Candidly Elegant Photography

I’ve been looking forward to this wedding. Irma and Alex are some of the most welcoming people I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. I do everything in my power to stay invisible throughout the day and have a low key presence but they constantly seek me out and make sure that I’m doing well and have everything I need. They are beautiful people and I was so happy to capture all of the emotions of this day.

Shoes = Fierce

A little wine to calm the nerves. Straw so as not to stain the teeth.

Yes, those are “Dude” and “Sweet” shirts. The best man for the wedding had special shirts made for him and the groom based on an inside joke from the movie “Dude Where’s My Car”.

This is Adrian, Alex’s brother helping him with the tux. I have a similar picture of Alex helping Adrian with his tux from Adrian’s wedding earlier this year. View here.

Because of make-up we were running over 30 minutes late, yet Irma was cool and calm. She got in the limo and I followed behind on our way to the ceremony. Of course the bridge was up.

The wedding ceremony took place in St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Fort Lauderdale just a few miles from the Hilton Beach Resort on Las Olas. I love to capture people’s un-hidden emotions. Both Irma and Alex had misty eyed moments during the ceremony.

Irma and Alex wanted some fun pictures of hanging out with the bridal party so we went to nearby Riverfront, which is one of my favorite places to shoot. We had a blast just walking around cracking jokes. There was more than one comedian in this bridal party to keep us all laughing.

The wedding reception took place back at the Hilton Beach Resort. Irma and Alex did a spectacular job picking out colors and vendors to decorate the place.

The whole night was filled with emotion and I had great opportunities for candid moments.

Irma and Alex I cannot begin to thank you for letting me be a witness to this much love, fun and emotion. I loved every second of your wedding.

For Michelle, it’s all about the details. This wedding was carefully planned and thought about from beginning to end. The décor, dress, ideas, and philosophy behind the day came together beautifully. She is the kind of person that values the little things and makes sure they are present on her day. This was a celebration of love and the joining of two families. At one point during the day she told me how important unity was in her family and she wanted to show that in the pictures. That stayed with me throughout the night. I really enjoyed working with this couple.

Michelle loves vintage décor but also likes to incorporate modern touches. Very unique. Michelle got ready at the Boca Beach Resort in Boca Raton, Florida.

Michelle and Gabriel decided to do a first look prior to the ceremony so that we can get portraits done with plenty of time and no guests waiting. The staircase of the Boca Beach Resort provided a beautiful and quiet area where they could meet. As we waited for Michelle, Gabriel said to me, “my heart is about to beat out of my chest.”

The Addison provided a more historical, vintage setting.

Thank you, Michelle and Gabriel for letting me into this special day.

I’ve really grown fond of this couple. Super nice, super humble, just nice people be with and they had the perfect wedding. This wedding was perfect NOT because nothing went wrong, quite the opposite, a few things did go as unexpected, but it was perfect because of Jessica’s reaction when things didn’t go as planned. As I’ve said before, you can tell a LOT about a person when things don’t go as planned. There were a few hiccups during the day that would cause quite some stress for many people, but I was impressed to see that Jessica was not phased.

Hiccup number 1. The getting ready process went 45 minutes past schedule. I wanted to explain how we handled it, or more importantly how Jessica handled it. We were supposed to do a first look in the hotel at 3:15. That means the bride had to be in her dress by 3. The plan was to do the first look in the lobby of the W Hotel in South beach, then bride and groom portraits, then bridal party portraits, then family portraits so that basically all portraits would be done prior to the ceremony. We planned it this way so that Jessica and Greg could be part of the cocktail hour without having to do any more pictures. The problem came when I looked at my watch and saw that it was 3:45 and Jessica was still doing make up. I put on my happy, “let me be a voice of comfort” face and looked at Jessica. “What if we just do a first look and one or two portraits of just the two of you and we do the rest after the ceremony?”, I asked trying to offer a solution to the time crunch. She smiled and said, “perfect”. That’s when I knew, this was the perfect wedding.

Jessica got ready at South Beach, Miami’s W hotel.

First look.

As my assistant and I walk into the Bank of America Tower, we are informed of hiccup #2. Two of Jessica’s friends, a groomsman and a bridesmaid, got in a car accident on the way to the Bank of America. Big hiccup. They were both fine and not hurt, so that was a huge blessing, but you can see how this can stress out a bride. Not Jessica. Once she knew her friends were ok, we waited for them and proceeded with the ceremony. I am so impressed with her character.

The ceremony at Bank of America’s sky lobby terrace was gorgeous.

The reception took place inside the Bank of America’s Sky Lobby which has these beautiful floor to ceiling windows with a view of Downtown Miami. Tresha Titus did a fabulous job decorating the room to surpass Jessica’s expectations.

Guess what song is playing here?

Certain songs get the best party shots. That was Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer”.

The day following the wedding, Jessica sends me this e-mail:

“Alex,

I just wanted to take time before we leave to our honeymoon to thank you for your wonderful work. Greg and I had a pleasure working with you. You have a special gift and I know great success is coming your way. From the beginning you saw our vision and you were able to create it. You were nothing but professional, kind, and overall a great character; you were a hit with my friends and family.

We are excited to see the grand finally, I expect nothing but great moments captured from one of the best days of our lives.

I wish you nothing but the best for you and your family. Have a great week and Happy Holidays, may god bless you.

Thanks a million,

Jessica and Greg”

Thank you, Jessica and Greg for the amazing day and your amazing attitude. Your wedding was perfect in every way!