Olyn and I spent the weekend at Wakulla Springs for Ashley and Sean’s vintage-themed wedding. What more perfect way to personalize the wedding of two history-buffs than focus on a specific moment of Florida history? All of the details from the cake to the flowers and music absolutely transported you back to the way the Wakulla Springs Lodge must have felt in the 1940’s.
Taking their theme as inspiration, I spent weeks before the wedding thinking of 1940’s imagery and what that meant in my mind. I loved having this challenge as it really forced my creativity into images that I adore and I might not have thought of without the push.
Blossom’s did a stunning job with the bouquets and the centerpieces. Ashley had them string beads into the flowers, as it was common for bride’s in the Great Depression to carry bouquets of buttons and string.
Olyn and I split up to spend time with both the girls and the guys while they were getting ready. No offense to Olyn or the guys… but they just didn’t have the drama that Ashley did with that dress! The silhouette was an immediate inspiration for me and sent my mind into a thousand different directions. 
I love having two photographers to cover a ceremony. Olyn stayed at the back and covered mostly wide angles, while I snuck up to the front for the close-ups. From this one spot, I captured Ashley crying, her mother crying, her grandmother crying, and her bridesmaids crying.
Olyn got a few different angles of the back of the service.
The fireplace makes such an elegant backdrop for the ceremony.
Probably my favorite shot of the day– taken in the elevator of the lodge. It embraces the vintage feel, but adds a healthy dose of sex-appeal. If forced to choose one type of image as my signature style, this would have to be it. I love dark moody shadows and dramatic lighting. Of course, thanks to Olyn, I spent the entire day after this with “Love in an Elevator” stuck in my head!
Ashley and Sean were amazingly generous with the amount of time they gave us for portraits, so we literally went all over the lodge.
The ceiling was the first thing Ashley fell in love with and had mentioned at our first meeting how she would like to have it included in an image. I don’t think she realized this meant me laying on the dirty floor as people literally moved chairs and swept around me. 
The architecture of the lodge adds instant drama to any image, so I used it every chance I could!
Tiki’s Tasties created another amazing cake– each layer had part of a latin phrase piped on it, but I never did get a translation!
Ashley and Sean do not hide their emotions, so photographing their toasts was a photographer’s dream!
This was actually a first for me– I have photographed countless bubble, birdseed and sparkler farewells, but this time they threw dried lavender. Not only pretty, but it smells yummy too!
Vendors:
Ceremony and Reception Location: Wakulla Springs Lodge
Florist: Blossoms Flowers
Cake: Tiki’s Tasties
Wedding Planner: Kenya Washington, Imagine Brides
