Katie and Jacob {St Petersburg Wedding Photographer}

Katie’s sister takes me aside a bit after I arrive, “Are you here all evening?”, her voice hushed and her eyes giddy.

 “Yes, I only do unlimited coverage because it’s less stressful and I hate wearing a watch”, I smile.

“Oh that's great", she says, "I have a surprise for Katie, I’ve booked her a limo, a really cool one, and it’s coming to get her and Jacob at the end of the evening. I want to make sure that you’re here for that”.

That’s the kind of person that Katie is, she’s so sweet and considerate and completely unaware of how beautifully she actually is, she just draws people to her, and they want to do things for her.

Katie Jacob’s wedding was held at Sunken Gardens,  a completely original venue with a mystical, mythical forest vibe, I just love shooting there.

Event hosted by Sunken Gardens

Catering by Banyan Tree Catering and Events

Merilee and Tony {Tampa Photographer}

I have something to say to my family. This is very difficult and I'm not sure quite how to put it.

I think I'm becoming a Bucs fan.

This is not to say of course, that all those years spent watching Packers games meant nothing, and I love  my home state, Wisconsin. It's just that I've been living in Florida for most of my life.  The thing that put me over the edge, though, was meeting and hanging out with Merilee and Tony.

You see, Tony is a college scout for the Buccaneers, so it wasn't a big deal for him to pull a few strings and get access to the Raymond James Stadium for part of their e–session.  As we walked around and grabbed a shot here, found some good light there, and talked all the while, I couldn't help but be impressed with how kind and down to earth and just generally nice to be around Merilee and Tony are.

Merilee has to share Tony with the Bucs, he travels so much, but she doesn't seem to mind. She has this way of looking at Tony, and I couldn't help but smile and comment about it towards the end of their session, it's this mixture of adoration and pride and pure unconditional love in her eyes. It was a really beautiful thing to see.

Kristen and Josh {Clearwater Wedding Photographer}

“It was the scariest thing I’ve ever had to face”, he said and cracked a wry smile. 

Josh was not talking about his recent tour in Afghanistan, nor was he talking about the time that he threw himself over a grenade to protect his fellow soldiers (that bravery later got him decorated).

No, in fact Josh was talking about picking out a wedding ring for Kristen. He had been deployed in Afghanistan for a very long time and he missed her incredibly, picking out just the right ring became paramount.

As we walked ahead of them to the next shot I turned to Casey with my ‘can you believe that!’ eyes.  She smiled, “A woman will bring a man to his knees”. 

Kristen is just that type of woman too. She’s clearly very beautiful, very kind, and hilarious to be around. She and her family were just awesome. Kristen had this happy, feminine, and unflappable quality about her.

Josh knew what he had. When he later spoke his vows to her, his eyes brimming, it was with everything he had, all of him. 

Ceremony and Dinner hosted by Wendy Barrata of the gorgeous Hilton Carillon in St Pete.

Floral by Redman Steele

Makeup by MAC Store Countryside

Entertainment by Jude of Grant Hemmond

Hair by Jessica Auclair of Salon Lofts