Should I Print My Wedding Photos?

Should I Print My Wedding Photos?

The great debate continues. Just kidding, this isn’t a debate at all. As an Orlando Wedding Photographer, I have to say that you should absolutely print your wedding photos. The old saying about what happens if your house is on fire, what do you grab first? You grab your wedding and family photos. As cheesy as the saying is, it’s true for a reason. Do this for me. Grab your favorite beverage, whether it be a fine glass of red wine, a pbr, or some apple juice. Now walk around your home, which is your favorite room? What room do you feel the most love in? Sit in your favorite chair and look around you. Imagine a portrait of your family hanging on the wall, what emotion does that bring? You’re smiling, aren’t you? I know you are.

Just a couple of days sgo, I delivered our Story Box album to a client for her maternity session. The joy and emotion that she displayed was amazing to see and as a photographer, worth all of the work and love we put into the wedding day or session. For my wife and I, we also printed our photos in the Story Box heirloom and get to see them every day, we love those photos. There is something wonderful about having and being able to hold these memories…and cry all over them. lol.

Let me ask you a question. How often do you go back and look at photos from major events in your life? I’m going to guess not often because they are on a flash drive somewhere or on Facebook and you only see them once a year because Facebook reminds you. This. Will. Change. Everything.

You get to see your loved ones whenever you want! Framed custom art of you and yours on your wall for everyone to enjoy, ask questions about, reminisce, and so much more. I apologize if I get carried away trying to persuade for this argument, but I’m all in on it. I believe it’s for everyone to enjoy. Our digital world is only going to become more digitized so these memories deserve a place, not only in our hearts but in our homes as well.

Orlando Wedding Venues

Orlando Wedding Venues

Orlando is home to absolutely beautiful wedding venues so whatever your style is, you have a lot to choose from. Luckily for you engaged couples, you can head over to www.weddingvenuemap.com and filter through all of the options until you see your perfect venue match. We’ve had the pleasure of photographing at most of these venues and each wedding is unique with great staff. I might be biased, but one of my favorite Orlando Wedding Venues is the Orlando Science Center where my wife and I got married <3 I have not had a chance to photograph a wedding there yet, but I look forward to that day! Without further adieu, here are some amazing Orlando wedding venues for you to help with your planning.

Orlando Wedding Venues

Venue Name: 1010 West

Venue Style Categories: Unique, Historic

Maximum Guest Count: 300

Price Range: $ Affordable

Indoor / Outdoor / Both: Indoor

Catering: Preferred List

Bar: Choose Your Own

Website: https://www.1010west.com

Email: info@1010west.com

Phone: 321-444-3584

1010 West is a hidden gem in Central Florida. Just south of downtown Orlando, it’s a unique space like no other. This historic airplane hangar has a modern, industrial vibe with a rounded roof and indoor market lights. The textures all come together just right including wood, brick and concrete. There is nothing like this venue! 

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Venue Name: 1885 Events at Rollins College

Venue Style Categories: Historic, Religious Setting, Unique

Maximum Guest Count: 200

Price Range: $$ - Average

Indoor / Outdoor / Both: Both

Catering: Included

Bar: Included

Website: https://1885events.com/

Email: cschloot@rollins.edu

Phone: 407-646-2541

Knowles Chapel at Rollins College has a long history of exclusive use for weddings granted to only their alumni. The college has added a new reception space with an outdoor or indoor cocktail hour area combined with a large reception space with a stunning fireplace focal point. The venue can be rented for both ceremony and reception or just the reception venue space and is also a wonderful option for Winter Park wedding rehearsal dinners. 

