We really loved photographing Caitlin and Matt’s engagement session at The Magic Kingdom. They were so great together – I swear they did all these poses themselves without me saying a word! They laughed the whole time. Congratulations Caitlin and Matt! Here’s to your new lives together and thank you for asking us to be small part of it <3
From Caitlin:
A bit about us:We met through some friends about 2 months after I moved to Florida- completely random, just both being in the same place at the same time with mutual friends and we clicked right away. We had our first date a couple days later, bar hopping in downtown Orlando. After that we were pretty inseparable. We’ve been together for three and a half years now and have moved back and forth across the country twice together. I took Matt on a surprise cruise for his birthday in July and he decided to propose then. Always has to one up me… He took me to one of the top decks around sunset, it was REALLY windy and I kept complaining that my hair was getting messed up. He finally told me to shut up and got down on one knee. 🙂
Matt and I are each others best friends. He puts up with my crazy antics (and Disney obsession) and I put up with his car addiction. There’s so many things that I love about him and that I assume that he loves about me… We joke that we’re stuck with each other now and that’s that, but there’s really no one I’d rather be stuck with.
In our business we get to meet the most amazing families and were really happy to meet Emma’s. She wanted photos of her Orlando family reunion celebrating her parents 50th wedding anniversary! They were great to hang out with as they shared stories and showed that family accepts you for who you are, who would do anything for you and who love you no matter what.
“Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.”Michael J. Fox
We’ve been lucky enough to photograph this family for years – and every year for beautiful Scarlett’s birthday! ( See past photo shoots here and here) This year for her 5th birthday, her parents Jenn and Scott decided to go the Magic Kingdom for her birthday photo shoot, one of her favorite places. Her favorite ride is the Haunted Mansion, so we went there first so she could look “scared.” She was so convincing, I asked her jokingly is she knew someone who taught drama. She pointed to her mother – Jenn is the amazing drama teacher at Winter Springs High School! Thank you so much Scott, Jenn and Scarlette for including us in your family adventures! We can’t wait for the next one. xo
Thank you Josie for such a fun senior portrait photo shoot!
Josie is a senior at Timber Creek High School in Orlando FL. She attended Butler High School in Butler, PA prior to her family moving last summer. She lives at home with her parents, and is the oldest of three children. Josie has been dancing since the age of three which has led to her passion for color guard. She hopes to continue with color guard after graduating. Along the way she also was very active in other sports such as volleyball, swimming and golf; but dancing and performing has always been what she loves the most. She plans to attend Valencia College and transfer to the University of Central Florida after completing her general studies. She hopes to pursue a career in Forensics.
Interested in a portrait session with us? Contact us today for more details! We look forward to hearing from you!
This venue was perfect for Heather and Dale – orange and purple details and everything wood (including Dale’s wedding ring!) We hit it off right away at their engagement session through historic downtown DeLand (see it here) and loved everything about their wedding, orange and grape soda toasts, lots of family and friends and a lip-sync sing-off that was too fun. Thank you Heather and Dale for including us ?
In Heather’s words: Describe your wedding day style in one sentence – Rustic Vintage with a splash of country! Wedding day color scheme – Purple, Orange and neutrals Describe your wedding planning process -Prayer, Pinterest, YouTube, more Prayer, more Pinterest and TheKnot Planning GuideWhat advice would you give to future brides for their wedding day? Hire a day of Coordinator – I am a bit of perfectionist and I knew the only way I would be able to “let it go” was to have someone else be the one in charge that day. Anything you would have done differently? Nope! Most memorable moment during the planning process– When we decided on our “special” gift to our guests! We performed our BEST lip sync performances ever!! What are you most looking forward to as a married couple? Building a family together! Which moment are you the most excited to see in photos? From Heather – Dale’s reaction when the doors opened! From Dale – Photos from the lip sync battle What was your wedding inspiration? – Focused on God and making the day fun and memorable. Describe some of your favorite wedding details and how you came up with them. One our favorite’s was our toast. We had seen some pinterest posts with old fashioned soda bottles and thought it would be fun to incorporate them in to our wedding. So instead of the classic champagne toast, we had Orange and Grape glass soda bottles. Using wood throughout our theme – a reminder that our relationship is built on a firm foundation with deep roots!
