Miriam + Tyler Step Into The Limelight | Powel Crosley Estate | Sarasota, FL

November 22, 2019

Katie and Tyler:

“We met in 2011 while working at a retail store in Westchase and started dating in 2012. Katie will still claim that Tyler tricked her into going out on their first date to Boston's restaurant in Tampa. Our first date (that Katie may or may not have been tricked into) was perfect. It was from that moment that our story began to take shape. Shortly after that, we met the families. We both have very large families, Tyler introduced Katie to part of his family at a Superbowl party at his Mom and Stepdad's house. When Tyler opened the door, every single person (about 25 people) turned their heads in unison directly at us (thanks guys!). Katie was the first girl Tyler ever brought home, so we imagine that they all knew she was pretty special. When Katie brought Tyler to her parent's house for the first time, she told them she was bringing a friend home for dinner she "forgot" to mention 2 small details. 1. We were dating, and 2. Tyler is 6'7". The first words Katie's dad said were "I didn't know you were bringing a linebacker to dinner, I would have bought more steak". We consider ourselves very blessed in many ways. We have loved, laughed, cried, and supported each other through all of our adventures the last 7 years and are looking forward to a lifetime more. Together, we stand tall (Tyler doesn't have the option not to) and always endure whatever life throws our way. In 2016 we bought our first house together and made it our home. On our one year anniversary of homeownership, Tyler proposed. Katie had no idea that Tyler had bought a ring, talked to her mom, and was ready to start their next chapter together. Tyler presented Katie with a jewelry box, too large to be a ring box, but too small to hold much else. She yelled at Tyler, "What did you buy?! I told you to stop spending money". She opened the box, which was a decoy box and saw the ring box inside. As she opened the ring box, Tyler asked the big question. Katie, shocked, stood there (for what felt like an hour to Tyler), and said YES!

Off we go to start our next chapter. We are so blessed and thankful to share it with all of you! Thank you, everyone, for being a part of our big day. Each of you is part of our story. Family and friends are very important to both of us and we look forward to seeing you from the altar!”

The Wedding Day

Words cannot describe just how beautiful and lively the entire day was for these two love birds. Katie and Tyler both got ready at their venue, the gorgeous Crosley Powel Estate in Sarasota. First thing to do, first look! The couple both got ready with the help of their bridal party. Cufflinks, blue earrings, pearls, suits, dresses and shoes that were specifically chosen to match their specially days’ decor, color and style. Touches of blue EVERYWHERE! The time finally came when they would see each other. Tyler was so excited and happy when he say Katie, all they could do is smile and laugh which was the sweetest thing to witness and capture.

The ceremony and reception were nothing short of more funny moments and laughter. Their love and happiness was contagious and everyone just seemed to exude pure joy and happiness for the day, and the couple. It was simply BEAUTIFUL!

Congratulations to the new mr. and mrs!!!

Lead Photographer | Carlos Rello
Associate Photographer | Alexa Rodriguez

Tomires + Matt Step Into The Limelight | Harborside Chapel + Fenway Hotel, Autograph Collection | Dunedin, FL

November 22, 2019

𝒪𝓊𝓇 𝐿𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝒮𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓎...
THIS IS HOW WE HAPPENED...

Back in 1970 he was born in Texas and because his dad was a military, he moved and lived every where in the country, landing in and out of FL a time or two, but in 2008 he was back for good and joined the lab at the back-then called All Children’s Hospital. While her, back in 1975 decided to enter the world via São Paulo Brazil. She too moved away from home, landing in Boston where she spent more than twenty-one years before heading down to St Petersburg to work at the All Children’s Hospital lab. We worked in distinct sections of the same lab. We were peers facing the same professional challenges and, with many other peers, we often collectively came up with solutions for our teams. Because of our work views and personalities similarities, we became friends and eventually discovered we were both facing final stages of the same personal challenges too. Eventually we were on the way to rebuild our lives and why not allow the friendship to evolve into something else? We wouldn’t be able to stop it anyway! But wait, we worked together and he was promoted, so we wanted make sure we were not violating any work policies, so we headed to HR. “What if they said nope, not allowed?”, “what if one of us had to go?” - we were both single parents and needed our jobs. We were so nervous at that meeting with HR. Matt started going in circles and wouldn’t stop talking, my legs were restless and words were barely spoken- like two teenagers asking dad if we could date... suddenly phew, we could become official and still keep our jobs! Matt ran to our bosses office and spilled it all out- I got their first congrats text and almost passed out! Our love grew inexplicably fast and when we were sure of it all, we engaged our kids and they were very receptive and we all got along right away. Life has thrown a lot of challenges at us but we grew stronger with each one of them. In a 2nd trip to Boston he very romantically popped the question- without hesitation i said YES...

𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐸𝓃𝑔𝒶𝑔𝑒𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝒯𝓇𝒾𝓅
USF VS UMASS

He had this proposal all planned out months before and he fooled me really well. He told me that the USF football would play UMASS in Boston and that would be a nice trip for us too. It was a nice getaway too, and God knows how much we needed it. The trip was sweet from the first moment we left the house- Matt is so special and romantic! We arrived at the airport in Boston about 10am, got our luggages, took an Uber and around 11am we were already in the Godfrey Hotel by the Boston Garden to drop off our luggages. For our surprise the room was ready and we could go upstairs- thank God, i thought, we had been out of the house since 4am! Quick trip to the room and I thought we could just relax for a little bit (I’m not a morning person and we’ve been up since 3:30a!) but Matt wanted to go for a walk, I tried using my powers to convince him but he firmly said “no Tomires, let’s go for a walk”. So we ventured towards the Boston Public Garden- fall was just beginning in Boston and the air was crispy and the trees had barely started to change. Matt looked worried and distant- I thought to be some issue with the kids or their mom- gave him a little space to talk when he wanted. We walked a little faster than usual, almost as in a mission, but I again wanted to give him his space. We entered the park and crossed the Lagoon Bridge, where the proposals usually happen. We stopped to admired the most beautiful tree, the only one with red leaves, full blown beauty. We stood under it and Matt started this deep conversation, all romantic, and in a quick movement he got on his knees and asked me if I would marry him. Oh my God, the world stopped and without a doubt I said YES. We hugged, kissed and made two bystander girls cry as well. They offered to take our pictures. We texted everyone, then in full ecstasy we headed out for some prosecco and then to Monica’s Salomeria, for our favorite Italian sandwich! He spotted that tree from the uber ride- I love this guy!

from the couple’s wedding website: https://www.zola.com/wedding/tomiresandmatthew

𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒲𝑒𝒹𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒟𝒶𝓎
PASSION

We could not have asked for a more perfect day for these two! The Florida weather was crisp and simply perfect… family and friends were anticipating only good memories and that is all they got. All around! Such sweet memorable moments, gorgeous fall-feel decor, amazing delicious food and Brazilian desserts ❤
We 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒𝒹 being a part of Tomires & Matt’s special day so much! This one was extra special since Tomires is from Brazil, I (Dafne) had many opportunities to connect with her and her family in Portuguese.
Love was everywhere and Tomires & Matt love passionately, not just each other but all the ones around them… it was beautiful to witness. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your story! Parabéns!

Lead Photographer | Dafne Spencer
Associate Photographer | Kara Lerchenfeld

Marina + Kerolus Step Into The Limelight | St. Mary and St. Mina Coptic Orthodox Church + Kapok Special Events | Clearwater, FL

November 21, 2019

Marina and Kerolus’ love story began in 2012. In 2012, Kero, as usual was planning the annual group monastery trip. His plan was finalized, the van was rented, and he was happy that he could stop stressing about all of the details. Then comes Marina, who decided she wanted to go on the monastery trip last minute. This threw a wrench in all of Kero’s plans because they did not accommodate for an extra person. He was displeased that she decided to, literally, come a few hours before departure. On the morning of the trip, Kero was determined to see who this girl was that was causing him all of this trouble. Then, he saw her...and he couldn’t believe how beautiful she was. He knew he had to find a way to speak with her. When they got to the monastery, he decided to be accommodating by asking Marina if she needs anything during his run to Walmart (it was also a clever way to get her phone number). When the monastery trip was over and it was time to head back, Kero persuaded Marina to sit next to him while he was driving. She agreed and he took advantage of that time to get to know her. After the trip was over, Kero made sure to text her often. One day, he decided to make the move and asked her to be his princess forever and the rest is history...

Marina and Kerolus’ wedding was royally romantic, congratulations! We wish all the happiness in the world for you.

Lead Photographer | Stephanie Duffany
Associate Photographer | Audrey Clifford

Stephanie + Joshua Step Into The Limelight | Holy Ascension Greek Orthodox Church + Wyndham Grand Beach Resort | Clearwater, FL

November 21, 2019

Josh and Stephanie met working at North Florida Regional Medical Center in Gainesville, FL during the month of February 2016. Josh worked nights as a nurse and Stephanie worked days as a nurse. Josh proposed to Stephanie at St. Augustine near the Castillo de San Marcos. After the proposal, it began to pour rain. Josh, Stephanie, and close friends ran to the No Name Bar to seek cover from the rain and enjoyed a couple of cold Dos Equis lagers. We were able to capture some amazing images for their engagement session, including pictures in the exact spot Josh planned to propose and the spot where it actually happened! You may see some of those here.

