florida wedding photographer

 by Stan Cheslock

Pick your Florida Wedding Photographers

  Tips – How to pick your Florida Wedding Photographers

In Central Florida, and anywhere really, choosing your Florida Wedding Photographers can be a seriously daunting task. Modern technology has made it so easy to capture images these days on anything from a phone to a camera, that it seems everyone and their Uncle is a “photographer” . But that is really not the case. Many variables come into play when it comes to capturing your wedding in beautiful images. Here are 3 Tips On How to Pick your Florida Wedding Photographers , who will hopefully , successfully capture the drama, beauty, and emotions of your wedding day.

Orlando Florida Wedding Photographers -TIP #1

DO NOT CHOOSE YOUR ORLANDO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS BASED ON PRICE

Yes I know, we all have a budget to work with…ok most of us do. And we understand that money doesn’t grow on trees so you can’t just go spending recklessly, but this is very important advice. Why? Because your Florida Wedding Photographers should be chosen based on their reputation and experience, never ever on price. You’re going to find great “deals” out there, but remember there is a reason for that. Perhaps it’s a newly graduated student trying to drum up work, or simply an amateur who has a nice camera, shot a wedding once for a friend, and now they think that they are a wedding photographer. You don’t really want to end up crying over out of focus, crooked and boring pictures of your beautiful wedding day do you? All you have when the day is over are your pictures. When the music has stopped, your guests are gone, and you’re on your way home from your honeymoon the anticipation of viewing your photos should be an exciting feeling, not one of dread. Skimping on your photographer is simply not a good idea!

Orlando Florida Wedding Photographers -TIP #2

DO NOT PICK YOUR PHOTOGRAPHERS WITHOUT GETTING A REFERRAL AND/OR CHECKING REVIEWS

This is a no brainer and a valuable time saver when planning your Orlando wedding. Most likely you have had a friend or relative get married. Reach out to them and ask if they were pleased with their Florida Wedding Photographers, and why? They have done the work for you and they have had the “one on one” experience with their Florida Wedding Photographers. Maybe they weren’t pleased, ask why? Take a look at their pictures and see for yourself if you like what you see or not. If they don’t seem interested in showing off their images then right away you know that they are not happy with them so ask another friend. These days you can go online and check reviews. Make sure that you dig a little. Great reviews tend to pop up quickly and are very visible. Bad reviews might take a little digging to find. DIG! Make sure that you’re finding more positive reviews than you are negative reviews.

Orlando Florida Wedding Photographers -TIP #3

INTERVIEW THE PHOTOGRAPHERS

3rd Tip on how to pick your Florida Wedding Photographers…Interview the photographer. Sure, we all shop on line and can see images and web sites and prices but the one thing you cannot do is have a face to face and get a feel for the temperament and personality of the photographer you’ll be getting up close and personal with for 6 or 8 hours. Are you going to get a surly chain smoking person, or a pleasant and well dressed photographer? Are you getting a slow, unenthusiastic photographer, or an energetic, lay on the ground, climb the walls to “get the shot” kinda photographer? A consultation prior to signing a contract will make sure you avoid an unpleasant surprise that might ruin your wedding day.

FINAL THOUGHTS

So, we hope that some of the tips provided here can help you hire the very best Orlando Wedding Photographers for you.We wish you the very best on your very special wedding day. We are here eager to share our years of experience to give you added inspiration and ideas during the photo planning stages of your wedding to come. Every bride and groom deserve to have beautiful, timeless images that reflect the moment when they chose to pledge to love one another for forever. We at S & S Photography hope that our Wedding Photography Tips have given you a little something extra to think about and that your Orlando Wedding Photography is a huge success!

 

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 by Stan Cheslock

The Ballroom at Church Street: Brandy and Dave’s Wedding

Ballroom at Church Street Wedding

 

  Brandy and Dave met working aboard the Disney Fantasy Cruise ship in 2013. Brandy worked with the cruise staff team while Dave worked on the ship wide tech team. After nearly 4 years of sailing the seven seas with Mickey Mouse, the two lovebirds decided it was time to start a life together on land, in far away New Zealand. For Brandy’s 28th birthday Dave surprised her with a fantastic trip to the Bay of Islands and Cape Reinga, the northern most point of New Zealand. It was here, overlooking the ocean, on the last day of their trip, that Dave got down on one knee and popped the question. Brandy of course said “yes!” and the excitement of planning their September 22 nd wedding began.