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Venue Name: 310 Lakeside

Venue Style Categories: Restaurant, Waterfront, Ballroom

Maximum Guest Count: 100

Price Range: $$ Average

Indoor / Outdoor / Both: Both

Catering: Included

Bar: Included

Website: https://310restaurant.com/orlando-310-restaurants-party

Email: events@310restaurant.com

Phone: 407-730-6249

310 Lakeside is located in the heart of downtown Orlando, just across the street from Lake Eola. With an intimate patio with a garden feel, you have endless possibilities of photo opportunities using this area for your intimate wedding ceremony or as the backdrop of your portraits. The indoor private dining is just the right size with floor to ceiling windsor and a romantic vibe. 

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Venue Name: Azalea Lodge at Mead Gardens

Venue Style Categories: Garden, Park, Ballroom

Maximum Guest Count: 150

Price Range: $$ - Average

Indoor / Outdoor / Both: Both

Catering: Included

Bar: Included

Website: https://www.dubsdreadcatering.com/azalea-lodge-mead-gardens

Email: events@historicdubs.com

Phone: 407-650-9558

Newly managed by Dubsdread Catering, the Azalea Lodge at Mead Gardens has both natural beauty and rustic charm. The 48-acre garden is full of tucked away spaces for the perfect photos. This wedding venue has multiple ceremony location choices and is famous for its amphitheater. With new upgrades coming in 2020, the reception space is a blank canvas for you to design. 

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Venue Name: Bella Collina

Venue Style Categories: Ballroom, Golf/Country Club, Elopement

Maximum Guest Count: 250

Price Range: $$$ - Luxury

Indoor / Outdoor / Both: Both

Catering: Included

Bar: Included

Website: https://www.bellacollina.com/weddings-events/weddings

Email: weddingsandevents@bellacollina.com

Phone: 407-469-4941

What’s not to love about this Tuscan inspired wedding venue? As one of Central Florida’s most sought after spaces, Bella Collina has the feel of a destination wedding to Italy just 35 minutes from downtown Orlando. The beautifully landscaped grounds provide many options for ceremony options and both indoor and outdoor reception spaces. 

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Venue Name: Dr. Phillips House

Venue Style Categories: Garden, Historic, Inn / B&B

Maximum Guest Count: 200

Price Range: $$ - Average

Indoor / Outdoor / Both: Both

Catering: Included

Bar: Included

Website: http://www.drphillipshouse.com

Email: angie@milleniacatering.com

Phone: 407-716-5627

Charming is the perfect word to describe this unique downtown Orlando wedding location. The outdoor garden has been upgraded with beautiful pavers and overhead lighting. The indoor venue area feels like you are having a wedding at a grand victorian home with connected spaces. Make sure to tour the wine cellar - it’s one of our favorite rooms! 

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Venue Name: Falcon's Fire Golf Club

Venue Style Categories: Ballroom, Golf/Country Club, Waterfront

Maximum Guest Count: 200

Price Range: $$ - Average

Indoor / Outdoor / Both: Both

Catering: Included

Bar: Included

Website: www.falconsfire.com

Email: llyons@falconsfire.com

Phone: 407-390-0982

This country club setting is very private but close enough to the action Central Florida is famous for. The best part of this venue is the ability to customize everything from your ceremony location to your package choice. The spacious, newly renovated ballroom has a feel of country club tradition with soft, warm tones and decorative chandeliers. Their flexible team is willing to make anything happen, including a helicopter arrival. 

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Venue Name: Luxmore Grande Estate

Venue Style Categories: Ballroom, Historic, Mansion

Maximum Guest Count: 200

Price Range: $$ - Average

Indoor / Outdoor / Both: Both

Catering: Included

Bar: Included

Website: www.luxmoregrande.com

Email: events@luxmoregrande.com

Phone: 407-749-0783

Have you dreamt of hosting your wedding at an estate home? The feeling from just driving into this venue is just over-the-top luxury. From the entrance fountain to the white pillar facade and the grand staircase upon entering, you feel like you stepped into a chic southern estate. This venue offers both indoor and outdoor event space and is available year-round for rental. 

