orlando wedding photography

 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, [email protected])  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 snsweddings

Town Manor: Allard and Rachael’s Wedding

Town Manor on the Lake Wedding

 Rachael and Allard met in their second year of law school in Syracuse, New York in 2013 through a mutual friend. They never knew each other from any classes, but one evening Allard was having a get together at his house before all of their friends went out that night…and that’s pretty much how everything started. Since that one evening, they were always spending their time together. They dated for almost two years, took many trips together, graduated school and moved down to Florida to pursue their careers. On Rachael’s 27th Birthday, Allard surprised her with a visit to an elephant sanctuary in Gainesville, Florida (she has a passion for the environment and animals, especially elephants). After many personal encounters with the elephants, one particular elephant named Patti had an envelope in her trunk and walked up to Rachael and Allard who were both standing in a nearby field. Patti dropped the envelope into Rachael’s hand and in it was a letter from Allard. All of a sudden, Allard got down on one knee and proposed! Then a little over a year later, they were married at Town Manor on the Lake B&B in Auburndale, Florida. Allard’s favorite memory from the Town Manor on the lake wedding was probably their first kiss as a married couple. Rachael’s favorite memory from the lake wedding was walking down the aisle and seeing Allard for the first time surrounded by friends and family. The red velvet cake was a close second. In the future, they plan on enjoying everything out of life together as a married couple and pursuing their careers.

Vendors:

Venue:Town Manor on the Lake

Dress:Modern Bridal Shop

Designer: Essense Of Australia

Flowers:Paula Jeans Garden

Hair & Makeup: Laura Reynolds Artistry

 

 

 

 

 

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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

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

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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 by stan_cheslock1

Lange Farm Wedding

Lange Farm has acres of sweeping views that embraces a rustic country charm making it a wonderful setting for Central Florida weddings. Megan and Nick chose the seclusion of Lange Farm, just 30 minutes outside of Tampa, for their Central Florida wedding ceremony and reception. With over 80 acres Lange Farm embraces nature and pushes the hustle and bustle of daily life aside and allows its guests to relax and enjoy the surrounding scenery. As photographers Stan and I welcome the opportunity to travel to beautiful locations like Lange Farm…every direction we turn is another beautiful backdrop of scenery for beautiful wedding photographs. Congratulations Megan and Nick, thanks for choosing S & S!

 

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 by stan_cheslock1

Pensacola Wedding Photography

Adam and Tiffany chose their old college stomping grounds for their wedding this weekend in Pensacola and we are so honored to have been brought in to cover the event. We shoot primarily Central Florida weddings but have now covered all corners of the state, from Jacksonville down to the Keys, Sarasota over to Cocoa , and now beautiful Pensacola. Although it was quite a drive we have travelled further…Tucson AZ, North Carolina, Trinidad and even South Africa! This weekend Stan and I travelled almost 1000 miles and enjoyed every minute of it…did I mention that we left 3 kids behind…perhaps part of the reason we had such a good time, seems breaks from parenting are quite refreshing! We had a fun group to work with, a beautiful couple, lovely location and soft afternoon light. We even enjoyed a side trip on our way home to see Florida’s only caves at the Caverns State Pk in Marianna. Thanks for choosing Stan and I to be your Pensacola wedding photographers Tiffany and Adam, congratulations and many long years of happiness to you both!

 

 

 

 

 

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orlando photographers, wedding photographers
 by stan_cheslock1

Barbara and Tim’s Orlando Wedding Photography, and Rain!

The pressure was on photographing Barbara (Alexander) and Tim Lightfoot’s wedding this past September at First Baptist Church of Orlando with a reception at the Orlando Country Club. Barbara, the bride, is the Director of a major global event planning company and knows her stuff — her honeymoon was postponed to handle a meeting with Ex-President Bill Clinton!

So… Of course we wanted everything to run smoothly right?!? But did it? Of course not! The major interfering factor in all Florida weddings reared its ugly head…rain, rain and more rain! I normally talk about my couples in my blogs, but not this time. I’m going to talk about my amazing husband. I cannot praise Stan enough for what he manages to pull off when it seems all the odds are stacked against us. I cannot shoot a wedding without him. He is far more talented than I am. He sees the light that is so key to great pictures. He sees the background, the foreground, the possibilities that I do not.

He pulls off amazing shots in ridiculously cramped impossible spaces. And when I start to panic because I’m focusing on what we can’t do, he calms me down and shows me what we can do. He saves the day each and every time we are up against bad weather, delays, ugly locations, darkness, technical problems…you name it, the man can shoot incredible pictures in it! I would never ever shoot a wedding without him! He can shoot without me (I might send him with 10 pages of notes, LOL!) but I cannot, would not, shoot anything without him by my side.

So, Barbara and Tim, your wedding images are a direct result of my husband’s talent, and we both wish you a long and happy life together!

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wedding photographer orlando
 by stan_cheslock1

Orlando Wedding Photography at Metro West Golf Club

When Ana and Luis Ferreira chose Orlando’s Metro West Golf Club for their Florida outdoor destination wedding ceremony they didn’t realize just how much of an imposing element our Central Florida weather can be.

After months and months of preparations Mother Nature had her say and down came the rain, naturally just as Ana got her dress on for pictures! 2 1/2 hours later, still raining! With a positive attitude and taking it all in stride this wonderful couple stalled…and stalled…and stalled….

After little over an hour’s delay the clouds parted, the rain stopped, the chairs were dried and much to the delight of everyone the ceremony took place as planned, outside on the beautiful greens of Metro West. Someone put in a good word that’s for sure as the rains came pouring down again just as we finished with all of their group pictures and romantic pictures!!

A huge shout out to the excellent staff at Metro West, under the expert leadership of Francine Burruezo for handling the situation beautifully…dinner was delicious!! All of the vendors at this event pulled together to make Ana and Luis’s day work out wonderfully in spite of the rain. Congratulations to a gorgeous, smart and super sweet couple!

The Details:
D.J Kristen with Our DJ Rocks
Videography by Brandon Kari of Art and Productions
Makeup and hair by Daniella Maria
Flowers by Atmosphere
Cake by Party Flavors
Brazilian candies from Sweets Art, Larissa Macedo
Minister Cecilia Johnson

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