This Royal Crest Room Wedding was my first time shooting at this venue but I knew it was going to be spectacular. A few days before the wedding, I took a tour of the property so I could get some ideas of what we could do for photos and was amazed at all the different photo opportunities all over the golf course. The ceremony location was gorgeous, and I could foresee us doing some fantastic sunset photos by the red phone booth and the beautiful stone bridge. I couldn’t wait to see Michelle and Ben and capture all the memories of their wedding day. However, once the wedding day came our plans quickly changed. They were calling for rain, which is not uncommon for an afternoon here in Florida, but we were still holding out hope for the best. Unfortunately, the rains came anyway and we had to scrap many of those fun photo ideas. But like I always say, “The show must go on,” and we had to get creative and utilize what we had. We were able to take some great photos throughout the bar area and then we went outside underneath an overhang so that we could take some outdoor photos. All in all we made the best of it and had a spectacular time. Steve with Event Concepts was the DJ and kept the party going all night long! He is an amazing DJ and made the reception so much fun for everyone! I especially loved the lip sync battle of the sexes! That definitely created some awesome photos!
It was an honor to photograph Michelle and Ben’s wedding day. The weather didn’t seem to phase them at all. It was their wedding day and they were going to enjoy it no matter what. They are a beautiful couple and I admire their love for one another. We took so many great photos but below is just a sneak peek at a few of my favorites so far.
-Matthew
I love reflections and bevels! They are one of my favorite things to look for, and the Royal Crest Room has a huge mirror in the bridal suite that is perfect for that! I turned the lights off and lit her with the Ice Light which is one of my favorite secret weapons on a wedding day!
When I walk into a bridal suite, I always look for the best light. The room was beautiful but the lights were on the ceiling and would have produced dark shadows under her eyes. I saw the room had a small door to the outside so I turned off all the lights so I could make the background fade away into darkness. I prefer to use soft, natural light from a window or door instead of using flash which would have just flooded the room.
I always love it when the bridesmaids help out and get in on the fun.
Michelle looked absolutely gorgeous on her wedding day. She made my job look easy!
I like simple backgrounds so that the focus goes right to the subject. In the men’s locker room I saw that there was a window right next to the lockers so that was the perfect place to pose the groom. Outside, we set up some fun poses with the guys. I liked this photo because the eye is once again drawn right to the subject.
The weather was cooperating and I thought the rain was going to hold off, as the groom finally was able to catch a glimpse of his bride. The Royal Crest Room is definitely one of the prettiest places to have a wedding ceremony. I would have loved to have seen my wife walking under this archway down the aisle to meet me!
Unfortunately, the rain poured on us but just because it started raining didn’t mean I stopped shooting the wedding. These are still fantastic moments that the bride and groom will look back on and cherish… and hopefully laugh at one day! We all got totally soaked but the ceremony was still beautiful!
After the ceremony, it was still pouring so we couldn’t go out and take photos throughout the golf course. Instead, we just stayed nearby under cover, and were still able to make some great couple photos.
If you didn’t know by now I love looking for reflections. Since the rain spoiled our plans to go outside we were still able to create some beautiful moments inside by the bar.
Even though it rained into the night, that didn’t stop the party from going on. Everyone had so much fun and the Disney lip sync battle of the sexes was pretty epic as the bride won hands down!