  When planning their wedding Brandy and Dave wanted a theme that reflected their life together thus far. They loved traveling, and decided to go with a vintage travel theme to match the grandeur feeling of the Ballroom at Church Street Station in downtown Orlando. Each table was themed around a different city in the world that they had visited together and of course they had to incorporate , at the head table no less, the Disney Fantasy Ship where they met. A ” Where in the world are you sitting? ” map directed guests to which city in the world they would be sitting and dining at. Party favors included a delicious candy station which included many different treats from the U.S , the U.K and New Zealand. A nice personal touch were the added photographs of each of their grandparents, on their wedding days ,which added the perfect vintage touch to their Ballroom at Church Street Wedding.

  Since Brandy and Dave are from two different countries the most important thing they wanted to make sure happened on their wedding day was getting their friends and families together, allowing everyone to get to know each other. Their guests came all the way to Orlando from Australia, the United Kingdom and Switzerland to celebrate with them, and celebrate they did with delicious food, lively dancing and drinking all night long until their fiery sparkler departure. Their Ballroom at Church Street Station Wedding was a huge success, that brought together 2 families, and 2 different cultures.

  All wedding days are a blur but no one will forget the epic Maid of Honors ” rap speech ” nor the fun father/daughter mash up dance Brandy did with her dad. Dave’s fondest memory was the tender and sweet dance with his grandmother to her favorite song. Congratulations Brandy and Dave, your wedding was great fun and S&S wishes you both many many years of happiness together!!

 

Venue: The Ballroom Church Street Station

Hair : Primped Up Hair & Makeup

Make Up: https://www.beautespeciale.com/

Florist: Betty J’s Florist

DJ: Scott Messina Productions

Cake/Cupcakes: Party Flavors Custom Cakes

Event Coordinator: Purple Hype LLC – Sara King

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 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 Cheslock

Mission Inn: Paige and Michael’s Wedding

Mission Inn Resort and Club Wedding 

 

   Paige and Mike are a very special couple that are so lucky to have found each other. They are both perfectly suited to each other and S & S Photography is so happy to have been chosen to photograph their beautiful Mission Inn Resort wedding this past February. Here is their story…

   According to sweet Paige…,”Mike and I met on Match.com. I was at my cousin’s wedding in October 2012. I learned that my cousin met her husband on Match. I happened to have an account but was letting it run out because it had weirded me out. My mom said “let’s just look when we get back to the room.” We went online, searched around, and my mom pointed and said “what about him?” It was Mike. I messaged him, we spoke for about 2 weeks until we met up in person. The rest is history! We dated from November 2012 until he proposed in December 2015 (about 3 years). Mike proposed December 13, 2015 in Blue Ridge, Georgia. I graduated with my Master’s Degree on December 12, 2015 at the University of South Alabama. We had a plan after the graduation to drive to Georgia to visit my grandparents for a few days and spend time there with my parents as well. The day after my graduation, we all drove to my grandparents’ house from Alabama to Georgia. Once we arrived, we went out to lunch with my grandparents and then went back to their house to hang out (I thought after this that we would be going to a hotel to change and relax). My entire family was sitting on the couch and talking when my grandpa started talking about a road trip he took as a child. Mike then said to me, “speaking of road trips, we still have an hour drive to go.” I was so confused. He said he was taking me to the mountains as a graduation gift. I was actually sort of upset because I never get to see my grandparents and didn’t understand why he would take me away from them (LOL). We said our goodbyes and got in the car and drove north! About an hour later we arrived to a cabin in the mountains of Blue Ridge, GA. It was the cutest cabin! We walked inside, there was romantic music playing and a dozen roses and a box of chocolate on the kitchen counter. I went upstairs and there were rose petals all over the bedroom. I looked down from the second story and saw Mike on the balcony. I figured I should go out there to thank him. I went outside on the balcony. We hugged, I said thank you, and then he said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. He got down on one knee and proposed! I had no idea! While I was looking around the cabin before the proposal, he had secretly set up a Go Pro on a bench of the balcony to capture it all. It was the best day! The next day we went back to my grandparents’ house and celebrated with them and my parents, we then went back to the cabin for a few days and enjoyed our engagement weekend!”

