We love what we do! I mean how could we not? We are invited to the most important day of two people’s lives. We are at their side all day and it’s our responsibility to capture those moments that go by in a blur.

After all is said and done, after the flowers are gone, after the dress is cleaned and packed (or trashed) and after you come back from the honeymoon, what other way is there relive your wedding day than through photographs? And not just any photographs, but photographs that tell your complete story, beginning to end in a professional and poignant manner?

For us, it’s a vitally important job that we happily and passionately do for our clients. I think that often times some wedding and portrait photographers forget just how important what we do really is! Both Rene and I still have our cherished grandparent’s and parent’s wedding portraits. We have portraits of family members who have passed on and special family reunions that will never happen again. If it weren’t for those beautiful images, it would be harder for us to keep those memories alive in our hearts and in our minds.

I often think about the photographer that took the image of my grandmother’s wedding portrait and my mother-in-law’s wedding portrait. Who were these men or women? Did they realize just how important their actions would be? Did they realize that the one moment they captured on film would be appreciated by so many generations?

So, after having these thoughts about our own personal images for the longest time, Rene and I take our job very seriously. And we wanted to present this bit of prose as we update our blog with a sampling of Tara and Mark’s collection. How wonderful it was for us to be part of this amazing family’s very perfect day! There was so much laughter, love and pride that day that capturing cherished family memories was super-easy for us!

Take a look at their gallery and you will see picture after picture of smiling and happy family members and the bride and groom. This is as real and as good as it gets! It’s solid gold for us photographers and I really don’t need to say much else!

Oh, and check out the mega-talent that is Tara’s mom and sister! They did absolutely all the decorations from the palm tree name cards to the totally cool flip flops for guests to the cupcakes to the smart and quirky quotes on the walls! Ladies, you need to start a new business!

~Astrid~

Tags: brides, naples weddings by Astrid
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You know how they say that rain on your wedding day is good luck? Well Maria and Brennan will have a lifetime of good luck! After much anticipation and planning, their special day came and along with it, we had a DOWNPOUR of hurricane proportions right as we were getting ready to go the beach for portraits!

In no time flat, Brennan’s mom was on the phone to local area hotels to see if they could accommodate us so that we could take some portraits inside. Well, the Inn on Fifth graciously offered to let us shoot there and WOW! What a fantastic journey that was!

Maria was ecstatic that we ended up shooting at the Inn on Fifth. The infamous Naples hotel provided the perfect backdrop for her elegant look and the images speak for themselves. I want to extend a gracious thank you to the staff at the Inn on Fifth. Rene and I spent our honeymoon night there and we can’t recommend them enough. If you are ever in Naples and want true attention to detail in the heart of old Naples, this is the place to stay!

Thank you Maria and Brennan and congratulations! You have a wonderful journey ahead of you and the support of a loving and beautiful family. Thank you for giving Rene and I the opportunity to be a part of that very perfect day!

~Astrid~

Tags: brides, naples weddings by Astrid
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Here they are! It took us a little longer than expected, but here is a very small sampling of Erica and Tanner’s fantastic wedding!

This beautiful couple tied the knot at the Community Congregation Church here in Naples. The bulk of our weddings usually take place on one of Naples’ beautiful beaches, so it was wonderful to shoot their ceremony in this lovely church. I love church ceremonies and I especially love to photograph them!

Tanner and Erica’s reception took place at the picturesque Spanish Wells Golf and Country Club in Bonita Springs. What’s my favorite thing about this venue? The fantastic hall of columns right outside the country club and the fountain out front! What a GREAT spot for fab portraits of ravishing brides!

The reception area is very spacious and comfortable with a highly attentive staff and an ever-accommodating coordinator. And the food: FAB! Joetta, thanks so much for being such a wonderful host to the bride and groom, their friends and family, and to us as well! This was our second time shooting here and we can’t wait to shoot here again!

Congratulations again to Erica and Tanner! We wish you many years of happiness, peace and love.

~ Astrid and Rene ~

Tags: brides, naples weddings, ramblings... by Astrid
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This post evolved into a MEGA-POST, so I have split it up into two parts. Presented below is Part 1. I will be presenting Part II in a few days! Make sure to check back.

~ Destination: Naples, Florida ~
Having lived in Naples since we were wee ones (with a hiatus in New Orleans just for fun and Sarasota for college), we thought it would be great to provide some suggestions for brides and grooms looking at Naples, Florida for their destination wedding.

Now this isn’t just a post about the best of the best in Naples (well, it is kind of :)), rather, it’s a list of places and things WE love about Naples. That means we’ve stayed there, been there, eaten there, photographed there, been photographed there or partied there and WE love the place and most importantly, we would recommend it to our friends and family. We hope this gives you a bit of information on the area. It truly is a beautiful town and a magical place for your wedding day!

~ Naples Beaches ~
Of course, we have to start off with the beaches here in Naples. Not only are the beaches absolutely beautiful, with the softest powder white sand you will ever feel between your toes, but the sunsets are KILLER! Can you imagine a better backdrop as you exchange your vows? And every sunset is always different. Rene and I have seen so many sunsets, both as a couple and now with our girls as a family, and each and every sunset is unique.

