DESERT AMERICANA THEME ENGAGEMENT SESSION IN FLORIDA.

When you live in Florida, you have more than your share of parks, beaches and forest like options to take engagement photos. I am a California boy, so my taste of locations is probably best suited for the West Coast. I love mountains, deserts and open fields. I love neutral and earth tones and hues when they meet in the sunlight. They create a mood and color like nothing else.

I am always looking for quirky shooting locations that have that “feel.” I am always looking for anything that resembles the desert or mountains or anything with earth tones. Where I live has a constant flow of new home constructions, so I have fallen in love with construction sites. They are an open canvas, clean and desert like with perfect earth reddish tones.

I was super excited when Kelly and Tali agreed to going on an adventure with me and trying a less traditional option to photographing their engagement session. Even thought they were “No Trespassing” signs on site,  it is nice to know that my couples trust me to take them into nontraditional locations that can be slightly concerning to the average couple.

Once we arrived at the site, our desert oasis, Tali and Kelly were in love with the location. The desert location in combination with the American flag that Kelly had brought with her was the perfect combo to create a gorgeous Americana theme shoot. It was nothing we planned before hand but it came together beautifully from pure experimentation.

We had a blast shooting in the twilight hour. Kelly and Tali were so playful and cute with one another.  We had a  good time in the “desert” sand. The mood of the twilight light that night was breathtaking and we ended up taking pictures until it was almost too dark to even focus my camera.

YAY!! for deserts, the American Flag and awesome couples.

Timeless Elegance | Bella Collina | Florida Wedding Photographer

Danielle and Garth’s timeless wedding at Bella Collina was gorgeous and stylish with a feel of classic modern. The Tuscan atmosphere of Bella Collina was a perfect backdrop for their beautiful elegant and fun wedding.

Even though the ceremony was delayed by a big storm that was passing through everyone was confident and all the vendors adjusted perfectly to make sure the wedding day went on perfectly. But the rain was temporary and the breeze it brought with it made the weather so much cooler and more beautiful that anyone could have ever planned for.

The getting ready part of the day went smoothly and everyone was relaxed as they enjoyed themselves and each other. The bride and groom had not only plenty of time to get ready but lots of time to create memories that will last a life time with friends whom they already have know for most of their lives. It was truly special to see how much people love the bride and groom and how much they respect them not only for what they had accomplished but mostly due their kind and loyal personalities.

The mother of the bride found herself over-run with emotion specially when Danielle was getting into her wedding gown. Moments later the bride had a quiet moment with her mother and was also overwhelmed with the emotion of the moment. On top of all of that the groom’s father who is a Pastor was the officiant to their wedding ceremony as well.

The ceremony was emotional and filled with friends and family who’s eyes either filled with tears, or smiles that spoke a million words of what they felt they were witnessing. Danielle looked stunning in her gorgeous gown. As Duke begin to tear up during his vows Danielle joined him with here own tears of joy too.

Their reception hall at Bella Collina was decorated gorgeously. The bride had selected just about every details of her decor to fit the vision she had for her wedding. They wedding vendors involved could not have executed her vision more perfectly. It was a gorgeous and romantic night that ended up with a wild and fun party full of dancing and laughter and delicious Rum Cake made by the mother of the bride. smile emoticon

Dear Danielle and Garth, or “Duke” as you are referred to by your close friends but also the name by which I first met you by. Thank you guys so much for believing in me and for allowing me to do my thing, but more importantly thank you for working with me to be able to do it. I am absolutely impressed by who you are, not only as a couple but as individuals. I am honor to have witness and capture your wedding day.

PS: Thank you Danielle for your warmth and for your repeated offers during the reception to try some of your moms rum cake. I regrettably waited too long and missed my chance to try it. but, I am sure it was incredible.

God bless you both.

Love
GC

THANK YOU A MILLION TIMES OVER TO ALL OF WEDDING ARTIST WHO MADE THIS DAY POSSIBLE!
You are all incredible and super passionate about what you do and it shows in the incredible weddings you help create and make happen.

Thank you!

Venue: Bella Collina Events
Coordinator: An Affair to Remember
Florist: Lee James Floral Designs
Lighting: Kaleidoscope Event Lighting
Gown: Brides of Florida
Cake: Party Flavors Custom Cakes
Makeup: LeJeune Artistry
Harpist: Harpist Christine MacPhail
DJ: DJ Bambino

Special Thanks to my friend Jessica Perez who helped me. It would not have been possible without you. Thank you, you rock.
Double Coverage: Jessica Perez Photography

THE ACRE ORLANDO - DIY 1950s Vintage Wedding

Kelly and Eitel wanted to have a very intimate wedding for all of their children,  close relatives and a few of their very close friends. The Acre Orlando provides one of most perfect venues in Orlando for intimate weddings.  Their wedding theme was 1950s vintage and canary yellow was the predominant color in their decor. All of the decor was DIY and everything was made to feel organic, sweet and cute.

