Engagement Session - Dunedin, FL: Amy and Doug

It was yet another one of those summer evenings where we weren't sure the rain would hold off long enough for us to get in the engagement session.Thankfully, the rain held off, however, it was still quite humid out as Doug and Amy can attest to. No matter what the weather, these two were only interested in each other. This was our first time meeting Doug, but we knew he would be great since he snagged Amy and she is definitely a catch.

We went to downtown Dunedin in search of a more unique feel with a variety of colors. It is a quaint little downtown that is really fun to walk around. Chris and I really love the atmosphere of the area. These two are so sincere and good-hearted and we are really looking forward to their wedding in November!

In case anyone is wondering where to find many of the cute shops and restaurants downtown, this cute little montage of signs will get you going in the right direction.





Of course Amy had to show off that gorgeous ring!



It is so sweet they way they look at each other. =)

Wedding - Dunedin, FL: Laura and Matt

I'm sure everyone would love for everything to go smoothly on their wedding day, but most brides have the inevitable snag here and there. It poured the morning of the wedding, so we all hoped we were in the clear for bad weather later in the day. However, before the ceremony started, we could all see the rain surrounding us. We all had our fingers crossed that it would hold off for the ceremony on Honeymoon Island, but the clouds were extra dark and ominous. They did make for some really cool photos though!



You can see the awesome clouds and rain all around us here.









This little boy gets the cutest kid award. He was a super cutie and was having a great time at the ceremony & reception.





Laura and Matt let us in on their first dance surprise... they started out slow dancing and it turned into a whole choreographed routine to Michael Jackson's Thriller! As you can tell, everyone thought it was hilarious.

Engagement Session - St. Petersburg, FL: Laigha and Clint

Getting up bright and early on vacation isn't much fun. However the nice breeze, warm sunlight, and lack of people make it a very nice time to go to the beach for a shoot. Laigha and Clint were in town on vacation from Dallas, as the west coast of Florida was one of their many vacation destinations this summer. The last time they were here, Clint proposed to Laigha on the beach, so it was the perfect place for us to go for their engagement session. Fort De Soto is such a great place for an engagement session because there are so many different backdrops for pictures, and as you can see, we found a ton of great spots!

















One of their vacation destinations for next summer is Puerto Vallarta in July, which also happens to be where they're getting married! I'm sure it is going to be an awesome wedding and a great time since both of these 2 are a lot of fun!

Engagement Session - Tampa, FL: Sarah and Vincent

Last Sunday, we met up with Sarah and Vincent at the University of Tampa for their engagement shoot. They are from the Orlando area and had their fingers crossed that the weather would cooperate once they made the drive to Tampa. About half an hour into the shoot, the skies opened up and dumped the inevitable rain on us. Luckily the campus had some beautiful buildings with covered porches that were perfect for the 30 minute retreat while we waited for the storm to pass.

I know they say to try and avoid gray skies in photos, but it really captured the ominous feel of the storm in this one. Also, we have always wanted to shoot at the University of Tampa with this unique sculpture.



They said they weren't very comfortable in front of the camera, but they could've fooled us!







I've always wanted to do some shots in the rain. Finally got the chance!



Sarah is absolutely stunning... we can't WAIT for the wedding in September!



Mmmm... warm sunlight just before sunset. =)



And two feel-good favorites from the day.

Engagement Session - Safety Harbor, FL: Nicole and Ross

About one hour before the engagement session was supposed to take place at Honeymoon Island, the thunder could be heard in the distance slowly getting louder. As we got in the car, the sky darkened and flashes of lightning filled the sky in front of us. We knew the storm was headed west, right toward Honeymoon Island, so we decided to make a last minute change of plans and head east toward Philippe Park in Safety Harbor instead, crossing our fingers that the storm would blow over there. We took a big sigh of relief as we arrived and the clouds began to part.

Nicole and Ross were down from Maryland visiting family in Florida, so we didn't have much time to reschedule the shoot. Aside from the crazy humidity that the storm left us with, the weather was really nice! It's a good thing Chris and I were behind the cameras and not in front because we were dripping with sweat. We have officially entered the typical rainy season for late spring/early summer in the Tampa Bay Area where it rains almost every afternoon. Nicole and Ross were so much fun to hang out with and were total naturals in front of the camera.

As soon as we set up to start the session, we noticed a rainbow across the water. How fun!







These two forgot to mention that they are secretly models, but we figured it out. =)



They both have the most stunning eyes!





It is always great when we are photographing couples that can totally be themselves. These two laughed pretty much the whole time (except when they were modeling of course). Nicole, this one is for you... we caught him =)

Wedding - Knoxville, TN: David and Molly

Last weekend I made the trip up to Knoxville for my good friend David's wedding. It was a reunion of college friends from all over the eastern United States. It was so great to see everyone again, since some I hadn't seen since we graduated from the University of Tennessee 4 years ago. David was the last one in the group to get married so now I'm not sure what will bring us all together next time.

It is strange attending a wedding as a guest after photographing so many recently. Since most of my good friends were busy being groomsmen I hung out with Molly and took a few getting ready shots.









Here is the adorable flower girl at the rehearsal dinner the evening before the wedding. This was taken with the 135 f/2. I had to wait for her to take a nap before I could get a shot of her holding mostly still. I think she had just gotten up at this point and was too sleepy to make any quick movements.



David and his groomsmen let me steal them away for a quick photo before the ceremony. We left in such a rush that we didn't even grab the jackets. It was so hot outside though, I doubt they would have humored me by wearing them anyway. =)



A closeup of the rings and their reflections on a glass table.



Of course I didn't take many pictures of the reception because we were busy "decorating" the car.



Here is one last shot I got of Molly before the ceremony. Isn't she gorgeous? David is a lucky guy!

Save The Date Card Idea

My brother is getting married! I have been looking forward to this for a few years now. Maggie has been like part of the family ever since these two started dating over 3 years ago. She is Michael's perfect complement and I am so excited that Chris and I get to be a part of their wedding next year! This will be my first time ever being a bridesmaid, so I am happy to help where I can. Since we don't live very close I asked if there was anything I could do to help from afar.

Chris and I went through the wedding planning experience just last year, so we had some creative money saving ideas that we were hoping to share with Michael and Maggie. Luckily Maggie liked the postcard Save the Date idea that we used for our wedding, so I was happy to hear that I would be able to help by designing one for them.

Maggie helped me come up with an idea to incorporate their wedding colors and I tried out some new things with Photoshop, so let me know what you think. I am so excited for the wedding next year since Chris and I both get to be in the wedding party. =) Congrats you two!

This will also be a special event because our wedding photographer, Armin DeFiesta, will also be documenting Michael and Maggie's wedding. Armin did a great job with their engagement photos last month and we're looking forward to his wonderful work with their wedding next year!