In late November, Hannah and Dean had the most beautiful wedding in a secluded private villa in Coconut Grove, FL. Villa Woodbine was the perfect setting for the intimate gathering these two wanted on their wedding day. Because Hannah and Dean live in Los Angeles and had family and friends flying in from all over the country they kept things simple. Ceremony in the garden, followed by cocktails in the courtyard while the garden was transformed to accommodate their gorgeous candle lit reception. They celebrated their union surrounded by the love of family and friends. Everyone danced and mingled for hours, even continuing the party on a rooftop lounge in the heart of Coconut Grove after the wedding had ended. These two are such a perfect match. You can just see the adoration in Dean’s eyes when he looks at his beautiful bride. Their ceremony was so heart warming it brought tears to my eyes. Here are some of my favorites shots from the day followed by a slideshow.

Hannah and Dean, we are happy to have been a part of your beautiful wedding. You are both so kind and loving, we felt just like part of the family being there. We wish you both years of happiness together.

In Love,
Mel & Brad

On a freezing but beautiful New Years Day in downtown Nashville, Brad and I met up with one of our adorable destination wedding couples, Mary Evelyn and Greg, to shoot some engagement photos. Its always fun to finally meet with our destination couples who book us over the phone and via email without actually meeting us first. You feel like you already know them so well. I had a pretty good sense of their personalities and how much fun they were going to be just from all our email conversations. These two did not disappoint. They were so silly and fun and loving during their session… it made our job way too easy. We couldn’t have asked for a sweeter couple to spend our New Years Day with. Here are some of my favorites from their engagement session, followed by a slideshow. Stay tuned for their wedding blog coming soon as well.

Last night was the third Jacksonville PUG meeting. For those of you who aren’t photographers, PUG is short for Pictage Users Group. Its a great way for local photographers to meet up and network as well as learn some fun new techniques. After the dinner and meeting at Cafe Carmon in San Marco our huge group ventured out into the foggy night air to practice some lighting techniques and shoot at night. The lovely Cassie Cherneski of Flaire Weddings and her husband, John, graciously modeled for us. I have to hand it to these two. It is not easy being the center of attention for 30 photographers. It was like paparazzi out there. They did a wonderful job and didn’t complain about the cold once. Here are a few shots that I captured.

Some “photogs in action” shots

This one has to be one of my favorites of my sweet friend Corinna. I love the light streaming from behind her.

Danielle checking out her work

It was so great meeting all of the new faces who came out last night as well as being able to catch up with old friends. Jacksonville really does have a fantastic photography community.

How excited was I the other day when I opened the mailbox to find an unexpected package just waiting for me inside?! It was a little thank you gift from a photographer friend of mine out in Washington state. Suwanee Lennon is an incredible photographer who has recently moved back to the states from Japan and decided to make the leap into wedding photography. I had the pleasure of meeting her during my time at the Image X workshop in New Orleans and have kept in touch with her through email ever since. It was so incredibly sweet of her to send yummy Godiva chocolates and a lovely little thank you note for helping her with some early business advice. The only thing better than a hand written thank you is a hand written thank you with chocolate!!! haha. I can’t wait to see how her new wedding photography business continues to grow. She has an incredible talent to share with the world.

Thank you Suwanee. You made my day!

Recently, Brad and I were chosen to be the preferred photographers for Swoozie’s first Bridal Showcase. We were a part of a handful of vendors chosen to participate at this unique event. This was such a wonderful opportunity for brides to get to chat with some of the best in the wedding industry as well as take a closer look at the variety of custom wedding products that Swoozies has to offer. Swoozies is an amazing store filled with unique stationary, gifts, treats and so much more! Brides can find nearly anything they need from custom invitations and favors to personalized gifts for their wedding party. Check out the Swoozies Wedding Book for all sorts of cool ideas for your wedding. You may even recognize some of our images on the homepage of Swoozie’s national website!

It is such an honor to be featured as Swoozie’s preferred photographer and to be able to share our work with so many of their wonderful brides. Here are some shots from the Bridal Showcase today.

Each registered bride in attendance got a great big gift from Swoozies filled with lots of essentials for wedding planning. How cute is this gift tag?!

What great gift bags for Bridesmaids!

The Perfect Pear Catering Company provided yummy cupcakes for everyone. Their food is absolutely delicious! If you are looking for a caterer for your wedding or special event, you should definitely contact Rachel. Not only is her food to die for, but she is an absolute sweetheart too!

On top of the food and fun, there were all sorts of incredible freebies for brides who were in attendance. Goodies included free make up samples from MAC and Bare Escentuals, a month of free tanning from TanFastic Tanning Salon and even a $500 gift certificate for stationary from Swoozies.

Look at all this great stuff for wedding planning and gifts.

Swoozies is located in the St. John’s Town Center next to Urban Outfitters. Stop in and check out all the great products they have in stock. Be sure to sign up on the Swoozie’s mailing list to be invited to their next Bridal Showcase this Summer. It is one event you won’t want to miss!