Josh loves that Stephanie is able to deal with his self-proclaimed “weirdness.” Josh shares, “I know I am an odd guy. I also love how patient she can be with me. I am amazed at how focused she is when she puts her mind to something. It is extremely difficult to change her mind. She is an extremely hard worker. She is putting herself through a lot of stress to give us both a better life in our future together. Working full time and going to grad school at the same time is extremely difficult but she is doing it. Stephanie tells me that she loves my oddness. My quirky little dances. She likes how I motivate her to go for her dreams and goals. That I am always there to support her no matter what the circumstance is. I love how I can come home and always know that she will welcome me with a smile and a kiss. She is everything that I have ever wanted.” Awe…talk about a true romantic this just melts my heart!

Together they enjoy outdoor activities such as nature parks, adventure parks, fishing, boating, paddle boarding, swimming, concerts, football games, tailgating, and traveling.

Josh, Stephanie, and the wedding party got ready at the Wyndham Resort in Clearwater, FL. All, except Stephanie, took the Jolley Trolley to Holy Ascension Greek Orthodox Church where the wedding ceremony will take place. Stephanie traveled with her parents and grandmother to the ceremony. Stephanie joined the gang and rode back to the Wyndham with Josh and the rest of the bridal party in the Jolley Trolley! Then we headed to the beach for sunset pictures!

Wedding location was selected in Clearwater, FL because it is close to Stephanie’s grandmother who lives in St. Petersburg, FL. Clearwater is also special to Josh because it is where he used to live. Wedding theme of dusty blue and blush pink was suggested by bridesmaid Stephanie Fitzgerald. Bride tribe went to Orlando, FL on November 25th in search of the bridal attire. Bride’s dress was found at Calvet Couture. Josh and Stephanie went to Men’s Warehouse on December 21st for the groom and groomsmen attire. Style of the wedding was traditional with a Greek theme and some Greek traditions.

Brides Bouquet: White Garden Roses, Quicksand Roses, Ocean Song Roses, White Ranunculus, Lavender, Succulents, Silver dollar Eucalyptus, Ruscus, Dusty miller (very loose and flowy, heavy greenery)

Bridesmaids Bouquets: Quicksand/Ocean Song Roses, Succulents, Dark Purple Lisianthus, Lavender, Dusty Miller, Eucalyptus

Sweetheart Table: Bride’s bouquet on table, along with Wisteria Backdrop mixed with Roses, Greenery, Stock, Wax Flower to go across backdrop with fabric hanging underneath.

Stephanie and Josh’s favorite part of the wedding was the reception dancing, eating good food, spending time with guests, and drinking the night away. They made their own Greek wedding favors known as a boubouniera, which consists of five candy-coated almonds (koufeta) in a bag. The five almonds represent five wishes for the bride and groom…health, wealth, happiness, fertility, and longevity. A true highlight were the parent dances - Josh with his mom and Stephanie with her dad. You could truly feel the bond and love.

It really was the BEST day ever!!!!

Lead Photographers | Michael + Rebecca Zoumberos

Christina + Luis Step Into The Limelight | Tampa Marriott Water Street | Tampa Bay, FL

November 21, 2019

From our beautiful bride and groom:

Christina had been ballroom dancing with Arthur Murray Clearwater for two years before her teachers convinced her to try Latin dancing. It was much different from the smooth dancing she was used to but finally decided to give it a try. On the other hand, Luis, who is a natural Latin dancer, had not been out salsa dancing in quite some time until the night he met Christina. They were the first two people on the dance floor and the last people off the dance floor. Christina and Luis have been dancing ever since. They have taken many dance lessons together and continue to enjoy their time dancing anywhere and everywhere. They have taken Argentine tango lessons, Foxtrot lessons, and even Swing dancing lessons. Music and dancing brought Christina and Luis together and it is something they will continue to cherish doing together for as long as they can!

The wedding day…

The day was finally here and both Christina and Luis began their day at Tampa Marriott Street. This beautiful venue would host their guest during the cocktail-ceremony and reception. As soon as both bride and groom were ready, it was time to see each other for the first time that day. They decided to see each other before the ceremony just to get the jitters out of the way - they were so happy seeing each other!

The ceremony was unique since the couple did not want it to be to routine-like and wanted it to be short and sweet and during cocktail hour. They had no chairs, and no bridal party. It would be just them, their little ones, and family gathered around. It was touching to see how happy their little one’s were once Christina and Luis were pronounced husband and wife. Reception time came around and Christina and Luis opened up the dance floor with a choreographed dance as their first dance! It was truly a happy and lively group which made the night feel just right.

Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs!

Lead Photographer | Carlos Rello
Associate Photographer | Alexa Rodriguez

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