    Now Mike had a plan all along and in the manner of a traditional , chivalrous gentleman, plotted to ask Paige’s father for her hand in marriage .He said , “I knew quite early on that I wanted to marry Paige. I finally decided on the timing of the proposal because Paige would be graduating from her master’s program and it just felt like the perfect moment. I am a fairly conservative and traditional person so asking for her father’s hand in marriage was something I felt I needed to do, out of respect for her family.On the day I decided to make the drive to her parents house everything lined up perfectly. Paige was working an extra shift at the hospital. I was scheduled to work my normal overnight shift starting at 5PM. My supervisor did not have any issues when I told him I was going to be coming in a little late that night. Once I knew Paige was at her job I hit the road. I had already coordinated with Paige’s brother, Matt, to make sure that her parents would be home that night. Matt did an awesome job of making sure they would be there without giving any hints of what was going on. In 3 shorts hours I was already at their house in the early evening. I rang the door bell and Paige’s mother answered and was surprised to see me but thought I might have been in the area since my father lived near there too. Paige’s father saw me and I knew that he knew exactly why I was there. I spoke quickly probably because I was nervous and just asked them right there in the entrance of the house. Of course they said yes and welcomed me to the family. I felt a huge relief and my nerves were quickly eased. I had a deadline to make it back to work in time. I was only able to stay for a few minutes so Paige’s mother packed me some food for the road and I was on my way. I was back to Orlando in 3 hours and Paige had no idea what had just happened. ”

    Would you believe that Mike & Paige’s parents and brother kept this proposed proposal secret for 3 WEEKS!! How her Mom kept that from her is beyond me, I would have burst from excitement! Paige and Mike eventually chose the beautiful Mission Inn Resort for their Orlando wedding. The day was rainy but nothing could dampen Paige and Mike’s excitement! All the planning , all the details, all came together ( with considerable help from their talented planner Katie Jimenez, owner of Big Day Celebrations, Katie@BigDayCelebrations.com)  and their Mission Inn Resort wedding was a true celebration of the joining of 2 lives and 2 families. Here we are 2 months later and these 2 wonderful people are now busy helping others. Paige is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Mike works in Law Enforcement protecting and serving the citizens of Orlando.

Stan and I wish Paige and Mike a long, happy and healthy life together. These are 2 people that are thoughtful, kind, smart, gorgeous, and just plain NICE…good people as they say, with wonderful families supporting them. Lots of love to them!!

Vendors:

DJ/Lighting: White Rose Entertainment

Hair/Makeup: About Face

Ceremony Music: Catherine Way-Harpist

Wedding Cake: Party Flavors

Videographer: Lucid Productions

Florist: Flowers by Lesley

Favors: Sweets by Holly

Wedding Planner: Katie Jimenez

 

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 by Stan Cheslock

Mystic Dunes: Brittany and Tyler’s Wedding

Mystic Dunes Resort Wedding

 Brittany and Tyler met while studying to be Chiropractors at the College of Chiropractic in Port Orange and it wasn’t long before they started dating, albeit accidentally, due to the scheming of their best friend Taylor. Taylor brought Brittany and Tyler to the beach to ” hang out” only to run away, leaving Tyler and Brittany alone to get to know one another. How cute is that! That same beach is where Tyler decided to propose just over a year later, on August 9th 2015. At sunrise they , ” watched dolphins in the water, seagulls flying above, jumping fish and little crabs in the sand, which was really neat and beautiful to see. No one else was on the beach, just he and I and all of the animals-it could not have been planned better. He got on one knee, spoke so eloquently and asked me to be his wife. It was the best moment and is ours forever”
 Well, perfect is what they are together and perfect was what their Central Florida Mystic Dunes wedding was. I personally cannot tell you enough nice things about the involvement of Brittany’s parents in the wedding plans…everything was done for Brittany with so much love , and with only HER wants and desires in mind. Nancy and Louie you are an amazing team and together you pulled off two things…creating a sensitive, considerate, smart and kind daughter, and a wonderfully perfect wedding for her! Mom did the flowers, yes ALL of the bouquets were made by Brittany’s Mom and were beautifully done with no prior experience, wow!! Mrs Anastasio also did all of the decorations and all night long kept flitting around their Mystic Dunes reception to make sure that everything was just perfect for her beautiful daughter. Some tasks did have to be handled by others….Hair was done by Lloyd Scott who works at Hair Mania. Melody Griffin, the owner of Hair Mania, also assisted with the bridesmaids hair and eyelashes. Makeover Station worked with a few of the girls and also assisted with hair and makeup. The delicious cake was made by Chelsea Sexton with Sweetpea’s Sucre Sweets  and the dance floor kept popping all night to the tunes of DJ Chris Casella  

