From the first time that Liz and I spoke over the phone, I knew she was going to be a fabulous bride! She and her new husband, Brandon have a great attitude towards life which was really reflected in all of their wedding plans. They are such an adorable couple and it's easy to see how much they love each other.

Their beautiful Destination Wedding was held at the Gasparilla Inn & Club, one of Florida's historic hotels. It was the perfect setting to make Liz & Brandon's wedding dreams come true! Here are some of my favorites from their wedding day:

Liz inspects her bridal makeup at the salon.

Brandon chills out before the ceremony by playing a game of pool with his buddies.

Liz made a stunning bride!

Sharing a moment with Dad before walking down the aisle.

Both parents stand by Liz as they give her away to her new husband.

The ceremony was beautiful and colorful!

A tender moment between Liz & Brandon.

Moving on to some portraits in the setting sun... Instead of lots of formal family shots, Liz really wanted to devote most of her portrait time to private images of her and Brandon as a married couple.

The love between this couple is so apparent, and I'm glad that Liz and Brandon set aside this extra time, so they could always remember how they felt on the most amazing day of their lives.

Sharing a dance together as husband and wife!

Their grand exit, sent off by sparklers! How fun!

Liz, Brandon, and their friends & family ended the night by toasting marshmallows at their post-wedding bonfire!

Congratulations, Liz & Brandon!! I wish you so much happiness in your new life together!

Wedding Planner: Angie Jeffress
Venue: Gasparilla Inn & Club
Floral Design: Botanica Boca Grande 941-964-3040
Entertainment: Hindu Cowboys

Julie and her new husband, Remi, live in Canada, where he is a soldier in the army, and she is going into her final year of University. Since the couple booked me over the phone, we never had the chance to meet before. It was so exciting to finally meet Julie and Remi in person, on their wedding day!

Coming from freezing Canada, the couple wanted to leave plenty of time for portraits, which is always ideal. Here are photos from the day that Adrian and I spent with Julie, Remi, and their families, from portraits at the beach to their wedding at the lovely Spanish Monastery.

Congratulations, Julie & Remi!! I wish you lots of luck and happiness in the future! Readers - stay tuned for images from Julie & Remi's day-after/trash the dress session!

I met Jessica & Gabriel last November and instantly clicked with them both. Jessica is super sweet, and Gabriel has an absolutely hilarious sense of humor Both of them were great to be around. Adrian and I got to know them a bit better when we did their engagement session at Morikami Gardens, and we were really excited to shoot their wedding, as we knew it would be gorgeous!

The ceremony was held at the beautiful St. Coleman's Catholic Church in Pompano Beach, and the reception was at Signature Grand. Here are a few of my favorite photographs from Jess & Gabe's special day!

The bride's beautiful shoes...

Right after putting on the dress... a gorgeous bride (and check out Jessica's beautiful green eyes)!

St. Coleman's Catholic Church was a beautiful location for the ceremony.

Jessica & her dad both got a little teary-eyed as he gave her away.

Things got a little smoky as Gabe & Jessica lit the unity candle. What a fun shot!

Jessica & Gabriel sharing an emotional moment after a prayer.

Unity candle...

Jessica & her sister approach the Virgin Mary to pray.

Jessica & Gabriel, finally married! They kissed of course, but I loved this photo of the hug they shared before walking back down the aisle.

After the ceremony, we went to Riverfront in Ft. Lauderdale for some fun outdoor shots. I really liked this one of Jessica & Gabriel on the railroad tracks.

This couple was so classic and beautiful, I had to get individual shots of each of them. Here are my two favorites.

The reception featured a professional belly dancer! Everyone loved the entertainment!

Jessica's birthday just happened to fall on her wedding day! As a birthday surprise, Gabriel arranged for a mariachi group to come and play and sing.

Jessica & Gabriel shared a touching dance as the mariachi band played beautiful music.

Cutting the cake....

Their family and friends had fun watching & participating in the bouquet and garter games!

Gabriel is Venezuelan, and Jessica's family is Greek, so they incorporated both traditions into the "Crazy Hour" at the end of the wedding. Check out the fun masks and hats that the bride & groom are wearing.

They did lots of Latin dancing, of course, but this special Greek napkin dance was also featured. I love this photo of the bride & groom in silhouettes, dancing Greek-style!

Jessica & Gabriel, Congratulations to both of you! I am so glad that our paths crossed on your special day. You are a wonderful couple, and I am really happy that Adrian & I were there to capture your wedding photos.

Love,
Karen

Ceremony: St. Coleman's Parish
Reception: Signature Grand
Entertainment: Vision DJs
Video: Doyle Video
Florist: Carousel Flower Shoppe
Bellydancing: Nilly
Wedding Dress: Merlili
Bridesmaid Dresses: Raylia
Makeup: Katherine Quiel 305-975-6868
Hair Styling: Angel Stylist

Liz & Joey are such a great, spirited couple! When I met them last year, I liked them instantly. They are such a happy, fun pair - and they have a really cute dog (everyone knows what a sucker I am for animals!!). When Liz told me their wedding was going to be at the Bonnet House, I was excited as I'd never shot there before, and had only heard about how beautiful it is! Here are some of my favorites from their wedding... there are just so many favorites.. :)

Liz and Joey opted to do a "First Look" before the ceremony so that they could meet privately before walking down the aisle, not to mention take all of their bride and groom photos while we still had beautiful light available! If you're getting married in the evening, I highly suggest doing a First Look so that you can make sure that you get some beautiful portraits of yourselves. The next two images are from their First Look, followed by some beautiful portraits from the nearby beach.

The guys thought it would be funny to do a Zoolander pose. I love it!

A few fun shots from the ceremony.... that gorgeous smile never left Liz's face all night! She is by far the most expressive bride I have ever had the pleasure of photographing!

Can't forget any of the gorgeous details!

Especially the amazing flowers! During her planning process, Liz asked for some advice on certain vendors. Being in the industry is great because you get to see who is the "best of the biz" so to speak. I referred her to Flowers by Tony, the company who did all the floral arrangements for my own wedding! The flowers Liz picked out were spectacular. I'm so glad I was able to refer her to such a talented company!

On their way to the honeymoon... hope you two had an amazing time!

Liz & Joey... we had SO much fun working with the both of you on your wedding day, and hope that we will be photographing you for years to come. :-) It was great to work with such a refreshing couple with a a great sense of humor. I can't wait for you to see the rest of your amazing wedding images!

Lots of love, Karen

Location: The Bonnet House
Flowers: Flowers by Tony
Cake: Susie's Scrumptious Sweets
Catering: Macy's Catering
Entertainment: Lawrence of Florida

When I first met Ashley and Ben, I just knew that we were going to get along great together! Ben enjoys photography (although he is a Nikon shooter!!) and Ashley has red glasses very similar to mine, as well as an adorable little dog! We had such a great time chatting the first time that we met, that I was not surprised when Ashley called a week later to say they wanted to reserve the date for their wedding.

Since then, we've become friends and have gotten together a couple of times, which was really great, because shooting a wedding is so much nicer when you're comfortable together!

I was really excited to photograph their celebration, as they chose to have it at the gorgeous Spanish Monastery, a location that we've shot at many times. Ashley was a gorgeous bride, and they really let their personalities shine through on their wedding night. Congratulations to you both!!!

Ashley & Ben sharing their first dance under the light of a full moon...

Check out their very cool Smurf cake topper! How adorable is that?

Cuddle time with the statues.... haha! I love Ashley & Ben's personality and sense of humor!

The happy couple, out of their wedding clothes and ready to leave for their honeymoon!

This final photo is for Ashley's brother, who insisted that I take a good MySpace picture for him!

Congratulations again, you guys! I wish you the very best in your life together, and I am really looking forward to doing our Trash the Dress session at Vizcaya! Enjoy the photos!

Much love, Karen

Location: Spanish Monastery
Caterer: Catering Concepts
Cake: Ana Paz

Liz & Joey got married last night at the amazing Bonnet House. Adrian and I had such a great time with the two of them and I just can't wait to post some photos.... so I have two little teasers to share while I edit the rest for a bigger blog post later on this week. I hope you enjoy!

Yay! Hope you two are having an amazing time in Jamaica!

The other day I got a text message from one of my favorite brides, Lindsey, that she wrote a glowing review about us on The Knot. Of course I was intrigued and had to check it out! This is what Lindsey wrote:

Photographer- The Wedding Couple - A++++++++
My all time favorite vendor. Ladies, I can not stress how important it is to have a good report with your photographer. They will be with you all day. Karen and I talked everyday for the two weeks leading up to the wedding, she is so supportive!! We totally hit it off! That girl will lay in mud, get (almost) hit by cars, walk around the beach until 2:30am to get the perfect shot. She will bend backwards to make each picture a work of art. The Wedding Couple was the best choice I could possibly make for my entire wedding. Amazing! Amazing! Amazing! Not only do they get A+'s; they get two snaps and a circle.