I was so happy when Chelsea called me to tell me she was getting married and – oh by the way – it’s next week and it’s just going to be us. She and Colin got married in beautiful Loch Haven Park in between the Orlando museums. Even though it was a stormy morning, they got married outside, in the rain. They were not paying attention to the weather – just each other. Thank you Chelsea and Colin for including us in your beautiful intimate wedding ?
Natalie and Kevin’s wedding was beautiful and all about travel, with post cards, a globe guest “book” and an amazing world map seating chart. It was also about their beloved boxer Cheyenne, who walked down the aisle and stood with them, just like everyone else. There was a lot (a lot) of rain that day, but it did not hinder Natalie and Kevin’s attitude, fun or love for each other. Make sure you read their take below, especially Kevin’s last line advice for grooms-to-be. Thank you Natalie and Kevin for taking us “traveling” with you! xo.
From Natalie:
Describe your wedding day style in one sentence: We wanted a romantic feel, to show our silly/whimsical side and our love of travel. Wedding day color scheme:Navy/silver/blush Describe your wedding planning process:Staying organized. I wanted to get as much done as quickly as possible so that I didn’t wait until the last minute for anything. All diy projects projects were done 4 months prior to the wedding. What advice would you give to future brides for their wedding day?Stay as organized and under budget as possible. Try on a bunch of dresses, you never know what will look best! Anything you would have done differently? Have a rain plan for pictures and transportation. Wish I would’ve had more communication with others day of. They say don’t worry the bride, which was great all day then when I got to the reception I freaked out. That was a horrible feeling for everyone! From Kevin: Prayed to rain gods more to get it to stop raining. Most memorable moment during the planning process: Walking into the venue, looking at my man and knowing right then that it was our location. What are you most looking forward to as a married couple? Traveling the world From Kevin:I’m Looking forward to spending the rest of my life with my best friend, sharing great adventures with her, and loving her like crazy, of course. Which moment are you the most excited to see in photos?Standing as a married couple… With our dog 🙂 From Kevin: Oh, man, so many. My groomsmen and I waiting around beforehand, Natalie walking down the aisle, the kiss, walking down the aisle, any photos with our dog Cheyenne, family photos, our dance, and all the fun candid moments which were captured. What was your wedding inspiration?Romantic travel without being too serious. We are a silly couple, hence the “UP” references, his Batman stuff, etc. and we really like to travel but it’s a wedding, of course I want everyone to feel the love <3 From Kevin: Our theme was based on the Pixar/Disney movie Up! and traveling. We had post cards for people to write their marriage and travel advice to us and a mailbox with our handprints on it to place them inside, a globe to sign instead of a guest book, a suitcase for cards, and Our Adventure Book like in the movie full of photos from our travels and experiences. Also, instead of table numbers, we used postcards of destinations and had a world map to show the seating chart. Describe some of your favorite wedding details and how you came up with them: Kevin’s mom is very crafty, she did the LOVE letters, my hangers for the girls, our save the date stone, and misc other times. Colin Cowie is an event genius, my coordinator/florist found the candelabras that I fell in love with immediately. Pinterest is and evil necessity for so many ideas. I wanted to create my own feel but get basic ideas, I’m just so busy with work that I needed something to go off of, so it helped in that way. The popcorn stand was a nice end of the night treat that I wanted to have. *Side note for all the future grooms out there from Kevin:seeing your bride in her dress for the first time as she’s walking down the aisle is truly a great moment. I wish I could see Natalie in her dress for the first time all over again. She was absolutely beautiful and it’s a moment I will always treasure from that day.
