Stephanie & Michael’s Disney Swan Crescent Terrace Micro Wedding was flawless

There are so many things to say about this wedding. The venue, the weather, the other vendors, THE COUPLE…where to start?

newly married couple posing on the bridge between disney's swan and boardwalk resorts

While I’ve done many micro weddings at Disney Springs, this was my first micro wedding at the Swan & Dolphin. The Swan has a couple of different areas to get married outside—Stephanie & Michael chose the Crescent Terrace which is a great choice for a few reasons: apart from the fact that Disney is spotless, the Crescent Terrace is sheltered by beautiful, mature trees so the light is soft, even in the blazing heat of high noon in August. The colors are delicate and won’t overpower your desired aesthetic. The area would look great with many different photography and editing styles.

wedding photo showing couple getting married at the crescent terrace at disney's swan resort

A bonus of this venue is that it’s attached to Disney’s Boardwalk resort which is a fantastic location frequented often by photographers. Michael & Stephanie are from New Jersey and The Boardwalk is styled after turn-of-the-century boardwalks in coastal cities like Coney Island and Atlantic City. There was hardly anyone around and we got some excellent shots there.

newly married couple posing at disney's boardwalk after their micro wedding

The weather was what you’d expect for Florida in summer. It was dangerously hot, especially for folks who aren’t from here and used to sweltering temperatures and high humidity. While there were fluffy perfect clouds in the sky, it didn’t rain. I decided to buy a bunch of powerful portable fans for my clients to carry with them throughout our photo time together and they were a big hit!

The other vendors at this micro wedding are folks I’ve run into a few times now. You’ll recognize Catherine, The Ginger Officiant, from many of my weddings. I refer her to couples often but even when I don’t, she’s there! I also had the pleasure of working again with violinist Tanner Johnson who is mad talented and has been playing violin since he was literally a toddler. Spectacular. It was my first time working with The Swan’s planning team from Just Marry. I worked with their senior events manager Mairead who was so extremely on the ball from the day I signed on as photographer and on the day, she had everything covered while being cool as a cucumber—what more could you want in a planner? Flowers by Blooming Glory, and that fantastic pastel-toned dress is a Vera Wang. I can’t believe it but Stephanie did her own makeup and it held up better some of my brides who use a makeup artist. I couldn’t believe when she told me that she did it herself!

Ok are ready to hear about the couple? Michael and Stephanie. What warm, special people. There’s something about micro wedding folks…it’s why I love this niche. They’re always so special and wear their hearts on their sleeve. I was thrilled to death that they didn’t want to do a first look. In my opinion, the best first look is when one is walking down the aisle toward the other. With the expectation, the music, and everyone’s excitement, it makes for an emotionally heightened moment.

I’m not just saying this when I say that Michael’s reaction to seeing his bride is the best I’ve witnessed in 16 years of this business. He was the very epitome of the word “stunned”. She was stunning and he was utterly ecstatic. Punching the air, crying, trying to catch his breath. It made me cry behind my camera (although that’s not special because I do that all the time). But yea…what lovely people with a beautiful group of friends and family.