How sweet is that? Lindsey, thank you so much for your lovely words! You have no idea how much it means to me!

Readers, if you would like to see Lindsey's photos, click here to see their blog entry!

This is one of my favorite images from Lindsey & Otto's wedding day:

Cindy and Bob tied the knot last Saturday at their beautiful Miami home! Here are a few of my favorite images from their special evening.

Having hair and makeup done before the wedding...

Cindy fine-tunes her vows to Bob.

The beautiful bride!

Bob anxiously waits to walk down the aisle with his son, Lee. Image by Chelsey Boatwright for The Wedding Couple.

A fun moment during the ceremony.

Husband and Wife at last!

The incredibly gorgeous cake, by none other than Edda's. Photo by Chelsey Boatwright for The Wedding Couple.

Bob's daughter Lauren with her grandparents.

I love how happy Bob and Cindy look in this photo!

The first dance.

Bob and Cindy, congratulations on your beautiful wedding! I wish you so much happiness in your life together and look forward to showing you the rest of the photos soon!

Entertainment: Lawrence of Florida
Cake: Cake Designs by Edda
Catering: Theirry's Cathering

My friends Ilona & Ken decided they didn't currently have time for a big wedding, so they decided to throw a little shindig for their friends at the Mai-Kai, an awesome Polynesian restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale, and elope on Leap Day - February 29th! I got some fun photos of their ceremony and some lovely portraits out on the grounds.

Ilona looked lovely!

Ken laughing at the hilariously geeky vows that Ilona wrote to join them as husband & wife.

Exchanging rings...

We couldn't leave before taking a couple of portraits out in the beautiful Polynesian garden! I just love the lighting with the fire burning!

Jyll & Ronnie got married at the incredibly beautiful River House in Ft. Lauderdale this past Saturday. Here are some of my favorite shots from their wonderful wedding:

Jyll's mom worked on her hair and turned it into a masterpiece!

Gorgeous shoes.

Jyll looked stunning!

Quiet moments at the ceremony.

Jyll & Ronnie's daughter Rylee wanted to be involved, too! Isn't she adorable?

After the ceremony, we stole away for a bit to the railroad tracks just a few minutes from The River House. While their guests mingled, Jyll & Ronnie totally ROCKED their portraits!!

We got back to the reception where Jyll & Ronnie shared their first dance together as a married couple.

Ronnie played Jyll a song on the guitar....

And she watched, full of emotion.

Rylee hugs her new dad.

One of the younger guests has fun with the bubbles.

Gorgeous rings... and the iron gate was a beautiful setting for them.

All of the details were absolutely lovely.

Before we left, we took some more time to get some rockstar portraits of Jyll & Ronnie, this time showing off Ronnie's amazing ink!!!

Jyll & Ronnie, thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your special day. You are a beautiful couple and now with your daughter are a beautiful family. I look forward to seeing you soon and I hope you're having an amazing time in Costa Rica!!

Lots of love,
Karen

Lindsey & Otto's wedding was the first of 2008 and I have been looking forward to it for such a long time, especially since we had so much fun together at their Engagement Session at Vizcaya! Everything about it was just perfect - from the flowers to the cake to the beautiful locations that Lindsey & Otto chose.

To start the day, I met up with Lindsey & her friends as she was getting ready for her big day. She was relaxed and ready to go! I got some fun shots of her makeup and hair being done as well as her gorgeous dress!

Adrian got some awesome photos of the church - First Presbyterian Church of Miami. It's one of the oldest churches in the city and fit perfectly with Lindsey's "vintage Miami" theme!

When we arrived, there was some gorgeous light in the chapel as we waited until it was time for Lindsey to walk down the aisle. Here she is in some of that lovely magical light as it poured in through the beautiful chapel windows.

The ceremony was beautiful! Lindsey and Otto were so happy to finally be married! They are such a cute couple!

An interesting take on the ring shot as we left for the reception - "objects in mirror are closer than they appear!" I love how you can see the sparkle of her diamonds.

The happy couple during their first dance.

