Last summer I had the privilege of attending ISS-Orlando as a guest and it was an incredible experience but it could never have prepared me for what I experienced in ISS-Mexico. I must admit that shooting this event was not an easy task, especially without my amazing second-shooter (aka: my hubby) but I couldn’t have done it without the help of Karl & Nanette of Luminaire Foto. We had a blast together (you’ll see a bit of the fun in their photobooth at the end of this post) and it was a blessing meeting both of them.

Besides making new friends and sharing unbelievable experiences together, here are some mentionable highlights of my time in Mexico:
-Almost (accidentally) throwing Mike Colon off a lifeguard tower, this one to be exact. (Thanks Austin for the snapshot, priceless memory and thank you Ana, our talented model)
-Preston Bailey complimenting our work and autographing his book with, “Mariana & Khaled, you both have an amazing eye.” Yes, right at that moment life couldn’t get much better.
-Rooming with Krystyn of Bridal Beauty Chicago. I had never met her before and instantly felt like she was family.
-Christopher Confero and Clayton Gray. LOVE them both to the moon and back.
-Opening my dinner invitation on Day 2 to find that it was with Sonny Ganguly…you know, the guy that created Sony. (I guess it’s a bit of an inside joke).
-Working closely with Sandie (Stacie’s mom), Rachel, The Jens and the rest of the crew. They did a phenomenal job and it was such a pleasure.
-Getting to know Ceci Johnson. I met Ceci before in Miami last year and I’m thankful I had the opportunity to chat more with her in Mexico. She’s a big inspiration and I absolutely love her work.
-Tajin Seasoning. Lisi Korn, although we didn’t get to hang out as much as I would have loved, a big thank you for introducing me to the delicious seasoning. I finally found it in Tampa and use it on everything!
-It was hilarious and fun to spend time with Dana Larue and her hubby, Hunter. The monkey showing his ‘affection’ to Hunter was probably one of my favorite memories.
-Riding the van from the airport to the resort with Youngsong Martin and getting to know her and her hubby was a great experience.
-Traveling with my airport pals ❤ Petronella, Eddy and Marilyn, Eileen and her hubby, Brad.
-Meeting Kathy Romero. I can’t describe what a wonderful and inspiring woman she truly is. It’s no wonder why her beautiful face is gracing the cover of the first issue of  ISS Magazine. I might even have to create a blog post to feature her and how she’s motivated me in many ways. Kathy…We’re.On.Fire.
 
There are just too many memories to list, but I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to work with and share amazing memories with such a wonderful group of top-industry professionals. Wishing 2012 is full of much success and happiness for each of you!

If you haven’t attended yet, I highly recommend you check out and register for one of the upcoming ISS events!

 

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At the end of January, The Special Event came to Tampa. I had never attended before and had just returned from a conference (ISS Mexico) when I heard of it so I didn’t sign up for any presentations or attend any of the additional events. It was convenient that it was here in my home town, so I got myself over to the event a few times that week. I visited the Exhibit Hall, connected with some really talented wedding pros in our industry and had an opportunity to enjoy the event at a more relaxed and laid back manner. Overall, it was a great experience!

Meet Gigi, made up of an array of colorful flowers from FiftyFlowers.com. She was a celebrity at the Exhibit Hall with the paparazzi swarming around her constantly.

Concept Bait and AFR Event Furnishings did a stellar job with their booth. Loved the Moroccan vibe!

These glittery chocolates by Bedazzle my BonBons were yummylicious! Thanks to Caroline of Caroline & Evan Photography I purchased two boxes of one in every color to take home with me!

It was such a pleasure to meet these three ladies! Saundra Hadley of Planning Forever, Kelly McWilliams of Weddingtidbits, and Kelly Spalding of Perfectly Placed are outrageously fun and left me wishing that we had had more time to hang out.

There are many reasons I love attending conferences. One of the them is the way serendipity has a way of creeping in when you least expect it. That’s the only way I can describe meeting Tara Guérard. She was sitting at her book signing area at a time when I was waiting for WOW Mom session to begin. We greeted each other and a few minutes later we were chatting about Tara’s love of film photography, Elizabeth Messina, our families and how our businesses began. I’m so glad I got to meet her as I have since looked over and fallen in love with her work. Looking forward to opportunities to connect with her again in the future.

