January 19, 2018
I can’t believe that another year has come and gone. It was a big year for us over here!
Thomas and I were driving home after visiting our families the other week and recounting our favorite 2017 memories. Many of them included travel (thanks to photography), reconnecting with some of our past couples, our rebrand (bye purple website!) and meeting other photographers and vendors in the community. It is amazing how much this passion has impacted our lives for the better.
This was the first year of pursuing this job full time and it was incredible to wake up and look forward to every day of work. We are looking forward to 2018 and all that it shares with us!
As opposed to putting a zillion and one “random” photos in a blog post, I’ve decided to take a page out of Justine Wright‘s book and give a small recap of each session (we’ll see if I regret this in a few hours…ha!)
Lauren and Dave were the perfect way to start off the year! Could these two be any cuter? Their wedding at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Pete was filled with a “berries and blues” color scheme that was so fresh and tasteful. 2Birds did a phenomenal job with their florals, am I right? I just adore these two and was so excited to see their day featured on Style Me Pretty! Kate and John had an intimate wedding on Treasure Island, as Florida was a destination where all of their grandparents could attend (so, so sweet!). I snapped a few engagement photos of these two the day before their wedding. Kate had every detail planned for a perfect wedding day, and she had the most beautiful, flowey, lace wedding dress! Ali & Brock’s wedding at Coconut Point Hyatt Regency was unforgettable! The elegant, rustic setting complete with string lights and cross back french bistro chairs was planned flawlessly by Fab Chic Weddings. Ali and Brock exchanged vows privately after their first look, which was such a sweet, personal moment for these two on their wedding day! We loved being a part of this celebration and were thrilled to see it featured over on Style Me Pretty! I always love collaborating with my sweet friend Becky from Daly Digs! When she asked me to photograph this St. Patrick’s dinner inspiration, complete with whiskey bar and chocolate cake, I couldn’t say no! Her eye for detail is always inspiring! See more from this session over on her blog here. A “Galentine’s” Day inspired bridal brunch styled by Ever After Vintage Weddings? Yes, please! I loved documenting this event for the ladies in the creative industry around Tampa – hosted at the perfect venue for intimate affairs – 4210! On top of it all, I’m a sucker for the way that red comes across on film! Coming to Glamour and Grace this upcoming February! When your talented florist friend asks you to meet up so you can photograph a few of her “leftovers” you just say yes. Ugh, I wish I could photograph Still Floral’s pieces every. single. day. THAT would be a good year! Lee and Teresa’s wedding at the Baughman Center in Gainesville was a beautiful one! We started the day off with a traditional Vietnamese tea ceremony and concluded with a reception at the Women’s Center. Can you believe it actually rained on their wedding day? (Yeah, me either!) We loved being a part of new traditions for such an incredible couple (and seeing Masterpiece Weddings again!)! Seeing this event featured over on Aisle Perfect was such a treat! Any excuse to meet a couple in at Kanapaha Garden is a good one! Liz and Raul have such a sweet story filled with all sorts of adventures! These two were so incredible natural together, I hardly had to give them any direction! I loved Liz’s emerald dress from Rent the Runway! From Patricia’s glamorous fit and flare gown to the bilingual ceremony held along the water, this wedding was a memorable one! Family from near and far came to the Deering Estate in Miami to celebrate Josh and Patricia as they became husband and wife. They had a nod to their love for travel woven into their reception details – which I loved! Every Last Detail is an incredible wedding resource for brides, and we were over the moon to see Patricia and Josh’s wedding featured there! Courtney and Kyle put the biggest smiles on my faces! They have such a sweet love for one another and their day was one of our favorites! From that lace Anne Barge gown to Kyle seeing Courtney walk down that aisle….it was a good one! The nautical theme, complete with compass escort cards, was perfect for the Carlouel Yacht Club! Elizabeth Anne Designs featured this event on their blog, which was definitely a bucket list item for us!
