Taylor and Derek | Destination Wedding @ Destin, FL

It has been an absolutely crazy week for us as we shot not one, but two weddings this week including one that took us all the way to Destin, Florida. Three years ago we stood on the beach in Destin and photographed the wedding of Katie and Ramie. Fast Forward to last Tuesday when we were standing on the beach doing the same thing for Taylor and Derek with the exact same family gathered together. We absolutely love this family from start to finish and we were happy that we had TWO other couples in attendance (Katie and Ramie and Brooke and Seth) who had asked us to shoot their weddings. Destination weddings are really amazing, they bring families together to bond over a set number of days and typically provides stunning backdrops for some amazing memories. This was certainly the case with Taylor and Derek’s big week. The last time we shot a Destin wedding we were on a bit of a time crunch. Doug and I spent only 36 hours in Florida shooting the wedding and next day images before hopping right back in the car and heading back to Illinois (over 11 hours away). This time, we planned to do things differently. We were able to make a mini vacation out of the trip, spending a few days on the beach ourselves before photographing rehearsal, family pictures for Katie and Ramie, the wedding day, and then some trash the dress images the next day. Destination weddings also bring about challenges and isn’t always as glamours as it looks from a wedding photographer perspective. In addition to hauling down around 75 lbs of gear we also had to prepare for three days of shooting in what weather forecasters were calling significant rain and storms. Rain mixed with sand creates havoc on equipment not to mention wind and all of the salt. The forecasters were wrong for the days leading up to the wedding so we crossed our fingers that they were also wrong about the wedding day. Taylor had a relaxed morning preparing for her wedding as she had her amazing beach hair created by Katie Clagg from Effingham Stylez who rocks hair like no other. The bride and her bridesmaids enjoyed stunning views of the gulf during morning preparations. We saw dolphins and clouds roll from the window in as the wedding party all got ready. Doug and I were able to cover both the bride and groom during this morning of prep thanks to both rooms being close together. Taylor made an absolutely STUNNING beach bride and there were tears welling up when her dad saw her for the first time. Thankfully Taylor and Derek did a first look on the dock above the beach and this allowed us to get in some great family photos before the wedding while keeping everyone dry and fresh before the wedding started. As the ceremony was getting ready to start, more storm clouds rolled in and I hoped that the rain would stay away. Mother Nature had other plans though as she released some light rain on the ceremony just as Taylor started to walk down the aisle. Since you can’t stop the wedding right in the middle, the show must go on! Taylor and Derek smiled and laughed as the light rain came pouring down on them and they exchanged vows. Thankfully the rain was light and in some of the photos you can barely tell it is raining. The clouds made for some soft and amazing light as the couple exchanged rings, poured sand, and kissed to seal the deal. The rain picked up as the guests made their way for cover and Doug and I were very thankful that we had done the family photos before the wedding as just about every guest was more than a little wet. Thankfully Katie was there to be our amazing hair ninja as she gave Taylor an AMAZING bridal undo within MINUTES on the side of the beach under the cover of a sandy beach bar. The rain ceased long enough for us to get some bridal party pictures and some pictures of the couple outside before heading to the Surfside Resort for the reception. We know that a little rain isn’t in every bride’s dream for her wedding but we honestly think that this made the day more special for the couple as they can always look back and remember the eventful day (plus we hear its good luck)! The reception was full of memories and dancing as both families literally became one and partied the night away enjoying spending the day together. We love destination weddings because it creates new bonds and friendships between families that you might have not otherwise had in other scenarios. All in all, it was a beautiful and memorable day.

One of our traditions for destination weddings is to do “next day” photos of the bride and groom. Typically destination wedding schedules are pretty tight and shooting situations depend on things like light, crowds, etc and we desperately wanted to do some beach photos that required a little more time, precision lighting, and for the couple to get a little in the water. Crowds on the beach in Destin Florida are absolutely ridiculous this time of year and we honestly thought our biggest challenge of this wedding would be dealing with all the beach goers in the background of the shots when we wanted more intimate portraits. Typically crowds aren’t very respectful of weddings, we have seen everything from tourists standing directly behind the couple on purpose to watch a ceremony to drunk college kids photobombing memories on purpose. Thankfully, the storms and the threat of rain in addition to the double red “no swimming” flags on the beach removed almost all the people from the beach for both the wedding day and the next day picture session, we almost had the beach to ourselves. Taylor and Derek ROCKED their next day session, getting completely wet in the ocean and getting covered in sand (I did as well). It was totally worth it because rain had challenged their ceremony photos and this was our best chance at getting more portraits in and thankfully, Mother Nature did us a favor and gave us a 45 minute rain free window to work with and a killer sunset to boot. We also want to thank Katie and her sister for giving us some rocking hair styles to work with for Taylor not one but two days, seriously guys, thank you! We had so much fun on this trip, we don’t even mind that we spent an hour cleaning sand out of our lenses, bags, and stands with a hotel toothbrush and blow dryer 🙂 Remember I said it wasn’t always glamorous right? We wouldn’t change it for the world and we hope that Taylor and Derek had an amazing time on their trip!

To the families of Taylor and Derek, you guys are awesome, thanks for making us feel like honorary members of the clan for a week.

Taylor and Derek, you took us on an adventure with you we’ll never forget. Thanks for the memories! We hope you love the blog.

-Kate and Doug