Our custom USBs are here, yay! Since so many new computers don’t have CD drives, it was time to move toward something more user-friendly for our photo images:
Same Sex Marriage Legalized in Florida!
As of January 6th, 2015, same-sex marriage has been legalized in Florida! We are very happy to live in the 36th state to have passed this law, and we hope that the other states aren’t far behind. Every Clerk of Court office in Florida will now be issuing legal marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
We’ve always considered ourselves lucky to meet people on one of their happiest days. Knowing that all the couples who love each other now have the opportunity to get married in Florida makes our hearts happy!
“I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.” -Thomas Jefferson
Favorite Things of 2014…
Our New Year’s resolution for 2015 is to keep up with our blog! But in the meantime, here are some of our favorite things from 2014 weddings.
We think that these bouquets were unique and creative, made by Josephine’s daughter Vikki for her mom’s wedding day:
Tonya and Paul get our vote for most elegantly dressed couple this year. They both looked stunning on their special day! It goes without saying, but we think that every couple looks amazing on their wedding day :).
“Most Photogenic Group” goes to Brooke and Shannon & their bridal party. These folks were beautiful inside and out!
We think that Emma had the cutest dress, and after spending some time with her and Wayne, their ensembles totally fit their personalities!
One of the funniest moments this year was when Jay put on an AFC Wimbledon jersey for Suzanne and Julian…everyone who knows Jay knows that he loves a good laugh:
Last but not least, the “Surviving the Hottest Day of the Year” award belongs to Emma and Jordan! It was a hot one, but we had a great time with this sweet couple!
Outdoor Wedding Wardrobe Tips
Engagement season is upon us! Since many couples are getting their plans in place for 2014, we wanted to share a few helpful wardrobe planning tips for outdoor summer ceremonies.
Here in Florida, May through September are our hottest months. When choosing a bridal gown, keep this in mind! Dresses with tight-fitting material and lots of layers get uncomfortable pretty fast in our humidity. Dresses with long heavy trains are gorgeous, but remember that you will have to drag all that material behind you on the sand or grass. There are lots of dresses made with light, airy fabric on the trains that have the same look without all the weight.
Here, Rachel’s dress has a train but the material is light and easy to wear. Lee wore a long-sleeved button-down shirt made with breathe-able fabric, and khaki pants:
Veils are a traditional accessory that many brides choose to wear, but every bride that has married outdoors will tell you that her veil became a hassle. Unless the material is heavy enough to weigh itself down, the veil will wrap around your arms, your face, other people’s faces, etc. We have noticed that veils have presented the most problems during the ceremony itself. Imagine standing at the altar, holding hands with your partner, batting at your veil to keep it in place. Kind of a moment spoiler!
For the guys…lightweight material is a must. We know they all look very handsome in a 3-piece suit, but the sweat dripping down their faces will distract in your wedding photos. Keep them comfortable!
Lisa & Darren demonstrate the perfect beach wedding wardrobe, with a pop of fun color:
Grumpy Cat says…
Anniversary in Celebration
This past Friday we got to reunite with a couple we married last year for a photo shoot in Celebration. Chanda and David were married on October 17th, 2012 at the Bohemian Hotel, so naturally they thought of Celebration when they decided to have anniversary photos taken. And we were really pleased that they contacted us to do their pics!
On their wedding day last year David had intended to wear his military uniform, but the pants were nowhere to be found when they arrived and got settled in to Orlando! So this time around he did a thorough check and brought the uniform in its entirety. Chanda looked stunning in a dark blue dress and sparkly shoes (which came on & off during the photo shoot…we did a lot of walking around!).
Aren’t they sweet?
And of course since it was their anniversary, they had to do a little kissing. This was pretty funny actually…as we were getting this photo, we had them standing on the road in front of the hotel. A passerby came up to us and said, “I didn’t see the photographer there and it looked like you two were just making out on the street!”.
Obviously Chanda & David stayed out of the famous Celebration fountain in their nice clothes, but we got pretty close…
Double Ceremonies
In our 10+ years in the wedding industry, we have done about 20 double ceremonies. They are a lot of fun for us…couples who choose a double wedding/vow renewal seem to be easy-going and open to non traditional ideas. They don’t mind sharing the spotlight, and they always seem to have a good time. Maybe having another semi-nervous couple by your side helps to take the pressure off! A few years ago we even had twin sisters getting married at the same time…if memory serves, Zoe was nervous and her sister Faye was right there by her side getting married too :).
Just this month we have performed two double ceremonies. The first was for 2 couples who were renewing their wedding vows of 11 and 20 years. The second was for one couple getting married, and the groom’s parents celebrating 30 years of marriage.
Christine & George, celebrating 11 years of marriage:
Michele & James, celebrating 20 years of marriage:
Kathryn & Brett, Just Married!:
Christine & Ian, celebrating 30 years of marriage:
We hope to have lots more of these in the future!
Wedding Hair & Makeup
For the past 5 years or so we have been recommending Janet from OnSite Beauty for wedding day hair & makeup. She is amazing at what she does, and makes it easy on our brides by traveling to them on the wedding day. Every single bride that books Janet raves about her, and we will continue to recommend her to anyone and everyone!
It’s been a busy summer for us and for Janet! Here are some photos of our recent brides that used her services:
Emma:
Michelle:
Catherine & Caitlin:
Family Vows
One of the things we love to do is include our couples’ children in the wedding ceremony. We think that it’s very important for the kids to know that they are a big part of the day. We have a section that we include called “Recognition of Family”- after the exchange of rings, the children are asked if they will continue to give their love and support to the family. They are also encouraged to participate in the Sand Ceremony, Unity Candle, etc.
Tracy & Doug, with their daughters Emily, Eve, & Isla:
Here, little Olivia is helping Sharon & Brian during the Sand Ceremony:
…and then the whole family joins in:
Having the children give the bride away has also become a wonderful way to include them. This works especially well with someone who might be a little older and needs more responsibility than simply holding the rings! Here, Kate’s son Niall gives her away to Darren:
When couples share their special day with their kids, we do our best to ensure that it’s a memorable experience for the family as a whole.
Beach Weddings!
This week we’ve been revamping our beach packages and it’s been a really fun process. Here, Jay & Aaron are untangling the navy blue material for the “Coastal” package:
…while Heidi runs around trying to “take off” with the turquoise fabric:
In the end, it turned out even better than we had planned. This is our new “Classic” package:
New “Coastal” package:
…and “Tropical” package:
These bright colors put us in a good mood :). We’re looking forward to setting these up for our future couples!
For Our UK Brides
A couple of things caught my eye on the Dibb this week and I thought they may be of interest to our UK brides. For those of you not familiar with the site, the Dibb is a trip-planning forum with all kinds of useful information.
Check out these awesome shoes, hand painted by a company based in Wigan in the UK called Electric Paintbrush:
They can apparently personalize the shoes with your names, wedding date, and images of anything you like.
The second is an advertiser on the Dibb (with the screen name “Ballooniversal”) who has a Manchester-based business and makes creative wooden wedding signs:
Here’s one of the signs in action, at her own Florida wedding!:
So cute!
We’re on the Dibb as “i_heart_SunnyFL”…if you’re a member, come participate in the conversation!
Central Florida Wedding Group 