amber + brian = married!

OMGosh, where do I begin? I knew the minute I talked to Amber that we were going to totally hit it off….not only is she absolutely beautiful on the outside, but she’s such an incredibly sweet person on the inside, with fantastic taste! I only wish I could have spent more time with both Amber and Brian after their wedding day……they have this down-to-earth, natural and real vibe that really pulls you in. Hey guys…..enjoy the wonderful cold weather in Kansas City! And if you ever want to warm up…..come down anytime and visit! :)

Amber and Brian had a beautifully intimate wedding here on Marco Island. The weather cooperated, the skies looked magical, love was in the air and the day felt like it had been taken right out of an old love story carefully written on a manuscript from long ago.

For some reason, Amber and Brian really struck me as having this beautifully old love going on between them……it reminded me of Rene and I. These are the feelings that can’t be expressed in words…..and are what I hope I can feel every time I meet a new couple and they give me the honor of sharing in their very special day. Congratulations to you both……

Beautiful. Timeless. Classic.

Marco Island Wedding Photography
Naples Florida Wedding Photography

 

I absolutely love this image of Amber’s father walking her through the Marco Island Marriot Beach Resort right before the ceremony….

Amber and Brian Cordell

 

The beach in front of the Marriot goes on FOREVER……powder-soft sand, a mirror-like ocean and colors that couldn’t be made up even if you tried….

Amber and Brian Cordell

 

After the beach, we moved inside for some fun portraits…….again. Beautiful couple in love = beautiful images = simple to take!

Astrid and Rene PhotographylAstrid and Rene Photographyl

 

Their reception was held at a private house on the island……the exquisite cake was made by Kakes by Karen….and yes. That’s a full moon behind their cake on that beautiful night…..

Astrid and Renel
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annemarie and brian: rehearsal dinner at the Strand

I don’t usually post rehearsal dinners, but this one was so beautiful that I wanted to share with it everyone. Annemarie and Brian had their rehearsal dinner at The Strand at dusk. Wow! Lilly at the Strand did an amazing job! Just look at how beautiful everything looked. I love dusk outside get-together’s and this one was fabulous!

Not only did the design and ambiance look wonderful, but Annemarie and Brian had a caricaturist on hand to capture the guests’ likeness! So cool!

They also had the BEST custom drink made for the evening, the ‘ABtini’ (the A from her name and the B from his). A fabulous Cosmopolitan Martini. Now that’s my kind of drink! Annemarie and Brian tied the knot a few weeks later at La Playa! Can’t wait to post their wedding on here. But for now, enjoy these!

And for those of you wondering, this was all shot (except the portrait of Annemarie and Brian) using handheld-available light with my absolutely-fantabulous Nikon D700. ISO’s ranged from 3200 to 6400, f2.8-6.3 at 1/20s-1/50s. LOVE my camera…. :)

Astrid and Rene Photography
Naples Wedding PHotography
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the e-session: sarah and mike at grey oaks!

I’ve said it plenty of times before, it’s hard to take a bad picture of two people in love. But add to the mix two people who LOVE LOVE LOVE to have fun with each and you have a really unique shoot.

We are so excited to present the second installment of Sarah and Mike’s e-shoot, taken at Grey Oaks. The first installment was graciously posted by Lauren over at The Design Grove. Check it out! And while you are there, take a look around. Lauren has some fantastic posts meant to help brides design the perfect wedding of their dreams!

So here they are: the lovely couple plus pug, Sarah and Mike!

Naples wedding photography for people in love!
Naples wedding photography for people in love!
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Naples Residents – Help by Donating supplies to Domestic Animal Services

SAVE A LIFE! ADOPT A SHELTER DOGI’ve always been an animal lover! And if you are too, won’t you help us help the dogs, cats and other homeless animals at Domestic Animal Services of Collier County (DAS) this holiday season?

Temple Shalom Preschool is collecting supplies for DAS for Mitzvah day until November 15th. The preschool kids (including Helena!) will be making (yep! from scratch) doggy biscuits for all the doggies at DAS! Isn’t that the best! :)

If you’d like to donate supplies, please stop by the preschool to drop off your goodies.
The preschool’s address is 4630 Pine Ridge Rd. Naples, FL 34119 – Phone: (239) 455-3227Click here to view a map of the preschool and enter your address for step-by-step directions.

If you need someone to help you pick up goodies, contact me and I can see what we can do! Here’s a list of the supplies that DAS needs the most. Of course, if you can, the best way to help is to stop on by DAS to see all the beautiful homeless animals that need a loving forever home!

  • KITTY LITTER
  • LEASHES
  • 13 X 9 ALUMINUM PANS
  • NON-SCENTED BEACH
  • TOWELS AND BLANKETS (NEW OR GENTLY USED)
  • NEWSPAPERS (NOT THE AD SECTIONS)
  • PAPER TOWELS
  • CEDAR CHIPS (BEDDING FOR BUNNIES, HAMSTERS, ETC…)
  • BIRD SEED FOR PARAKEETS AND COCKATIELS

Halley Hound Dog thanks you for your kindness and generosity! She didn’t come from DAS but she came from the Pinellas County Animal Control and has been with our family for over 8 years. Remember: save a life! Adopt, don’t buy from pet stores!

Save a life! Adopt a dog or cat from DAS!
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Autumn – Florida style!

Check out our cover shot for the November issue of Neapolitan Family! We shot Grace at the Naples Secret Garden. What fun we had! Not only were the gardens absolutely the perfect backdrop for this photo shoot, but Grace was so easy to work with. This is about as close to Autumn as we can get down here in Southwest Florida! Want to check out the full magazine? Visit this link to read it online!

Family Beach Portraits Southwest Florida
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