Alexis & Michael: Royal Crest Room wedding

Alexis and Mike of Ohio had their beautiful wedding ceremony at The Royal Crest Room in St.Cloud Florida.  Alexis planned everything over the computer and phone with me from Ohio, and let me just tell you how amazingly organized she was! From the first time Alexis and I chatted on the phone about her wedding plans I knew we would be a great match.  She was so excited about her wedding, the details, the planning, and all for good reason.  She was in LOVE. When I say she was in love, I don't mean just a little kind of love, or a simple kind of love.  Sometimes I meet people who radiate happiness from their souls, and this is what I found to be true from this one particular bride.

When the couple came down to visit their family in Florida we were able to schedule in an engagement session Downtown Orlando.  This is the first time I had met them in person.  WOW.  This couple was incredibly attractive.  One of those couples who smile so big you can't help but smile too...seriously.  The shoot was so much fun with them.  We just took our time and got to know each other.  Alexis and Mike have the sweetest little baby girl named Olivia, who at that time was almost 1 year old.  Learning about their love story really made my heart happy,  it made me count down the days until I got to see them say their vows.

The venue they selected for their wedding day is honestly one of my favorite venues in the area.  The Royal Crest Room is located in St.Cloud on a beautiful golf course that sits out in the countryside. Stone bridges, lush landscaping, and a red english style phone booth, make this venue a #1 spot for a wedding.  We used the garden areas for all of the formal photos of the wedding party, this place is a charmer (as you will see in the photos below).

Before the wedding I took Alexis and the girls outside for some formal photos on the lawn.  This beautiful bride was glowing with joy.  Like I mentioned earlier, she was just so in love and so happy.  I could feel it radiating off of her and their families,  this feeling is one of the reasons I truly love what I do.  Seeing Alexis so happy, and so excited really blessed me.  Watching Alexis, Mike, and Olivia come together was a beautiful moment, not only for them but for everyone present.  Once again I was wiping tears away just so I could see through my view finder. Laughing, crying, and shooting at the same time...I was a mess!!! Hahaha.

Alexis, Mike, and Oliva are back home now in Ohio but we do keep in touch. I know God blesses me with each of my clients for a reason.  Without a doubt every couple I work with teaches me something about life, love, or just myself. Thank you Mike, Alexis, and Olivia for letting me feel the love between the three of you and capturing such a special day in your lives as a family. Just as you will never forget that day, I won't either.

* Alexis, I'm waiting on you to teach me your coupon skills! ASAP ;)  Can't wait to see you again.

Blair and Tim: The perfect garden wedding

Blair and Tim Rothenberger of New Smyrna Florida said "I do"  last November at Leu Gardens in Orlando Florida (Yes, it was a little while ago but our blog is new and we have lots and lots to catch up on). 

Blair and I originally met years ago when we both worked in real estate in the surrounding Orlando areas.  Blair worked for a realtor, and I photographed all of their properties.  Over time Blair and I would chat more and more about the fact that we were single, the same age, and if we were currently dating or not.  This went on for a while lol.  Later down the road I left the real estate job to work with Disney so I didn't see Blair anymore.  We kept up with each other from time to time using Facebook to connect, and that's when she told me about being engaged and planning her wedding. How exciting!

Blair and Tim chose Leu Gardens as the venue to hold their perfect outdoor garden wedding.  This venue is really perfect in every way and photographers go crazy over the beautifully landscaped property that is overflowing with tropical flowers and trees.  It's really a dreamy place, with little cottages, white picket fences, and fruitful trees galore.  On my walk into the park I noticed a large tree with giant white blooms covering every single branch.  It reminded me of a scene out of a fairytale (don't worry, you'll see photos below)! As a photographer I knew this location would be something amazing for her wedding photos.

 Now Blair and Tim are so excited to be expecting their first baby,  a little girl!  Watching Blair's story unfold for the last 6 years or so has been really fun.  It shows us that with patience, prince charmings do come along, maybe not on a white horse and all that silly stuff...but they do come along when you least expect it. Dreams do come true, and there are happy endings.  Kind of like that quote I keep seeing around "Once in a while, in the middle of an ordinary life, Love gives us a fairytale".  Blair, this blog is dedicated to you, Tim, and baby Hannah and your dream come true. 