The Naples sunset is truly magical! I know, I know! It sounds cheesy but the sunsets are truly beautiful. And if you time your ceremony just right, that magic makes for an even more magical ceremony! I can’t tell you how many times Rene and I have photographed the most special of moments when a bride and groom exchange their vows as the sun sets, the waves lap the shore, pelicans and sea gulls fly over head and the soft warm breeze kisses your face.

So when you plan your ceremony, make sure you pay attention to sunset times so you can capture that natural sunset magic in your ceremony and your beach portraits as husband and wife. You will also want to time your wedding just right in the year (as in avoid the months between April and August) you can beat the worst of the heat and rain, while having that perfect beach/sunset wedding!

~ Beach Venues ~
So what’s the perfect venue for that beach wedding? Depending on your style, there’s a venue to fit the most luxe-seeking bride and groom to the most casual duo, too! Starting from the top, here’s our list of favorites, in no particular order! And yes, we’ve shot at every single one of these venues and we feel they provide the best beach ceremonies in Naples and the surrounding areas. If you have specific questions, just shoot us an email and we will happily answer as best we can.

• The Naples Beach Hotel
• Hideaway Beach
• La Playa
• The Naples Grande
• The Ritz Carlton
• Marco Beach Ocean Resort in Marco Island

And two fantastic beach venues just outside of Naples:

• South Seas in Sanibel Island
• Casa Ybel in Captiva Island

~ Need a GREAT place to spend the night? ~
There are tons of hotels in Naples. But we have two favorites that we LOVE! The Inn on Fifth, Olde Naples and Hotel Escalante. Rene and I were married right here in Naples and before we left on our honeymoon, we spent three nights and four days at the Inn on Fifth and it was truly wonderful! We would have had our wedding there but it wasn’t big enough. But we can’t rave enough about the service, the people and most important, the ambiance! It was all about us and we couldn’t get enough!

For anniversary’s or special get-aways for just the two of us, we also love the Hotel Escalante! It’s very private, very small and oh-so-very perfect for a totally romantic getaway from life or that very special honeymoon night! Both of these awesome hotels are right in the heart and charm of Old Naples…

~ Where to visit ~
You and your fiancee may have some time after your wedding to do some sightseeing around Naples. If you leave right after your wedding for your honeymoon, some of your friends and family may stick around to soak up the sights. What to do? Well, Naples has some great spots to take in the sights!

~ Fifth Avenue ~
If you have your wedding in Naples, you must take a day and walk down Fifth Avenue South. It’s the heart of Naples and is Naples’ original “Main Street”. It’s a fantastic bit of history that leads right down to the beach. Walk all the way down, hand-in-hand, sipping on a cup of coffee from Fifth Avenue Coffee Company (so much better than Starbucks) or grab a delicious cone from Regina’s Ice Cream. People-watch, window-shop, take pictures and enjoy the absolute beauty of the vegetation and architecture.

If you want get off your feet and see Naples the fun way, make sure to take a ride on the Naples Trolley. The Trolley system has different tours and their main tour covers over 100 spots all over Naples! Check out the tour map here!

Prefer something a little different? Try Naples Segway Tours! Rene and I have been wanting to do this one for a while now, but we haven’t been able to carve out the time. We see the tours all the time from our favorite park, Cambier Park (just off 5th), and they look like so much FUN! Check them out for a totally different way to take in Naples!

And of course, while in Naples, your festivities wouldn’t be complete without visiting the Naples Pier! The Pier was originally built in 1888 and has undergone many a rebuilt after damage by hurricanes and for modernization. There is talk that the pier will undergo some new changes, so as Neapolitans, we are excited to see what changes are in store! But it’s great to go to the beach for the day and walk the pier, watch the locals, and make sure to go late in the afternoon. The dolphins are always out by the end of the pier and they love the attention. It’s simply beautiful! The water right now is a perfect temperature for swimming. We were just out there last weekend and it was GREAT!

~ 3rd Street South ~
Another historical landmark of Naples, 3rd Street South began in the late 19th Century. Access to this tiny spot in Old Naples was via the Naples Pier only. Imagine the changes that this are has undergone as now, it’s the place to go for unique decorations, fantastic fashion, art for the discriminate collector and a haven for even the most luxe of palettes! You can even email your favorite pictures using the free WIFI in the historic district’s hotspot!

If you love art, make sure to visit Gallery Row on 3rd. This area boasts more galleries in one spot than any where else in Southwest Florida! Guys, still need to find that special something for your bride? Make sure to visit Cleopatra’s Barge Fine Jewelry, home of the infamous ‘Naples Medallion’. Cleopatra’s has some seriously unique pieces of bling and they’ve been a staple here since 1966!

That concludes Part 1 of this entry! Part 2 will be up in a few days. And please feel free to keep the questions coming via email. Our website, Astrid and Rene Photography, also has some great shots of Naples weddings, so check those out as well. I’ve included a small gallery below with some shots of some of the places I blogged about. What can I say, I love to take pictures :D!

~ Astrid ~

Tags: brides by Astrid
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