We had a great time at both the Gallery Opening and the Grand Opening of Blake Elliot’s Salon and Gallery in DeLand. It is the first time Courtney and I had art work displayed in the same place 🙂 Event Coordination by Courtney Ford Event Design. Florals by Julia’s Floral Designs
About Blake:
Blake Henschel attended Stetson University’s art program while working as a hair stylist at St. John’s Club. After graduating, Blake continued working at St. John’s Club for ten years, while maintaining an active interest in creating and viewing art. He knew that opening his own salon would have to embrace his love for doing hair and his passion for art. Inspired by the white cube galleries found in New York and chic, modern interior design, Blake constructed his own business in downtown Deland. Blake Elliot Salon and Gallery is a full service hair salon that doubles as a white cube gallery that features a bi-monthly curated show including local artists. Blake is joined by Stormi Williams, a fellow hair stylist from Deland who adds fun, positive energy to the salon. Both specialize in the latest coloring and cutting techniques. The contemporary, European-inspired décor is unlike anything previously established in a Deland business. Located in Artisan Alley, Blake’s business has experienced a large amount of hype and traffic thanks to his loyal clients and the weekly Deland Farmer’s Market. Blake Elliot Salon and Gallery has already put on one show, Industrial Glamour, featuring the works of three local artists whose works married the imagery of beauty and industry. The next upcoming show will open the first Friday in September, featuring the sketches and in-process works of local artists. For more information on Deland event photography, contact us today!
It was so great to spend time with Danielle and David at their engagement shoot. They drove up from Miami and met as at Rollins College in Winter Park were we all had a blast – even in the rain. We can’t wait for their spring wedding xo.
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Chess Park in Downtown DeLand was a perfect location for Cherry and Chris’s beautiful wedding. So much family and great friends were there to celebrate! My favorite part was getting to run around Downtown Deland getting great portraits of these two – so easy to photograph, they were so sweet with each other. We are so happy for your both! xo Contact ustoday for more information!
CATERING and VENUE:Sinatra’s Downtown Ristorante DJ: Dave Siegel COORDINATORS: Ceremony location: Courtney Ford Event Design
Reception location: Jodi Sinatra-Lewitt FLOWERS: Rachael Kasie Designs, LLC: Rachael Rollins CAKE: Our local Publix, DeLand WEDDING DRESS: Bridal Shop: Carolyn Allen’s Bridal in Orlando, Dress Designer:Stella York WEDDING SHOES: Carolyn Allen’s Bridal BRIDESMAID DRESSES: Dillards MENSWEAR:Gibbs for Men – Downtown Deland
The wedding day in Cherry’s words: WEDDING DAY STYLE: Natural Simple Elegance with an artistic historical familiar breeze flowing through the air on this extraordinary sunshine – blue sky filled day in the downtown Deland’s hidden treasure of beautiful Chess Park… a stunningly blessed day!! WEDDING DAY COLOR SCHEME:A prelude to summer – Persimmon (prominent color) and Blush, Corals, Ivory, and Soft accent colors. PLANNING PROCESS: I have a very organized mind, which is great when and where needed. But, sometimes it can be a challenge when letting go to be more creative and ‘go with the flow’! I first did an online search for wedding planning A-Z, taking info I liked from several sites. I compiled the info creating my own guide and list of to-do’s / to-buy / to-make, and to-let it go. I kept my organized mind happy by keeping things in order in a binder, and I indulged my inner creative self by making most of our own decorations and such. It was exciting and felt great both Chris & I sharing in doing these things together. WEDDING DAY ADVISE FOR BRIDES: #1) Relax and have faith in knowingeverything is going to be just fabulous… no matter what unexpected / unforeseen things may or may not happen! #2) On your wedding day, have some ‘ME’ time before the event begins. Having some time to myself was golden! Before my Bridesmaids, hair stylist, etc, arrived, I had a relaxing morning alone listening to my favorite music and enjoying a leisurely bath. THINGS I WOULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENT: #1) More research on Vendors #2) Had a smaller cake due to the added dessert we also had #3) 20% small bouquet for myself – I thought it would have looked better on/with me for my size, and it got a little heavy after a while of carrying it around all day. #4 More planning time! LOL! MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT OF PLANNING: Chris & I practicing our “1st dance” several nights a week (for the 2 months before our wedding) after work in our living room. It was so much fun… and sometimes a bit frustrating 🙂 AND The night before our wedding, getting the family members that were staying with us rounded up, including Chris, and our fur babies, off to bed, tiding