts throughout the day, and so we were grateful that Kim had her team of planners from Pearl White Events assisting everywhere.

While the Tea Ceremony lunch reception was super cute and classic, CHECK OUT THIS EVENING RECEPTION! Holy guacamole, this was one of the prettiest weddings we have ever seen!

Kim and Thomas, thank you for trusting us to capture your wedding day. It was truly an honor, and we wish the two of you a lifetime of happiness.

The Most Amazing Vendor Team of ALL TIME:

Venue: Luxmore Grande Estate

Planner: Pearl White Events

Flowers: Flowers by Lesley

Hair and Makeup: Jazz It Up Artistry

Cake: Bakers Cottage Cakes

Rentals: Ocean Hawks Rentals, RW Events, Orlando Wedding and Party Rentals, Gala Rental

Cookies: Morgan Hunter Desserts

Linnens: Connie Duglin Linen, BBJ Linen

Video: Maiography

Catering: Big City Catering

DJ: Al Dee Productions

Stationery: Minted

Onsite Calligraphy: Andi Mejia Calligraphy & Design

Photo Booth: I Heart Photo Bomb

Event Sitting: Tootles Event Sitters

Club Lake Plantation Wedding - Ana & Kris - Apopka, FL

A single tear fell from Kris’ eye as Ana handed the microphone back to the officiant. Ana’s vows had been heartfelt and personal. There wasn’t a single person there who wasn’t also wiping away tears. I may be six years into photographing weddings, but I was sniffling a bit too. This wedding was a little bit more special than most weddings we get to be a part of, and everyone could feel it.

Kris and Ana’s Club Lake Plantation wedding was special because it wasn’t just about a couple joining to become one, but a whole family. Kris has four beautiful children, and to see how much love they have for Ana and her whole family was so extraordinary. They all had a role to play in the wedding party, and they all did so well.

This next image is exactly why we encourage all of our couples to have a first look. Many couples are worried that a first look might ruin the aisle moment. Well, Kris is proof that it absolutely does not. He still had that reaction when he realized the love of his life was walking down the aisle toward him to become his wife. He still had tears in his eyes.

This next image is exactly why we encourage all of our couples to have a first look. Many couples are worried that a first look might ruin the aisle moment. Well, Kris is proof that it absolutely does not. He still had that reaction when he realized the love of his life was walking down the aisle toward him to become his wife. He still had tears in his eyes.

Also, can we talk about how sweet it was that Ana and Kris included Kris’ kids into their sand ceremony?

This wedding had a few firsts for us, and one of them was that we finally got to work with the talented ladies of Bella Sposa Events for our first wedding together! Jennifer and her team are simply some of the best planners in Orlando, and we would work every wedding with them if we could. They ran the day so seamlessly and smoothly, and it was such a pleasure.

Kris and Ana’s first dance song brought me wayyyyyy back. They chose I Cross My Heart by George Strait. There’s just something about country music lyrics that get right to the feels, and this song is no different.

🎶I cross my heart and promise to give all I've got to give to make all your dreams come true. In all the world you’ll never find a love as true as mine.🎶

Ana and Kris, thank you so much for inviting us to capture your wedding day It was truly an honor, and we wish the two of you a lifetime of love and happiness.

Amazing vendor team:

Venue: Club Lake Plantation

Planner: Bella Sposa Events

Florist: In Bloom Florist

Officiant: Ceremonies by Catherine Pick

Dj: Xclusive Deejays

HMUA: Before the Aisle Weddings

Cake: Sweet by Holly

Caterer: Foodie Catering

If you’re in need of an Orlando wedding photographer of your own, click here to contact us!

To see Ana and Kris’ engagement session, click here.

Rock Springs at Kelly Park Engagement Session - Ana & Kris

Ana and Kris were referred to us through their wedding planner: Bella Sposa Events. We’ve worked with Bella Sposa Events before, and we are so excited to work with them again for Ana and Kris’ wedding, as it promises to be stunning! As excited as we are for their wedding day, we can tell that they are even more excited, and it’s so cute to see.

When Kris was looking at Ana during their engagement photos, his face just lit up. Ana’s laughter during the session couldn’t have been any sweeter either! We could tell that Ana and Kris both wanted to make sure that their pictures were great, so they were laser focused on all our direction when we were posing them. The moment though when they gave their attention to each other was heart stopping. You could tell that the world melted away from around them and only the other person remained. Those moments were by far the sweetest, and when set to a background as stunning as Rock Springs at Kelly Park, we know these are moments they will treasure for a lifetime.

Ana was telling us that the one detail she is most looking forward to on her wedding day would be her wedding dress. YES! There are so many different styles and shapes of wedding dresses that it can be a daunting process to pick one out, but once you find the perfect dress, you know you have a show stopper. Ana’s flower girl is also excited about a wedding dress, but not Ana’s. One of Kris’ daughters is going to be the flower girl, and is so excited to wear “her wedding dress.” When Ana told us this, we thought it was the sweetest and cutest moment. It is beautiful to see these two families joining together and it being so important for Ana and Kris that the kids be involved in the ceremony.

Ana and Kris will be getting married at Club Lake Plantation in May, and we are so excited to capture not just a marriage, but a joining of families. Congratulations Ana and Kris! May is just one short month away!

Lake Runnymede Engagement Session - Kate & Tom

Kate and Tom drove all the way out to Orlando from the Tampa area to meet with us for their engagement session! Kate told us about some of the details she was hoping for in her engagement pictures (large oak trees with spanish moss and an open field at sunset), and trusted us and our vision so much that her and Tom made the drive to bring that vision to life! We are always honored when couples see our work and trust us to capture their romance just as they had hoped.

Knowing that Kate loves large oak trees and spanish moss, we picked Lake Runnymede. There are plenty of large oak trees and spanish moss, but then you also have open fields. This was beyond perfect because Kate and Tom brought a picnic basket and blanket to take some photos with. Props are such a great way to incorporate a wedding’s theme into the engagement session. Kate and Tom are having a picnic themed wedding, and these pictures couldn’t be more perfect for that! When Kate was telling us her vision for the wedding, we were falling in love too.

Throughout their session, Kate and Tom were all giggles. It’s beautiful when a couple is so in love they fawn over each other. It really brings us joy to capture that love, and not only could we see their love, but we could hear it in their soft giggles! Tom was great at keeping Kate all smiley, and when we needed, he knew just what to say to get out a good laugh from Kate. It was really cute then watching Tom break into laughter when Kate found him funny. This session was filled with greatness. We had a great couple who have a great relationship, we were at a great location, there was great weather, and Tom and Kate looked great!

Kate’s choice of dress was beautiful. We love long flowy dresses, and it felt very upscale while also fitting into a picnic theme too! Tom’s wardrobe looked like he was ready to take Kate out on a nice date and share a nice bottle of Pinot Noir, or sit down on a picnic blanket and pull out a specially chosen Pinot Grigio to enjoy the sunset with. Kate and Tom, we are so excited for your wedding. You two are a beautiful couple, and we can’t wait for you both to experience one of the happiest days of your life soon!