Mindy and Cort wanted a venue on the beach where they can accommodate their family and close friends, including 5 puppies. Cort proposed on the most original way:
It took a lot of planning and preparation. He knew he had to include our dogs somehow in the proposal. He originally tried to do it in my hometown of Vermilion, OH surrounded by my family and our pets. When schedules wouldn’t permit, he decided to propose in Aruba but enlisted the help of my neighbor to craft a creative proposal that incorporated our pets. They came up with the 4 dogs holding a sign that read “Will you marry me?” and placed it on a card. While in Aruba he took me to the Renaissance Private Island to get a couple massages in a bungalow hut over the water. Once the massage was complete, the masseuse handed me a packet. In the packet was the card with the 4 dogs and an china egg that my dad used to propose to my mom! I knew exactly what that egg meant and the card was the perfect way to ask. To see more click in Style Me Pretty click here.
From the bride:
Cort is from Columbus, Ohio and I’m from Vermilion, Ohio. I used to work in Fort Myers, Florida, but after we met on Match.com, I changes jobs and moved back to the Columbus area to be with him. When I was in the middle of changing jobs, Cort took me to the Cheeca Lodge and Spa for a weekend getaway and celebration. For that reason, the Florida Keys have a special meaning to the both of us. We knew we wanted a small wedding with just our families and 4-legged family members. Finding a venue that allowed dogs, and that our families would enjoy, was a priority for us. Our wedding planner Julia, from Blue Water Weddings, found a realtor who showed us a few homes and walked us through how things would be for the wedding. It was perfect seeing the homes with her because she could visually walk us through the layout for the wedding.
This wedding was such a pleasure to capture, the couple married on the beach of Danielle’s parents home in Islamorada Florida. “We wanted to embrace the natural beauty of the Florida Keys, wit a formal yet fun feeling to it all” Danielle said. Bromelias, air plants driftwood and fresh flowers all added to they decor, and the menu featured fresh local fish. One of our favorite guest was ‘Solo” Danielle and Mitch beautiful pet.
The Hemingway House and Museum and a picturesque location for a private garden wedding in the middle of Key West Florida, Anca had a lot of family visiting from Europe and Key West had everything to offer for their the wedding weekend.
Not only are the Greek Islands absolutely breathtaking, there is something in the air that envelopes you with the sensation of being absolutely free, as if the people and the place and their age-old stories are asking you to let your hair down and fall in love…again. This was the inspiration behind the shoot- to allow the place and its people to literally become the shoot, that everyone and everything (almost) in the shoot would be found within the islands themselves. So I let the islands tell me their story through a myriad of scavenged objects made out of love and then wove the pieces together to tell a love story of my own.
For the bride, both of her dresses were purchased on the islands and made by local designers. The first dress was hand picked by the photographer and chosen to reflect the monochromatic, ethereal palette of the islands. As for the celebration dress, I found it at a local boutique and chose it immediately as it reminded me of the bougainvilleas that glitter the islands so perfectly with their bright pop of color.
For the florals, I cut olive branches off the side of the road and then tied them with hand-dyed silk. In Greek mythology the olive tree is known as the tree of wisdom, peace, hope, light, fertility, health and wealth.
Therefore effortlessly, almost magically, even today in Greece many young couples when they decide to unite their lives in marriage, they choose for their wedding the olive tree, this primary symbol of peaceful coexistence, as a reference point, not only at the wedding ceremony, but mainly in the life they want to built together.
Finally, for the table, I knew I wanted to pay homage to both the islands magnificent panoramic views of the ocean and its once vibrant fishing culture. I found these unforgettable hand-thrown plates first at a little gallery in Athens and was entranced by the way they danced and swirled and mimicked the movements of the sea. I paired them with a delicate and undulating scarf in the same color, ocean’s blue, and then complimented everything with these amazing ceramic boats from a local artists gallery in Oia. Then we found the perfect little nook to cozy up and take in the breathtaking landscape that mesmerized even the gods.
Alicia and Joseph enjoyed a beautiful evening with a perfect wedding and sunset in Islamorada Florida Keys, close to family and friends.
From the bride: “Once deciding upon a destination wedding, I relied on the hotel to provide vendor recommendations. They sent over photographers and everyone had told me not to skimp on this part… I viewed website after website until I finally got to Care Studios. The pictures were beautiful. I emailed them and they were very responsive, helpful, and reasonable. I did not meet them until the wedding day, about 2 hours before we got married. Everything was perfect– they provided directions, they definitely knew what they were doing. I never imagined my pictures turning out this good. They captured all of our special moments perfectly and I am so happy with our photos. I highly recommend them to anyone looking!!“
