The amazing, simply amazing A+ Team

Karen Lopez; Detailz Events
Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club
Naples Original Video Productions
The Resolvers; Ron Yosef – Reggae Band
Barefoot + Brendon- Cocktail Music
Garden District
Kilwin’s
Sassy Cakes
Atlas Rentals
Niche Event Rentals
Cold Cuts – Ice Sculptures

Photography isn’t just about freezing time. It’s about the people you meet. The experiences you live and the moments that make you who you are. We won’t get all mushy this time around. We’ll save that for our last blog post of the year! But we do want to extend a big Thank You to the Raj’s for trusting in our vision and giving us those beautiful experiences!

And a BIG thanks to the 5-star team that we got to work with!

The Strand Country Club, Amanda Fromm
Kakes by Karen
Lyfe of the Party
DJ Pram – Rang Entertainment
Kish Weddings
Sir Daniel and David Frohmberg
Krishna Digital Studio

I’m not going to say much about this part of the blog post other than to say that it was a tremendous honor to be part of Jo and Kelly’s wedding festivities. Not only did we get to photograph some amazing details, but being able to participate in our first Indian wedding was well, nothing short of amazing! From Kelly’s gorgeous traditional Indian gown to the wonderful traditions of their Indian ceremony….the two days we got to spend with Kelly and Jo and their friends and families was unforgetable.

So this post covers the first part of their first day: the traditional henna ceremony. The henna artist was brought in from the East coast and did she do an amazing job! Even the kids received some beautiful henna artwork. And Kelly had her hands and feet bandaged so that the henna wouldn’t smudge for her wedding day…..and the end result was well worth it. Make sure to check back for the second part of this post: Jo and Kelly’s Indian ceremony.

We were contacted by the Knot a few months back when we featured the beautiful Jaclyn and Karl on our blog. The magazine was set to run a special edition Florida insert in the national edition of the Winter issue and wanted to showcase 6 luxury Florida weddings….and of course, when you think of luxury and Florida, the Breakers in Palm Beach is always one of the top picks.

This was our first time working at the Breakers and man. It was everything and more that we had read or heard about this wonderfully historic, stylish and luxurious venue. From the amazing chandeliers, to the fabulous architecture, to the history to the impeccable and true white-glove service…..it’s worth a visit and definitely a stay if you’ve never been!

And if you are thinking about getting married here in Florida, make sure to pick up the national Winter 2011 edition of the Knot. Along with the beautiful Florida weddings showcased, they also include coverage on their picks for the top 10 luxurious places to spend your wedding night in Florida! And along with the Breakers. the Knot also recommends one of our absolute favorite spots, right here in Naples, The Naples Grande Beach Resort.

And of course, here’s the rest of the awesome team that worked with Karl and Jaclyn on their special day:
Wedding Planner – Joni Scalzo – Your Special Day by Joni
Venue – The Breakers Palm Beach
Videography – Javier Medina – My Treasure Films
Cake and Floral Design – The Breakers Palm Beach
Quartet, band, live DJ – Alan Andai – AA Musicians

Thanks Jessica and Ryan…..it was such a wonderful night for us!

Jessica and Ryan’s awesome wedding team included:

Venue: Bellasera Hotel
DJ: Diuvaney Flores Latin & American Productions D.J. Services Inc. (239) 404-0084
Florist: Grace Lakes Florist
Cupcakes: Simply Cupcakes of Naples
Transportation: Naples Trolley
Officiant: Kelly Werder

Rene and I are always looking at art, listening to new music, traveling, reading good magazines and books (yes, the ones made out of paper), studying the web, learning about new cultures and going on new culinary adventures. Creative inspiration is everywhere around us! In the smallest leaf. In the darkest storm cloud. In the beautiful design of a couch or the genius of a symphony.

All we have to do is open our eyes and ears and nose. Nature. Architecture. Music. Design. Art. It’s an abundant source of inspiration for any discipline…..and while we have a wealth of resources to turn to, our best work, for us, comes from the people that we photograph. Our clients often times provide us with the best inspiration and creative mojo!

Kristen, John and their families gave us TONS and TONS of that delicious creative mojo! From the wonderful chemistry between John and Kristen to the wonderful way Kristen’s parents made us feel like we were one of her own kids. Every step of the way we felt like part of their family and not just a hired hand.

Photography is an artform very special for both John and Kristen and their families. They value this artform and understand, that in the end, after the cake is eaten, the flowers die and the gown is put away, what we have left of special moments are our memories and our photographs.

