Amy and Peter's Wedding, Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach 7/5/08

Wow, what a busy Summer! Life is great and so are the weddings! For July 4th weekend, I headed down to West Palm Beach to see some fireworks and to photograph Amy and Peter's Fourth of July wedding bash! Well, I didn't see fireworks on the 4th, but I sure witnessed some the next day between Amy and Peter. (Metaphorically speaking.)
They couldn't have picked a better spot in Palm Beach to tie the knot. I'm talking about the beautiful Ritz-Carlton. This venue is very dear to me, because my sister and best friend, Amy got married there this past December. The fabulous Liana Lehman photographed their special day. Anyway, getting back to Amy and Peter. I had the pleasure of having Bob Knapik helping me document this wedding. The ceremony was held at Bethesda By-The-Sea, a GORGEOUS Episcopalian church right off of the famous Worth Avenue. After the ceremony, we stopped at Royal Palm Avenue to take a few shots of Amy, Peter, and their crew casually walking down the street. The reception was amazing with beautiful tall centerpieces with up-lighting reflecting a hot pink-orange hue. We had a little Puerto Rican flare with the music and let me tell ya, it's imperative to have good music at your wedding!! All I can say is that the looks on Amy and Peter's faces were nothing short of pure happiness as they enjoyed every minute of their reception. They are truly blessed to have the love and support that filled the room that night. Congratulations Amy and Peter!!! xoxo -Abby

p.s. Here's the link to their slide show. I'm having problems implementing it directly into my blog. I will fix it tomorrow! :P

Shannon & Kevin tie the knot! Cocoa Beach, FL 6-21-08

This wedding was very dear to me. Shannon is the sister of Mike, who is the husband of one of my very close friends Jodi. Did you get that? :) This is the second Miller that I have gotten the opportunity to photograph and I was honored. I finally met Kevin two days before to photograph their engagement session. He's in the military and had attempted several times to make it down to Central Florida to take their engagement photos, but every time, something came up and he couldn't. The wedding took place in Melbourne, FL at the First United Methodist Church and the reception was held at the Cocoa Beach Country Club. Of course it being June in Florida didn't give them a good chance of good weather and it looked even worse when a huge monsoon came through knocking the power out of the church for a couple minutes. That being said, Shannon and her bridesmaids and Kevin and his groomsman made it through the rain and to the church on time. It actually set for a very intimate feel. All the wind and dark clouds. I kind of felt like I was in that movie, "Forces of Nature". After the ceremony, the sun decided to come out and everyone headed to the reception. My second photographers, Zekeshem Parsons and Amanda McMahon and me caravanned to Cocoa Beach and got some great shots of the wedding party on the golf course. I have the bug bites to prove it. :) The night progressed beautifully with some lovely speeches, a moving prayer, and a memorable slide show of Shannon and Kevin. I wish you two all the best for years to come! I'm glad we could be apart of your big day! xoxo...
Abby
p.s. I'm testing out using larger images. Let me know what you all think.



--

Sharie and Alberto's Wedding - June 14th - Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

I have to say that I was thrilled when Sharie notified me that she and Alberto decided to have their wedding in Puerto Rico. The setting: El Convento Hotel right in the heart of historical Old San Juan. This building is so amazing. It's an old convent that was built in 1651. The architecture and detail alone make this an awesome venue for a wedding. They called for rain all weekend long, which made the planners decide to move the ceremony indoors instead of out in the courtyard of the convent. We didn't see a drop the whole time we were there, but I bet you if they didn't move it inside, it would have poured. This wedding was very dear to me because I felt like I got to really get to know who Sharie and Alberto really were as well as meet ALL of their family. I accompanied them on the rehearsal dinner and enjoyed every minute of it, including the tasty skirt steak! Yum! I could also tell that they were so excited tohave me there which made me feel good and so honored! So, moving on to the wedding day. Let's start off with Sharie's dress, or shall I say dresses! Her first one was a dream. Kenneth Pool princess dress with some of the most beautiful beading I've ever seen. This dress fit perfectly with the setting of Old San Juan. Very traditional and she wore it so well. The next, which she changed into at the reception was more modern and fitted to the body. I forget the name of the designer, but it had this gorgeous broach right in the middle. She kept her cool the whole day just laughing and running around getting ready with her bridesmaids. Natalie was their doing all the girls' makeup and of course, everyone wants to take her and carry her around in their purse.
I have say it's great having a makeup artist as your studio manager! Alberto and his best man, brother Arturo were hanging out in their room getting ready, trying to beat the heat. It was very hot and humid! Their ceremony was very intimate just fitting all of their 135 guests. After their walk down the aisle, we headed into the reception which is what used to be the church in the convent. And I'll tell you, a fantastic place for a reception. Cathedral ceilings, candle-lit chandeliers, old world black and white tile throughout. Their colors were classic, elegant with lots of ivory, gold, and greenery. The centerpieces stood tall which was perfect for a place of such high ceilings. The reception began with speeches and toasts, which let right into dancing. They had an amazing band that played awesome music of Puerto Rico not to mention another group of musicians surprising all their guests by storming in playing bongo drums and other sorts of instruments. Truly a good time! Thanks Sharie and Alberto for such a wonderful time and a fantastic wedding! I also want to say a big thanks to Heather and Lucas for all your help in shooting this wedding! You rock!