I was really looking forward to this Hilton Melbourne Beach wedding for Alicia and David ever since I photographed their engagement photos last year. They have such great personalities and love for each other, that I knew it was going to be a terrific day. Alicia looked absolutely stunning in her wedding dress and it was exciting to see how David looked at her throughout the day as they shared so many wonderful moments together. It never gets old to me and I was honored to photograph their wedding. I worked with many great professionals to make this day perfect for the bride and groom. Once again, the Hilton Melbourne Beach was the location for the reception but was also where the bride and groom got ready. The Hilton is always a fantastic location for photos. The ceremony was held at the Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church right across from the Hilton along A1A. It is by far one of my favorite churches to photograph in Brevard County because of the huge stained glass windows in the chapel. The beautiful flowers were provided by Violets In Bloom. They always do a fantastic job and I love working with them. The cake was provided by a family friend, Joyce Smeen. I’m not sure if she makes cakes professionally, but she’s pretty darn good! The reception entertainment for the night was provided by DJ Dave from DJ Shane Entertainment. DJ Dave is an awesome DJ and everyone always has so much fun! The party didn’t stop until the hotel kicked us out! The day went by so fast, but I had an absolute blast photographing this wedding. Below is a quick sneak peek at a few of my favorites so far.
-Matthew
Throughout the day I admired the way that they looked at each other. All the butterflies in their stomach were gone by now so they could just focus on being together. They are such a beautiful couple.
The bride has beautiful, brown eyes so I definitely wanted to highlight that feature for her. The Hilton Melbourne Beach has a lot of great locations to take photographs. However, sometimes just the hallway will due.
Alicia looked absolutely stunning in her wedding dress. Just before we were to leave for the ceremony, I was able to catch a few quiet moments while she sat on the edge of the bed. She has a great personality but sometimes these quiet, more serious moments really stand out.
The groom was looking sharp so I wanted to put him in some good light and have him strike a comfortable pose. He was a natural in front of the camera and we joked that he must have been practicing beforehand. I really liked his genuine smile, and you can see the delight in his eyes as he was eager to soon be with his beautiful bride.
I absolutely love photographing weddings in the Holy Name of Jesus, Catholic Church. The stained glass in the chapel is massive and extraordinary and I like using a little dramatic light to make the couple pop off of the background.
Just another great portrait of our beautiful bride in the church. She makes my job look easy!
The weather was cooperating so Alicia and David were up for anything in the short time we had before the reception started. I tried to give them natural posing ideas so that they could just do what they do best, which is love each other. I think we captured some great moments and the first of many reflection shots.
I am kind of obsessed with reflections. I constantly keep an eye out for reflective surfaces like this bar so I have an excuse to cuddle up the bride and groom and create a nice intimate moment.
The reception was a lot of fun for everyone. I love how you can see the pure joy in David’s face as he spun his gorgeous bride during their first dance. During dinner, I found a unique angle to photograph the cake that makes it stand out. Later on, I was able to steal them for a quick moment because I found a big, beautiful mirror. What can I say, I’m a sucker for reflections! But I really love the way they interact together and wanted to find different ways to showcase that.