Search this site:    

 

It was a beautiful evening for a wonderful beginning as we arrived at the lovely Tavern on the Lake for the launch party of the Orlando chapter of Wish Upon A Wedding.

This is a wish granting organization that was founded this year and hopes to make wedding wishes come true for US citizens where one person has been diagnosed with less than three years to live.  This is an organization that we at C&K Photography hope to be a part of since making people’s wishes come true is something that really moves me.

We had a good time that evening.  The music provided by DJ REKKA was great and kept me moving my head and my feet all evening.  The decor was stunning and me being the foodie that I am have to say that the cake pop provided by Cake O Licious were as beautiful as they were tasty.  We enjoyed the Mango Sorbet that Three2OH  served and my husband went back for the Carmel Ice Cream as well.  There was a photo booth that was fun but you won’t see them here because we got a little crazy with them.  The highlight for me had to be the cupcakes made by Cakes by Design Inc .  I love cake all cake and they did not let me down Sylvette was a delight to talk to and of the two flavors there I’m still not sure which was my favorite the Pina Colada or the Chocolate Coconut. 

All in all it was a great evening, fun to party with the people who make the parties happen for so many others.  As much as you hate to think of someone dying I think this is a great charity and if you know of someone who is in that situation but is still looking to get married please send them to the website or have them contact me so we can make a wish come true.

My husband called me early one Friday morning .  You have to talk to this guy he said.  After playing phone tag most of the morning I finally spoke with William who explained to me that he and his lovely bride Lisa were to be married the next day and he was in need of a photographer.  I know what your thinking ,why did he wait till the day before for something this important, right?  Before I could ask he explained that his friend who does a lot of photography work for him was sick and unable to shoot his wedding.  He had found us on the internet and then he told me I was the only photographer he had called.   I know many photographers wouldn’t take a last minute job like this but I am a romantic at heart and knew I couldn’t turn William down.

William and I talked for quite awhile and I discovered that he works with this really great charity called Clean the World.  They are recycling soap and saving lives, to read more about it click here.  While giving me details of the wedding and directions, William let me know that he and Lisa were having a small wedding at his sister’s house on the lake.  His sister had not only opened her home to them, but did the flower arangements as well.  The catering was done by Denise’s Catering and the DJ was a friend of the family.

Meeting the bride for the first time as she is about to get dressed is not the way I would always want to do things but it semed to work on this day.  Lisa was cold and nervous and ready before everyone which gave us a few minutes to take these shots and get to know one another.

This was the view of the pool and the lake where the ceremony was to be held.  It was just beautiful.

After the ceremony Lisa’s sister’s came to me and told me they really wanted to do this next shot and they knew if we didn’t do it quick she would back out.

They had an awesome cupcake tower with a cake on top.  Williams Mom let me know that I had to try the cupcakes before I left and she made sure I did that.  Both families were awesome and treated Kyle and I like we were family.  We had such a great time and I’m glad that we decided to help this gracious couple out.  William and Lisa I wish you many happy years and I thank you for letting us be a part of your day. 

To see more pictures click here.

 

It’s no big secret that I love food.  That fact became very apparent when at a young age my way of retelling the story for any vacation we had taken had more to do with the types, amounts, and quality of the meals eaten than anything else.  Truly that is still my way of talking about trips that we take.  I remember the sites now and take photo’s just don’t expect me to talk about them very much.  Ask me the best meal I had or where to find good chocolate or pastries and my eyes will light up and I could go on for ages.

The holidays are my favorite time of year.  I used to say it was the joy and good will people seemed to have or the shopping and wrapping of presents.  And  I can’t wait until November to start listening to my vast and ever growing collection of holiday music.  I am listening to some very nice music put out by Victoria’s Secret years ago. 

I have finally come to realize that what it is about the holidays that excite me so much apart from the music, spending thime with friends and family and the mezmerizing lights (a story for another post) is the food.  I love the pies, cakes, breads, soups, cookies, all of it.  Some of my best memories growing up were of making cookies with my Mom.  When I had kids I made sure that we made cookies every year to give to friends and family.

The kitchen the dinning room table everything would be covered in flour by the time we were done.  But the laughs and the good times we shared are priceless.  They enjoyed those nights so much that as they grew to be teenagers they invited their friends and took over the whole thing.  All I had to do was answer questions and then feast on the goods.  Who wouldn’t be in food heaven.  Christmas parties with all sorts of mouth-watering goodies, baskets full of tempting tidbits, pot-luck dinners with soups and cookies.  I am thrilled at this time of the year.   Do I need it no but that dosen’t stop me from wanting it.  And so I shall becuase I know come January and the new year I will go back to my sensible and healthy eating plan.  But until then let the good times roll…………………

 

 

Today I am posting a letter that an officiant has written for brides.  I found it through Wedding Wire which is a great resource for wedding planning and networking with other brides and vendors. 

