One of the reasons that beach weddings are so popular here in Naples, Florida is of course, the scenery! Not only do we have the very best sunsets this side of the state, but we also the best and most fabulous wedding vendors in the area! Our only mission: to create the best most memorable day for brides and grooms!

I think we photographers have the best job though….we get to capture it all forever!

Congratulations Jane and David! What a beautiful family you both have…

~ The Details ~

Location: Naples, Florida
Venue: La Playa, Betsy Tucker
Wedding Coordinator: Stephanie Shaffer - Weddings Made Simple
Stylist: Roni Fields
Florist: Mark Fessenden with Gene’s 5the Avenue Florist
Cake: Ella’s Cakes
Gown: Vera Wang
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik
Entertainment: Kevin Smith - Florida Talent Consultants
Chocolatier: Norman Love’s Chocolates

Tags: Florida Weddings, Naples Florida weddings, gowns, cakes and shoes by Astrid
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We are so excited to have in our hands the Winter/Spring 2010 edition of Weddings Florida magazine!

This edition features Liz and Sean’s awesomely beautiful and fun wedding that we shot at Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club here in Southwest Florida! What a great place to shoot! At every corner we found great spots and the decor is fabulous! Lesley and the staff at Miromar did an absolutely outstanding job making sure everything flowed smoothly and everyone was happy. And we couldn’t have been happier shooting at such a refreshingly unique spot!

I know that the wedding magazine industry experienced some losses last year with the loss of Modern Bride and Elegant Bride so we are SUPER ecstatic to see such a beautiful magazine going strong and representing some of the best vendors, locations and talent here in Florida. We are also very honored to be featured in Weddings Florida.

For us, it’s really wonderful to see this area of Southwest Florida receive the recognition it deserves as being a hot spot for destination weddings. Not only is the area beautiful, but we have some absolutely fantastic talent in the area that will do everything possible to help create a bride and groom’s vision. And part of that success comes from a strong network here of industry vendors that work with each other and support each other.

Thanks again to Weddings Florida for featuring Liz and Sean and thank you Liz and Sean for trusting in our ability to preserve your wedding day.

~ Astrid and Rene ~

 

If you’d like to learn more about Weddings Florida, check out their Facebook page and their website!

If you are in the Southwest Florida area and want to get to know some of the best vendors (including us) in the industry, make sure to attend the First Annual Clearwater Beach Bridal & Fashion Show produced by Weddings Florida Magazine, Sunday, January 24, 2010 at Clearwater Beach. Check out their website for more information and pre-registration.

 

Tags: Florida Weddings, Naples Florida weddings, accolades, published! by Astrid
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Another year has come and gone….and it’s been quite a year for us and well, for what feels like most of the planet. So many good things have happened to us this year but in retrospect, our events really shadow in comparison to all of the things happening around us all over the world. With the economy taking a dip, and so much poverty and crime, our biggest hope for the future is a safer and more prosperous Earth for all of us. And while it seems cliche to say, more peace for all of us would be a blessing. There seems to be so much hate in the world….and for the New Year, my hope is that we all progress forward in some positive way so that we can create a more loving and caring world for our children and our future.

As we end the year, Rene and I want to thank all of our friends, our family, and our clients for all of the support, challenges and excitement they have brought us.

Aside from our children and each other, our lives are full because of the many faceted relationships we’ve built this year. We’ve met so many new friends in the wedding industry here in Southwest Florida. New friends who have treated us as friends instead of competition and have welcomed us with open arms, great advice and a shoulder to vent, cry and laugh on! Never forget that in business as in life, if you build an island around yourself, you won’t get far. Letting our guard down has been the best thing we could have done for our business this year and we thank all of our new industry friends!

This year we’ve met beautiful brides and grooms beginning a new life together. Brides and grooms who don’t know us but yet trust us with one of the most important days of their lives. They’ve given us the opportunity to participate in a day so special, so unique and so important that for us, that in the end it’s a humbling experience. Rene and I want to thank each of you for letting us be a small part of that special day. For us there is no greater joy than hearing that our work will remain in your hearts and in your family’s hearts for generations to come.

