Ok, I admit it. Speedy Gonzales gave me my first exposure to a place called Mexico. Yes, I was six year old, who can blame me? He was the funniest little cartoon ever! However, as I grew older I fell in love with something much more important: Mexican food! Hey, I’m not talking Tijuana Flats, Chipotle, or Taco Bell (although, I love every.single.one.of.those.) I’m talking about authentic, scrumptious, Mexican food. Those tasty empanadas, tortillas made from scratch, enchiladas and mouth-watering sauce…yeah, I’m getting hungry.

You can imagine my excitement as I was having lunch with my previous bride, Nerlin, and she went into detail about her sweet friend, Margarita’s, destination wedding to…you got it, Mexico! It was a few months later that we would have the opportunity to meet Margarita and Juan in person and we couldn’t be happier to document their beautiful wedding day.

Margarita and Juan will be saying their I-do’s in Cozumel at the exclusive Nachi Cocum Beach Club this Saturday and we’ll be boarding the Carnival Inspiration headed to Cozumel this evening!

We’ll be doing many ‘firsts’ on this adventure. It’ll be Khaled’s first cruise. My first time traveling internationally, which means my first time using my passport. (Yay! The travel junkie in me is just throwing a huge party!) Our first time to Mexico, our first international destination wedding, and our first cruise together. To say we’re thrilled is an understatement.

¡Ándele! ¡Ándele! ¡Arriba! ¡Arriba! Have a fabulous weekend!

As unreal as it feels, Kismis Ink is just a couple months short from its 2 year anniversary. It’s mind-boggling that in such a short time, we’ve had the privilege to work with amazing clients, vendors, build a stronger business and travel quite a bit this year. An ‘Alice in Wonderland’-inspired wedding in Georgia, a new Mr. & Mrs. session in Vegas, an intimate courthouse wedding in Miami Beach and we are looking forward to our first international wedding at the exclusive Nachi Cocom Beach Club in Cozumel, Mexico this November!

As we are getting closer to year-end, I recently took some time to revisit our 3-5 year business goals and realized that we met most of the goals listed already! That just makes more room to add some new goals, but I’m thankful and excited for what’s in store for 2012 and beyond!

This time last year, I was conceptualizing a gorgeous wedding editorial with the help of some super-talented vendors. It was our first creative editorial and we were humbled with the support and trust we received from local and international vendors. It gives us such pleasure to share that a selection from our first wedding editorial can be found in the inspiration galleries of Grace Ormonde and the editorial has been selected for a 3-page print feature in another one of our favorite magazines to be released early next year!

I am eager to share the images, details & absolutely stunning creative film by Tampa Wonderworks Film but we’ll have to wait until after the publication comes out.

A huge thank you to everyone that has supported, believed, and worked with us. We put our heart into everything we do and we’re blessed with your relationships.

One of the many satisfactions of being a wedding photographer is the opportunity to experience and document love in so many ways. We are each unique individuals and one-of-a-kind…and so are relationships. It’s a true blessing to see how different couples plan their special day. Some celebrations are intimate while others are extravagant…but what they all have in common is two individuals vowing their love to each other.

When Frances contacted us for her Miami Beach intimate nuptials, she expressed how important it was for her special day to be captured in an intimate, very personal way where the images felt natural and candid. As a graphic designer, composition of the images was also really important to Frances. We were beyond thrilled to oblige!

More than 80 years old, Miami Beach’s historic Old City Hall, with its beautiful Mediterranean architecture, was the perfect location for Frances and Felipe to say their I-Do’s. Frances’s parents flew in from Puerto Rico and along with France’s lovely sister, they witnessed Felipe and Frances become husband and wife.

We were privileged to spend some time before the ceremony at Frances and Felipe’s gorgeous high rise apt (with a stellar view of Miami, as you can see in the first image below) and get to know a little more about them. We also met Chewie, their cute lil pug and sweet baby Valentina, Frances’s niece.

Thanks to Frances, I am now addicted to CB2, West Elm, and I plan on moving to a high rise apartment with an amazing view…very soon.

Frances and Felipe, thank you for having us as part of your special day. We hope you have an amazing adventure on your New Zealand and Fiji honeymoon!

Chiffon dresses in bright colors. Endless shopping. Bride meltdowns. Bridal luncheons. Carrying massive quantities of tissue. Drama. You know, the usual bridesmaid experience. The only wedding I’ve been a part of is my own and the closest I’ve come to being a bridesmaid is my camera in one hand and my client’s wedding dress in the other. After watching the hilarious comedy, Bridesmaids, I felt even more curious about the experience.

When Khaled and I got married in 2009, my bridesmaids were my heros. Keeping me calm, drama-free and going above and beyond to make my wedding day special. I’ll never forget how Dharma brought out her Ms.-Fix-It skills in our getting ready suite and came to my rescue when a chair almost attacked me. True story.

Bridesmaids all over the world, I want to hear from you. If you are a former or current bridesmaid please share any advice or your experiences for soon-to-be ‘maids!

All this week, leave your comments on this blog post. On Saturday, Oct. 8th, I’ll put all the names in a basket and choose one lucky winner of a…you guessed it, a hilarious and drama-packed Bridesmaids DVD!

Good luck!

How could I end this post without introducing you to my wedding day heroes: Mary, Dharma, & Ana (my sister). ♥

It’s October. Nope, writing it out doesn’t make it any more believable than when my desk calendar reminded me on Saturday morning. How could this year have flashed by so quickly?! Normally, I’d be jumping up and down, blasting some Christmas tunes on Spotify. Yes, I hear ya, it’s a tad early but this IS my favorite time of the year. But unlike past years, Bing Crosby’s Winter Wonderland is not echoing throughout my living room (yet). You see, I have less than 90 days or so to achieve everything that’s left on my 2011 goal list and I have to admit, it’s not looking too good. But thankfully, Pinterest reminded me that “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”

In other news, we’ll be traveling quite a bit more before 2012 arrives and making way for some very exciting changes. We’re looking forward to Matt and Alison’s wedding this weekend and Jessica and Jessie’s later this month.

We are certainly blessed with pretty amazing couples. Here’s a preview of Frances and Felipe’s Miami courthouse wedding. It was such a unique experience to spend a few hours with them and their sweet family who traveled from Puerto Rico for the intimate occasion. I can’t wait to feature Frances and Felipe’s special day on our blog soon!