And yes this blog post does count for the Cans for Comments promotion so be sure to leave a comment.

Planning and budgeting for your wedding is a LOT like planning and paying for your starter home. The obvious similarities? It is a huge purchase. It is an expression, perhaps, the first, of your couple style. AND you will be spending a lot of money in a situation where you may not feel that you’re informed enough to feel totally comfortable.

So many factors can contribute to your decision, but perhaps the most important (or close) is your budget. Every couple has one, sparse or generous. While it may not be the only thing on your mind, it certainly looms large. No one wants to walk away from such an important purchase with buyers’ remorse, fearing that they have made an expensive purchase that wasn’t the right choice. In the case of your wedding, those multiple expensive purchases contribute to a day that cannot be done over; it truly is a “once in a lifetime” experience.

Decisions based solely on price can cause regrettable (and avoidable) disasters on your wedding day. Like the classic joke, “The food was terrible, and the portions were so small!”, five hours of an obnoxious DJ or an out of tune band will ruin your reception, no matter how many mirrored balls, inflatable guitars or ‘dance motivators’ they throw in for “free”. Five thousand photos that are carelessly shot, amateurishly lit or cropped and delivered late are not going to capture your wedding day in a better way than 500 artistically created pictures that really tell your story. (And there is just no way to know what great shots were missed.) A cake no one eats is well, a cake no one eats……and a ceremony everyone yawns through is a terrible way to start this precious moment in history; yours, your friends’ and your families’.

When you buy a house, a common phrase is, Location location location! Buy the most house you can afford in the best neighborhood, not the most expensive house in a less than desireable neighborhood. How does this translate to your wedding? Easily. Instead of finding the cheapest professional in any category, strive to put together a team of the people that you truly want to create your wedding, and then work with them to see just how that can happen.

“Every wedding professional who truly is that, a professional, wants to work with the couples that want to work with us. We want you to understand why we charge what we do, how we are uniquely qualified to be a part of your wedding, and how we might work together to stay within your budget. Your photographer might suggest a shorter period of coverage (maybe just before the ceremony and then part of the reception, rather than spanning the entire day, from makeup to the last crumb of cake). Your invitation artist might deliver your wedding stationary in components, ready for your bridal party to assemble. Your officiant, (that would be me!!), might offer to do a quick run through of your processional before the wedding rather than on a separate day. (I also offer a printable, decorative copy of the ceremony readings that some of my couples have used instead of favors.) All of these are invisible ways to include the vendors who will truly enhance your days.

None of us want our couples leaving their reception thinking that their day was vastly more expensive than they hoped; that is not the memory we are striving to create. Great, experienced, enthusiastic wedding partners are worth every penny that you’ll spend on them, and they’ll help you spend it wisely. That is our wedding gift to you. ”

Written by Celia Milton Celebrant

It’s raining and it’s getting chilly out.  I actually like this kind of weather makes me wanna curl up with a good book and mug of hot tea.  Reading and napping throughout the day just seems like such an awesome way to spend the day.But I have a lot of work to do so I guess I will have to put that off until tomorrow.

Here is a picture that makes me think nice chilly thoughts as winter starts to arrive here in Florida.  I took this as ICE last year.  Haven’t decided if I am ging to go see it again this year or not.  I’ll let you know when I know.

Be sure to leave a comment to do your part for the cans for comments drive.  You can read more about that here.

This is your chance to easily do something for a family in need.  I heard about this great program called Cans For Comments.   What is this you may be asking yourself?  Well basically it’s a way for Photographers to give back to their community.  Simple as that.

What do I do?  How do I participate?  That’s easy all you do is leave a little blog love, a comment short or long between now and Dec. 22 (My Mom’s Birthday) on any post.  We will add up all the comments and donate one can for each comment.  That’s it, easy as pie.  All donations will be made to the Second Harvest Food Bank  in Orlando Fl.

This is our first year participating but we are excited to be doing it.  You can even leave a comment on other photographer’s blogs who are also participating.  Here’s a few of them: One+One Images, Andrea Blair, Brooke Dainty, Courtney Paris, and Cortney Reece.

If you are interested in participating yourself send an eamil to cansforcomments@gmail.com for more information.  You can also follow on twitter at http://twitter.com/cansforcomments. 

Be sure to check back in for pictures of all the cans and us delivering them so you know we have really done it.  Now what are you waiting for leave some blog love and help someone out.

To cantact me click here.  To view my portfolio click here or to follow me on twitter click here.