This cake was awesome. Cakes by Edda is always a great choice.

Lindsey & Otto had some AMAZING flamenco dancers as part of their entertainment! It was so much fun to watch them.

A portrait of the couple at the entrance to the Ancient Spanish Monastery, their beautiful venue.

After the wedding, Lindsey & Otto wanted to have some fun walking around downtown South Beach at the awesome Lincoln Road Mall. We got these amazing shots there. I am so glad they were willing to try something different and hang out with us until 2:30AM to get some beautiful bride & groom portraits!!! I took the first photo, and the cool long exposure at the end is by my talented husband, Adrian.

Adrian and I had so much fun working with you both, Lindsey & Otto. Congratulations on finally becoming husband and wife. You two are such wonderful people, and it is especially great to also call you our friends. I hope you had a fantastic time in New York celebrating the Giants' super bowl win, and I look forward to seeing you again very soon!

Lots of love,
Karen

PS- I will update this entry soon with your web slideshow!

Ceremony Location - First Presbyterian Church of Miami
Reception Location - Ancient Spanish Monastery
Flowers - Landy's Flowers by Gerardo
Entertainment - Vision DJ's
Cake - Cakes by Edda
Catering/Linens - A Fancy Fiesta

Helen & Zheng were married at the beautiful South Beach hotel, The Palms! It seems like just yesterday we were doing their Engagement Session on the beach! The hotel was lovely, and the beach right outside gave us a great opportunity for portraits with the couple and the bridal party.

The wonderful Gabriela of Bella Festa Design not only took care of the floral design and decor, but was also Helen's day-of coordinator and made the day flow absolutely perfectly! We also made a new friend with Alan of Artistry Wedding Films, who did a fantastic job and was so great to work with. If you need a coordinator or videographer, I highly recommend these two artists!

Now, on to Helen & Zheng's slideshow and some of my very favorite images from their beautiful day:

Helen & Zheng picked a perfect day to get married!

The cake, decor, linens, and flowers were just amazing.

With four bridesmaids, two moms, a brother, aunts, friends, cousins, other family members, a makeup artist, two videographers, and a photographer in the room, plus TWO gorgeous wedding dresses to choose from, the room got just a tiny bit chaotic. Fortunately Helen was able to direct everything really well. :)

The bride and groom looked snazzy in front of the Christmas tree! The hotel was still decorated for the holidays.

Gorgeous bride!

The Gazebo at the Palms made a perfect setting for the ceremony. I love the flower petals lining the aisle!

Showing some emotion during the ceremony...

Helen looked incredibly beautiful on her wedding day!

Helen & her dad had a great time dancing together!

The decor was just gorgeous! You couldn't get any better than this!

After the wedding, there was a traditional Chinese tea ceremony where Helen & Zheng served their parents tea and ate some special foods. They had a lot of fun!

Double happiness (and more) to you both, forever!

Helen & Zheng, we had so much fun with you between your engagement session and your wedding day! You two are such a wonderful, perfect couple for each other! I am certain that you will have enough happiness to last many lifetimes over. :) Thanks for inviting us into your lives!

Lots of love,
Karen & Adrian

Videographer: Artistry Wedding Films
Cake: Cake Design By Edda
DJ: DJT: Anthony Hernandez
Venue: Palms Hotel
Coordinator & Florist: Gabriela Atienza/Bella Festa Design
Make Up Artist: Lisa Lee (Alluringfaces4U)
Linens: Gables Linen, Inc

Khanh & Bach had a beautiful ceremony at St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Pompano Beach and followed up with a lovely reception at Embassy Suites in Boca Raton. They had a huge guest list, so in addition to my husband Adrian, I enlisted my friend Jessica Savidge of Savidge Photography to help out.

Here is Khanh & Bach's slideshow and some of my favorite images:

Prior to the church ceremony, there was a tea ceremony and lunch at Khanh's parents house. Her family sang lots of Vietnamese songs. Even though I didn't understand the words, it was very moving nonetheless.

The ring bearer and flower girl were so cute! Photo by Jessica Savidge for The Wedding Couple.

The doors open for the bride...

The ceremony was just beautiful, and so was this church!

Adrian caught this silhouette against the stained glass.

A tender moment between the couple. Photo by Jessica Savidge for The Wedding Couple.

Bach's mom was emotional during the ceremony watching her son get married.

I love how this creative portrait came out!