Juliana and her husband celebrated their 10th anniversary with a beautiful session in Safety Harbor. Aren’t their boys the sweetest? I usually don’t do family photo sessions, but I couldn’t say no to such a sweet celebration! Sarah and Jason started their engagement session at Bandit Coffee in downtown St Pete – yes, please! I love the way these two can make each other laugh so easily! Just wait until you see their Cape Cod wedding later in the post! Brittany and Tyler are high school sweethearts with the sweetest little pups! We loved documenting their love just weeks before their wedding at Philippe Park in Safety Harbor. Talk about an incredible styled shoot! I don’t even know what my favorite part of this modern greenery shoot was – those white brick walls, that Lazaro beaded gown, or that incredible invitation suite? Amber Veatch Designs knocked it out of the park on this one! See more on Grey Likes Weddings. Well, let’s say our Peruvian honeymoon wasn’t exactly what we had expected … but it was unforgettable! 😉 Read more about our adventure on Feather and Film! Just hours after returning from Peru, I drove 9 hours (and got rear-ended) to head up to the Amanda Watson Workshop Reunion on Jekyll Island. There, I met one of my best friends, Karla. We had four shoots lined up over 2 days, and it was an incredibly refreshing experience! See more from this indoor lifestyle session on The White Wren. A classy outdoor boudoir session? Yes, please! I can’t get enough of our model’s skin tone. See more of this session over on The Boudoir Collective. I have to say, this was my favorite session from the workshop reunion. That Carol Hannah gown with so many incredible layers – be still my heart! This was a real couple that got married just months after this session, how sweet is that? Always thankful to see our work over on Trendy Bride! This driftwood beach wedding inspiration was incredible! Posh, Petals & Pearls styled this to perfection and that Marble & Pine bouquet…. just incredible! This session was featured over on Ruffled Blog and Coastal Bride (even making Costal Bride’s top 5 posts of the year!). Headshots typically aren’t my thing, but how on earth could they not be when Kristin of The Dashing Ginger is in front of the camera? This girl radiates joy and sass. If you’re not following her on every single social media platform, you should be! Hoping I can take some more photos of this beauty in the future! Emily and Arnab brought along their sweet pup Oliver! Umm – can’t get enough! These two tied the knot in ITALY this past fall! I had a blast getting to know them during their engagement session! The day before our first anniversary, Thomas and I headed back to our wedding venue, Bok Tower, for Michelle and Colton’s engagement session! They even gifted us a bottle of wine as a celebratory gift (sappy tears). Their outfits were simply too perfect for this sun-kissed session. Having Style Me Pretty feature their engagement session on their home page was definitely a highlight of our year! Chelsey and Charlie wanted to document their relationship with a “just for fun” photoshoot – which I absolutely love! These two travel the world with the help of Charlie’s spearfishing business, Good Time Charlie Charters. Golden Ocala Golf Course…. a dream wedding venue for sure! Emma and Corey… a dream couple! These two are filled with surprises and their wedding day was nothing short of memorable! The choreographed first dance, the incredible toasts, and the beautiful ceremony… it was an incredible day! See more from their day on Orange Blossom Bride. Greta of Green Pearl Photography invited me to tag along on her Hamilton-Inspired Styled Shoot at Luxmore Grande and I’m so thankful that she did! Truly a one-of-a-kind photoshoot with a massive vendor team! Those invitations from Andi Meija have got to be my favorite though… see more from this shoot over on Glamour and Grace. I adored photographing Megan and Josh during their engagement session! That emerald dress… such a winner! I loved the chemistry that these two had and that we took photos in locations that were meaningful to them! Brittany and Tyler held their wedding at the Rusty Pelican in Tampa. The flowers at this wedding (shout out to Marigold Flower Co.) were on point, am I right? Brittany wore an incredible dress covered in lace flowers that I couldn’t get enough of! The blush and blue tones in this wedding were so beautiful together. It is always so exciting to hear that one of our past couples is expecting!! I met up with Janelle and Roberto to recreate a few of their engagement photos, announcing to the world that Littla Lara was coming at the end of the year! Thomas and I ventured up to Wilmington, North Carolina to photograph sweet Alexa and John! Not only did we get to take a river cruise with them after the session, we also spent the night playing life-size scrabble (ugh, Thomas and Alexa were the clear winners in this endeavor from the very beginning).