The 1950s vintage style fit their wedding and their personalities perfectly. The Acre Orlando’s wide open layout has the perfect atmosphere for a relax, fun and intimate wedding.

The day started at the brides’ sister house which also has a DIY 1950s vintage style to the decor. The home was full of eclectic and artistic elements that made the place feel warm and inviting. There is something intimate and natural about couples getting ready at home that translates really well in the final story being captured.

Kelly wore a 1950s vintage style ivory wedding gown. The 1950s canary yellow crinoline that showed below the gown along with the 1950s vintage stiletto yellow shoes, pearls and a beautiful birdcage veil completed a perfect vintage style.

The bride and groom decided to do a first look in order to have enough time to do their portraits prior to the ceremony. Their first look was fun and playful and it was the bride’s idea to incorporate a 1950s style canary yellow umbrella. Kelly used it to playfully hide from Eitel during the first look which made the moment more fun and memorable for them.

The bride presented the groom with a bracelet engraved with the GPS coordinates to their wedding venue, The Acre Orlando.

Their ceremony was perfect and cozy. The flower girls tossed lots flowers for the bride to walk on.  Kelly and Eitel’s children were all in the wedding party. Eitel’s son was the best man and the girls were flower girls and bridesmaids. The girls wore playful daisies arrangements on their hair.

Everyone sat in metal benches decorated with knitted blankets. The two families sat together on both sides of the aisle and the ceremony felt very intimate. The bride was super emotional the entire ceremony but specially when she read her vows to the groom. They also gave specially engraved bracelets to all their children as a symbol of their new union as a new family.

The Acre Orlando offers an array of great locations and light for portraits. I particularly loved the small barn in the back, the open ceiling room with beautiful rustic windows and mirrors. They also have a win bagel truck in the lawn and a beautiful giant cactus.

All the decor for the wedding and the reception was DIY.  And besides the venue, the make up artist which and myself there were none other vendors that contributed to the wedding.

Everyone enjoy sandwiches and other snacks as they sat on their picnic style knitted blankets. The kids and grown-ups including the newly weds had a blast playing on the merry go round carousel  thing-y. There was cake cutting and that was pretty much it.

It was very simple DIY Wedding but it was a wonderful ceremony. Congratulations to the bride and groom and thanks to The Acre Orlando.

I hope you enjoy the story I was able to captured.

VENUE: THE ACRE ORLANDO 
MAKE UP: MARCELLA CARDINAL  

JUNEBUG WEDDINGS INDIAN WEDDING FEATURE

When I first started the process of building my own business as a wedding photographer, I had  many dreams.  My lack of inexperience, however, did not allow me to see the realities of building a business and being an entrepreneur.  My dreams of being a rock star wedding photographer, world renowned, published and sought out were too idealistic.

Now, I am more grounded when it comes to my business but certain dreams remain.These dreams have transformed into something more realistic than they were in the beginning. So, when I received a surprising email from Junebug Weddings a couple of months ago inviting me to join their publication as a member and to submit a wedding they’ve seen on my blog and would love to publish, I was reminded of those dreams I once dreamt about and I felt a sense of going full circle.

Given the amount of amazingly talented wedding photographers in the world, this accomplishment has humbled me. I know how much work there is still left to do and how many more things there are still to be accomplished. However, I know now more than ever how important it is to dream big.

In the amazing book Ignore Everybody by Hugh MacLeod (which by the way I would recommend to any artist wanting to pursue their dreams), MacLeod says, "work hard, keep at it, live simply and quietly, remain humble, stay positive, create your own luck, be nice and be polite." I would add this: use positive visualization and write down all the things you want to accomplish, give it time and don’t get too high off the highs or too low off the lows.

Keep dreaming and dream as big as you can.

Thanks to Junebug Weddings for making many wedding photographers' dreams come through.

A huge thanks to Nirvi and Hemu for believing in my vision to capture their story... You can see their wedding blog post >>> HERE

Thanks to all the awesome vendors that made this day possible.

Finally another huge thanks to an awesome photographer and my dear friend Tiffani Jones Photography, for shooting this one with me. It would not have been possible without you.

You can see the full post the Junebug Weddings Blog  >>> HERE

Venue – Lake Mirror Complex
Catering – India Grill
Cake – Buttercup Cakes
Videography – Imprint
Invitations – Love On Paper
Hair Styling – Esquire Salon & Spa
Wedding Dress – Asopalav
Groom’s Apparel – Manyavar
Rings – Tiny Jewel Box