The Metropolitan Ministries annual Bridge Builders Luncheon at Hilton Tampa Downtown is always a highly anticipated event in the Tampa Bay area, drawing attendance from prominent figures in the community. Among the notable attendees were Mayor Jane Castor, who has been a strong supporter of Metropolitan Ministries and its mission to provide assistance to those in need. Additionally, former Mayor Bob Buckhorn, Titus O'Neil, and so many people that care about this amazing organization from the Tampa Bay area.

Jen and Danny had their gorgeous Jewish wedding at the Sand Pearl Resort on Clearwater Beach. The girls got ready in the 2 story suite right next to the lawn where we did first look and their cocktail hour. Both Jen and Sandy (Danny’s mom’s) pups were right there for getting ready and picture perfect for us!! Those mauve and lilac dresses and florals looked absolutely stunning with the black tuxes and decor at Sand Pearl.

I look forward to photographing this event each and every year! 2023 Women of Influence Luncheon did not disappoint! Dr. Shirley Davis, President and CEO of SDS Global Enterprises lives right here in Tampa Bay and gave an awesome keynote on diversity and inclusion. It’s always so energizing to be a room with hundreds amazing and strong women right here in Tampa Bay.

We’ve done quite a few weddings at the Grand Hyatt in all their beautiful spaces including Armani’s which use to be their rooftop restaurant. Sara and Javaris reserved that space while it was under construction for their wedding. They had no idea what the colors, decor, or finishes would look like but choose dusty blue, white, and silver accents and WOW on point as it matched this new space perfectly!! Grand Hyatt kept the amazing views and all the windows. They opened up the space and made it light and bright with white paint and I LOVE that wallpaper and the bubbly light fixtures.

One of the things I love most about being a photographer is getting to see my clients' beautiful families grow over the years! 13 years ago I photographed Kate and Brandon's wedding at Saddlebrook Resort . Every so often they come back for a little family Florida vacay all together and it literally makes my heart explode that they think of me to capture their family! I saw them in 2012, 2016 and 2023! Such a gorgeous growing family and I LOVE their outfit selections.

Lavender, dusty pink, with accents of gray and greenery was the color palette for Heather and Megan’s Florida Aquarium wedding. They wanted to get down to business and start straight with first look and get all their photos done before the ceremony so they didn’t miss a minute with all their favorite people or the animal encounters! They had the penguins, touch tank, and a tiny little baby alligator during their cocktail hour.

I had the opportunity to see Hardemans Secret Garden while it was under construction several years ago and was SO excited when Liz and Jory reserved their date with me there! The grounds there are just stunning with so many beautiful locations for photos and the reception space is basically a glam green house with retractable walls that allow it to be air conditioned or open with an outside feel.

Don’t kids just grow up so fast? I always tell mine to stop growing, but they won’t ha!! Tracy told me that her Christmas gift was for her family to get dressed up and do a family portrait session since they hadn’t done one in quite a few years and that it was time since their oldest would be moving out soon. I love planning these sessions and I know how much time and effort it takes to coordinate all the school and activity schedules and choosing outfits but it is so worth it!

When you have family that lives in all different parts and you’re able to all get together in one place it’s totally a big deal and worth capturing! We photographed Melissa and Kevin’s wedding in 2014 and were so excited to see how their family has grown over the years.

Katie & Hunter had the most gorgeous wedding at Sacred Heart Church followed by cocktails and the reception at the Centre Club! I LOVE the colors they chose, the light blue with the different shades of pink and orange flowers were so stunning. Katie had rosary that was the perfect shade of blue to match the girls dresses wrapped around her bouquet and after her mom helped her get totally ready her girls had the best reaction as they saw her as a beautiful bride! One of the awesome things about Centre Club is that the Westshore Grand is just across the atrium and there’s a really beautiful garden right in between where Linda did the guys photos and we did their first look and wedding party photos before heading to Sacred Heart. Their flower girl Alexa was just the absolutely cutest and SO happy to be a part of it all!

Baylor University brought the green and gold to Tampa and hosted their Give Light event at the brand new Tampa EDITION. Baylor’s 4 piece jazz ensemble from their school of music played during dinner and throughout the evening. It was an evening to celebrate the academics and accomplishments of Baylor with a panel of speakers, and to say thank you to their alumni who support them from around the globe.

Michele and Evan live in Jacksonville and did a destination to the Florida Aquarium because they fell in love with the location.  Michele's colors were really vibrant and looked amazing at Florida Aquarium!  

Katie and Hunter are getting married this Saturday!!! I got to hang with them for their engagement session at our brand new waterfront studio on Lake Stemper. They wanted a chill, old Florida feel and I was excited they were our first of many sunset session here.

It’s always an exciting day when there’s a ribbon cutting here in Tampa Bay! I got to spend the morning at Rapid 7’s brand new Tampa office and let me tell you, it is awesome! You might remember the old movie theater that was in Channelside, well now it is the home of the Tampa Office of Rapid 7, which is a cyber security company based in Boston. The architecture and decor is so cool, very modern and industrial with hints of Tampa and their company’s personality throughout. They legit have a speak easy behind a hidden door from their break room.

Jay’s parents threw him a super fun vegas style Bar Mitzvah complete with card tables, disco balls, and all their favorite people there to celebrate! I love this theme because it’s totally fun for all ages and everyone including us had a blast.Jay’s parents threw him a super fun vegas style Bar Mitzvah complete with card tables, disco balls, and all their favorite people there to celebrate! I love this theme because it’s totally fun for all ages and everyone including us had a blast.

I always love a chance to get to mingle with my wedding friendors and learn some new things I can take home to implement in my business! This month’s ABC meeting I got to do both and also photograph it.
Since it’s February there was a little swag table of love as well as a station to write thank yous to our fellow friendors.

We love being based in a beautiful enough location to host destination weddings regularly! Bill and Megan traveled to Clearwater, Florida from the mid-west.

Bill, the groom actually planned Megan's entire dream wedding!  She told him her vision and he literally made it all happen.  They are just the sweetest and most fun couple ever.  

Tampa Bay Food Fight 2023 hosted by Seminole Hard Rock Tampa did not disappoint!!!! Team ST. PETE dominated in the most fun and awesome culinary competition here in Tampa. This is our 5th year photographing this event and every year it’s so cool to see how many people and businesses come out to support and donating to Metropolitan Ministries Culinary Program.

Heather and Chris hosted their wedding day at the Grasslands Golf & Country Club in Lakeland, FL. Their venue choice was a really personal and special selection because Chris' parents live there and Heather's grandmother lives close by.  Heather’s grandmother is 99 years young!!!

If you’ve been following us for a while you know that we LOVE Metropolitan Ministries and all they do to bring hope to Tampa Bay. They have really expanded their reach to Pasco and this was the 2nd year I got to photograph their Pasco County leaders luncheon. It’s so cool to hear all that they are doing and building in that area now too. This was the 2nd year that Advent Health Center Ice hosted this event.