destination wedding photographer

 by stan_cheslock1

Maison Jardin: Madalyn and Aaron’s Wedding

Maison & Jardin Wedding

 

   I honestly can say that Madalyn was one of the most relaxed brides I’ve ever encountered , lucky Aaron! When a bride “goes with the flow” so to say the stress of the wedding is greatly reduced. If you have no theme other than choosing things you like how can you go wrong? Instead of having to find things that fall within your theme or “go with ” your theme you can simply find what works for you thus opening up all sorts of possibilities. Madalyn and Aaron chose Maison et Jardin for their beautiful April 1st Orlando wedding and it was refreshing and surprising to me how beautiful and elegant everything was for a bride who had no theme and no preconceived ideas about how her Central Florida wedding day should be.
   A little background…8 years ago Madalyn and Aaron met through a mutual friend. A friendship blossomed and 2 years ago that friendship took a turn and they began dating. According to Madalyn, ” Aaron proposed the same way he does many things: spontaneously not according to plan. He had arranged for a romantic New Years Eve proposal at the Botanic Gardens, complete with photographer, followed by a fancy dinner at the Peabody Hotel. About a week ahead of schedule Madalyn had a sudden family member visit, as her cousin is a flight attendant. Scrapping the original plans in favor of having family there, he reached out to Madalyn’s cousin to involve her in his newly hatched scheme. That night they all had dinner together, and Madalyn’s cousin was ready and recording when Aaron popped the question.”
   Wedding planning began, and a team of vendors assembled. Event planner Michele Butler on board to supervise , assist and guide the bride and groom from start to finish in all aspects of their Maison Jardin wedding. Photographers hired, S & S Photography, snsweddings.com, check! Florist, Flowers by Leslie who Madalyn says,” was so helpful with answering our questions. We weren’t sure exactly what we wanted, and she helped craft something perfect for us! She was accommodating, flexible, and friendly. The flowers were even more beautiful than we could imagine!. Hair and makeup , ” I used Kristy’s Artistry Design Team for both hair and makeup. The trial went amazingly and my stylist was very personable. It was so much fun to feel pampered, and know I was going to look amazing for the big day. Having a professional do my hair and makeup really made me feel confident, even if I was at first hesitant to fit it into the budget. The website is http://kristyalonzo.com/ . Now the biggie, the dress…Madalyn went to several dress shops before finding the right fit at Something New Bridal. “The dresses felt so unique and high quality, compared to many of the “designer” dresses at other shops. The staff helped make her feel welcomed and special. They even picked her dress for her! It was one she would never have thought to try on, but once it was on she didn’t want to take it off. They helped her branch out (after showing her what she thought she wanted), and she couldn’t have felt more beautiful. The tuxes were rented from Absolutely Fitting. Our out of town guests were able to send in measurements from out of town, and they even delivered the tuxes to our hotel suite to perform the last fitting. Aaron liked his tux so much that he wanted to purchase it! All of the men looked handsome.”
   I asked Madalyn if she had any advice for future couples having an Orlando wedding and she said,” Don’t be afraid to ask for advice/help. Planning a wedding is a huge process, and includes so many details! Professionals can help, and we are so glad that we had a wedding planner and photographer. But also ask and involve your wedding party or close family members. It will make your bridesmaids feel more beautiful if they get to weigh in on a dress, and your mother in law will treasure the opportunity to provide advice. ”
Well the big day came, April 1st 2017, and I can tell you Stan and I were so excited to be Aaron and Madalyn’s Wedding photographers. We had a great location, ( Maison Jardin has a lot of windows so it’s a light and airy interior, as well as overhangs outside, so we knew we could do a great job if the weather turned ugly on us, always an issue in central Florida!!) beautiful , relaxed couple, beautiful day, and an awesome team of vendors all working together to ensure a smooth, stress free, beautiful wedding day for Madalyn and Aaron. The day comes and goes in a blink of an eye but the happy couple ,” simply loved the magic of it all. Everything turned out to be even more special than we had hoped, and the day passed in happy perfection. Truly, we were expecting a much more stressful day, or one filled with catering to others as we tried to make all of our guests happy. But our wedding planners made sure everything ran smoothly, and everyone involved did so much to contribute to making us feel special. ”
   Aaron and Madalyn ,”will be traveling for the foreseeable future. Right now, we’re in Chiang Mai Thailand! Madalyn teaches English online, which allows us to earn travel money from anywhere. Since our wedding we have been island hopping in Indonesia, and to several cities in Thailand. We think of it as our never ending honeymoon. You can follow us on Instagram @stopdroprefresh ”
Congratulations to this wonderful and so in love couple, S & S Photography wishes you many years of health and happiness!!

