beach wedding

What a magical day for Joan and Chris at their St. Petersburg, waterfront wedding at The Don CeSar. The two met in college and they are both smart cookies; Chris is a cardiologist and Joan is a pharmacist. They currently live in Gainesville, but dreamed of having a beautiful, beach wedding and chose St. Pete for their location. We were very excited to hear their decision of choosing The Don CeSar for their location; it is a stunning waterfront backdrop for weddings.

First of all, Joan and Chris were both surrounded by a bunch of loved ones for their big day, specially their bridal party of 22 people! With so many close friends, they both knew they needed them all by their sides to take part in the celebration and be the best support team. We started the afternoon with Joan and all of her lovely bridesmaids as they got all glammed up. The girls were so excited to see Joan put on her wedding dress and it was so sweet to see Joan’s mom shed some happy tears watching her little girl become a bride. Joan is one of the sweetest and most genuine brides; she is so appreciative and we loved capturing all of her beauty and happiness. Being around her truly makes you want to be a better person. After hanging with the girls, we visited the guys and took some portraits; of course they were cutting up, helping calm Chris’s nerves before the first look.

Joan and Chris were so excited to take part in a first look before their ceremony; a first look serves as a great way to alleviate some nerves and allows the couple to have a special moment alone before the wedding. Joan was an absolutely stunning bride, so Chris’s jaw hit the floor when he turned to see her. The two smiled and giggled and we heard Chris say, “I want to kiss you, but is there some tradition that I can’t?” Luckily we told them there’s no tradition that says you can’t kiss before the ceremony, so the two managed to squeeze in some much wanted smooches.

Their waterfront, beach ceremony was full of their closest friends and family. The two exchanged their vows and became husband and wife, officially. We had the most amazing weather day that day and also were blessed with a gorgeous, Florida sunset. After the ceremony celebration, the party continued at their reception that featured tall, ivory and pink floral centerpieces, a huge sweets table, and the Bay Kings Band that had everyone up and dancing the night away. It was such a romantic and special day; we truly adore Joan and Chris and feel so honored they picked us to capture their memories. We wish them lifetime of love and happiness and are excited to watch them grow as a couple and as a family! St.Petersburg Wedding Photographers at Don Cesar_0002 St.Petersburg Wedding Photographers at Don Cesar_0015 St.Petersburg Wedding Photographers at Don Cesar_0028 St.Petersburg Wedding Photographers at Don Cesar_0041