Destination Wedding Photographer – Dawn and Scott in Treasure Island, FL

Dawn and Scott were set up. That’s right, set UP! Although not in a bad way. Dawn’s sister in law just knew that they would get along, so she decided that they had to meet. And before Scott even knew who he was supposed to be meeting, Dawn caught his eye in the blues bar and he had to stop. Then he realized that she was sitting with his friends – score! They started talking and didn’t even notice that everyone around them had left already – they were too immersed in each other. He asked for her number because he knew that he couldn’t let her leave without the opportunity to see her again.

The weather couldn’t have been more perfect for a beautiful beach wedding. The sun was covered by clouds, and the usually scorching Florida heat was mild and comfortable. Usually at weddings there’s the obligatory shoe shot, right? Brides have to have their awesome shoes! But this was no ordinary wedding. The bride was barefoot. She made custom jewelry for all of the bridal party to wear on their feet as decoration, to make up for the lack of awesome shoes. I don’t think any of them missed the shoes – who really wants to wear heels when you have this amazing, soft sand to walk on?

Dawn’s ring is an antique, and has been in her family for generations. Isn’t it gorgeous? Sunflowers are her favorite, so they decorated all aspects of the wedding. I love the bouquet, the yellow just pops!

Dawn makes gorgeous glass jewelry, all custom made! It was an especially personal touch that all of their jewelry was handmade – from the bride to the flower girls!

Dawn, you are gorgeous!

There are so many emotional moments during a wedding, and sometimes they’re not even between the bride and groom! I just love this shot of Scott’s dad looking at his mom. It’s a look of admiration and love, and she had no idea!

Dawn and Scott wrote their own vows for each other and read them.

Everyone has their favorite moments in a wedding. The first kiss is always awesome, sealing the deal, right?

But I love, love, LOVE this look, after the kiss. It’s as if they’re looking at each other saying “we did it!” It feels like at that moment, no one else in the world matters.

Husband and wife!

Scott wanted a high five. From his bride. This was definitely a fun wedding!

The food was delicious, although it was a bit scary when the huge torch was lit behind me. It was REALLY loud, and caught everyone’s attention!

This is filed away in my mental folder of happy places.

This little guy was just adorable! He was QUITE the ladies man and would dance with and charm anyone around him!

The first dance as man and wife.

See, he’s a charmer!

Everyone had kind of mellowed for a little bit when it was announced that the fire dancers would be coming out. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, I was thinking luau! This was completely different though, and amazing! There were two dancers, one had fire on her hands, the other had fire on wires, and they were fascinating to watch. I was trying not to cringe while taking pictures because I was just SURE that those wires would hit a limb or two, but they were flawless and just awesome to watch!

SEE – a charmer! Even the dancers loved him!

Dawn and Scott, your wedding was so unique and memorable! I’m so happy that I was a part of it. I wish you all the happiness in the world!

The full gallery and slideshow will be posted tomorrow!

Vendors that helped the day be awesome:

Coordinator: Janine Maggio

Flowers: Janine Maggio

Caterer: Puff N Stuff Catering

Audio/Visual and Beach Setup, all Sound and Lighting: AVRC Tampa

Venue and Accommodations: Beach Side Palms Treasure Island, FL

Band: Tribal Style

Hair and Makeup: Jaqueline’s Day Spa

Fire Dancers: J. Kiyla Ortega, Kiyla Kinetics