And we’ve grown older with our families by our sides this year, too. Both Rene and I consider ourselves very, very luck to have both of our mothers here in Naples. Without them, we would not be able to do the work we do. Leaving our two girls with our mothers gives us the peace of mind we need in order to do the job we love to do. Thank you to our mothers for all the hard work they do for us and for their granddaughters. We are so lucky to have such beautiful, smart, hard-working, patient and loving mothers who serve as the very best role models for us and for our girls. We never take for granted all that you both have done for us. We love you both so much!

In the society we live in, it’s easy to forget what life is really about. The grind of daily life takes us over and we lose ourselves in work and responsibilities and the material things that so easily come in and out of our lives. For the New Year, Rene and I plan to strengthen our efforts in becoming better stewards of the Earth, stronger supporters for our friends and colleagues and even better image makers for our brides and grooms! These are no easy feats! But what does make it so obtainable a goal is that the people in our lives make it easy to want to be better.

Tags: Naples Florida weddings, ramblings... by Astrid
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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.

 

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

 

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….

 

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

 

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…..

Tags: Florida Weddings, Marco Island Florida beach weddings, Naples Florida weddings by Astrid
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Talk about a natural beauty (Samantha!) and a natural love! Samantha and Erick tied the knot at the lovely Pink Shell in Fort Myers and well, as I’ve said before: you just can’t take a bad picture of two people in love.

Loving the negative space here….

 

Ok, so those of you who follow know by now that I am a shoe-fanatic. I LOVE to shoot them in all sorts of compromising positions! :O

 

 

The beautiful bride in one of her many bridal portraits we created that day…..

 

Love playing with color, shape and line!

 

I’ve been diving into more Photoshop tricks (trying to learn something new to teach my students) and have been really playing with eyes….and Samantha has these beautiful eyes that are thoughtful…..

 

And full of fire!

 

Erick, the handsome groom….

 

Another one of our favorite backdrops to play with down here in Southwest Florida are skies and clouds. What better to frame a beautiful moment like this?

 

 

Another couple bound by love!

 

Samantha and Erick had a very funny, friendly and happy crew to share their special day with!

 

Color, color, color!!

 

A dramatic moment deserves a dramatic backdrop….loved working with texture and color here….

 

….and look at the wonderful tenderness in this kiss. See! My job = super easy when you take pictures of happy couples in love!

 

Easily one my favorite shots of the day. I have a total die-for love of anything that feels Fall-ish and comes from a cooler state i.e. NOT from Florida! And this shot to me feels and looks like it was taken up north somewhere on a cool Fall day.

 

More love….the world surely needs it!

 

Ah….more having fun with skies and sea oats!

 

And another view I love….a beautiful gown, slimy and gloriously green rocks and happy Florida revelers in the background!

 

Color, color, color!! Shoes, shoes, shoes!! Fuzzy rocks, fuzzy rocks, fuzzy rocks. Such a cool juxtaposition of textures and color, no?

 

 

Dramatic skies for this picture perfect day!

 

 

No words needed!

 

I have to say that the clouds that day were really beautiful.

 

Textures, shapes, and color again….

 

See! Samantha is an absolute stunner!

 

A little Man Ray effect going on here!

 

Love it for Halloween!

 

Uhm, no words needed!

 

The beautiful Pink Shell Beach Resort and Spa at night! KUDOS to Dony at the Pink Shell for ensuring Samantha and Erick’s day was 100% snag-free!

 

Tags: Florida Weddings, Naples Florida weddings by Astrid
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When we started our business we were meeting our wonderful clients at coffee shops, venue lobbies or at their homes. And while we love a good cup of Joe just as much as the next person, being able to meet our clients in our gallery space is fabulous! Not only does it make our clients feel a lot more comfortable, but I get to have that pristine and beautiful modern living room I can’t have at home with a 3-year old and a 5-year old!

Sticking to the tried and true approach of clean and neutral color, we chose a beautiful slate gray for the walls and then used onyx black for the trim. Love this look….the black works great with our sofas and helps frame the room nicely. And the neutral gray on the walls makes our artwork and the wood floors POP! Here’s our front door. I found this absolutely gorgeous gun metal fabric that I had made into curtains.