I started off May by attending The Film Gathering in Virginia with my friend Justine Wright. I don’t usually photograph maternity sessions, but after this gorgeous one, I may change my mind! Those mountains in the background…. so in love! See more from this maternity session on my blog. I adored this colorful springtime wedding inspiration – complete with an overflowing Cotton Social bouquet and Claire Pettibone gown. This was definitely a highlight from The Film Gathering! One of our favorite couples had an incredible wedding at the Morean Center for Clay (styled to perfection by Amber Veatch Designs)! We adored getting to know these two and wish we all lived closer! Greg’s “almost turquoise suit” was too good! I also loved that Kristen embraced her natural curls for her wedding! See more from their wedding on Fab You Bliss or our blog! Shooting a wedding at Bella Collina had been on our bucket list since before we were even photographers (seriously though), so to say we were excited for this day would be an understatement. Mix together high school sweethearts, the most perfect dusty blue bridesmaids dresses, the most beautiful weather for an outdoor reception and you’ve got my dream wedding! So grateful that we got to work alongside Plan It Events for this day! Also, incredibly thankful to see this wedding featured on Style Me Pretty! Or, check out the full day on our blog!
This day was a memorable one for me. It was a little nerve-racking – this was the first time I was teaching someone how to shoot film through a mentor session!It was refreshing – having the opportunity to photograph a couple and teach at the same time. We could slow down because Juliette and Joon were so patient with us! It was humbling – I was using Thomas’s camera and loaded the film incorrectly – failing to take photos for an entire 15 minutes…. It was a day I’ll never forget because this afternoon turned into a full on sleep over that turned into an incredible friendship that I cherish to this day. I finally got to meet Ingrid of Molliner Photography after drooling over her work for at least five years!
Just hours after getting off of a cross-country flight, these two met us for their engagement session! I about fell over when I saw Marisa’s incredible romper! We had pretty much no idea where we were going for this engagement session. We stopped on “turn offs” and snapped photos along the way – I’d say it was a pretty perfect session! See more from this sweet couple on Style Me Pretty. While our initial plans of photographing their engagement session got spoiled due to a crazy storm that hit the bay area in January, we made up for it with round two in May! Exploring corners of San Francisco with Waine and Joyce made for a pretty perfect day! From Golden Gate Park, to the Palace of Fine Arts, we loved every moment! Jen and Todd celebrated Jen’s birthday with an engagement session! These two laughed throughout their session and even enjoyed some ice cream at the end! Danielle and Derek‘s wedding at Lange Farm (soon to be Stonebridge Weddings) was a gorgeous one! I am still so in love with Danielle’s gown from The Dressing Room! And their paper goods from Whimsy Design Studio were perfection! Any ceremony held under a gorgeous oak tree is a winner in my book. We were fortunate enough to be one of the first people into The Orlo, a brand new venue in South Tampa, for a styled shoot! I practiced a lot with long exposures on film (some of these were exposures that were over a second long) and fell in love with the results! Still Floral and Bourbon and Blush Events absolutely went beyond expectations for this shoot! See more of it on our blog or on JoyWed. Mindy is a local photographer, so when I received her inquiry, of course I was incredibly humbled and grateful! What a compliment! She and Jim are so perfect for one another and they had the sweetest intimate wedding ceremony at the Historic Peninsula Inn. I’m not sure if you read about Autumn and Joey’s love story on the blog, but you really should. The dedication these two have shown each other over the past years is incredibly inspiring. Being a part of their anniversary celebration was a highlight of my year! Emily and Tanner had the sweetest coastal wedding at the Postcard Inn on St. Pete Beach! I loved the blue hues in their color palette. My favorite detail of their day was the escort cards that also acted as notes to each guest at the wedding – isn’t that the sweetest? This wedding was featured over on Classic Bride and was a hit on our pinterest page! Amanda and Alex‘s Chicago engagement session was one of our favorites! I have never felt more welcomed when visiting a new city! These two spoiled us with donuts, popcorn, a postcard, and even a Chicago mug! We spent practically all of Saturday exploring the city and eating our hearts out! Hoping to make another visit to see them again this year!One of our sweet friends, Michelle and David (from Michelle Stoker Photography) welcomed a sweet baby boy into the world this past June. I loved being a part of their story – from helping with the gender reveal (I was the first to know the gender!!) to documenting this stage of life with a mini maternity session. So happy for these two and I’ve loved watching them become parents!
