Ceremony: First Baptist Church of Middleburg — Middleburg, FL
Reception: Florida Yacht Club — Jacksonville, FL
Dress & Accessories: Vera Wang from Sharon Batten Bridal Atelier
Hair: Anjeza
Cake: Etiquette of Chocolate
Flowers: Riverside Flowers and Events
Coordinator: First Coast Weddings and Event
DJ: McGee Entertainment

After the engagement shoot I did with Kristen and Matt I couldn’t wait to see what they had in store for their wedding.

I wasn’t disappointed.

Kristen and Matt’s first dance was unbelievable. They had a whole choreographed sequence where they went through multiple songs, including MC Hammer’s “You Can’t Touch This” (complete with a synchronized typewriter dance move). Beyond the fun first dance they were great hosts for the reception and had a wonderful evening planned down to the tiniest detail, especially the wedding cake from one of my favorites, Etiquette of Chocolate. It was the most delicious and moist carrot cake I have ever sampled!

Thank you so much, Kristen and Matt, for being such a great couple to work with.

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Ceremony & Reception: Private residence — Amelia Island, FL
Flowers: Gardner’s of Ortega
Bride’s Dress: Amsale
Makeup: Jackie Neal

I couldn’t wait for Sarah and Will to get married. From the first time I met them, when I did their engagement shoot, I knew they had such awesome chemistry. They were so much fun and so obviously in love.

Their wedding was held at Sarah’s aunt Agnes’ home in Amelia Island, FL. Sarah told me that ever since she was a little girl she dreamed of getting married under the big oak tree in the pasture on her aunt’s property.

The flowers were gorgeous, the setting was perfect, and luckily the rain held off until after the ceremony. And even though a rainstorm was going on outside it didn’t dampen spirits as everyone celebrated inside the home and in the large tent out back.

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Ceremony & Reception: Marriott at Sawgrass
Event Designer: Liza Chung
Gown: Love Bridal Boutique
Entertainment/DJ: McGee Entertainment

Michael and Sonia had an amazing and glamorous event. When I first met with Sonia, she told me her wedding would be an event I would definitely want to shoot.

She was not kidding.

The ceremony was heartfelt, with Michael and Sonia reciting a beautiful vow to each other. The ring bearer was so cute; he surprised everyone when he got down on one knee to present the rings. He came up with it all on his own and had been practicing all day.

Sonia worked with event designer extraordinaire Liza Chung to create an incredible reception. The three ballrooms at the Marriott were decorated in a luxurious theme with fabulous centerpieces and details like the elevated head table that was backed by a wall of crystals that hung from the ceiling.

Thanks again, Sonia and Michael, for including me in your incredible event!

Update: Sonia & Michael’s story was featured in the Florida Times-Union newspaper.

Here are some reactions from when the reception ballroom was unveiled.

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Ceremony: St Joseph’s Catholic Church
Reception: Deerwood Country Club
Wedding Designer: Riverside Event & Design
Make-up: Kimtasha K. Armstrong
Videographer: First Sight Pictures
Music: McGee Entertainment

Denise and Lee live in Washington D.C. and it was obvious that they worked hard on the planning from afar. They brought in top notch vendors and it was a pleasure to work with all them.

They were such a sweet couple and their ceremony was beautiful. Watching them on the altar I could see how excited they were to be married. After the wedding I was able to ride in the limo with them. When they reflected back on what had just happened Denise said everything came out exactly how she envisioned it.

It was great to see all of their planning come to life. Their favor to the guests was a rented photobooth. The guests had a blast with the booth and we even had to get in on the action.

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Ceremony & Reception: Private home — Crescent Beach, FL

Michelle and Mike had one of those beach weddings that I love to shoot.

It was so relaxed and had such wonderful details. Michelle’s dress was custom made by a family member, the cake looked like it was resting on a bed of sand, and they even found a way to include their dogs, Chili and Mac, in the ceremony.

Their reception was held at a private house on the Matanzas Inlet.

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Ceremony & Reception: Budder Mathis House — Glen St. Mary, FL

Kari and Jonathan were married at the Budder Mathis House on the Glen St. Mary Nursery Grounds. It was such a quaint and off the beaten path location for their outdoor wedding with lots of Southern hospitality.  

The style was just so cool. The guys had pink plaid ties that meshed perfectly with the pink bridesmaid dresses. Kari picked the perfect bridesmaid dresses because each dress was slightly different and also something that could be hemmed and worn again. 

I especially loved the tea service for the guests and pitcher centerpieces.

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Ceremony & Reception: The Greyfield Inn — Cumberland Island, GA

Peter has a fascination with islands. He lives in Brooklyn and Nancy lived in Philadelphia, so when they heard about the very remote and romantic Greyfield Inn, located off of the coast of Georgia on Cumberland Island, they knew it would be the perfect destination for their wedding. 

Cliché I know, but it really is a place where time seems to stand still. The Greyfield Inn has a large porch with rocking chairs that go extremely well with the fresh lemonade and “Sweetest Sweet Tea of the South” served in the kitchen downstairs. Wild horses routinely pass right by the front of the inn and, most importantly, there is virtually no cell phone reception anywhere on the island.

After the ceremony on the front lawn, one of the family members who runs the inn was kind enough to take us to the private beach across the island in his safari-tested Land Rover he just recently brought over from Africa.

Thank you so much, Nancy and Peter, for taking me away to such an amazing location!

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Wedding & Reception: Comfort Inn — Neptune Beach, FL

I had such a great time getting to know Anna and Michael. This wasn’t the first time I met Anna, she was actually a bridesmaid in Mary & Jeremy’s wedding back in the Fall of 2006!

We had so much fun doing pre-ceremony shots at the St. John’s Town Center. I know the first shot is a major product placement shot, but Michael is a loyal employee of Coca-Cola, so you know we had to do it. Luckily, I am a big Coca-Cola drinker (preferably in the glass bottles). 

Then again if he worked for Pepsi I don’t think I would have been as enthusiastic about the shot!

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Ceremony & Reception: Epping Forest Yacht Club

Nicole and Richard had planned to have an outdoor ceremony by the fountains in the rear of Epping Forest Yacht Club. The white chairs were in place and just as the staff had completed the preparations a huge storm rolled in.

Everyone scrambled to get in the musical instruments and floral arrangements, barely making it in before the rain. After a short shower things started to look promising and the Epping Forest staff started clearing off the seats and were about to start seating guests…

Then it happened again.

Another storm, even bigger this time, knocked over the chairs and soaked the grounds. But the rain didn’t dampen any spirits as Nicole and Richard’s ceremony instead took place inside. 
  

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Ceremony & Reception: The Hilltop — Orange Park, FL

Tiffany and Jelani had the two most adorable kids. It was a picture perfect family.  You could really tell how important family was because there were so many children at the wedding filled with laughter and joy.

Jelani’s family is from the islands, so the DJ (Jelani’s cousin) was rocking the reggae tunes all night. It was so cute watching all the kids dance!

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