 

There wasn’t a wide variety of modern furniture here in Naples. But there were two fab stores! Denmark Interiors has some absolutely AMAZING stuff. We bought an awesome Euro Style bungee office chair, which rocks by the way! Totally comfortable and totally fun to sit in!

Then there is Roche Bobois! Walking around in this store is like walking into a time machine which transported you into the not-so-distant future sans the cheese and with all the mouth-watering furniture you could want! When I went in one day to get some ideas, I happened to walk in during the last three hours of their 3-day moving sale. Man! Talk about bad timing. Needless to say and much to my great sadness, they had pretty much nothing left on the showroom. The end of Roche Bobois? That thought alone left me feeling empty. But not so. The store was just moving to the IDC in Fort Myers! Yay! Oh, and if you’ve never been to the I.D.C., do yourself a favor. Grab your best-est friend, leave the kids and the husband at home, wear comfy shoes and bring your iPhone to take pix of all the FABULOUS design inspirations that abound!

 

Some of you who follow me on Twitter or Facebook may have heard my late night rantings concerning said glass table that I had been trying to acquire for centuries it seemed. Well, millenia later, my beloved glass table did arrive! I am not usually a ‘have to have it’ type girl, but for some reason, this table just did it to me! Sculpted out of one sheet of glass, the lines and curves on this table have to be seen in person (hint hint) Here’s my pride and joy at the gallery courtesy of 2bmod.

 

Another view! And yep. That curved in space serves as a great place to hold magazines etc.

 

And last but not least, our goodies room. The landlord owns a business that creates high-end cabinetry (some absolutely gorgeous stuff) and this room was a showroom of one of the closets and add-ons they could build. When we moved in, the landlord asked me if I wanted to leave it, well yeah! What else can a gal ask for other than custom built cabinetry and storage for her products? Recessed lighting complete with crown molding and gorgeous craftsmanship really made it super easy for us to move right on in!

Make sure to give us a call if you’re in the area! We’d love to have you over for that cup of Joe or glass or wine!

Tags: Naples Florida weddings, ramblings... by Astrid
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A giant congratulations goes out to John, Michelle and their families! What a beautiful and perfect day this was!

~ The Details ~

The Bride’s Accommodations: The Ritz Carlton, Naples, FL
Bride’s Hair and make up: Jan at the Ritz Carlton, Naples
Gown designer: Casablanca Bridal
Shoes: Liz Rene by Benjamin Walk
The Groom’s Accommodations: The Ritz Carlton Golf Resort, Naples FL
Reception: Grey Oaks Country Club
Music: DJ Randy Ray and Pianist Josh Isenburg, arranged by Talent Ventures
Cake: Kakes by Karen, LLC
Florist: Sweet P Florist
Caterer: Grey Oaks Country Club

Michelle started her day out at the fantastic Ritz Carlton here in Naples. What’s not to love about being pampered and getting ready at the Ritz? Even the gown gets the royal treatment here!

 

 

Michelle has impeccable taste. Simple, elegant and classic.

 

 

 

 

 

John began his day at the The Ritz Carlton Golf Resort (yeah, there’s two Ritz’s here!)

 

 

This was shot in the waiting room at the Church. I love the mood of this bridal portrait.

 

Michelle’s bouquet.

 

And Michelle’s bridesmaids’ bouquets…

 

Married! And at our favorite Naples beach! The sky was absolutely stunning that day.

 

 

 

We took some time to get some beautiful portraits of Michelle at the Grey Oaks Country Club.

 

Another one of my shadow shots!

 

One of my favorite shots of the day! On a super-cool golfcart! This shot is so Florida!

 

Beautiful!

 

 

The perfect setting created by Michelle’s vision, Sweet P Floral Designs and the staff at Grey Oaks.

 

 

The yummies! Nothing but the best from the chef’s at Grey Oaks and an absolutely exquisite cake from Karen at Kakes by Karen.

 

 

Another view of the beautiful cake!

 

OK! Can you tell I fell in love with the cake? I LOVE the black and white color combination and it was nothing short of perfect!

 

Dusk at the Grey Oaks Country Club…

 

Paparazzi…!

 

~ Thank you Michelle and John for letting us capture your wedding day! ~

Tags: Florida Weddings, Naples Florida weddings by Astrid
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