Our first wedding out in Seattle was a gorgeous one! Alexa and John thought of every detail – plus Alexa’s Anna Campbell wedding dress was absolutely a dream! Add in a stunner cake, some gorgeous florals, and an incredibly fun wedding party (I’m talking some NFL cheerleaders!) and you’ve got an unforgettable wedding! See more of their day over on Style Me Pretty! I know I’m not allowed to have favorites, but this inspiration shoot at Woodinville Lavender Farm is up there for sureeeee. Amy from Gather Design Company put this whole shoot together and I was blown away by her out of the box creativity. My body needed some new inspiration and I’m so grateful for this entire team! Aren’t our models the cutest? To brag on Thomas a bit, that double exposure up there was included on Wedding Chick’s “Sickest Double Exposures.” That cake up there was also named one of the prettiest cakes of 2017 by SMP! See more of this shoot over on Style Me Pretty!
We quickly became close friends with Lisa and Amish! Delicious brunches and dog park dates – yup, that is the key to our hearts! They woke up before the sun rose for this mini engagement session during the heat of July so they could send out a few Save the Dates for their wedding! Joyce and Waine had a stunning wedding in the Sacramento area at Grand Island Mansion! California is just the prettiest! I loved Waine’s light blue suit and the way that these two decorated the venue for their celebration! See more from this wedding on Aisle Perfect! I’m going to say that this shoot would not have been possible without Laura Miller‘s incredibly hard work! She went to the flower market in the middle of the night to get these incredible blooms! Not only that, she picked up all of the rentals, loaded the truck, picked up the dress and the cake… seriously, she went above and beyond! So incredibly thankful for her and all of her hard work to make this Elliston Vineyard wedding inspiration come together! See more from this session over on JoyWed! Thomas and I had two California weddings a week apart, so we got to spend a week in one of our favorite parts of the country! Exploring Yosemite (and complaining for almost all 7 hours of those hikes…) was definitely a highlight of the year. We’ve got some of these images framed in our apartment now! We squeezed in a mini engagement session with Courtney and Andrew, as we weren’t sure when our plans would bring us back out to California. I love the way these two laugh together… and those green mountains agains that golden field… yes! Marisa and Sean had a gorgeous wedding in Pleasanton at Ruby Hill. The joy that these two shared after being pronounced husband and wife left me with the biggest smile on my face! Their wedding was featured over on Elizabeth Anne Designs, which is always an honor.
Do these two look familiar? It is because they are! We headed back out to the west coast to capture their full on session and it was stunning!
We had the best time exploring Door County with Stephanie and Nathan! Seriously, these two are the sweetest! We explored various areas of the peninsula, ate delicious pizza and spent the evening playing board games – I’d call that a win! See more from this session over on The White Wren.
After photographing Kimberly and Andres’s engagement session and wedding, I was honored to snap a few photos before they welcomed their sweet baby girl into the world! If you think Kimberly and Stephanie (featured above) look similar it is because they’re sisters! We headed up to Cape Cod to photograph Jason and Sarah‘s wedding at the Captain Linnell House. These two can make each other laugh in the most perfect way! Plus, wasn’t Sarah’s bouquet gorgeous? This wedding is coming to Classic Bride is just a few weeks! One of the highlights of the year was definitely flying out to Oahu! We got to photograph two engagement sessions while we were there! The views were breathtaking. Cheyenne and Brennan were so sweet for driving us around all morning as we explored the island in search of the perfect photo location! I would say we found some good ones! Bryant and Pamela moved to Hawaii because they wanted to explore a new part of the world…because, why not? They recently adopted a sweet pup, Luna, and have loved calling this place home! Bryant goes surfing regularly and we had the opportunity to go snorkeling (which was SO COOL) while we were there visiting! This engagement session is coming to The Overwhelmed Bride next summer! Ughhh, if every engagement session could be like Steve and Martine‘s I would be one happy photographer! Everything about this day was perfect – the couple, the light, their outfits, and the stunning scenery! Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is literally a dream and these two have one of the sweetest love stories. See more from their engagement session on Coastal Bride! In November I went on a 12 day road trip! Definitely the longest I’ve ever driven – but well worth it! The journey started out in Gainesville attending Hala and Billy’s baby shower! These two were our very first couple and being able to celebrate baby Laith with them was so special! I just had to snap a few portraits of them at the end of the party! Day two of the road trip resulted in me reconnecting with one of my best friends, Ingrid from Molliner Photography. I’m pretty terrified of photographing children, but the light was too good (and this family too adorable) and I just had to snap a few photos (for literally five minutes) of her sweet little family before I packed up my bags and headed to Charleston! I had to throw a few together to share some snippets of this workshop with Michael and Carina in Charleston. All of these shoots were styled by perfectly by East Made Event Co. I don’t even know what element was my favorite – but they were all perfect in their own way! Those paper goods… that beaded gown… expect more of these all flooding my instagram in 2018! See more from the wedding inspiration here and more from that engagement session with that perfect beaded gown here. I cannot say enough sweet things about Alex and Amanda as well as their incredible wedding day! The weather was brisk but the light was incredible! Those berry bridesmaids dresses, the succulent wedding cake, and those mountains! This day could not have been more perfect! See more from their cozy Hawkesdene wedding over on Style Me Pretty! When planning my road trip, I happened to come across the Vero Workshop and had to attend when I saw that it was literally on my way home on the dates that I would be traveling. I got to meet some amazing new photographers, reconnect with a good friend (Photos by Heart – you need to check her out!), and create images that were out of my comfort zone. But hey, that’s really the only way you grow, right? After lots of time in the sand, my heart was craving some Spanish moss, so sweet Shannon Duggan volunteered to model for me the last morning of the workshop. Isn’t she gorgeous? She’s engaged and getting married this year! Emilie and Cole have one of the sweetest love stories – one that practically involves love at first sight! These two met while Emilie was interning here in the US (she’s from France) and she was staying with Cole’s family. They got engaged in France and are now planning their wedding for early 2018! Can’t wait to see them again! Morgan and Dereck had the sweetest intimate wedding at the Sunken Gardens at the beginning of December. These two welcomed me with open arms even though we were just meeting for the first time on their wedding day. These two announced on their wedding day that they’ll be welcoming a little one into the family in 2018! Their wedding will be featured on Intimate Weddings in 2018! Michelle and Colton’s wedding was one of our favorites of the year! I could gush and gush about them for paragraphs, but you should really just go check out their blog post! 😉 The details that Michelle put together and planned with the help of Taylor Falcon Events were truly remarkable! The reception was a non-stop dance party and the whole day was one that I’ll cherish for years to come! Ashley and Matt’s engagement sessions was one of my favorites! Maybe it was because Bok Tower is the perfect backdrop. Maybe it is because their outfits were adorable. But most likely it is because they are incredible human beings who are madly in love! I’m so excited to kick off our 2018 weddings with theirs! Coming soon to Joy Wed! Talk about a venue that reminds you of Hogwarts…. who wouldn’t want to get married here? Liz and Raul’s wedding that the Ancient Spanish Monastery was a gorgeous one! They incorporated their love story into their wedding by naming every table after a favorite book. Their cake was inspired by Harry Potter – obviously a favorite! I have to say, I’ve never booked a wedding just 3 days before the event, but there’s a first for everything! I’m so grateful that everything aligned and I was able to celebrate with Kyliee and Alex on their intimate wedding day! These two were just the cutest! I love how they stepped aside during their ceremony to exchange their vows privately. This mini maternity session was extra special for us because it features my brother and his wife! Aren’t they the sweetest? They told me they were expecting on my birthday, we found out the gender on Thanksgiving, and I’m hoping their sweet girl makes an appearance on our anniversary! 😉 She is so love already! The day after Christmas I had the chance to meet up with these love birds! Danielle and Brian are living up in Philadelphia but are getting married here in St. Pete! They were so natural in front of the camera! This session was pretty spontaneous, as we made unexpected pitstops, but I wouldn’t change it for anything! Can’t wait to see these two again in a few months!We closed out our year with Bryant and Pamela’s elegant wedding at Tampa Museum of Art! Filled with laughter and incredible details, this was definitely a favorite for us (especially because we got to work with so many of our favorite vendors! Looking at you Bourbon and Blush, Hands on Sweets, Kate Ryan Linens!). This color palette filled with deep reds and soft blush tones was perfect for winter!
If you made it this far in the post, bravo! 😉 Thank you for every ounce of support and following along on our journey! We can’t wait to see what 2018 has in store for us! It is more than an honor documenting these wedding days for the most incredible couples!
Hugs, Emily & Thomas