Our main cake was from Party Flavors Custom Cakes. Our Groom’s cake was from Hello Sugar 
We went with a personal friend to DJ our wedding. He knows our preferences in music and he was so eager to make us happy on our big day!

 

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 by stan_cheslock1

Pam and Christopher’s sweet summer wedding

After 7 years of dating Chris unexpectedly proposed to Pam in June of 2015 at a Styx concert! “We had seen them twice before and were super excited to be able to go again. The show was incredible and we had a great hotel which we ended up at after the concert. Our room had a view overlooking a river and he suggested we take a walk along the boardwalk. I was a little curious since it was an odd time of night to go (around 11:30pm I think) but it was beautiful. We walked onto the bridge over the river and joked about how many spiders there were (I am afraid of them of course). He told me how much he loved me and promised he always would then asked if I would do the same and when I said yes he pulled out the ring. I promptly dropped the water bottle that I was holding onto his foot, I was so surprised! But we laughed and I practically screamed yes and the rest, as they say, is history.” Pam’s Mother had purchased a dress for her to wear at her prom many years ago at the Goodwill store in her high school home town of Lockhart , for $14.00. She ended up not being able to go to her Senior Prom and the dress stayed with her as she moved and relocated 3 times….she loved her dress too much to part with. No occasion seemed worthy of it, until Chris proposed…”After Christopher and I got engaged I had no doubt that I would wear my long lost dress, it was perfect. The theme, flowers and decor all fell into place after that! ” Stan and I loved Pam’s entire look…from her dress to her beautiful summer flowers in her hair, the inspiration coming from her childhood…”My mother wore a flower crown for her wedding and I remembered how much I loved playing with it when I was younger. I thought about buying a crown online but the cost was way higher than I expected and the colors were good but not perfect. It took many trips to a handful of craft stores but I was able to find the flowers that I really wanted and after reading some DIY articles I decided to make my own crown. All in all it cost around $35 (for the stuff I actually used) and took about 18 total hours.” The guest list for their intimate July 31st wedding was short..her parents, his parents , his sister and boyfriend and a favorite Aunt…”Our parents, my aunt, and Christopher’s sister and her boyfriend have truly been our support system and very best of friends over the last 5 years which made them the most important people to have with us on our wedding day.” The ceremony was in a beautiful park tucked away in a Longwood neighborhood, with dinner at Lake Mary’s FishBones.Congratulations to a sweet, unique and beautiful couple!!

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 by stan_cheslock1

Arturo and Sam’s Maitland Art Center Wedding

There are many beautiful wedding venues throughout Central Florida but one of our personal favorites is the Maitland Art Center and that was the venue of choice for Arturo and Samantha’s March 19th wedding. After a move from Texas the happily engaged couple fell in love with the Maitland Art Center which, according to Arturo, was a “surreal location. We both like the rustic look and the outdoors. The architectural elements are amazing, great for photos!” The happy couple choose a fairytale and whimsical theme and enjoyed very much designing and making their own wedding decorations. We encountered rain that day, typical as a central Florida wedding photographer to be challenged by the elements, but luckily it cleared just in time for our photography session with Samantha, and thankfully it stayed away for the rest of the afternoon. Arturo’s favorite memory of that day he says was, “Sam walking down the aisle, our first kiss, our first dance,so many…it was EVERYTHING!” That answer embodies the spirit of this wonderful couple. They were surrounded by so many friends & family along with laughter & love. So much depends on our ability to do our job and do it well…such a stressful job…and we want EVERY client to be thrilled with their pictures, no exception, it’s all about customer satisfaction. I asked Arturo and Sam what their experience with S & S Photography was like and their answer…”AMAZING!” We’ll take that!! Congratulations Sam and Arturo, we wish you many many years of happiness and joy!! Click this link  https://snsweddings.com/clientgallery/samblog/ to view more of their wedding pictures.