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Venue Name: Orlando Science Center

Venue Style Categories: Museum/Gallery, Skyline/Rooftop, Unique

Maximum Guest Count: 250

Price Range: $$ - Average

Indoor / Outdoor / Both: Both

Catering: Required List

Bar: Required List

Website: http://www.osc.org/meetings-events/weddings/

Email: htillem@osc.org

Phone: 407-514-2290

Think outside the box of what you can do with this unique wedding venue. The Orlando Science Center offers a beautiful skyline terrace with downtown views in the distance. Thinking more about celebrating inside? They have unique spaces including DinoDigs and Our Planet that allow for a fun, eclectic wedding. 

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Venue Name: Paradise Cove

Venue Style Categories: Beach, Waterfront, Elopement

Maximum Guest Count: 300

Price Range: $$ - Average

Indoor / Outdoor / Both: Outdoor

Catering: Required List

Bar: Professional Bartender Required

Website: http://www.paradisecoveorlando.com

Email: kayli@paradisecoveorlando.com

Phone: 407-239-6939

Have you been dreaming of a beach wedding but the thought of everyone driving to the coast is just too much work? Look no further than Paradise Cove, central Florida’s only beach-style wedding venue. Perfectly situated on Little Lake Bryan in Lake Buena Vista, the white sandy beaches, swaying palms, and cypress trees transport you to a hidden paradise. This venue is perfect for a wedding in paradise.  

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At Wedding Venue Map, our mission is simple: We give everyone searching for a wedding venue one place to go to find EVERY one of the options and be able to sort by what specifically they are looking for. Find your perfect wedding venue and then come back for a curated list of the best wedding vendors in Central Florida. 

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Thank you Shannon Tarrant and everyone else at Wedding Venue Map for helping couples all over Central Florida!

Stefanie + Jesse's Wedding - Bella Collina - Orlando, Florida

Dream Team

Photography: Sonacity Photography

Videography: Sonacity Productions

Venue: Bella Collina

Wedding Planner: Blush by Brandee Gaar

Sparkler Exit: FyreFly Productions

Dress: Bridal Gallery Couture

Floral: Lee James Floral

Hair | Makeup: Angelica Chrysler

Cake: Sugar Sugar Custom Cake Boutique

Tables | Linens | Rentals: A Chair Affair

Lighting: Simply Lighting

5 ways a bride can dress her best on her big day

Written by: Rabbi Melinda Bracha Bernstein

www.melindabernstein.com

Every so often my mother and I go through her memory albums and books. Whenever I take out her wedding album, she gets very upset.  My parents were happily married for 64 ½ years until my father passed in 2015. According to her, the wedding album didn’t capture their first moments as husband and wife very well and she adamantly refuses to allow me to share her wedding album.  She does like one photo and allowed me to share it with you. It’s sad for me because when I look at her wedding album, I see her beauty.  Of course she’s my mother and I am immediately biased, however I truly honor her emotions and disappointment.

I don’t want this to happen to you and that is why I am writing to share a few things that will help you be sure you won’t. First of all, it’s important to share a bit of my childhood experiences so you can appreciate these tips.  When I was growing up the place my mom took me to the most was the 163rdstreet mall in North Miami Beach.  Not only were there several big stores for her to fill her desire to shop, there was an outdoor playground with a train ride for her to take my brothers and I on before the travel home.  All of my life my mother has taught me the art of thrift and the value of coordination so I guess I have her to thank for this advice.  Thanks Mom!

Before I give you the 5 tips, what does dress big mean to you?  For myself, dressing big is an art form that reveals a natural essence and intrinsic beauty of the bride.  With the wedding “paparazzi” ready to snap away and share their excitement, dressing big will enable even the amateur to capture and accentuate the you inside your dress and under your makeup and hairdo.  Ok, now that I’ve gotten that out there, here are the 5 ways a bride can dress her best on her big day!

