It was a beautiful, breezy day in February when April and Alec vowed to love each other unconditionally in front of family and friends at this Paradise Cove Wedding which is one of our favorite (and most frequent) venues. I love having an opportunity to capture several weddings at the same location because I am able to soak in new favorite locations and routines at places in which I frequent – opening the book for constant creativity and beauty. April described their wedding day as pretty much perfect, with a little bit of whimsical.
“Our wedding incorporated a lot of natural colors, beiges/neutrals that contrasted with pops of deep rich greenery and purple tones. We incorporated lace and gold candle sticks to provide a soft elegant feel complimented by touches of richly stained wood. All of the wood pieces seen at the wedding, the easel, wedding sign, table numbers, card box, and cake stand were made by the father of the bride. We also showcased wedding photos of family members. The groom surprised the bride with custom disney pins for the entire wedding party. Alec and I had our first date at the Muppets Movie, we are totally kids at heart, and his pin was kermit the frog and mine, of course, Miss Piggy.”
I have a love affair with the dock at this Paradise Cove wedding- it seems as though no matter what angle we are standing, the backdrop is absolutely stunning. The grounds surrounding it changes each time I’m there (depending on the water level) and the rich colors of the surrounding greenery never disappoint. We chose that exact location for their first look, because it allowed all three of us to capture the moments when they exchanged letters and saw each other for the first time, but from further away – giving the illusion that we were barely even there. They remembered the moment fondly:
April: My favorite moment on my wedding day was “seeing Alec for the first time on the dock. I was feeling so anxious about the wedding but once we got to see each other I felt 100% better. It was such a special moment that I will cherish forever.”
Alec: My favorite moment was “definitely seeing April for the first look. I was so stressed out but once I saw her it all went away. It was so nice to get away by ourselves for a few minutes amidst all the chaos. “
After one of the most tender first looks we have ever captured (can we just pause for a moment to appreciate how they were each feeling ALL THE THINGS at the EXACT SAME TIME?!), we roamed around the property to capture their formal portraits and knocked out all of the formal party portraits before the ceremony, as well! This meant that they all got to booze it at cocktail hour – you’re welcome! We’ll showcase those bad boys shortly, but before we do it’s time to see one of the woodsiest lakeside ceremonies we have ever seen!
Alec surprised all the guests by arriving with his groomsmen via boat, a regular crowd-pleaser, and precursor to the fun party that was ahead later that night. Palm trees swayed in the wind and guests watched as the two said “I do” in Orlando’s best hidden tropical paradise.
I love big formal parties – they challenge me to pose creatively and to capture different personalities at their core. Luckily this one had no problem having a ton of fun with me and going along with all of our ideas.
Every wedding is an opportunity for me to create an atmosphere of trust, in which each couple can have real moments with each other and let us capture the journey of emotions throughout the day. With these two, it was completely effortless. Each time they focused on each other, it was as though they tuned us completely out and we were just left with frame after frame of real moments.
After a breezy cocktail hour (that our couple got to enjoy because they had a first look) on the patio, guests were invited to their tables under the twinkle lights to dine on delicious food from Creations Catering and laugh and cry with emotional speeches. Once the dance music was on, there were barely any guests at the tables as this turned out to be a DANCING crowd – Grandma spent nearly the entire night shaking her tail feather! They said goodbye to their guests through a bubble exit that made me wonder why more couples don’t go for bubbles at night? It was such a dreamy Paradise Cove wedding!
A big thank you to all the vendors who helped make their day absolutely magical!
Photographers: Sara Ozim assisted by Andy and Hannah from Light Up Wedding Photography
Venue: Paradise Cove
DJ/Lighting: Soundwave Entertainment
Florals: Designs of the Times Florist
Catering: Creations Catering and Events
HAMU: Transformation Salon and Spa
Tux: Generation TuxVideo: Matt Agan with SO Films
