Horseshoe Bend in Page, Arizona at golden hour is nothing short of magical. Add in a gorgeous bride and groom and 60 of their closest family and friends bathed in the warm desert light and you have something like a dream. Sheri + James said their joyful, tearful “I dos” earlier this month canyon side and I had the honor of being there to capture it all.
Here we are in the heart of a frigid winter (even for us Floridians at times) and I’m dreaming of warmer days. So why not share a peek into Alexa and Jordan’s seaside Sanibel Island wedding from this past summer. Revisiting these images is like a treat! I can almost hear the lull of the waves and the rustle in the palm leaves and nearly feel the sweet summertime sun on my skin…
In reflecting on the last year I took some time to note things that had given me life or drained me in the past. (It’s an effort in aiding in decision making for this “decision fatigued” gal right here. And the idea is all thanks to Emily P. Freeman and her “The Next Right Thing” podcast!) Something that undeniable breathed life in to my work and inspiration was the process of shooting creatively with film. (You can check out my past blog post about the process and love affair by clicking here and here.) So I set out to spend more time behind my film camera pointing it at beautiful things and lovely light by marking down a few “inspired styled shoots” in my calendar. This is the very first of them…
Anna Grace’s Senior Session at Dark Hammock Legacy Ranch was nothing short of a dream…
These two are getting married tomorrow and I can't wait! Especially after all this sweetness we captured at their Central Florida engagement session last fall complete with gorgeous sprawling Old Florida ranch loveliness and a even a vintage Ford. Aren't they the cutest?? Can't wait to see them all gussied up in their wedding day duds tomorrow and capture the love all the way down the aisle to "I do!"
xoxo, Caroline
Its been far too long since I've blogged an actually full session. So in honor of Zach and Jerrianne tying the knot this weekend (woohoo!) paired with my first engagement session captured on film I thought I'd treat you all with these lovely images from our session at Highlands Hammock State Park filled with lots of film loveliness and all the love. Can't wait to celebrate with these two this coming Saturday!
xoxo, Caroline
Camera: Contax 645 / Rented from Contax Rentals
Film: FujiPro 400h
Film Processing and Scans: The Find Lab
Kandi and Jeff are getting hitched this weekend! I can't wait to be there for the sure to be sweet and gorgeous celebration at Bok Tower Gardens and today I couldn't help but share their equally as lovely engagement session from Boca Grande, FL, a place near and dear to their hearts. We wandered the quaint and colorful downtown streets in this adorable seaside town before heading to the infamous Banyan Street with their pup! Then we of course had to wrap things up with a sunset stroll along the gulf shore. Isn't it gorgeous!
Can't wait for them to become husband and wife this weekend!
xoxo, Caroline
Congrats to this engaged duo! Thanks Becky and Jake for inviting me over on such a gorgeous evening to capture a little bit of your love. <3 Caroline
Last night's sunset engagement session at the most gorgeous Central Florida ranch was just lovely… Congrats Stacy and J.C.! <3 Caroline
Bok Tower Gardens is this magical little place nestled in the middle of Central Florida. For a photographer, it is a dream. Yet every time I wander its sunlit paths with a camera in tow or sit in the shade of a tree on a hill, or marvel at the view from "way up high" on one of Central Florida's highest points (at a whopping 298 feet above sea level!) I am taken back to my childhood. As a kid Bok Tower was a go to outing for a day with sure fire entertainment and lots of fresh air. We feed squirrels peanuts out of the palm our hands, we rolled down the massive hills and we may have from time-to-time turned our little ears to the Singing Tower in all his chiming glory all the while with the Florida breeze in my hair and a cousin or two by my side. So when Jamie and Corey opted to venture there for their engagement session a few months back I jumped at the chance. With their little guy in tow we strolled the paths of the nearly empty park one evening and did all the things one does when strolling a garden, ya know, and all the while I witness through the lens of my camera, sweet memories in the making...