 

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 by stan_cheslock1

Karla and Steven’s Championsgate Wedding

Karla & Steven Bayes chose one of Orlando’s premier wedding locations for their beautiful March wedding…yes we are late posting this but better late than never! Orlando’s ChampionsGate Resort is a gorgeous Central Florida location perfectly suited to hosting Central Florida weddings. This venue is beautifully decorated, especially the courtyard and ballrooms. The accommodations are luxurious , the cuisine exceptional and the service superb. S & S Photography enjoyed working with a talented , organized and detail oriented co-ordinator and her team, Xiomarra Sanchez, owner of A Nite To Remember Events. ( Niteevents.com) Xiomarra and her team ensured that every detail, every desire, every element and every aspect of the wedding day was meticulously addressed , handled and taken care of immediately,for the bride and groom. When I asked Xiomarra why Steven and Karla chose S & S Photography for their Central Florida wedding photography needs she answered…”S & S was a no brainer when picking a wedding photographer for Karla and Steven. Charlene and Stan were the photographers for Karla’s Mothers wedding a few years back and they LOVED them! Working with S & S is EASY and a PLEASURE. I LOVE Charlene’s energy. The pictures speak for themselves. EXCELLENT photography and an EXCELLENT company”. We always look forward to working with A Nite To Remember Events and we look forward to the change in photography needs of Karla and Steven…from being their wedding photographers to, one day, becoming their FAMILY photographers!

Pro One Video

Jillian Caro 

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 by stan_cheslock1

Bella Collina Wedding

It was so wonderful to be the wedding photographers for a couple that truly compliments each other and are so in love with each other! Heather and Todd’s Bella Collina wedding was absolutely wonderful and touching beyond words, just perfect. Their outdoor traditional wedding ceremony on the lawn at Bella Collina was romantic and emotional…watching Todd try to stay composed while Heather walked towards him on her Dad’s arm had me tearing up! After the ceremony we had so much fun taking their wedding pictures…under the Bell Tower, down by the bridge…we’re always able to find great locations for wedding pictures at the Tuscan themed Bella Collina. The evening was filled with joy and laughter and everyone there had an amazing time celebrating the union of two amazing people!

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destination wedding photographer
 by stan_cheslock1

Destination Wedding Photography with Daniel and Ashlee

Daniel and Ashlee Cueto’s love story began in 2007 when they worked together at a wine bar…our love story with this family began when we photographed Daniel’s twin sisters wedding several years ago in Cocoa Beach. Laura married Matt Pepin and has sent us so many beautiful brides that this blog wouldn’t be fair without a huge shout out and THANK YOU to her and her amazing family, which has grown with the addition of their beautiful baby girl Julianna!

Danny fell in love with the beautiful Ashlee and decided to propose one casual Saturday afternoon in Denver, where the couple lives. During a game of Battleship Danny suggested that his next move would be “be mine” and he held up the ring over the board game! They picked the ring setting together and settled on a halo with a plain band and small diamonds around the cushion cut center stone, all of which were dipped in black rhodium.

Next came a dress shopping trip to Florida where Ashlee’s entourage included her Mom, Dad, Step Mom, step sister and her future Mother and Father in law! The 2nd dress tried on was the winner, a leaf shaped light lace dress with a pink sash. Her stunning 8 ft veil with crystals scattered at the bottom was loans to her by her best friend Mallory…the perfect touch of drama to her simply elegant dress.

Ashlee chose a pink and grey theme because she loves pink, and Daniel being color blind can only see the color grey. Since both families lived in Florida they chose Out of the Blue Celebrations in Jupiter for their ceremony and reception, on the only available date left for spring, April 18th. As Ashlee said “We aren’t super serious people so we wanted the ceremony to be fun,” which it was!

Ashlee’s God Mother Aunt Jeanne performed the personal, light-hearted ceremony, at the end of which she took out an aluminum made wand and blessed the happy couple. Everyone was laughing and smiling! Ashlee and Daniel’s evening was “amazing and we had a great time. We laughed, cried a little, and danced!”

The perfect day for the perfect couple….congratulations Ashlee and Daniel and THANK YOU for having Stan and I be the ones to capture your special day!!

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