I was delighted when Stacie founder of Inspire Smart Success asked me to take a few snapshots of her speaking at the WowMom presentation. The speakers had great insight and a couple of my favorite parts included the slideshow of these talented women’s children describing what they loved about their moms’ businesses and Ruth Moyte‘s top 10 tips for mom survival in the industry!

Love these two ladies! xoxo!

I didn’t bring my camera the next day, but as the saying goes: “The best camera is the one that’s with you.” Here’s a few iPad snapshots (just for Kelly, lol) of the inspiring presentations at the Exhibit Hall:

A huge thanks to Eileen from Diva with a Fork for snapping this pic of me at The Party Goddess booth. Tweeting this pic won me a 3-month membership for the Bullpen Coaching Session with Marley Majcher!

The night before the Exhibit Hall opened at The Special Event, we had an ISS alumni meetup at Miguels (If you’re in Tampa and like Mexican food, you must try this delicious restaurant). It was great catching up with other alumni and meeting some new faces. A huge thanks to Eileen of Diva with a Fork  for choosing a great place and Sandie (Stacie’s wonderful mom) for putting this fun meetup together!
(Photo credit: Stacie & Kelly’s phone pics)

Another opportunity to connect with some awesome wedding pros was the TSE Tweetup at Champions Sport Bar (at the Marriott). Thanks to Melissa of Masterpiece Weddings and Lauren of Every Last Detail for setting this up. I was able to meet many new faces and finally meet some long-time twitter friends in-the-flesh, including the lovely Michelle Loretta from Sage Wedding Pros. You can see a few pics of the tweetup here and here.

It was a week of catching up with some industry friends, making new friendships, getting inspired and besides sharing knowledge and experience, sharing some great laughs!

We’re all a little weird. And life is weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness—and call it love—true love.

Besides a unique spelling to his name, Keily (pronounced Kelly) has a way to make anyone laugh so hard that they may doubt their bladder control-especially his gorgeous fiancée, Nicole. She’s almost certain that 50 years from now she’ll need diapers, but that’s a risk she’s more than willing to take. We knew their engagement session would have plenty of laughs when we received this fun couple’s answers to our questionnaire. We were cracking up while reading over their responses! Nicole may hurt me for sharing this, but one of my favorite answers was Keily’s when asked about things that make him laugh about her. Keily described, ”How when she drinks soda from a can, one eye closes.”

You see, right then and there, I fell in love with this couple. They seemed all the more ‘real’ to me. Their answers made Khaled and I realize how many small details we love and laugh about each other. At that moment, we were not the only ‘weird’ ones in the world and we couldn’t wait to document Nicole and Keily’s unique love story.

When I asked Nicole what she envisioned for her e-session, I loved that she let me know what she wanted to stay away from: Nature. Although a picturesque garden might be lovely, that was not Nicole or Keily’s style. They are a modern couple that love the Miami scene, music, and you can usually find them enjoying their favorite yummy sushi at Origami Sushi.

The Grand Bohemian Hotel in Orlando was perfect with it’s artistic and musical touches. We found great spots throughout downtown Orlando and finished the evening with a scrumptious dinner at Ceviche.

We are so excited to share a few of our favorite images from Nicole and Keily’s engagement session with you and looking forward to their wedding in June!

We thank all the talented vendors that helped to bring this vision to life and waited so patiently for the issue to be released. We’re thrilled this editorial has received such a great response and can inspire brides nationally.

But that’s not all that’s in store for this collaboration. You’ll be able to see the editorial featured on Brenda’s Wedding Blog this Friday, February 3rd and here on our blog next week. You won’t want to miss those features that will include never-before-seen images and an exclusive film created by Tampa Wonderworks (We’ve been dying to share with all of you for a little over a year)!

We couldn’t have done any of this without the tremendous talent and support of Brenda Bennett Maille, Kristin Anderson Rose, Marlene Garcia Turner, Bryan Coward, Samantha Powell Valentin, Lauren Harper Grove, Mante Baronas, Michele Renee Zerda, Amanda Allen, Tristian ‘Brien’ Skidmore, Cindy Almanzar Rivera, and Ivy Long. Sending a virtual hug to each of you!

Cruising aboard the Carnival Inspiration for 4 days, pristine aqua-marine water, a beautiful ceremony on an exclusive and limited access beach club with a lovely couple and their sweet family and friends.

Margarita and Juan’s destination wedding in Mexico was definitely an adventure and an unforgettable experience. There are so many details, that the feature will be two-parts. Their lovely wedding day as you’ll see below and part II will include the rest of our 4-day adventure.

There are many elements that made this experience so unique, but one of my favorites was spending a few days with our couple, their family and friends, and the very special person who made this all possible by referring us to Margarita, one of our first brides- turned amazing friend, Nerlin. (You can see Nerlin and Andy’s beautiful wedding from Nov 2010 here)

Within a few seconds of meeting Margarita, you cant help but smile and be infected with her laughter. She is as beautiful on the inside as on the outside. Her eyes light up whenever Juan’s around and it’s adorable.  I’ll never forget how excited she was to see Juan for their first look. We set it up so that while everyone was debarking the ship, Margarita and Juan were alone at the top of the ship with an incredible view and practically the entire area to themselves! It was gorgeous! I found out there are many advantages to going on a cruise for your destination wedding, but I’ll save all those tips for a future blog post.

When we arrived in Mexico we had an awesome surprise waiting for us. An extra hour. Yep, we didn’t realize the time difference and had a whole additional hour! Let me tell you, to a wedding photographer that’s like winning the lottery! When we got past the port, (and everyone there either congratulating the couple or yelling that they still had time to reconsider, lol) we took a taxi and Juan brought us to a beautiful rocky beach area where we did their bride and groom portraits. Juan also introduced us to coconuts with lime and chile…yum!

Margarita and Juan had their ceremony at the exclusive Nachi Cocom Beach Club in Cozumel. Their wedding colors included tangerine tango the stunning 2012 Pantone Color of the year. Ana and the rest of the Nachi Cocom team did an amazing job with all the details and the lovely wedding cake was scrumptious! I wanted to bring some back home with me, along with a little bit of the  home-made salsa and chips!

This was our first time to Cozumel and hopefully not our last. Margarita and Juan, we wish you many, many years of happiness and from the bottom of our heart, thank you. For trusting us with your beautiful memories and for sharing this wonderful adventure with us! Much love to you and your family!

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” I find this quote by Albert Einstein to be not only humorous, but completely truthful.

Failed resolutions have brought me a step closer to understanding what I need to do to succeed. I’ve chosen to examine my trail of failed attempts. To write out the mistakes I made in 2011 and as far back as I can remember, so that I can clearly see what I can do different in 2012 and beyond.

“Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success.”

It’s never too late to start, begin anywhere. Thanks to Alexandra Beauregard of Heart Love Weddings, I came across this 16-page workbook created by Susannah Conway that has helped me focus on what I want to make happen in 2012.

At the suggestion of so many wonderful colleagues, I’ve also created a vision board for 2012. Actually, my entire family did. It was a fun project to do together and we focused on what we envisioned for our family, our careers, and ourselves.

I can say that in the last few weeks of 2011 and the nine days of 2012, setting new patterns, staying focused on what I’ve visualized, and learning from past mistakes has made me feel incredibly blessed and on fire! I can’t wait to see the opportunities and experiences this year has to offer!

I’ll end this post with one of my favorite quotes, from one of my favorite authors, Paulo Coelho. “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”

So visualize it, plan it, and shout it out to the world. It’s listening.

When I walked in and saw her absolutely breathtaking gown and gorgeous bouquet, I couldn’t wait to see Jessie’s face when he saw his bride! As I mentioned in their e-session blog feature, Jessica and Jessie had to move up their wedding date due to Jessie’s obligations in the Air Force (coincidentally we discovered Jessie will be deployed to Saudi Arabia, which is where Khaled is from.) We were amazed with how well everything worked out and how this sweet couple handled the changes.  Their wedding was set for a Friday and I must say, I loved it. It was our first Friday wedding and it just felt so different. Their intimate church wedding was simply classic and lovely. Aside from me almost falling in front of everyone during the ceremony (we’ll leave those boring details for another time) this was definitely a wedding we’ll never forget!