 I asked Brittany what the most memorable part of her Mystic Dunes Resort Wedding was and she said that it “was walking down the aisle to Tyler. Literally, everything outside of my focus on him blurred away and all I could see was Tyler standing at the alter. I was walking towards my future in Christ, with my dad who has always been by my side, to my soon to be husband, best friend and love of my life.” And Ty’s? ​” My favorite moment was when Britt and I were able to hold each other’s hands behind the archway right before we got married. It was the start of when my life would change in an amazing way. That moment made the day, our wedding day, feel real. I am glad we didn’t see each other before she walked down the aisle, holding her hand was an incredible moment I’ll never forget.” Feeling brave I asked Brittany and Ty what working with S& S was like? She replied… ​”You both are absolutely amazing. We enjoyed every minute of working with you. From the time my parents met with you and knew for sure you were going to photograph the wedding, to the first time we met and talked and shared at Dunkin Donuts, we knew that you were amazing people who would not only be a joy to work with but the perfect pair to capture the moments of the day. It was a ton of fun taking the photos and you both were beyond organized. We had many compliments from our wedding party on working with you as well, which is always so nice to hear! Now that we have seen the proofs, so many friends and family members have expressed how great and talented you are and they love the photos! Thank you so much for capturing such an important start to our journey, we love you and will cherish these memories forever.”
We love you too Brittany and Ty and thank you for allowing us the honor of capturing your beautiful wedding!! I asked where they go to from here and they responded,” We want to serve. We want to volunteer as much as we can. The way we feel we have been chosen to serve is through opening our chiropractic office and bringing hope to people for their health. We also want to start a family of our own and grow with the Central Florida communities. Dance and soccer are also very important to us, so we will see how we can fuel those passions in our family as well. We love being here in central Florida, enjoying all the area has to offer, and we will continue to give back as much as we can and in every capacity that we can.” These two are special, in every way, and a testament to how amazing BOTH sets of parents are because they sure did raise two excellent human beings!!

Venue Coordinator: Rick Martin

 

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 by stan_cheslock1

Alyssa and Bud’s beautiful Venice wedding!

Bud and Alyssa first met at a Chilies restaurant in 2013 after initially meeting on line via “Chemistry.com”. Clarence, AKA Bud, worked the night shift as an Orlando Police Officer and Alyssa, as she says,”being surrounded by engineers limited our dating scene so we both turned to online dating and it all turned out for the best!” Bud said that,” they talked for hours, about everything from work to zip lining, and unbeknownst to them, began laying the foundation of what would become a wonderful and lasting relationship.” Bud’s proposal began with an invitation to dinner and a movie, after which they headed for their favorite local spot, Cranes Roost. ” It’s where we first became officially boyfriend and girlfriend, and had our first kiss.” Bud even had a photographer there who, under the false pretense of “practicing” on them, proceeded to take their picture. Alyssa went along and agreed to ” have some stranger take our photo” Bud, after the first photo, got down on his knee and proposed! She said YES and now here they are, happily married newlyweds in 2016.
August 6 th was the big day and Bud and Alyssa agreed that they wanted an outdoor themed wedding, without the outdoors…” Too hot for a Florida August outdoor wedding” said Alyssa. They chose the beautiful Plantation in Venice, a spot on the East coast close to where Alyssa grew up. One thing Alyssa knew for certain was that she wanted a cookie table at the reception. ” I was raised by my Mom and always grew up close to her, she was the one there through thick or thin. My Dad lived in NY so when I visited him he would make sure we had our time together by waking me up in the middle of the night and we would have Oreos and milk” How super sweet..pun intended!
Everything came together beautifully on their wedding day in large part due to Alyssa being a very hands on and involved bride. “Everything was set up and made by myself or one of my amazing bridesmaids- from the homemade jams and the signs to the center pieces and the kids table!” Apart from a tiny thunderstorm that blew through as the ceremony was about to start the wedding was a success…lively & full of dancing and laughter, which ended with an exciting ecofetti departure. Alyssa and Bud Stan and I wish you two lovebirds a long, safe and prosperous life together and want to thank you for inviting S & S to be a part of such a momentous occasion in your lives!

