Amanda and Gary were married in a micro wedding at the West End Theater in Sanford with a reception next door at Tennessee Truffle.

Amanda and Gary’s wedding day wasn’t the first time I met and worked with this couple. I had the pleasure of doing their golden hour engagement session in Mt. Dora shortly before and that can be a great way to get used to being in front of my camera before your big day.

Amanda & Gary are both architects who met at work and fell in love, proving that focusing on your passions and not trying too hard to search for “the one” can be a great way to find them. I’ve always told my (now adult) sons that this can be a great, organic, and—dare I say—old fashioned way to meet your person.

Speaking of old fashioned, this is the first couple who made whisky shots a part of their marriage ceremony and I’m totally here for it.

On the subject of their ceremony, it’s worth saying that theirs is yet another wedding where I got to work with Catherine aka “The Ginger Officiant”. We’ve bumped into each other so many times now and I highly recommend her if you’re looking for a heartfelt marriage ceremony with a highly experienced officiant.

One of the reasons I find Catherine to be so great at what she does is that she understands the rhythms of a marriage ceremony and how to facilitate the marriage while being mindful of the goals of the photographer in getting the perfect shots of the most important moments. For example, she knows to step aside just before the pronouncement so she’s not awkwardly in the background of their first kiss. Seems like a simple thing, but not many officiants think to do this.

This was my first time doing a wedding at the Theater West End and, while the lighting is a bit gnarly for photography, I think it’s a total vibe and I was able to work with the weird lighting just fine. I think if you’re going to get married here, whether you work with me or not, it’s important to locate a highly experienced photographer who can show you work produced in difficult lighting and show how they’re able to produce photos in the dark without too much “noise” (not particularly easy to do, especially if you don’t want to be popping a flash in everyone’s face the whole time).

After the ceremony and family photos at the theater, we spent some time in the downtown Sanford area doing photos during the golden hour just before sunset.

Their reception at Tennessee Truffle next door was a tight squeeze for their guests, but the food appeared to be unique and they had an excellent mixologist there making smoked old fashioneds and other craft cocktails.

All in all, I think it was a success and I’m so happy to have been invited to be their photographer!

Supporting cast:

• Wedding planner Jennifer Browne at White Rabbit
• Flowers: Farm Nine
• Bartender: Daniel Enrique at Cococo Mixology Co
• Makeup: Jessenia at Dazzling Beauty
• Hair: Lidia 407-223-3407 She doesn’t have an email just phone number.
• Venue: Theater West End
• Reception: Tennessee Truffle restaurant Chef Nat Russell
• Officiant: Catherine the Ginger Officiant

“The theater owner and restaurant owner were very helpful and accommodating. I got ready in the actor’s room right next to the theater, and the restaurant team took care of the extra decorations I wanted placed in specific areas. Daniel the bartender brought his own mixers and glasses; we only bought him the liquor, and the drinks were beyond amazing.” – Amanda