This session was shot by GMP founder and Principal Photographer Elizabeth Millar who also officiated their marriage ceremony
Rachael and Robbie flew in from Scotland to elope at Kraft Azalea Garden in Winter Park—and I got to marry them there.
Rachael and Robbie found me through the Disney UK Brides Facebook Group, which started as a resource for couples wanting to elope at Disney but has grown into a broader community for UK couples planning to get married in Orlando. They told me I came highly recommended from other couples, which is one of my favorite things to hear! When we first talked, they had a clear vision and they wanted something that felt personal rather than scripted. So instead of a courthouse, they chose to get married at Kraft Azalea Garden in Winter Park—and they chose to have me officiate.
About Kraft Azalea Garden in Winter Park, Florida
Kraft Azalea Garden is a waterfront park on the shore of Lake Maitland in Winter Park, Florida, about 20 minutes from downtown Orlando. Open year-round from 8am until dusk, it’s known for its massive cypress trees, a rare banyan tree, and the Exedra Monument—a curved colonnaded stone structure on the water’s edge. It’s one of the most photographed spots in Central Florida for elopements and micro weddings, and it’s easy to see why (you can check out more weddings I’ve captured at Kraft Azalea Garden on my dedicated location page.)
What I love about this garden as an elopement photographer is the variety. The monument gives you something architectural and distinctive as a backdrop to your ceremony. The long moss-draped tree alley gives you something cinematic for portraits. The waterfront gives you open sky and light. You can move through all of it in a two-hour session without going anywhere.
What’s the best time to get married at Kraft Azalea Garden?
This session you’re seeing here was done in the late morning and is a great example of Kraft Azalea in the daytime. However, sunrise and sunset have their own unique vibes depending on what you’re going for and what works best with your timeline for the day.
Sunrise at Kraft Azalea is elite for a few reasons.
- First, the light is STUNNING coming through those trees like in Yasmine & Justin’s sunrise elopement at Kraft Azalea Garden.
- If it’s in the hot season, it’s going to be scorching hot very early. For example in Yasmine & Justin’s wedding (linked above), we started at sunrise and by 8:30am when we were finishing, they were already sweating through their clothes and ready to finish up. As I write this, it’s 10am in July and the current temp is 94 degrees.
- If you want to get married in the exedra monument but you don’t want to pay the city to reserve it ($600 plus a $500 refundable security deposit) sunrise is your best bet. There’s virtually no one else there (maybe a few runners) and in all my years shooting here, I haven’t once had to fight anyone else for that spot. That’s not to say it couldn’t happen, but sunrise there still is a best kept secret and the park isn’t overrun with photo shoots at sunrise.
Sunset is also stunning like in Joanna & Tyron’s sunset wedding at Kraft Azalea Garden. If you want to do sunset there, you absolutely need to reserve the monument. It’s a very popular time there especially on weekends. Expect a lot of others there doing photo sessions.
And then, we have daytime which is any time between sunrise and sunset. The great thing about Kraft Azalea is that the tree cover is heavy and prevents us from ever being in direct sun. The light filters through that tree cover beautifully. Of course, this is only best maybe late Oct through early March as it gets VERY hot the rest of the year.
The Ceremony at the Exedra Monument
Rachael and Robbie said their vows inside the curve of the Exedra Monument with cypress trees and Spanish moss behind them and the lake just beyond (I also officiated their ceremony). Their family was close by, with one member filming on their phone to share the moment live with family back home.
Rachael wore a fitted off-the-shoulder gown with long lace sleeves and a cathedral train. Robbie was in a black tuxedo with a bow tie. Her bold and colorful bouquet was a real star—hot pink and deep red roses, pink hydrangea, orchids, and coral accents that provided a vibrant pop of color against their classic white and black attire.
Photos Around Kraft Azalea Garden
After the ceremony we moved through the garden to get some couple and family portraits. The tree alley at Kraft Azalea is one of those spots that works well at any time of day—the moss and the scale of the cypress trees creates a shade cover just right for well-lit photos. Rachael and Robbie have such a bright and bubbly energy, and that really came through in the candid shots where you see their joyful reactions to one another.
Eloping in Florida as a UK Couple
A significant part of my client base comes from the UK, and the Disney UK Brides Facebook Group is where many of them start. The group began as a space for Disney wedding planning but has become a broader hub for UK couples researching what it actually looks like to get married in Orlando—courthouses, gardens, parks, all of it. If you’re a UK couple early in the planning process, it’s worth joining.
The legal process itself is straightforward. Florida marriages are recognized in the UK, so you don’t need to re-register your marriage when you get home. Your Florida marriage certificate is your proof of marriage, and you’ll just need to notify HMRC and any relevant bodies if you’re changing your name. For the marriage license, there are counties that handle the entire process online, so you can have it sorted before you fly. After the ceremony, you mail the license back to the clerk and they post your official certificate to you in the UK. I walk all my UK couples through the full process, and you can find all the details on my Orlando marriage FAQs for UK couples page.
FAQ: Getting Married at Kraft Azalea Garden in Winter Park
There are two options. To reserve the Exedra Monument exclusively for two hours, the City of Winter Park charges around $600 plus a refundable security deposit. This is the only way to guarantee your access to the monument and allows up to 20 guests including the couple, photographer, and officiant.
The second option is a general photography permit for $75, which covers up to six people total. The permit doesn’t guarantee access to the monument—if someone else has it reserved, you’ll work around it—but if it’s free, we can use it. For micro weddings with guests, I recommend reserving the monument.
The garden has good open shade throughout the day, so it photographs well at most hours. Both sunrise and sunset are strong options. At sunrise the park is almost empty and the light is clean and soft—I set the meet-up time about 30 minutes after the listed sunrise time. At sunset the park gets busier with photographers and sessions. For sunset I recommend starting about 2.5 hours before the listed sunset time and booking the monument formally with the city if you know you definitely want photos in there.
The City of Winter Park has a hard limit of 20 guests including the couple, photographer, and officiant when you book the monument. Groups larger than that won’t be issued a permit, and may be asked to leave.
If you’ve reserved the monument, yes—florals, candles, and non-litter decorations are permitted. Nothing that defaces the stone and everything gets cleaned up before you leave.
There’s no indoor backup at the garden itself. If it rains, your options are umbrellas or a nearby restaurant or hotel. In 17 years of shooting I’ve never had rain actually ruin a session—if anything it usually makes for interesting photos.
Yes, and for UK couples this is often the easiest route. Certain Florida counties process marriage licenses entirely online, which means you can have everything sorted before you fly. You can check out my full guide on how to do this.
Find Your Kraft Azalea Garden Elopement Photographer
I photograph and officiate a lot of elopements at Kraft Azalea Garden—it’s one of my favorite locations in Central Florida, and I know every corner of it. If you’re a UK couple planning to elope in Florida, I’m very familiar with the process and can walk you through all of it. Fill out my inquiry form and let’s start the conversation.