up the house, then unwinding and settling myself down and pouring all my heartfelt loving thoughts of Chris onto paper at 2am the morning of our Wedding day. lol. It was fantastic and apparently had to happen just that way! Knowing in my head all the super wonderful things I felt about Chris… how meeting him, falling in love with him, marinating into his life and family, feeling and watching our love grow over our time together, looking forward to experiencing our awesome journey of becoming husband and wife… having all these thoughts rushing through my head over the months of planning and doing, planning to take some long laid back time the month before our wedding to create these thoughts on paper to share with our family and closest friends as my wedding vow to Chris on our beautiful day… Reality:running behind in time, family members arriving from out of town the week of, rushing around here and there, last minute this and that’s! There goes that ‘planning’ time again zipping by…lol MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AS A MARRIED COUPLE: Sowing our life garden with the purest natural love within and experiencing the fruits of our labor … aka Growing old together! WEDDING DAY INSPIRATION: How Chris & I meet in downtown Deland. All the beautiful nooks and crannies of our lives. We both love nature and the outdoor life, big beautiful trees, the ocean, lakes, waterfalls, and we love ‘hearts’. We like not being too fussy or complicated. Chris is very creative, and me, well organized, so working together is pleasing and productive…for the most part…lol FAVORITE WEDDING DETAILS AND HOW THEY CAME ABOUT: Absolutely loved making everything we could for our wedding day! Here’s what we did in case you want to know 🙂 1) My necklace vial (contains my moms ashes) and my ‘C+C’ pendant Chris had made for me a few years back… figuring how to have them on me or with me during my wedding day without wearing a necklace… I tied them with a ribbon onto my bridal bouquet.. sweet!! 2) White hanging heart garlands in the trees at the ceremony – One of my favorite things! – could not find the vision in my head in a store, nor online, so we made them! 3) Sign-in heart/wood plaque at the ceremony. We love wood, we love hearts, wanted to have something other than a traditional guest book the ceremony location. So, we had this plain piece of wood hanging out at Chris shop and I had extra foam board… cut, paint, carve, glue, Wa-La! 4) Wishing Well box. Cut the small tree limbs from our property, used leftover wood cabin wallpaper from wallpapering one of our bathrooms year ago, cutout the blue paper hearts. 5) Wooden hearts on strings. Idea from our invitations: painted the hearts, wrote on the C+C, drilled small holes, added strings. Hung it up! 6) Seating chart: bought the frame, cut out hearts and hand numbered to cover the hangers, home printed each table seating 7) Our guest book: cut wood to make cover and back of book, Chris designed and airbrushed cover, drilled holes to secure together with string, designed, created, and printed pages for each guest to fill out.8) Drink cozies: Part was factory (wording), Chris designed tree imprint with our initials and the word ‘Love’ carved in it. 9) Wood Cut table centerpieces – cut from a tree on our property – dried, sealed, and stained over a 3 month period. 10) Hand drew and colored each table # marker card for tables 11) Used my mom’s lace tablecloth to cover the event table where our guestbook, table chart, and favor pens where displayed 12) Used our ‘dancing hearts’ goblet to share our champagne toast. We bought this in St. Augustine our first year together… keeping in mind that one day we may use it for a very special occasion… which we sure did. Had it engraved for our wedding day. OTHER FAVORITE DETAILS: Exchanging our vows. Having Chris read to me the amazing things he wrote of us and his love for me. Truly touched my heart beyond expression! MISC: Chris & I made our decision in August 2014 to marry the following year (only 10 months before our wedding date). The very unexpected death of my Mother in November put a halt on all wedding progress for 2 months. Not knowing what unexpected things could happen, I think giving yourself at least a year to plan for your wedding day is necessary. Especially if your having a good amount of guest attending. Most of us always seem to not have enough time. It would have be great to have the last month freed up from any details and just enjoy counting the days to becoming husband & wife. MOMENT I AM MOST EXCITED TO SEE IN PHOTOS:Gosh, its hard say. I am really excited to see them all so I can re-live and relish in start to finish! Once the day kicked into motion, it seem to stream by so quickly… almost as if we just floated through it all. I want to see and feel every moment and detail you and Courtney captured of us, everyone, and everything that day. I’m sure I’m going to have some favorites once we see them, but I’m so happy for Chris & I and what we share, every moment captured is a celebration of our love! We thank you both for that!
