Bok Tower Gardens Wedding - Jeff & Lindsey

I could write a pages long love letter to Bok Tower Gardens. Seriously, it is my absolute favorite place in all of Florida. The natural beauty there is the best in the state. But I digress, this post is about Jeff and Lindsey. These two are not like most couples. They spent the morning of their wedding getting ready together, which was an extra sweet touch. Because why shouldn’t you spend your entire wedding day with the love of your life?

And oh my goodness, did you notice that super sweet pupper!? Jeff and Lindsey had their adorable little Milly be a part of their whole day. It’s impossible not to smile when you see her!

There is something so beautiful about an all natural outdoor ceremony under a majestic oak tree dripping in Spanish Moss at sunset. I mean, it doesn’t get much better than this! It’s no wonder the ceremony area didn’t need any additional decoration. Nature did it all.

Another special touch Jeff and Lindsey had at their wedding was a Unity Heart. Miguel and I had a Unity Cross at our wedding, and we are often told that it was the sweetest part of our wedding ceremony. If you’re currently engaged, we highly suggest you look into a Unity Heart or a Unity Cross. It’s a super unique unity ceremony alternative that allows you to keep a part of your wedding day in your home always.

While we were planning their wedding day timeline, one thing that Lindsey told us over and over was that she wanted to dedicate as much time as possible to their bride and groom portrait time. We so love when couples tell us this, because it means we get lots of time to make beautiful images for their walls. Add to that fact that this particular wedding was taking place at Bok Tower Gardens, and we were over the moon.

Do we have any Game of Thrones fans out there? A theme that ran through this entire wedding day was that beautiful quote between Drogo and Daenerys, “Moon of my life. You are my sun and stars.” Just as we were driving back to the reception area after bride and groom portraits, we noticed the full moon rising. Jeff and Lindsey couldn’t resist the opportunity to take a few images with the full moon.

Jeff and Lindsey, thank you for allowing us to be a part of your special day. We hope you love your photos, and we wish you all the happiness in the world.

Venue: Bok Tower Gardens

Florist: Garden Party Florals

Officiant: Pastor Mike

Cake: Cakes by Maggi

Caterer: Terrie Lobb

Dress Designer: Daughters of Simone

Dress Store: Lighthouse Bridal

Band: Deven Starr

Protea Weddings & Events - New Central Florida Wedding Venue

Last month, I was able to go out to Ocala to visit the nearly complete Protea Weddings & Events venue. This all white antique barn was absolutely stunning in person, and I cannot wait until it is ready for its first weddings!

Now it’s no secret that Florida has lots of barn venues. A few things that make this one unique are it’s all white exterior and white interior walls, it’s air conditioned inside, and it’s history. Yes, that’s right, I said air conditioned! Super important when highs can reach the 90’s even in December and February. Learn all about the history of this awesome barn here!

Up to 200 guests can be seated inside the barn. Plenty of room for most weddings! It will be quite a beauty once all the finishing touches are done!

This gorgeous majestic oak is one of several ceremony location options. It may just be my favorite of them all!

How to Continue Planning Your Orlando Wedding During COVID-19

If your wedding is still months away, there’s no reason COVID-19 should bring your planning to a halt. There’s a lot that can be done from your couch. Here are a few things we suggest doing to make wedding planning during COVID-19 easier.

Schedule Virtual Meetings

This is the biggest tip we have. You can still meet with and get to know potential vendors while complying with social distancing. When you make your first inquiry with a vendor, ask if they would be wiling to meet with you over FaceTime, Skype, or Zoom. I’m sure you’ll find that most vendors would be more than happy to schedule a phone call or virtual meeting. If it’s a vendor like a florist or a cake artist, you can still see samples of their work with a video chat, and video is a great way to see if your personalities mesh. Miguel and I have several virtual meetings lined up this week for 2021 couples, and we are more than happy to schedule more. Your health is important to us, and we wouldn’t want to do anything to compromise it.

Check if a venue offers virtual tours

With technology as advanced as it is, many venues have started to offer online virtual tours. Call a venue you’re interested in to see if there is one available. If they don’t have a virtual tour already set up, it may be worth asking if a sales associate could walk you through the space using images from past weddings. While nothing beats being able to see a venue in person, this will allow you to turn your long list into a short list and figure out which venues you’re most interested in touring in person once COVID-19 has passed.

The Howey Mansion in Howey In The Hills, Florida offers an online virtual tour here.

Hire A Wedding Planner

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: HIRE A PLANNER! Especially now when we are not supposed to be out and about doing things, you can be sure that an experienced planner has all the connections and relationships needed to ensure that you hire the very best vendor team for your wedding day. A planner would be the one in charge of making all the phone calls on your behalf so you can relax and know that someone has your wedding’s back. Planners are an invaluable part of a wedding vendor team, and they are the ones perfectly situated to help couples navigate the uncertain waters of planning during a world wide pandemic. Need a recommendation on a planner? Here are just a few of our favorites.

