From Chris: After chatting on match.com, Chris and Kristin decided to go on a date in Downtown DeLand. Chris’ first words to Kristin were, “You’re shorter than I imagined.” But he didn’t tell her how beautiful he thought she was too. As they continued to date, Chris realized how much Kristin filled his heart with joy, turning him into a bit of a goofball at times. Likewise, Chris’ love for Kristin gets her to do things she wouldn’t have dreamed of including watching football (Pinteresting) on a Saturday afternoon. The rest was history as more than a year later, Chris was on a surprise flight to propose to his love as she visited with family in Pittsburgh. The two are planning to get married in May 2018. We can’t wait!
We met Nakiya and Eris last year when we did their engagement session (see it here) and we are SO excited for their cruise wedding this winter on the Disney Dream! Nakiya wanted to do a special shoot for her 30th birthday at Animal Kingdom Lodge. She brought an Alfred Angelo Belle dress with her and had make up done by Kristy’s Artistry Design Team. We had a lot of fun and got to see exotic animals out on the savannas ? if you are interested in an engagement portrait session, contact us today!
Vanessa and Roger’s wedding was at his sisters home – she did the styling for the wedding in pretty purple and silver. The best part? They are having a baby girl in February! We were so happy to be there to capture this sweet, intimate wedding. Congratulations Vanessa and Roger! xo
From Vanessa:
What do you love most about each other? We have so much in common that any differences we have really compliment each other. We love to laugh together!
Describe your wedding day style in one sentence Our wedding day was and intimate family celebration.
Favorite memory of the day I have several favorites: My dad being to walk me down the Isle, and signing as first witness on our marriage license. During the ‘first look’, Roger was so nervous and so sweet. Hearing my Maid of Honors beautiful speech.
What are you most looking forward to as a married couple? Growing up together and growing old together.
Which moment are you the most excited to see in photos? Any and all pictures with my dad. And the part during the vows when Roger almost didn’t repeat for ‘richer or poorer’ and we all laughed!
We are so excited to be working with Princesses and Princes – an Orlando and Central Florida indoor playground for children ages 0 – 6 years old. Little ones learn, play, and have a great time in our clean and entertaining medieval-themed playground. The facility also serves as a venue for hosting private birthday parties, weekly enrichment classes, and special events, such as holiday parties or character breakfasts.
They just had their Grand Opening! And we were there 🙂 Check Princesses and Princes out here. Book your Holiday Santa photos here!
Amanda and John wanted engagement photos at the beach with their sweet dog, and as the sun went down we realized we needed more time to do another photo shoot – this one in DeLand. We had a lot of fun 🙂 Congratulations Amanda and John!
From Amanda: We met in January 2010 at Trine University in Math class. We studied in a group of 4, but instead John would text me all throughout the day. We didn’t date until a year and half later.
Every fall we had gotten pictures taken for our Christmas card pictures. October 26, 2015 shouldn’t of been any different. However our photographer took us to Trine Recreation State Park that day. We headed off to an area where I could barely walk. Our photographer told us to keep walking in front of him. John looked at me and said you’re missing something. I gave an extremely confused look, and he dropped to one knee and asked me to marry me. After several happy tears, I finally was able to finally say yes.
It was a really rainy day, but that did not stop Ricky from asking Michelle to marry him! Big Disney fans, Michelle and Ricky got engaged at The Grand Floridan at Narcoossee’s restaurant. We were so happy to be a part of it. xo
From Ricky: Michelle and I went to rival high schools and were part of different social circles; she was a cheerleader and I was a band kid. We knew of each other but had never met. We met three years after high school at a local bar and quickly became close friends and started dating a little over a year later. I fell in love with her smile, laugh, sense of humor, thoughtfulness, kindness, beautiful eyes, and the list could honestly go on and on. I am very lucky she loves me back and that she fell in love with me for a lot of the same reasons I fell for her: my smile, laugh, kind heartedness, my compassion, and again another endless list of traits. After a short 24 hour trip to Disney World to see the last Wishes firework show I decided I wanted to propose to her in the happiest place on Earth. It was seeing how magical her first time going to the Magic Kingdom was and I knew it would be the perfect place to ask her. I spent two months before the proposal making reservations and gathering help from her friends and family planning how I was going to ask. I made a photobook of our relationship with her close friends and family writing something near the end. Of course at the end of the book I would ask her to marry me. I told her we were staying at All Star Movies when in reality we had reservations at Beach Club. Our first night there we had dinner at Narcoossee’s restaurant at the Grand Floridian. It was after dinner we went out onto the deck overlooking the Magic Kingdom and I showed her the book. When we arrived at the section where her family and friends had written she began to cry, realizing what was happening. At the end of the book I got down on one knee and she made a little squeak of excitement and nodded her head vigorously and said yes! We are hoping to have our wedding in either December of 2018 or early 2019.
Courtney and I were SO happy to be a part of Jennifer and David’s wedding. Jennifer is in hotel management and David is a musician and plays with the band Thomas Wynn and the Believers. We hit it off right away and had a great time photographing their engagement session (see it here.) Their DIY wedding was fun and easy. Lots of friends and family and a liquid nitrogen handcrafted gourmet ice cream station! So what more would you need!? Thank you Jennifer and David for including us! Congratulations to your new family xo.
