Any LOST fans out there? How much did you love the season premiere this last week?! We are big LOST fans so we decided to have a little premiere party this week in celebration of the return of our beloved characters. We had some Dharma snacks and lots of good friends around. If you are not already addicted to this show, I’m sure this season will pull you in. It’s so fantastic!

Dharma beverage rations.

Heather & Stephanie from Ha! Photography

Recently I have been asked by a lot of people how we get our skies to look the way they do in pictures. I am so flattered by the question because bold skies are one of our favorite things to shoot and we take a lot of pride in the images! I’m not going to lie to you, a lot of the magic happens in the camera. A good quality lens will help a lot as well! I know you were wishing for some secret Photoshop trick but I don’t really have one for you. You have got to get your pictures looking good straight out of the camera if you want them to look good after they’ve been edited. There’s only so much you can do with a poorly taken picture. So, step one: make sure you have got your settings down in camera! The editing is the easy part! We use Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop CS3 for our post processing and we have a storehouse of textures, actions, and presets that we use for our work. For our big sky pictures, we generally use the actions from Totally Rad.

Here is a before and after from one of our recent big sky portraits with our camera settings and actions of choice:

Now go out there and capture those gorgeous skies all around you!

Happy Holidays!

The “Dream Team” of Orlando Wedding Professionals:

Wedding Attire:

Solutions Bridal in Winter Park

When you first walk into Solutions Bridal in Winter Park you’ll notice how swanky it is, but not in a stuffy way. It’s got the feel of a contemporary urban loft that just happens to be filled with delicate designer gowns and dripping with gorgeous chandeliers. The ladies there are extremely knowledgeable and will help you find THE PERFECT dress. Every bride should enjoy the experience of trying on gowns at Solutions.

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Photographers:

Studio222 Photography | The Modern Photography Experts

Well us, obviously. Who did you think we’d suggest for this category? ;)

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Coordinators:

Blush by Brandee Gaar

The ladies at Blush by Brandee Gaar are all talented, visionary, organized, and extremely wonderful to work with. Having a wedding coordinator is one of the smartest investments you can make for your wedding as it relieves so much stress from you and your family and allows you to leave all the details behind and enjoy yourself. Not only that, but you can utilize their connections and experience throughout the entire planning process! Every wedding that we have had the honor of working with them for has been beautiful, on time, low-stress, and perfectly executed.

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Florists/Design & Decor:

Greenery Productions

Tommy Murphy with Greenery Productions has blown our minds time and time again with his amazing creations. We have never seen anything as elegant, inspirational, and unique as Tommy’s creations. Never once have he had to deal with a worried bride wondering where her flowers are when we work with Greenery Productions. They are always there early setting up their beautiful pieces. Each piece is a bit different and Tommy incorporates not just flowers but other plants, wood, fruit, and just about anything into his stunning works of art. Brides who want something un-cliched that guests will be talking about for weeks afterward need to contact Tommy today!

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Venues:

The Cypress Grove Estate House

The Cypress Grove Estate House is a gorgeous hidden gem just south of downtown Orlando. It’s secluded behind a tree-lined entranceway that will make you feel like you’ve instantly been transported to Savannah. The house has rooms for the bridal party to get ready and also houses cocktail time on the back terrace. The ceremony is set up facing a lake under a gorgeous gazebo that can be decorated to fit your own themes. The reception is also held outside under twinkling lights. It’s picturesque to say the least and always beautiful and filled with charm.

Bella Collina

Bella Collina. What can we say. It’s the closest thing to a wedding in an Italian villa that you can get this side of the Atlantic. This GORGEOUS venue is hidden out in Monte Verde among rolling hills and huge mansions. Ceremonies are held on the large yard overlooking hills and lakes with the romantic stone building behind and a bubbling fountain creating ambience. This venue is absolutely stunning and requires very little additional decor. Lush, romantic, tuscan, and dreamy, Bella Collina will transport you.

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Live Band:

Soul Funktion

Soul Funktion is without a doubt the BEST live band we’ve ever seen at a wedding. Their group is quite large and with an Emcee as a lead singer the energy never dips. Two other female singers take turns leading the floor as the band rocks out to horn-heavy American favorites. These are the types of songs that make you feel good, make you wanna dance, and make you scream out “I LOVE this song!” Never corny, never invasive, this group vibes off the energy of the dance floor and flexes with the flow of the evening. Absolute wedding perfection.

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DJ’s:

White Rose Entertainment

Dan Beniot from White Rose Entertainment is our favorite DJ. He is experienced, professional, and talented. Picking a DJ can be one of the most daunting tasks when planning a wedding. You don’t want corny, you don’t want obnoxious, you don’t want someone without the right equipment or music on hand, and it’s hard to choose because you can’t really crash weddings to see the DJ’s in person. Dan’s setup is impressive and professional. He mixes songs together all night so instead of a slew of songs one after the other, the music blends beautifully into itself to create an almost unbroken piece. He is the perfect mix of emcee and seasoned DJ only getting on the mic when necessary and never ruining a moment with a corny line. As the owner, packages with him are a bit more expensive, but completely worth it.

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Other Local Venders that we recommend:

The Lake Mary Events Center

Black Diamond Ranch

Grand Bohemian Hotel Orlando

JW Marriott Grande Lakes

Knockout Artistry

Priscilla of Boston Boutique

Puff ‘n Stuff Catering

Paloma’s Nest

Anna Bond at Rifle Design (Invitations, Stationery)

Orange Blossom Ink (Invitations, Stationery)

Lauren Grove (Coordinator)

*These vendors have not paid us to recommend them and we don’t get kickbacks for these referrals. Each recommended vendor is a vendor that we have personally had an extremely positive experience with.