The look on Khanh's face is PRICELESS as she watches the garter toss & events following!

Here's a shot of DJ Julio, who works with our friends at Lawrence of Florida, an awesome DJ!

Khanh & Bach, thank you so much for letting us share in your special day! Glad to hear you had an amazing time in Bora Bora (kudos to the groom for picking out an awesome honeymoon location all on his own)! I hope you enjoy all your photos and the slideshow!

Lots of love,
Karen

Outdoor tent: Panache
Church: St Elizabeth of Hungary
Reception: Embassy Suites of Boca Raton
Entertainment: Lawrence of Florida
Catering: Hao Wah
Floral Design: Carousel Flowers (Jacksonville, FL)

Last weekend, Adrian and I had the pleasure of shooting two beautiful weddings.  We are going out of town today and spending five days in Tampa for two big photography conventions - Digital Wedding Forum and Imaging USA. Before we leave, I wanted to post some teasers to hold you over until I get back and can finish editing these weddings!

The first wedding, on December 28th, was Helen & Zheng's wedding at The Palms in South Beach. Beach weddings are always so much fun! Luckily it was a beautiful day for an outside wedding, and The Palms was a beautiful location, too.

The second wedding, on December 29th, was Khanh & Bach's wedding. The ceremony was at the beautiful St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church in Pompano Beach, and the reception was at Embassy Suites in Boca Raton. This was a huge wedding with lots of people and dancing - everyone had a blast! We also got to work with our friends from Lawrence of Florida, the DJ company we share an office with, and they got the party going.

When I got my first phone call from Nora, Kathy's mom, I had such a lovely conversation with her, that I knew that this was going to be a great family to work with! I was absolutely right. Adrian and I were treated like part of the family, and I hope that our relationship with them will be a long one. Here are some of my favorite photos from Kathy & Marshall's special day. There are so many great ones - it was very hard to choose a few for the blog!

It was absolutely gorgeous outside of the Sonesta Hotel, where Kathy & her bridesmaides were getting ready.

The detail on Kathy's simply gorgeous wedding dress:

Nora's expression when she saw her daughter dressed in her wedding gown for the first time was that of pure pride and happiness:

Kathy looked simply beautiful!

Nora helps Kathy with her mantilla. This mantilla was simply beautiful and came right from Spain!

We had time for a few portraits in the gorgeous bathroom in the Sonesta Hotel.

But we still ran a little late, though! Adrian told me that Marshall's friends were making fun of him a bit for checking his watch, because he does it a lot! But still, it makes for a very cute shot. :)

There were so many adorable children having a great time on the beach before the ceremony.

The ceremony was beautiful, and was officiated by Kathy's uncle who is a Judge from Jacksonville, FL.

A tear rolled down Kathy's face as she blew a kiss to her mom after the readings.

A fun shot of the kiss!

Kathy & Marshall - finally married!

A subtle, touching moment between the new married couple.

We just loved this classic car that Kathy & Marshall got to take them to the reception at Perricone's Restaurant. So cool!

They look so amazingly happy dancing together! I believe the dance was a traditional Cuban dance. It was really beautiful to watch and the two of them must have spent hours practicing! Kathy was such a radiant bride dancing with her new husband!

Adrian and I usually don't get a chance to eat cake because we're usually running around so much at weddings, but Nora would not let us leave without a slice of cake and a cup of coffee, and I must say that the delicious rum cake that Kathy chose had absolutely the best fondant I have ever tasted. It was amazing! See the little strings coming out of the bottom? They are part of a Cuban tradition where each single girl pulls a string, and a charm comes out that shows who will be the next to get engaged, have lots of babies, get married, etc. It's a fun tradition and a great alternative to throwing a bouquet.

Kathy's friends had fun sharing the different charms they received from the cake.

An absolutely gorgeous couple!

Kathy & Marshall, thank you so much for letting us be a part of your special day! Adrian and I had such a great time getting to know you and your families, and we hope we'll be able to see you again soon. We hope that you are having an absolutely AMAZING time on your honeymoon in Spain, and we hope this new year brings you lots of success and happiness for your first year of marriage together!

Kathy & Marshall's families can view their online gallery by clicking here. The password is the bride's maiden name (lowercase).

Getting Ready: Sonesta Hotel Coconut Grove
Ceremony: Crandon Park
Reception: Perricone's Restaurant
Flowers: Landy's Flowers by Gerardo