Florist, Garden of Eden        Snapshot Photobooth
Makeup By Corinne             Gown

DJ                                    Photography

 

 

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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

Mike and Chey’s beautiful St. Augustine wedding

Mike Conley ( originally from New Hampshire ) and Cheryl Martin ( from Orlando) immediately hit it off when they met on E Harmony’s dating website back in 2010. Chey said they couldn’t stop talking to each other…that’s a good start I’d say. 2 months after actually meeting they started dating, December 13 th 2010.
The engagement….Mike and Cheryl had been stuck inside dealing with the freezing winter of New Hampshire. Cheryl had planned a mini vacation with one of her friends, Trinh, to go enjoy the warm weather of Florida. Mike appeared to be rather upset that Cheryl was going to Florida and to Disney without him. So, with a “frustrated” Mike at home, Cheryl and Trinh boarded their flight to Florida. Saturday came along with Mike hardly talking to Cheryl since her arrival, and she headed off to Disney with her family and friend. Little did Cheryl know that Mike and Trinh had been plotting for several months along with a few family members. They all were in on it! Cheryl and gang stopped at their traditional photo op spot in front of Cinderella’s castle. Cheryl’s dad smiled and told everyone to move in closer for the photo op. As soon as the photo was done, Cheryl could see what appeared to be Mike out of the corner of her eye. She was excited thinking that he had just decided to surprise her with the visit. But instead he stopped and got down on one knee! He asked Cheryl to marry him and even in her shocked state, she said yes!
The happy couple chose St. Augustine for their April 26 th wedding, with Lightner Museum the ceremony site and Casa Monica the reception location. Mike fell in love with the area when attending his Best Man Sean’s bachelor party…it reminded him of Boston, but in Florida. The couple are ” big on history” and they ” fell in love with the architecture, the paintings, and the sculptures of Lightner Museum” Chey said she instantly became obsessed with Casa Monica…”It was stunning and the rooms made you feel so elegant. The vintage look and the general vibe of the place made it a must for us.”
When I asked Chey what she loved the most about her wedding day she replied, “I loved that we could get all of our family together in a place that had so much history.” Mike’s response was the same, “friends and family from all over the country took time out from their schedules to travel with us to celebrate our special day. Everyone was so relaxed and happy to be with us”
Mike had very useful advice for future couples…
First off, once you propose, try to convince your new fiance to enjoy engagement for a month or two. There is NO RUSH to plan the wedding -no matter what she or anyone else says- and you are only engaged once. Take the first couple of months to do something while you are engaged so you have something to look back on during engagement. Plan a few weekends away, a road trip, or go to a few concerts. Why skip the excitement of being engaged and jump right to married life? We did this and are very happy that we did not rush into things.

Second, during your wedding weekend, it’s about you and your to-be wife. If anyone offers to help, let them. You will have the chance to repay the favor on their day.

Third, just before it is time to get dressed, set 30 minutes aside for you and your best man. Go grab a quick bite to eat or a drink and talk. It helped me relax and transition into the ceremony.

Lastly, take in the day. Sit back and capture little moments throughout the night. Watch from your chair as your friends and family share laughs. Enjoy how happy everyone is to be there for you. These micro-moments are for you and your bride to hold onto for the rest of your lives.
And Chey’s excellent advice…
Take a deep breath every time you start to feel stressed the week leading up to your wedding, it is easier said than done. But you can only control so much and you have to hope that the people who are in your bridal party will be there for you and help make your day what you imagined. And enjoy it, stressing over the little things will not fix them, you just have to roll with the punches and have a blast and enjoy your big day!
Mike and Chey are a very special, loving, caring , gorgeous and smart couple! Stan and I had an amazing day with them and wish them many, many years of happiness together!!!

Hair and Makeup

Flowers 

Cake

Coordinator

DJ

 

 

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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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