xoxo, Caroline
These two are getting hitched this weekend and I can't wait to be there to capture the celebration. I am especially excited after this super dreamy, super smiley, super love-filled session we had earlier this spring on a sunny afternoon at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, FL. Congrats Alecia & Craig! See you all soon!
xoxo,
Caroline
This weekend marks it… the beginning of my 2014 weddings! I am soooo looking forward to this year and the couples I get to join with on their "BEST DAY EVER" experiences to capture all the love. So far 2014 is taking me all the way from a restored historic landmark in the heart of North Carolina's capitol to a Ringling Brother's mansion on the southwest coast of Florida but we start off right here in the hometown warmth of central Florida with Emma and Eric's home grown celebration. Can't wait! We just so happened to get around to their engagement photos at Emma's family's home (and the reception location) just a few weeks ago and I am dying over what we captured. These two were so super sweet together and totally ate up the camera (even with Eric just a little under the weather, you never would have know. What a trooper!). Well, now that the two of you have the "being awesome in front of the camera" thing down let's get you married. :)
xoxo,
Caroline
Tis the season of engagements. Which means next year is the year of weddings. I have never had so many weddings booked for the following year before in the history of Caroline Maxcy Photography. And I am loving it!
As part of my wedding package offerings you have the option of a complimentary engagement session. I include this because, well, I think it is good for you to get comfortable in front of the camera and for us to get to know each other a little better before I follow you around with a camera–all up in your personal business–on your wedding day. Haha. But secretly I offer this complimentary session because love stories are pretty much one of my all time favorite things to capture with my camera. It's purely selfish. I admit. And when things come together like they did for Lisa and Trevor and their Bok Tower Garden's engagement session, I die.
It was a Thursday and the skies were perfectly covered in a soft haze of clouds (ideal photo conditions if you didn't know). Which also meant we had Bok Tower Garden's pretty much all to ourselves as we wandered around the expanse of fields, and rolling hills, and oak tree hammocks, and glass-like ponds with giant lilly-pads, and quiet mansions surrounded by lush gardens. Then we headed to Trevor's family home with a tree-lined entrance like none other... and I could go on, and on, and on... But the most beautiful thing about the day was the evident love between these two. They are goofy and tender and sweet to the core and to top it all off I have the pleasure of calling them my dear, dear friends.
Lisa and Trevor, thanks for letting me tell your story. And I can't wait to celebrate your love-filled wedding day come next May!
xoxo,
Caroline
Credits:
Photography: Caroline Maxcy Photography
Hair and Makeup: Michelle Trinder Cathey
Venue: Bok Tower Gardens
It is so much fun to look back at your path sometimes and put little stars on those spots were God worked extraordinary things in your life that at the time seemed so uncertain, where your steps were shaky and the path hazy. Hindsight is 2020, they say. As much as we are encouraged to keep moving forward, keep striving I can't help but love those times when we get to look back and marvel at His plan all along the way. When I moved back to my hometown 3 1/2 years ago it was one of those hazy times. But I had no doubt God's hand was in it all (or rather it was all in His hands) but through a season of uncertainty I had to walk/stumble in complete faith. By the grace of my dear God he brought some truly incredible people into my life at this time. Old friends become closer than ever and new friends became dearer than I could have ever imagined.
I remember the first time I meet Amanda. It was in the Havery's kitchen (where most gatherings seemed to happen those early days back). Sweet and seemingly shy she simply grinned as all the fellas talked of their dear friend, her crazy beau Elic, off at college. Little did I know that this pairing of names "Elic and Amanda" would become so familiar in my life. The crazy beau Elic came home. Then Amanda jutted off to nursing school at UF. Then I watched as their relationship grew over the next few years into one of maturity, where commitment and faith took center stage. I've studied the word of God with these two over open bibles and slices of pie every Wednesday. I've prayed with these two over futures and families and faith in the Lord. And now I get to celebrate with these two as they bask in the glow of engagement (and come March, marriage!). Congrats Elic and Amanda and thanks for letting me take a walk with you two in a gorgeous park for these photos...
xoxo,
Caroline