Celia & Robert say "I do" on a small ranch estate in St.Cloud Florida

Everyone loves a country ranch style wedding with lots of food, drinks, and great music (or at least this country girl does lol).  That's exactly what Celia and Robert Ramos of Orlando Florida had at their sweet ranch wedding held in St.Cloud.  It's not everyday that I get to drive out into the country side away from the city for weddings, so this one was very exciting for me.  It really made me feel like home in KY, driving out into the more rural area surrounding Orlando Florida.  As I pulled up I saw a beautiful fence line with a barn nestled into the back of the grand farm view, enough to make any photographer's heart skip a beat.  Not to mention, that the bride and I had became friends during the planning process of her wedding and engagement photos and I couldn't wait to see her in her gown.  Honestly I couldn't wait for her big day, to see her eyes light up as she came down the aisle and to see her so happy surrounded by her family and friends. She truly was a GORGEOUS bride.

At many weddings I find myself crying from joy.  As cheesy as this sounds I really do. Maybe I'm just a big sappy baby, or maybe I'm a hopeless romantic but it's like I can feel for that moment what they feel as I take such precious photos for them.  This day I found myself wiping tears behind my camera more than once.  It's crazy how weddings touch people' hearts.  Weddings to me are mysterious and magical.  This bond and promise being made between two people is really a moment to be treasured.  As a photographer I am on the front lines of the emotion, right there when it happens...to share the joy, tears, and promises that will last a lifetime.  That's pretty powerful if you think about it.  Thank you Celia and Robert for letting me share those moments with you. I'll never forget such a beautiful day.

Outfits and updates

 For those of you who are planning to do an engagement photo shoot with Cassie Peech and Company, here is one of our newest outfit inspirations! We wanted to have a little fun with this one, making things more flirty and fun.

Also, here are a few things we have been up to lately! Lots of work to do, so much fun!

The Mouse, the Fairytale, the Dream come true.

Most of you who are reading this already know about my career at Disney.  Those of you who know me personally know that I recently decided to leave my position at Disney Fine Art Photography to be a better mom to my son Trey, and to focus on my 2 growing companies in Orlando Florida.  With that said, this blog is a farewell to the Mouse behind the magic. Three and a half years, over 800 weddings, countless bridal portraits, and amazing couples, made my experience at Disney one I will never ever forget.

October 2010 I stepped into the "magical" world of all things Disney.  This for me was a real dream come true.  Throughout my days I would wipe tears from my eyes as I would realize just exactly how much I had been blessed.  Remembering the first time I stood on the stage at the castle still makes me emotional.  I may have been wiping the water from the ground around a bride,  as I assisted my first bridal session but that didn't matter to me.  The fact was that I had made it.  I remember looking down Main Street from the stage view and soaking it all in. No crowds, no one but the photography crew and the night shift workers of the Magic Kingdom. Wow.  Just wow.

Regina Hyman, Rick Ferro, Stephanie Caldwell, Mike Strickland, and Joe Duncan soon became my role models as I assisted them on bridal sessions almost daily.  Waking up at 3 every morning to go to work actually filled me with excitement and made my adrenaline pump like crazy.  I watched them closely, how they did their lighting, how they interacted with the guests, and  their posing.  Learning from them was really fun.  Soon I began shooting small weddings on my own around the Disney properties, and a year later I shot my first bridal as a lead photographer.  I never dreaded work...because it honestly didn't feel like work to me.

Most people do not realize how many couples come to Disney from around the world to get married!  The majority  of my weddings and bridal sessions were in Japanese which really really fascinated me. After shooting a couple of Japanese weddings I was hooked.  Learning about their culture, having a translator, and making friends from Japan really made me happy.  Yoshiko, a local Japanese wedding planner brings brides from all over Japan to say "I do" at various locations within Disney. Working with Yoshiko was a highlight of my Disney career. The Japanese Travel Bureau also brings many many couples from Japan every year for their special day.  Who knew right!?  I found myself doing sessions using Japanese, and even bowing to my American couples by accident after shooting days and days of Japanese weddings. LOL. It was soooooo much fun!

There's no way to write my full Disney experience in a blog....it would take me years!  But let's just say I've done weddings in every language you can think of,  and even ones you never knew existed.  I've met some of the most beautiful, caring, and talented people in the world.  Made friends from every country around the globe, and memories with them that I'll never forget.

Hope you enjoy the photos!  These are all photos couples tagged me in online, or were taken with phones and are behind the scenes shots.  :) (A big thanks to all of my Disney friends for taking the photos for me!)