Last month we traveled to Little Palm Island to photograph a wedding of another great couple, and oh boy did we have a lot fun there! I mean, when was the last time you were at a wedding and a wild deer came up to a bride and started eating flowers of her bouquet?!?!
So, let us introduce you to Jim and Theresa. They met at the Marco Island Marriott in 2007, and eventually found themselves working very closely together in the wedding field . (Jim is the wedding sales manager and Theresa is the wedding coordinator).
In 2011 one kiss changed everything, and one date made them realize they were perfect for each other and after a whirlwind romance they knew they wanted to start the rest of their lives as soon as possible. After getting engaged in Key West over the summer, they choose Little Palm Island for an intimate affair with family and friends. You couldn’t wish for a better day and weather for your Big Day. The colors of the sky and water were mind-blowing and everything was just perfect! Have a Happy Marriage guys, and thank you again for choosing us for your wedding photography!

This great couple flew down here from Illinois in December to explore the area and to get their Engagement pictures taken.
Zach and Ashley were set up by a mutual friend three years ago right before their University’s Christmas break. They both left school for a month to enjoy the Christmas break. Zach’s dad gave him a hard time over break to call Ashley, but he was too shy. When they returned from Christmas the same friend who set them up had a birthday party where they reconnected and Zack asked Ashley out on a date. Three years later Zach proposed at the Lake of the Ozarks in October on a crystal clear night on the dock. It was perfect. They are getting married in May, until then, everyone can enjoy their engagement photos that we took here in Naples.

Matthew and Bianca began dating in August of 2006 and they took their first trip together in February of 2007. They went to Naples, Florida and stayed at the Naples Grande Beach Resort. During their trip, Matthew took Bianca to one of his favorite places….the Marco Island Marriott for drinks at Quinn’s on the Beach. Bianca immediately LOVED the place and they had a fabulous time there. It was so wonderful, the couple decided to spend their next few New Year’s Eve trips at the Marco Island Marriott. Each year they would look forward to their next stay there. As usual, the couple returned to the Marriott in December of 2010. Months in advance, Matthew began planning the proposal of a lifetime. He arranged a romantic sailing excursion and planned to surprise Bianca by popping the question via a sand sculpture on the beach reading, “Bianca, will you marry me, Matthew”. The couple returned to the hotel after their sailing excursion and were driven onto the beach towards the sculpture. The couple walked out of the van and walked up to the sculpture of hands holding an open ring box with a ring inside. Bianca’s mouth dropped open as soon as she saw the message carved in the middle and saw Matthew down on one knee.

It was such a spectacular engagement the couple made the front page of the Marco Eagle newspaper!! The proposal set the romantic atmosphere for their wedding. The couple lives in Chicago and planned a beautiful destination wedding in Marco Island, Florida. They shared their special day with close family and friends exchanging vows at San Marco Catholic church. After the ceremony, the guests enjoyed a cocktail hour on the beach followed by a lavish dinner on the terrace under the stars. Then it was party time as the bride and groom danced the night away with their guests!

Wedding Planner: Carrie Darling (Carrie Darling Events)

Wedding Coordinator: Theresa Strong (Marco Island Marriott)

Wedding Dress: Marisa

Shoes: Badgley Mischka

Make-up: Karen Brandt (friend)

Hair: Jessica (South Beach Hair)

Rings: Daniel Lam

Floral: Ava’s Flowers

Videographer: Irberseder Productions

Groomsmen Tuxedos: Men’s Wearhouse

Wedding Cake: Marco Marriott

Groom’s Cake: Kakes by Karen

DJ: Dominick Buonantuono (Mobile Sound Entertainment)

Steel Pan Drums: Mello Vibes Entertainment

Officiant: Father Gordon Zanetti

This powerhouse couple started dating in September of 2008; Sheena and Chris have been inseparable best friends ever since. They attended the same high school, but didn’t start dating until running into each other again in college. With many things in common, along with both being from big Italian families and working in the healthcare profession (Sheena is a dental assistant and Chris is studying to be an RN) they never run out of things to talk and laugh about. Chris asked Sheena to marry him this Thanksgiving on a private lake, with a “groom build-a-bear” set up on a bench with roses and a sign reading: “Will you marry me?” She immediately said yes and their fairy tale immediately has started to unfold. They plan to tie the knot January 26, 2013 at Olde Cypress Country Club in Naples.

