I’ve got some fun prettiness of my own to show you!! From August to December 2022 along with busy season we also were doing a full home and new studio renovation. It was the ENTIRE house and I mean entire, transforming it from 1979 to modern lake house.

We are so happy that corporate events were back in full swing in the fall! We’ve been a member and photographer for many many events with the Tampa Chamber over the last 15 years. Their Emerging Leaders annual meeting is always a really fun one with amazing energy and a great group of the young professionals in Tampa Bay.

Carolease and James wanted a super casual engagement session and to include their handsome little guy in some as well! We chose Curtis Hixon because it’s so Tampa, and the colors in the mosiac totally went with their ode to OSU with the red/black/white colors.

There’s nothing like tiny squish-able moments with newborns! Lakshmi and Ryan are now a family of 3 with this sweet girl! We were able to plan it when both of their moms were in town so we also got some sweet moments with her and both grandmas which was extra special.

 We love Armature Works and we loved Ariel + Melissa from our first meeting. So of course, this wedding felt like a match made in heaven! Ariel and Melissa’s day was focused on family- with their son, Lonnie and daughter, Blake, front and center of their festivities!

Anna and Tom’s intimate wedding at the Safety Harbor Resort in Safety Harbor (near Clearwater, FL) was an intimate, family affair! For this couple, they were lucky enough that love stuck twice and their wedding was the blend of two beautiful families, into one big modern family! Tom’s daughters, Elise & Elena and Erik, son, and Anna’s sons, Brandon, Hunter, Noah and John were seven of their 50 guests! Family is incredibly important to all of the members of Carrie Wildes Photography and it’s such a treat to be surrounded by our couple’s amazing families too!

Michelle and Rasheed’s wedding was a blast. Seriously, this was SUCH a fun group! The day started with the pair getting prepped for the day at the Aloft Hotel nearby (on Kennedy Blvd). Despite having an more intimate guest list (around 80), they still had a good sized wedding party - five on each side.

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is getting to see and catching up with my families for their annual portraits. I’ve been photographing this sweet family since way before Harper and Brenna were even born!

Alex and Dalan both live in California so this was a destination wedding for them as Alex has family that lives here in Tampa Bay. They selected the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, which is one of favorite wedding venues in the Tampa area because of the acrage, indoor + outdoor options and pretty views! I'm also a sucker for a beautiful ballroom, which Grand Hyatt definitely delivers on!

We knew as soon as we learned how Kristie and Geoff met (Roller Derby), that we were going to have a blast photographing their wedding. And we were right! Their wedding day was held at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa. The day has so many memorable moments for us.

When a couple has been together for years, their friends and family are often just as excited for their wedding day as they are! And that was definitely true for Irene and Ron. This sweet couple dated for seven years prior to their wedding day, and they chose to officially become a married pair on their anniversary, October 1.

The meet-cute story of a lifetime had the best ending when Dale + Joe got married at Harborside Chapel and their wedding reception at Safety Harbor Resort and Spa. They actually met while Dale was a cashier at the dollar store. Joe noticed her and started going there every Sunday to pickup the newspaper and he asked Dale for her number. She said wouldn't give him her number, but said she would take his. After a while she finally said yes to go on a date and now they are married!

50 years is a lifetime of memories, joy, family and most of all, love! Evelyn + Jose invited us to be a part of their anniversary celebration at Isla Del Sol Yacht and Country Club and we were thrilled to accept! This family of incredibly talented individuals came together to celebrate these two special people and served as their bridal party.

July is pretty sticky hot here in Tampa/St Petersburg. So when we have a wedding that is indoors and has beautiful options for photographs like the Vinoy Renaissance St Petersburg Resort & Golf Club we do a happy dance.

Both of them got ready upstairs at The Vinoy Renaissance. Morgan Ellis and Cat Baxter worked their magic on hair and makeup. Natalie looked stunning as she surprised her dad in her dress followed by a quick first look with Ryan downstairs by the gorgeous fountain. This was pretty much the only time we ventured outside that day. Fortunately there was a ballroom open with stunning light a great air conditioning for family and bridal party portraits. Definitely something to consider when you are choosing your venue for the hot time of the year.

You may have seen Nancy and Bill’s gorgeous Streamsong Resort wedding we posted a few weeks ago. But, on 2.20.22 is when they actually got married with just their families and closest friends on a beautiful boardwalk.

Attention sports fans! This post of Emily + Eric, the grand champions of WWE wrestling details and killer arena style wedding venue, Tampa River Center, is for you! These two had so much fun and so did we especially when Eric rolled out custom champion belt cuffs for his groomsmen with a hand carved box. And you know he had to surprise Emily wearing his belt at their first look and his best man presented her with a white one just for her. Oooh yeah!

When Sara was showing me her inspo photos for their engagement session it had a light and airy open space with white balloons and I was like, hmm that looks like my living room:-) So, they brought a bunch of balloons and the white along with the light blue curtains in the background turned out perfectly! These 2 are just the absolutely sweetest. We did something really fun for their save the date that I’ll be sharing later so keep your eyes out for that! March 2023 they’re getting married and we get to be there!

We love sharing fun and unique ideas and these are some great ones for your groom and groomsmen gifts, as well as some tips for making your guys happy and thanking them for standing by your side: