Hillary and Jeramie's Key West Wedding at the Marriott Beachside
Hillary and Jeramie were married last November at the Beachside Key West Marriott Hotel.
These two met when Jeramie joined Hillary’s band, the Hillary Keane Project and he became the lead guitarist. She’s the lead singer of this awesome blues-rock band, so you can imagine that music played a big role in their wedding. After all, they spent their time dating singing, playing music, and writing with each other!
After the two of them had been dating for a year, they went on a family trip to Hilton Head, where Jeramie proposed at a Japanese steakhouse dinner. Now, Hillary is a Certified Integrative Transformational Life Coach for teen girls as well as a certified Reiki Practitioner working toward her Master Teacher level. And the two of them continue to perform together and fall deeper in love all the time.
Hillary’s father, Barry, is also a musician, and her mother, Debbie, played a huge role in the wedding planning. One of the best moments of the day, then, was when Hillary walked down the aisle with her parents to a song that she’d written with them. Not only was it an amazing moment for Hillary to share with her parents but Jeramie’s expression when he saw her for the first time was hands down one of my favorite parts of the whole day!
A Tropical Key West Marriott Beachside Hotel Wedding
The ceremony was a beautiful blend of Christianity and Judaism that their officiant, Reverend Steve Torrence, pulled off perfectly. They had a sweet sand ceremony as well as a traditional Jewish glass-breaking. What a great way to bring cultures together!
For most of the day, we had beautiful weather . . . until about thirty minutes before the reception was supposed to end. We were hit with a heavy downpour that sent everyone running for cover, but my second shooter, Aramis Ikatu, and I made the best of it. We had still managed to get pictures of the luau-themed décor, and when the rain hit, we captured a couple’s portrait of Hillary and Jeramie under an umbrella.
Speaking of the décor, Hillary and Jeramie had the most amazing luau-themed reception decorations! They had tiki torches, tropical flowers, woven grass fans, tropical leaf print napkins, and adorable gift bags from Kermit’s Key Lime. Even the arch at the ceremony was made of driftwood!
Of course, they also made sure to incorporate music into their decorations, including a black guitar with metallic Sharpies that they used for their guest book. They had guitar cake toppers, too!
Jeramie & Hillary, thank you for asking me to be part of your amazing wedding. I was so touched by the love you share and for the support you have all around you!
Thank you to their Key West Wedding Vendors:
Ceremony and Reception Venue / Accommodations: Marriott Beachside Key West
Catering: Tavern N Town
Officiant: Reverend Steve Torrence
Floral Designer: Love in Bloom
Photographer: Mary Veal Photography
Favors: Kermit's Key West Key Lime Shoppe
Missie and Brian’s Florida Keys Engagement Session
Missie and Brian are the sweetest couple. I met up with them at the Bahia Honda State Park here in the Florida Keys to capture their engagement session.
Missie and Brian’s Florida Keys Engagement Session
Brian is a musician and describes himself as adventurous and relaxed. He plays guitar and can even learn music playing by ear! Missie, in contrast, describes herself as silly and introverted. She is currently working on her Doctorate at Ohio State. She is also a pretty talented photographer! They both live in Wisconsin where together they enjoy hiking, biking, boating and NFL games.
Missie and Brian met when she was out with girlfriends and caught the eye of the cute guitar player in the band performing there and they've been inseparable since.
Missie and Brian both look forward to going to sleep every night and waking up every morning together getting to spend every day with each other. I am sooo excited for their wedding!
Bahia Honda State Park Engagement Photography
Another thing that this couple shared was their favorite place to hang out was anywhere on the water somewhere. So, I was thrilled to capture their engagement session at the Bahia Honda Park! The Bahia Honda Park took a huge hit from Hurricane Irma on 9/10/17. Currently, all of the park is closed except the main beach and its shortest trail to the bridge. Though it suffered severely, the water remains beautiful. With time, the fauna will return to its previous glory.
I was fortunate to have my favorite assistant along for this photo shoot, my ever-helpful husband, Rod Veal. I'm going to need him to quit his job soon and permanently team up with me! We have THE best time together!!!
There’s something so amazing in the moment a couple gets comfortable with me and my camera. In the very beginning of a session, it’s sort of like holding your breath, and stiffness and unfamiliarity rule. But, on the exhale, relaxation occurs and true emotions begin to appear. That moment-- the exhale, so to speak, is where the true magic lies in capturing a couple's connection. It is one of my favorite times to be behind the camera. This moment occurred only a few frames into our session when Missie fake "choked" Brian. And the laughter and fun that ensued after lasted the entire time we spent together.
An Upcoming Sunset Key Wedding!
This couple is planning a small wedding with 20 people total on the exclusive private island, Sunset Key, located just off Key West. After their intimate ceremony, they are planning dinner at Latitudes Restaurant, also on Sunset Key. To commemorate their upcoming wedding, we took a special picture. It’s a black and white image of hands holding jewelry with the latitude and longitude coordinates of their wedding location with the future bride and groom sharing an intimate moment blurred behind the necklace.
Missie and Brian say they chose me to tell the photographic story of their wedding because they like my eye and my lighting style. Sounds like we are a perfect match! I am thrilled to photograph these fellow artists’ wedding day and excitedly anticipate their March 2019 Sunset Key Wedding!
Florida Keys Wedding Vendors:
Wedding Planner: Anna with Say Yes In Key West
Wedding Venue: Sunset Key
Reception Dinner Venue: Latitudes
Tony and Gavin's wedding at the Key West Garden Club
Tony and Gavin were married on April 14 with their wedding ceremony at the Key West Garden Club and their reception at the Margaritaville Resort.
I absolutely adore these guys and it was such a pleasure to be their Key West wedding photographer.
Tony and Gavin met by chance while Gavin was working. Tony brought his sister into the retail store where Gavin worked, and the rest… as they say… is history.
Their engagement was not by chance, rather it was a thoughtful, planned affair.
They started about a month prior, each writing in a separate journal all the reasons why they love each other and why they wanted to get married. Then, they travelled together to NYC for a long weekend. They stopped at a jewelry store where they picked out matching Cartier Love rings. From there, they went to their hotel room, cracked open a bottle a champagne, exchanged their journals, and asked each other to be husband and husband. So sweet!!!
A Stylish Florida Keys Wedding
We covered their day for 8 hours. My second shooter, Aramis Ikatu, and I arrived early in the afternoon to capture the grooms’ getting ready preparations. Both grooms got ready together with Tony's dad helping tie their ties.
The color palette for the wedding was black and white with touches of tropical greenery. By using black and white theme the grooms hoped to showcase the natural beauty and colors Key West has to offer as a gorgeous backdrop. They requested all guests wear black in white attire to have them coordinate with the theme. In contrast, the grooms wore stylish custom suits. Tony chose a light grey fitted suit with a white shirt, navy tie, and suspenders. Gavin wore a royal blue suite with white shirt, navy tie and suspenders. Using those colors allowed them to stand out from the color palate they requested their guests to wear. The result was both classy and modern, but still embraced a Key West wedding vibe!
We had a few minutes before leaving for the ceremony to take some more stylized photos and used the hallway outside of their suite for this, which resulted in some of my favorite images from the day.
In fact, my favorite image came from a quiet time before the ceremony as well. There was a touching moment between the grooms on the conch train, when Gavin kissed Tony on the cheek while he has his eyes closed and is soaking it up. It was an image charged with emotion. I am honored to witness and capture to capture so many emotions in their wedding photography. I also love the black and white image of the two of them in the hallway holding champagne, where Tony is in front and Gavin in back. It makes me happy when I can create art and preserve these moments for my couples!
Gavin and Tony’s Key West Garden Club Ceremony
From the Margaritaville Resort, we traveled to their ceremony location at the Key West Garden Club via a conch train. We immediately got in place for their processional. Gavin and Tony walked in together behind their mothers who were escorted by their brothers and Tony's niece, Madelyn, who had the distinct job of both Flower Girl and Ring Bearer. It was an emotional ceremony as the two committed their lives to each other. The ceremony included each groom presenting their mothers and grandmother with a single calla lily. It was a beautiful visual way to show the two families uniting into one.
Key West Wedding Photography at the Margaritaville Resort
Once married the guests boarded a conch train to the reception venue while we stayed behind with our newlyweds to create some more couple's photos and catch the second train to the reception. Not only did that give us the chance to get some more wedding portraits with the grooms, but that train ride gave them a peaceful moment alone to enjoy the start of their journey as husband and husband.
Upon their arrival at the reception, both grooms entered together, holding hands and were received with boisterous cheers from friends and family. Cocktail hour was in full swing and we captured tons of candid moments from this time. We even had a few minutes to sneak away for some couples portraits during their first sunset together as a married couple! Once dinner was complete, Tony and Gavin cut the cake and then shared their first dance as a married couple. Afterwards, they danced with their mothers, which stirred some more beautiful emotion! Tony's niece and friends then surprised everyone with a choreographed dance, just for them, and then the real party ensued.