Alex and Greg
New Ground Photography

Sam and Megan met in July of 2007 when Megan came to work for his father who is a plastic surgeon. For years both Megan and Sam had their own lives and their own relationships. Yet, every time they’d see each other at the office, there was always a twinkle in both of their eyes. Everyone always thought it would be so nice if they’d end up together. Strangely, Megan dreamt about Sam for an entire year and always wondered why he was in her dreams. In November of 2009, both of their relationships were getting rocky and Megan had the courage to finally tell Sam that she had been dreaming of him off and on for a whole year. Sam responded with, “I didn’t have to dream to think about you”. The next time they saw each other at the office, Megan’s heart began to race..
As Sam got in the elevator while Megan said goodbye, the doors closed and something incredible happened. At that exact moment they both felt something that would change their lives forever.
Megan text Sam, “Did you feel that?” and Sam replied.. “yes!” They both knew at that moment how deeply they felt about one another. They both were single before they knew it; spending endless nights on the phone, wining and dining and realizing that they were the perfect match.
Six months later, they found a house and moved in together. Almost a year later, Sam planned out the most romantic engagement a girl could dream of.
It was Megan’s birthday in May and while Sam was playing dumb the entire day, Megan thought he didn’t have anything planned for her. Little did she know, Sam had planned out something spectacular. While at work, Megan received a gigantic display of red roses with a card enclosed with a room key to the Biltmore hotel with step by step directions on what to do. Everything she would need was at the hotel already; she just had to get there. The bellhop escorted her to her room which was the entire 13th floor, the Al Capon Suite! Sam had a dress, shoes and jewelry all picked out in a beautiful box on the bed. Rose petals along the floor, candles…the whole works. Later that evening, they met and Sam proposed.
They set up their wedding in 6 short months to get married at the Marriott in Marco Island in front of their closest friends and family. They would take trips there a couple times a year and thought it would be the perfect place for a destination wedding.
As much as they hoped for no rain at this outdoor wedding, it did. It drizzled lightly the entire night but it never got these two love birds down, they had a permanent smile on their faces all night. They even had wedding crashers come dance with them at the end of the night! The wedding turned out beautiful and was a complete success.

Dress: Maggie Sottero
Flowers: Mia Flowers and Andres Aguilar
Rings: Jareds
Shoes: Charolette Rousse
Cake: Marriott Marco Island
Make Up: Esther Branly (friend)
Music & Entertainment: DJ Ceron
Wedding Coordinator: Mark Williams

Anand and Neha met on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, of all places, in July 2011 while having a dinner with some mutual friends. During this dinner, Neha approached Anand to introduce herself and they got to talking about what they did for a living. When Neha mentioned that she wanted to start her own business, Anand gave her his business card and told her to get in touch when she was ready to move forward with her idea. It was a sneaky way of saying, “Call me!”. Later that evening, Anand discovered that Neha was talking to someone else, which certainly put a damper on his spirits. Oh well.

As fate would have it, they ran into each other again but this time, Neha was apparently angry about something (turned out to be that other guy). She sat down next to Anand and asked, “Hey, can I show you how to box?” and without waiting for a response, she started to punch him on his left shoulder. Quite an icebreaker.

A few weeks later, Anand was following-up with people he had met and decided to reach out to Neha to see where she was with her business idea. One thing led to another and they quickly became friends with a ton in common. After talking for a week, Neha couldn’t resist: she asked him out on a date and came to Atlanta to see him. That Saturday night, Anand realized he was having dinner with the woman that he would one day marry.

On November 12th, Anand drove to Baton Rouge and surprised Neha with a candle-lit dinner at her favorite spot along the Mississippi River. There, he also proposed.

Anand and Neha will be wed in August 2012 in Monroe, Louisiana in front of friends and family from all over the world.

Dress: David’s Bridal-Ft. Myers
Flowers: Garden District-Naples
Shoes: Tie the Knot-Naples
Rings: Kay Jewelers-Naples and Ft. Myers
Cake: Naples Beach Hotel
Makeup/Hair: Naples Beach Hotel
DJ: DJ Z-Bop
Officiant: Reverend Thomas L. Stiers (the minister from Kaytie’s church growing up in Old Greenwich, CT and family friend).
Wedding Coordinator: Melissa Read, Naples Beach Hotel

Brittany and Gregory met in 2005 working together at TGI Friday’s in Ohio. When they first met the first thing that Gregory said to Brittany was our first son’s name will be Joseph. Quite a bold statement, however, they hit it off quickly and became close friends. Later that year, Gregory moved to Florida. A few years passed by, and they kept in contact, talking on the phone every chance they could. Gregory came to visit Ohio and met up with Brittany, and they knew that there was definitely chemistry between them, but the distance was a problem. A few months later Brittany decided that she was going to move to Florida so that she and Gregory could pursue a relationship. She filled up her car, drove with her dad, and showed up on Gregory’s doorstep. Unfortunately, she didn’t come with an instruction manual They became engaged at the Marco Island Marriott in July of 2010, and decided that that was the perfect place for their wedding the following year. November 8th, 2011 came quickly and passed quickly. It was a beautiful Florida beach wedding shared with close family and friends. It was truly unforgettable.