Blush By Brandee Gaar

Bella Sposa Events

Anna Christine Events

Live Laugh Love Events

Pearl White Events

For The Love of Events

3 Reasons Why You Should NOT Cancel Your Wedding

Let’s have a chat. Things are totally crazy right now, and we know how scary it must be for all of the couples out there who originally planned to get married in the next couple of months. You’ve been agonizing over linen colors, flower varieties, and seating charts for months, just for this COVID-19 pandemic to make it all seem pointless. We’re here to tell you it’s not pointless! You can still have your dream wedding. It may not look exactly how you originally planned it, and your wedding anniversary may be a different day than you pictured, but your wedding is still 100% worth having.

1) Postponing Doesn’t Have to be Scary

If it has become clear that your wedding cannot happen as originally planned, it may be tempting to throw in the towel, cancel the big soirée, and head to the courthouse. PLEASE don’t do that! The vast majority of your vendors are willing to do everything in their power to work with you on rescheduling your wedding. For all of our Flora Bloom Photography couples who need to reschedule, we are waiving all of our typical rescheduling fees and applying all monies paid toward the new event date. Most other vendors we’ve talked with are offering the same deal. In the event that your originally chosen vendors may not be available for your new date, many are offering associates in their place. This is an excellent option that will maintain the original level of work you initially chose your vendors for.

Now may be a good time to consider a non-Saturday wedding. The Fall books quickly here in Central Florida, so many vendors may not have a ton of Saturdays left from September-December. Consider a Friday, Sunday, or even a weekday for your wedding. If you choose to reschedule to a Monday-Thursday, chances are your entire original vendor team will be available for your new date.

Lastly, if you weren’t already working with one, now is the time to hire a planner. Planners are the PERFECT people to help you navigate through the waters of rescheduling your wedding. Calling a planner to help you out means making one call instead of the 5+ calls to all your different vendors. Planners will handle all the details so you don’t have to stress about them for another minute.

2) You Deserve Your Big Day

For many of our couples, the wedding day is something they have been working toward for a long time. We know it’s disheartening to watch all your plans come crashing down around you, but you can still have the day of your dreams. If your wedding is something you have been looking forward to since you were young, COVID-19 has no right to change that. It breaks my heart that we have heard of couples choosing to forego their wedding and head to the courthouse because they feel defeated by the virus, but this storm will pass. When the rubble has cleared, your perfect day will still be waiting for you. Don’t look back with regret 5 years from now wishing you had persevered and had your big wedding another day instead of canceling it altogether.

3) Your Loved Ones Can’t Wait To Celebrate With You

One of the most amazing things about weddings is how they bring family and friends together. Weddings are about so much more than just the couple. They are about witnessing two families blend together into one and celebrating with all of the people you love most in the world. The people you have invited to be there with you on your wedding day are SO looking forward to supporting you in your new marriage. They WANT to be there for you, and having them there is so worth moving forward with your wedding. There aren’t many opportunities to have all of your extended family in one place for one last photo and one more memory made. Please, go on with your wedding. You won’t regret it.

Royal Crest Room Wedding - Brianna & Matt

The excitement in the air was palpable. These two had been waiting for this day for a long time, and now that it was finally here, nothing could bring down their smiles. Brianna and Matt emanated pure joy from the moment we arrived to the moment they drove off in their vintage getaway car. THIS, this is why we love to photograph weddings.

We love when our couples write letters to each other as you see in the images above. They are always the sweetest most heartfelt letters I’ve ever heard, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say they always make me a little teary eyed. If you want to know what Matthew’s letter to Brianna said, then check out their wedding video at the end of this post.

The Royal Crest Room is one of our favorite venues in Central Florida. It’s all white walls and hardwood floors make it the perfect backdrop for bringing any wedding vision to life. We’ve had the honor of photographing several weddings at this beautiful venue, and Brianna and Matt’s wedding went off without a hitch. Thanks to the amazing and talented Rebecca of Live Laugh Love Events, this wedding was flawless.

One of my favorite moments of every wedding is when the couple walks back up the aisle after saying “I Do.” That moment is always oh so happy!

During the reception, Brianna had a surprise for her groom Matt. She changed into this gorgeous little number for her reception dress, and it was a hit! She looked absolutely stunning, and Matt may have had a hard time picking his jaw up off the floor.

This wedding was full of surprises! For their grand exit, the couple’s parents surprised them with this gorgeous antique car for their getaway! It was pretty epic.

Brianna & Matthew, thank you for trusting us to capture your wedding day. We are so lucky that we get to work with the best couples in the world, and we wish you a lifetime of love and happiness.

Venue: Royal Crest Room
Planner: Live Love Laugh Events
Hair & Makeup: Jazz It Up Artistry
Florals: Linens & Flowers Design
Cake: Bakers Cottage Cakes
DJ: Our DJ Rocks
Stationery: Shutterfly