beaute speciale

Without a doubt, one of my top 5 favorite meet cutes I’ve ever heard: Rachel hired Rhys to be her ski instructor for a week. Lessons turned to coffee, coffee turned to dinner, and before they knew it, they were in love. <3

Rhys proposed to Rachel where else?! On top of a snowy mountaintop! Rachel said she was *terrified* to drop the ring in the snow and lose it forever! But fear not- The ring made it home and Rachel planned her dream wedding across the pond in Walt Disney World. That’s right- They got engaged in the snow and married on one of the hottest summer days we’ve ever photographed! :)

Wedding Planner : Hannah from Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons

Venue : Sea Breeze Point at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn

Floral and Cake : Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons

Officiant : Katherine T. Imundi

Hair & Makeup : Beaute Speciale

Videographer : Chapman Photo and Video

Wedding Dress : Justin Alexander, Mikado Box Pleat Ball Gown with Beaded Illusion Square Cut Back, Style 8937. From Anna McDonald Bridal Gallery, Thame, UK.

Bridesmaids Dresses : Chi Chi London

Groom and Groomsmen Suits/Tuxes : Torre Royal Blue morning suit from Dobell

Their ceremony took place at Sea Breeze Point at Disney’s Boardwalk! :)

Every ceremony should end with a pinky promise. <3

Rachel and Rhys, thank you for letting us be a part of your daaaay!! <3

We get the oddest questions when people find out we shoot a good deal of Disney weddings every year, one of the more frequent ones being, “Don’t you get tired of it?” After we give the honest answer that every wedding is so different- We could be photographing a gorgeous ballroom reception one month and a Moroccan elopement the next- we say that the single best thing about our time with Disney weddings is that we feel like we have coworkers. This career can get a little lonely, being at so many random venues with planners you work with a couple times a decade, but not so with Disney. We have relationships with the musicians, officiants, bartenders, and most specially, the planners! It’s hard to imagine if it weren’t for Disney weddings, we wouldn’t know one of my favorite people I’ve ever met, Maxine. <3

I had *never* photographed a wedding and been so sick as when we shot Heather and John’s years ago. I don’t know how I made it through the day… Although, I do. Maxine was their wedding planner, and she was constantly checking on me making sure I was ok, even bringing me hot tea during our break at the reception.

That’s just who Maxine is. Since becoming our friend, she’s been to every shower that’s been thrown for us, watched our dog for a MONTH while we went to visit family, she was the first to reach out when I had my gallbladder removed to see if she could bring food, and when Ollie was a newborn, she and Josh met him before my own mom, bringing takeout from our favorite hometown restaurant with them.

See… I have to start telling the story of their day by setting the scene like that, because I guarantee you Maxine and Josh’s other friends have a million more stories like that to share. They are friends who shower you with love and anything else they can give.

When they first told us about their wedding plans, Maxine made it clear the ONLY thing she cared about was their guests having a wonderful time. Nothing was to be outdoors in case, well, Florida decided to be Florida. (Spoiler alert: It poured nearly all day!) Rather than a traditional cocktail hour after the ceremony, they had pre-ceremony cocktails for their guests to drink and mingle about before the festivities, making for a much more comfortable start to the evening! During the reception, there were always drinks pre-poured and ready to go so there was never a line of people waiting. Everything down to the ceremony seating was planned with guests in mind- chiavari chairs seated in a curved pattern so everyone had a view.

My favorite “Maxine” touch at the reception was the table of Rescue Flats she had set up for her guests: Women could swap out their heels for a complimentary pair of adorable flats that came with a little bag to slip their heels into and a satin ribbon to put your hair up with on the dance floor!

I should probably get started with the photos though. But first, our amazing vendor team :

Wedding Planners: Leigh Anne Lewis & Tim Blunk at The Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes

Officiant: Renee Silverman from A Lovely Ceremony

Hair & Makeup: Ana at Beaute Speciale

DJ/Band: Steve from Power Entertainment

Videographer: Steve Grahm & Susie from Cinemedia

Floral Designer: Jesus, Walter & Toni at Raining Roses Productions, Inc.

Bride’s Dress Designer and Boutique: Sue, Keith & Kat at Carolyn Allen’s Bridals & Tuxedos

Bar rental : Amil Mendez from Rayne Events

Draping : Tommy from Swag Decor

Invitations: Shelley LaMarre from Themes Come True, Inc.

Flats : Sarah from Rescue Flats

Maxine was so sad not to have their kids, their rescue pups Gigi and Jeter, at the wedding. Josh surprised Maxine with these rings to wear! <3

The best part about photographing a friend’s wedding? Getting to spend allllllll day with them. The next best thing? Being surrounded by other people you know and adore! :)

“The rain, rain, rain
came down, down, down
in rushing, rising riv’lets!”

First looooooooooooooooooooooook! <3

The dapper-est of wedding parties!

Ever the wedding planner, I love this one of her tweaking their candles before guests came in! :)

THIS. RECEPTION. YOU. GUYS.

Faaaavorite. Raining Roses worked some serious magic with those trees! :)

The moment I fell in love with Josh! Working his way through his wedding vows- I know I wasn’t the only one in the room crying along with him.

After Maxine and Josh recessed down the aisle, their officiant held their guests for juuuust a bit so the newlyweds could have a moment alone. But then “Be Our Guest” started to play, and…