Sarah & Niall’s ceremony took place in a church that was several hundred years old.  You could sense the history as you walked through the doors.  The story goes that John the Baptist’s head is on display here (true or not…I don’t know people but I have a picture just in case).  3 popes were also interred in the crypt.  A magnificent ode to history and a fantastic start to what will hopefully be a long and happy marriage.

So no A/C in this church (as is not a-typical for Rome), but it was pretty temperate while we were there.  The crypt, however, was as humid as an August day in the everglades.  The church, like everything in Rome, was steeped in history, architecture, and art from the ceilings to the floors.   While it didn’t have quite the same appeal as the Sistine Chapel, it was every bit as stunning in its beauty and I was taken with the romance of it all.

Sarah and Niall got dressed in the same hip hotel, but just down the hall from each other.  Their days were remarkable different.  Niall snacked on McDonalds and didn’t even shower until an hour before the ceremony.  Sarah started in hair and make-up with her girls mid-morning stopping every so often for hot tea and toast.  I even had a little hot tea to keep me going…the jet lag was fierce and was catching up to me by the afternoon!

Sarah’s mom and sister helped get her into her gown while I watched from the shiny silver spiral staircase.  It was a great location and I was able to snap these close-ups as well when she sat down on the couch.  She was just stunning!

Check out Sarah being brave on the balcony!  She’s very afraid of heights, but was willing to step out for a chance at a shot of her with all of Rome behind her.

Part II coming soon…the Ceremony!

Rome is an amazingly beautiful city…it is where the word “Romantic” is derived from, isn’t it?  Sarah & Niall are from Ireland so this was a destination wedding for them, too.  What better place to get married?!  We started shooting just outside their hotel and made a few stops along the way to Villa Borghese.  It’s basically Rome’s version of Central Park and we were lucky enough to be there right at sunset.

One really fun thing I did (okay, fun for a photography geek) while I was in Italy was to shoot textures at all the places I visited.  The textures are from the Pantheon, the Coliseum, St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, Hadrian’s tomb, August Caesar’s house and all around the city.  I then worked those into many of the images you see here.  I love history!Sarah and Niall are an adorable couple…together for 10 years!  Whew!  Niall is a luck man to keep a woman like Sarah on the line for a decade.  She is simply a doll and he was a blast to tromp around with.

Something about the light in Rome was just stunning.  We had perfect weather…high’s of about 75 degrees and very dry and overcast.  We walked miles and miles and took in the city lights on the way home.  Rome was inspiring…the architecture, the history, the people.  Despite the jet lag, I could barely sleep!

I love destination weddings!  They are a great way to get to know a couple and really share their whole wedding experience with them.  By the end, I feel like a part of the family singing old Irish songs and laughing at the crazy drivers!  It’s so refreshing.

I can’t wait to share wedding images with you in a few more days!  Sarah & Niall were married in the same church where several popes are buried as well as where the head of John the Baptist is on display.  C’mon…that’s pretty cool!

This engagement session was the first time I had really ever spoken to Jacqueline or Drew.  They booked me through a series of emails and we had become facebook friends, but we hadn’t had a chance to talk.  Jacqueline knew what she wanted and booked me based on my work - I love that!  She dabbles in photography and design (with a great career as an interior designer), so it was a delight when she asked me about negative space…something I can’t help but do in my images.  Drew was fabulous at making Jacqueline giggle and they even steamed it up for a few!  They aren’t afraid to take chances and have a great sense of style…a beautiful couple inside and out.

The whole session took place at Hollis Gardens - the same place they are getting married in April.  Despite the oppressive heat, I had beautiful light and an adorable couple to work with.  How cool is all this artwork we found to work into our session?!

Love all the architecture in this park!  Great textures and colors…the grey rock, the purple and pink flagstone, the yellow daisies, oxidized iron turning green in the salty florida air, and the bright green ivy growing on the brick wall.  My senses were on overdrive.

The very first image and the very last image are my 2 favorites from this session.  I love incorporating existing artwork into my photography so the first one just sings to me with the beautiful colors!  It reminds me of those sun-catchers I would paint with my mom when I was a little girl and hang in our windows with a little suction cup.  In this last one, I love completely honest Jacqueline’s expression is, the backlight illuminating her hair, and the highlights of the lake blowing up into big circles behind them.

I’m really looking forward to a fabulous spring wedding in the garden!

This is for all my girls who can’t get enough of the wedding pics I post on here!  I recently attended a meeting of some Tampa wedding photographers with my best photography friend, Tina.  It rained all night, so the shoot was moved inside to a Mattress store.  That’s right folks…I said “mattress store.”  How cool is this buddha painting?  This just goes to show that all you need for a great portrait is beautiful light.  The first and last were shot with video light but the rest were all shot with available light.

I saw this trio of VW paintings on this gorgeous blue wall and was itching for something a little more modern.