1. Choose colors that will aesthetically enhance your wedding theme. If you are going for a seasonal theme, then make sure those colors blend with you and your beloveds skin tones. If you don’t know your skin tones, google has lots of charts to help you.

2. Make sure your venue has color or existing décor that compliments your ideal colors. If you’re already in contract with a venue and didn’t consider the colors, you may have to modify your vision and use their colors to determine your wedding theme. There are plenty of ways to not let this be an obstacle though.

3. Beauty is not just skin deep, it is soul deep and you deserve to indulge your soul at every turn before your wedding. Plan early so your wedding flows with greater ease. Even if you love to organize and/or have budget constraints, find a friend who is knowledgeable about wedding planning and has the time to help out. Or better yet, HIRE a wedding planner. (more blogging on this later)

4. Make sure your wedding officiant is able to follow your vision or share with you their talents and skills so your ceremony is well remembered with exuberance and joy. This stands true for all your other vendors too. I suggest you make a list of your desires and if you’re unclear, ask each vendor what makes them stand out and choose according to what your heart feels.

5. Speaking of standing out and what your heart feels, get your wedding officiant and guests to dress in a complimentary style as you. Think about your future pictures and what you want to see. When I work with couples I always give them a questionnaire to fill out so that our consultations are efficient. I’m looking to see your colors, your theme and your level of religiosity (if any). Most of the time people don’t even think about coordinating with their officiant, but I can assure you, I do. Thanks mom!

Whether I am flown out of the South Florida area for a wedding or stand with a couple in the areas of Miami, Ft. Lauderdale or Palm Beach, South Florida, for a wedding; I want to help my brides dress their best!

An artisan bride and all around colorful couple, Brandon & Lindsay. Their wedding was outdoors at Benvenuto Restaurant.  Lindsay and Brandon have a special flair and it stood out the moment we met in person.  When I arrived at the wedding, I noticed the creativity of their colors on many of their guests.  I chose to wear my handmade Tibetan prayer shawl over a sleek and unique white dress.  This shawl has been with me since my days in California but never had I worn it for a wedding.  I had also never seen so many guests with hair dyed in lilac to match the wedding colors either.

Top 4 engagement session locations

Engagement session are truly amazing and one of my favorite kinds of sessions to photograph. Take a break from your average selfie and let a professional do the work. This is a time where you get to let your hair down, get dressed up, and have fun with your best friend. No need to worry about what to wear or how to pose, we’ll help with that along the way.

These sessions are the best way for you to get comfortable in front of the camera and have fun while doing so. You’ll laugh, dance, twirl, and get some amazing photographs of you and your soon to be husband/wife.

Leu Gardens - This location is one of the places in the world where I don’t mind getting lost. This venue is filled with the most beautiful flowers and greenery you can enjoy in Central Florida. From events, to weddings, to engagement sessions, I always love photographing here!

Leu Gardens Engagement Photo

Downtown Orlando - How cool do they look!? There are so many ways you can light your subjects in the downtown area. So many different varying mini locations in this one large location! I love it! I was stoked when this couple opted for a downtown location because the the options for creativity are endless. For this image, I wanted to use a garage to have a dark background and be able to light my couple well. I told him to put on the glasses and she looked at him in the most amazing way.

Downtown Orlando Engagement Photo

Kraft Azalea Park - This venue is one of the most unique in Central Florida. A magnificent place for a proposal as you can see. The doric pillars give the image an epic kind of feel to it and I think they’re more Roman than Greek, but who am I to know that. I love how the soft light hits our couple here and plays with the motion of the trees in the background. It all comes together to make a beautiful image.

Kraft Azalea Proposal

Dickson Azalea / Langford Park - One reason I really love this location is because I can walk to it from my house :P Aside from that, the park always has great lighting so whether you’re having an engagement session or a family session, the photos will be beautiful! In Langford, there is a really cool boardwalk area that is the perfect spot for portraits!

Dixon Azalea Family Session