John and I typically get emotional at the weddings we do, but this one particularly so. I blame it on Meggie…lol. When she would cry I would try to fight back the tears but could not manage to hold them in. John blamed Meggie’s dad Gary… he also fought back tears several times by the obvious love that Gary has for his daughter and how hard it was for him to be letting her go to this new phase in her life. I know that inside his heart John was realizing that someday it will be his turn to do the letting go when our two girls find their soulmates and take that journey into falling in love and getting married.

There were so many loving and special moments, the wedding was full of laughter, joy, and tears. The love from Meggie and Kolby’s family and friends was overwhelming at times. The ceremony was beautiful, and reception was just amazing and held at the Moorings Club in Vero Beach. If you are looking for a place to get married in that area, Tonya and her staff there are the best! We also stopped by for some photos at the Vero Beach Hotel and Spa where most of the guests including us were staying. We really enjoyed the hotel and it was a great place to do some beach photos and had a great staircase and elevator that we also took advantage of for photo ops!

Meggie and Kolby, thank you so much for having us for your wedding day. It was definitely an unforgettable day and we were thrilled to be a part of it! Your love and laughter is contagious! We hope that you continue to enjoy that for the years to come! Have a wonderful time in Greece, we can’t wait to see photos! Much love and hugs to you both!

Doing your portraits prior to the ceremony accomplishes a few things.  It assures that everyone will look their best, no one will have smeared makeup from crying, ties will be straight, children will be in a better mood, and flowers are always their best when they are fresh.  You can also get those shots out of the way so you can head straight to the reception to join your guests instead of taking 45 minutes to an hour after the ceremony.  The other benefit is that typically there is far more time to get the must have shots rather than trying to squeeze them all into an hour.  As photographers we are able to be more creative with more time, and everyone seems to enjoy the photo taking process more when it’s not rushed.

Many of our brides do not want their husbands to be to see them before they walk down the aisle, and we do respect this.  However, let’s think about this for a minute… most often brides are nervous, VERY nervous… teary, and anxious.  When a bride walks down the aisle the guests all stand out of respect.  Often this leaves the groom having to peek around people to get his first look at the bride.  While it is still a very special moment, it’s not just the two of you sharing that moment, all of your guests are sharing that moment with you.

When our clients ask to do their photos prior to the ceremony we set up what we call the “first look”.  This can be done in the church, at your ceremony site, or anywhere of your choosing, even separate locations that otherwise may not be able to happen during a normal timeframe at a wedding.  This first look is always very special, very intimate, and private.  The only people that share that moment are our couple, and us in the distance catching it all in photographs.  Often it is one of the only private and intimate moments our couples share during their wedding.  Of all the couples that have done this, not one has ever wished they did it differently.  They all are very glad that they chose to do the photos early and have this special “first look” that is just for them and them only.  We get to capture the grooms face when he sees his gorgeous bride for the first time without anyone standing in front of our cameras, and we don’t have to worry about the constraints of church and ceremony rules.

I thought I would post about this as it is a question that is frequently asked, and many ask why we prefer to do the photos this way.  Here is a link to Lauren & Nathan’s recent wedding.  In the getting ready section you will see their “first look” which took place at Hollis Gardens in Lakeland.  After their first look their families joined them for their portraits at Hollis Gardens as well which are in the formals section of their site.  As you will see the moment they first saw each other was so special, and didn’t take anything away from the ceremony.  Yes it is definitely a bit of a break from tradition, but well worth it from the photography aspect of the day as you will see by all of the different things we were able to do with Lauren & Nathan since we weren’t rushed for time!  :)  Click HERE to check out Lauren & Nathan’s entire wedding website!

I put together a slideshow of his “daddy days”, enjoy!  Happy Father’s Day John, I love you!!!

Click HERE to read!