It was a tremendous joy watching everyone celebrate these two amazing men!
Day-After Wedding Session
The entire day was absolutely magical. It was filled with nothing but love! So much love we couldnt pack it into a single day so Gavin and Tony chose to do a "Day After" session with me too. We went back to their ceremony location and utilized the beach and ocean while they wore swim suits and more casual attire. Wow! Their undeniable love is contagious! We had an unbelievable amount of fun together during this session!
So much about their Key West wedding was memorable, from the unique décor, to the close relationships with their family and friends, and all of the sweet moments they shared together. I absolutely adore these guys!
Here is some advice they had to share with future couples who are planning a wedding:
“Don’t stress over the small things. No one will notice. On the day of the wedding make sure you take a moment to step back and embrace the special day. It feels like it is over in the blink of an eye. Don’t skimp on the photographer or food! Pictures are the only thing you get to have to look back on your day!”
Thank you so much Tony and Gavin for allowing me into your big day and for trusting me to your memories! A huge thank you to Julie at Simply You as well for referring these amazing gentlemen to me and for all of your hard work that ensured their wedding weekend was nothing short of perfect! I also want to thank Peter and Anthony from Milan Events for creating and executing incredible designs that continue to impress all who are witness to them.
Vendors
Planner: Julie Shrek with Simply You Weddings
Ceremony Venue: West Martello, Key West Garden Club
Reception Venue: Margaritaville Resort and Marina
Officiant: John Hernandez
Florals and Decor and Linens: Milan Event
Ceremony and Reception music: Jimmy Cooper with Soundwave
Dessert and wedding cake: Cupcake Sushi
Prestige Party Rentals: Prestige
Transportation: Conch Train
Marquessa and John's Wedding
Marquessa and John were married on March 3rd, with a ceremony and reception at the Key Largo Lighthouse on Coral Beach.
These two met through mutual friends on New Year’s Eve and bonded over their love of traveling and adventure. They have seen each other through plenty of life’s twists and turns—from Marquessa’s decision to stay in Ohio to run her mother’s dance studio instead of pursuing an acting career in Los Angeles to John’s decision to return to school to get certified in robotics. And through all of it, they’ve only fallen deeper in love.
Since Chicago is close to Marquessa’s heart as the home of her dancing days with the Chicago Bulls, that’s where John decided to propose. But for their actual wedding, they wanted a destination wedding here in Florida to do something unique in a tropical setting. They are both in their late 30s and getting married for the first time, (which I am seeing as a growing trend) so they wanted a bigger celebration than just one day could encompass. So, they invited their friends and family to the Keys—which has been Marquessa’s second home since childhood, so it was the perfect vacation spot, too!
Key Largo Wedding Photography
On the day of the wedding, my second shooter, Loyda Ikatu, and I arrived to photograph the last of the preparations before we went straight to the ceremony, which was officiated by a friend of theirs named Galen. We were also able to capture some family formals as well as some amazing sunset portraits with the two of them. My favorite images came from that sunset session with the two of them; I loved being able to get those more unconventional portraits for them.
As you might expect from a dance teacher, the first dance as well as the father/daughter dance were both amazing and sweet to witness. At the end of the father/daughter dance, Marquessa’s father jumped for joy—it was a joy to witness that bond.
I was also impressed by all of the loving details that went into this wedding. They had a unique “wavy” table set up, a full roasted pig, a “seafood” boat, and a surfboard guestbook to go with the tropical theme. They also had a kids table with playdough and other fun stuff. And John made the archway that they used in the ceremony, too!
Not all of the details were about the fun, though. Some of them were incredibly touching. For example, Marquessa wore her great-grandmother’s handkerchief during the wedding, a tradition in her family. Her mother wore it for her wedding in 1973, and it’s been a staple in other family weddings for her cousins since 1964. I also liked that even though Marquessa’s cathedral veil and long-sleeved gown were very traditional, she opted for a less traditional morganite ring.
John & Marquessa, thank you for letting me be part of all the fun of celebrating your big day! I was thrilled to be your destination wedding photographer!
Thanks also to all of the vendors involved for making their wedding dreams a reality! Teamwork is dreamwork!
Vendors
You voted ~ We WON!!! ~ The Best Florida Keys Wedding Photographer for 2018!
2018 is starting out with a bang and we couldn't be more thrilled about it! We have been voted The Best Photographer in The Florida Keys by past clients and The Florida Keys Weddings Magazine's readers. What an INCREDIBLE honor!!!! Thank you soooooo much to all of my past clients who have trusted me to capture the love you share and are surrounded by on your wedding days!!!