Venue The Sanborn Center, DeLand
Catering Brian’s BBQ DJ Jessica Pawli, Ben Lipkin, Anthony Cole Cake Special thanks to Frank and Janet Cosmos Wedding Dress Vera Wang (David’s Bridal) Shoes Betsy Johnson Ice Cream Station Private Island Ice Cream Company
From David: Favorite memory of the day The ceremony Songs? Our dance- Midnight in Harlem
Jen’s Dad and her- What a wonderful world
Dave’s Mom and him- Forever Young Describe your wedding planning process. Doing it ourselves was stressful at times but fulfilling after everything was over What advice would you give to future brides for their wedding day? Hire a coordinator…just kidding, We made a point to stay at each other’s sides the whole night and not get separated and we are glad we did. Anything you would have done differently? No Most memorable moment during the planning process Buying Jen’s wedding dress because it made it feel real What are you most looking forward to as a married couple? Growing old together Which moment are you the most excited to see in photos? For Jen it is seeing my face as she walked down the aisle, for me it is our photoshoot after the ceremony What was your wedding inspiration? We didn’t want an overbearing theme that would dictate what people could or couldn’t wear. We tried to keep things simple and lightly refined because of that. It was important to us that our guests were comfortable and felt free to celebrate with us Describe some of your favorite wedding details and how you came up with them Jen had the idea for using our childhood photos for the centerpieces and they turned out great. We really just winged it on the details and made it all work, and we’re glad that it did, like the flowers for the head table or the framed lace for the alter. We just found ideas that we thought we could execute and tried our best.
Thank you to Wendy Dessler for Azazie for today’s guest blog post!
This may surprise you, but the hottest bridal dress trend of today is not the dress, it is how you purchase the dress. Technology has finally caught up with the bridal industry and brides are at a place where they feel comfortable ordering a wedding dress online.
To order a bridal gown or bridesmaid gown online, you have the world at your fingertips. But you must be smart.
Order from a real bridal shop like Azazie.com so you know you are getting quality.
Take your measurements (this will help the attendant that is assisting you and help when you order)
Learn about fabric. Some fabric has a little stretch to it which helps in certain parts of the body, while others have no give at all.
Order a swatch of the fabric in the colors you are considering
Azazie will allow you to put down a $25.00 deposit and they will ship the dress to you, for you to try on! This will allow you to see if it looks as good on you as it does on the website. The bridesmaids can do the same. This takes a lot of pressure off of you.
Bridal Gown Trends
Bridal gowns this year are very lacy and with an “A” cut. They are understated and chic. Brides are wearing white but they are also going against tradition and wearing black. If the bride chooses white, she will have a bit of color shock the gown. This may be in the form of a black or navy belt or dark gloves.
One trend is almost completely made of lace which almost looks like the bride is nude with only the most sensitive parts covered. This gown will usually have a higher neckline and long sleeves which ads to the illusion.
Brides are wearing long trains. If the bride does not want a long train, that is fine. She can stay in trend with even the smallest of trains. But trains are in.
Hair
Brides are not wearing the traditional veil this year. Instead, they are opting for bold and beautiful flower halos. The halos match the oversized and natural looking bouquets they are carrying.
Bridesmaids
The style of the year for bridesmaids is the A-line cut with a flowing skirt that is split up one leg. The sexy and unexpected showing of the leg as they walk fits in with the sexy wedding.
Colors
As the end of the year draws near, black, navy, deep gray, and royal blue are popular. However, for the more casual or outdoor wedding, peach, sunny yellow, and whisper blue are taking the stage.
Plunging backs or sweetheart cut necklines are popular, but tiny straps or cup sleeves should be added. The exception is the one-shoulder gown, which is always a wise choice.
2017 will go down in history as an “anything goes” wedding year and we expect more of the same in 2018. So get online with a pro and let the fun begin and you will find the perfect dress without leaving your house.
Image credit: Azazie.com
Author Bio Wendy Dessler Wendy is a super-connector with Azazie who helps businesses with building their audience online through outreach, partnerships, and networking. Wendy frequently writes about the latest wedding trends world on My Wedding Tips.
Jennifer and David are getting married tomorrow! We were lucky enough to sneak in an engagement session last week, their schedule is kinda crazy because David plays in a band you should check out Thomas Wynn and the Believers.
We went to the spot where David proposed to Jennifer a year ago (he even did a re-enactment) at Dickson Azalea Park. They are so sweet together! We can’t wait for their wedding tomorrow! Thank you Jennifer and David for including us in your lives <3
Michael brought Ellie to Walt Disney World all the way from London to propose to her! We tried to surprise her – but she figured it out pretty quickly. We had a fun photo shoot with Cinderella Castle and fireworks in the background. Michael had it all planned, first dinner at Victoria and Albert’s, then a proposal right before dessert. I got a few shots back at the famous Kitchen Table. Congratulations you two! xo