We are so thankful for Jessica and Jessie’s family and bridal party. They were such a pleasure to spend time with and so helpful. Jessica and Jessie, thank you for allowing us to be part of your day. We hope our images bring the happiness and beautiful memories from your wedding day to life everyday.

Wedding gown designer: Robin Jillian
Wedding gown boutique: Jon’s Bridal
Bride’s dress shoes: Marc Fisher
Garter: Fredericks
Bride’s Hair: Mei of Divine Design 
Bride’s Make Up: Lindsay Does Makeup
Wedding cake: Publix
Invitations, Paper products: Bride (DIY)

In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, and never in want.― Irish toast

How are you celebrating the last 24 hours of 2011? Whether it’s spending time with family and friends, working, traveling, partying, and/or tying up lose ends to make room for 2012, we wish you the best New Year’s Eve yet! May the new year bring much happiness and success!

There are no words to describe how blessed we’ve been this year. We are grateful for our client’s trusting us with their most precious memories, the wonderful and talented vendors we’ve had the pleasure to work with, the mind-blowing supportive online community, those that have believed in our talents and opened windows for amazing opportunities and the cherished friendships we’ve made.

We have chosen 2012 to be a year for us to focus on what matters most, be disciplined in our actions, grow our business in unimaginable ways, give back and find ways to make a difference.

This evening, as we countdown the hours, minutes, and seconds to a new year, we will reflect on what we could have done better this year, where there is room for improvement, and build on these reflections for a stronger vision for 2012!

As for our kiddos, Karina and Jared, they’ve already got a head start on the celebration!

You might remember Matt & Alison from their sweet engagement session last March. Their October rustic-elegant wedding was at the lovely Cross Creek Ranch. When Alison told us that her wedding reception would take place in a barn with hundreds of twinkling lights and her wedding colors included razzleberry pink, chocolate brown, and apple green, we were excited to see it all come together.

Although rain threw some challenges our way on Matt and Alison’s wedding day, their romance and love prevailed even under the harshest weather conditions. The Cross Creek Ranch crew were amazingly helpful, even holding umbrellas over Khaled while he shot formals and I positioned family and friends under the barn. Additionally, we couldn’t have asked for a more understanding or sweeter bridal party! The guests had a phenomenal time and the evening celebration went on without a hitch.

Enjoy some of our favorite images from their sweet wedding. The wedding details are all lovely but you MUST check out the groom’s cake. It’s simply a work of art. Created by Matt’s aunt, Gayle.

Wedding gown designer: Robin Jillian
Wedding gown boutique: Jon’s Bridal
Bride’s dress shoes: Nina
Bride’s cowgirl boots: Ariat 
Garter: The Chica Boutique (Etsy)
Bride’s jewelry:  T’s Studio Jewelry (Etsy)
Bride’s hair/make-up: Collective Creation’s - Marissa Bush
Groom’s cake – Groom’s Aunt – Gayle Brown
Wedding cake & cupcakes - Publix
Cake topper – Nicole Clark (Etsy)
Pastor: Mark Saunders from Baylife Church
Wedding Venue: Cross Creek Ranch
Florist: Alta Fleura by Alta McCarthy
Caterer: Hungry Harry’s BBQ
Invitations, Place Cards, Programs – Bride & Groom (DIY)

As we prepare this evening to gather with family over a yummy Christmas Eve dinner, share some laughs and tears reminiscing over the year while listening to our favorite Christmas songs, I just want to savor these moments and freeze them in time.

2012 is sure to bring change and undiscovered opportunities to all and faithfully I look forward to celebrating, in-person or virtually with each of you!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays & New Year from our family to yours!! XOXO!

This quick shot was taken this evening with our camera on a timer, haha!

Since we’re not Santa & we can’t visit all of you, here’s a special message just for you! Be sure to leave Khaled some extra love, it’s his 1st time on video!