I had the amazing opportunity to work with a phenomenal team under Stephen James Films. We were hired to capture the day for Julia and Mark’s destination wedding in Key Largo, FL. This has been a dream wedding in the making and I was counting down the days until our flight out of Richmond.
We all met early Thursday morning with all of our gear and hopped on our plane to Miami. When we arrived, we packed our rental car up and headed to Key Largo, which is one of the northern most Keys. We dropped off our gear and went to check out the wedding venue. When we arrived at Largo Resort, we were blown away! Everything from the gate at the entrance to the breathtaking views of the peaceful Blackwater Sound, this private resort has it all. When we got to the office (made out of a Airstream), we actually ran into the bride and groom who were also doing their first walkthrough of the venue. We all scoped out the property to get ideas of creative places to shoot for the wedding. After the tour, we said our goodbyes and went back to our AirBnb to begin preparing for the wedding in 2 days.
Saturday, we woke up refreshed and ready to kick some creative a**! We arrived early so we could get the drones in the air to get some establishing shots of the venue. But, we ran into a problem. The wind was insane!! The planner, Ivette, told us this type of weather was extremely rare on this side of the Bay. The winds brought cool temperatures (for Florida) and made the waters rough. We were being blasted with wind gusts up to 40mph! This made it very challenging to set up any decor especially since everything was outside in the sand.
Despite the wind, we had to move forward. Steve was still able to get the drone footage he needed, but it wasn’t easy. I started with the details and the girls getting ready. The lighting in the girls room was to die for and we made sure to take full advantage of all the natural light. Julia and the girls were so sweet and easy to photograph. We made our way to the guys who were hanging out in a bungalow. Julia had a surprise for Mark and sent over his gift. He had no idea it was coming and he was blown away by her scrapbook of everything she had collected over the years of all the things they had done over the years. It was such a touching moment to be apart of.
Julia got into her dress and it was time to prepare for the ceremony and get the drones in the sky. The couple was most excited about the drone footage and wanted to have the ceremony recorded on the drones too. The winds continued to blow but their guests arrived and the precessional began. Mark watched his beautiful bride walk down the aisle, they said “I do” and they kissed as husband and wife for the first time. There was so much emotion during the ceremony, it was so sweet. We didn’t have much time for portraits after the ceremony due to light but we hustled, and we got everything plus some.
The sun set beyond the horizon and it was time for the party to begin. The bridal party danced into the reception with White Claw in hand to welcome the newlyweds. Dinner was served and the dance floor opened. The temperatures dropped and the wind kept blowing, so the only way to keep warm was to dance the night away. This was one hell of a party and we all enjoyed dancing along with the guests. The night slowed down and we said our goodbyes. Julia and Mark were a blast to spend a day with and I know after a few hours together, we are no longer just someone they hired, but considered to be friends. Even with the weather, the day turned out to be perfect and I would totally do it all over again.
Thanks to all the amazing vendors who made this day so special for Julia and Mark! And a special thanks to Steve for hiring me to photograph and be apart of his A Team for this beautiful destination wedding!
Photography/Videography: Stephen James Films
Venue: Largo Resort
Planner: Ivette - Florida Keys Day of Coordinator
Hair Stylest: Ciao Bella Salon of Islamorada
Makeup Artist: Lauren Nicole
Catering: Delicias Gourmet Corp
Cake: Maggies Bakery - Key Largo
DJ: Aries Entertainment