Thank you to John and Kirsten and their parents and friends and families for the wonderful gift of inspiration and creativity they imparted to us. And for reminding us just why we love what we do and why photography is such an important part of all of our lives.

~ Astrid and René ~

The amazing people that helped create this very special day:

Wedding Planner – Mary Hines
Videography – AMC Video
Fabulous entertainment – Robert Williamson Music
SUPER FUN photo booth – Photo Mingle
Venue – Mediterra Naples

And don’t forget to watch some slideshow LOVE!

Aside from impeccable service, the atmosphere was just super! Not stuffy, excellent service and SO SO friendly staff….definitely what a venue’s service should be like.

For Karl and Jaclyn, their wedding day was, to use a cliche, absolutely perfect. The weather was idyllic and love was in the air. There was a wonderful gathering of friends, family, excellent food and service and wonderful music, all set on the stage that is the Breakers!

And for us…….having a bride that looks like Jennifer Aniston and a groom as handsome as Karl well, makes our work a total breeze.

All in all, this was a wonderful day and we really loved the opportunity to get to work with some of the best talent on the East coast. Here’s the awesome team that worked with Karl and Jaclyn on their special day:

Wedding Planner – Joni Scalzo – Your Special Day by Joni
Venue – The Breakers Palm Beach
Videography – Javier Medina – My Treasure Films
Cake and Floral Design – The Breakers Palm Beach
Quartet, band, live DJ – Alan Andai – AA Musicians

I’m pretty much speechless this time around. Photographing Nailah and David’s wedding in Miami in February was just an incredible experience for Rene and I. Not only did we get to participate in one very special day….. but it was such an amazingly creative buzz to shoot in Miami!

We started off the day with Nailah and David getting ready at the Viceroy. Talk about a totally cool, totally wonderful place to shoot! Any where you look there was wonderful art as your backdrop, huge window light, fabulous props, sexy lighting, tropical colors and different, different, different design vibes. We were in heaven!

David and Nailah had their first glance in the most incredible room white room with wall-to-floor windows with a solid white decor. Fabulous. I’ll stop there because the pictures will do the talking much better than anything I could write!

Then Nailah rode a limo while the guys walked over to the Miami Tower, where the ceremony and reception was held. The early evening light was amazing and their ceremony couldn’t have been more magical. Perfect weather…..a full house and lots of friends and family made this ceremony absolutely stunning. It was really a beautiful moment and we were part of it. That’s how great our job is!

Party time inside the tower and boy can Nailah and David and their friends dance! LOVED the music and of course, love was in the air the whole night through. And how romantic is this? Nailah and David have been all over the world to some gorgeous locations such as Egypt, Italy, Malta and Amsterdam, France and Spain, England, Bangkok and Guatemala! So where do go on a honeymoon after having been all over the world already?

Well, Nailah didn’t know until the very, very last possible moment (as in boarding the plane) where her honeymoon location was going to be! David had kept that a complete secret the entire time. Nailah’s mom packed her bags so no beans were spilled …..and off she and David went to Les Pitons, in the southwestern coastline on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. How fabulous is that? Another beautiful spot on the globe for these two newlywed world-travelers!

Nailah also put together a fabulous team to handle all her wedding details. I loved working with everyone. Not only was everyone so friendly but super-accommodating as well. A great team is surely a bride’s best friend on her wedding day!

A BIG BIG thank you goes out to Nailah, David and moms for such a beautiful day. Thank you so much for trusting us with one of your most important days. It’s such an honor for us to be there for you all and we hope you enjoy the memories we were able to capture for you.

~ Astrid and René ~

~~ Nailah and David’s wedding day dream team details ~~

Wedding Planner: Sofia de la Rosa
Cake designer – Ana Paz Cakes
DJ – Patrick of PMP Production Services
Florist – Petunia Flowers
Officiant – The Very Rev. Horace Ward
Limousine – Meilan Limo
Videographer – Javier of My Treasure Films
Hair – Yaneth Gray
Getting Ready, First Glance and overnight accommodations: Viceroy Hotel
Ceremony and Reception location: Miami Tower

Another great perk for us is getting to shoot at beautiful locations! We shot Matt and Rachel’s wedding at her god mother’s estate in Marco Island and well, with a backdrop like Caxambas Pass and perfect Southwest Florida weather, an outdoor wedding is really the only way to go.

Add to that wonderful family and friends, great music and lots of love and you have a day that is so easy to capture and preserve forever. Thanks guys for letting Rene and I be a part of your beautiful day! We wish you all the best in New Zealand!