How Brandon Found Us

Brandon found us through our neighbors, Rich and Aleea. We’d been invited by Manatee Explore and Play to shoot a styled wedding session at Coquina Beach for the 2025 Manatee County Wedding Expo, and Rich and Aleea were the couple featured in that shoot, since they’d been married in New England where cloudy skies and rain had limited their wedding day portraits. The styled shoot gave them the sunset photos they’d always wanted, and Brandon saw those images and knew right away he wanted us for his own moment with Shayla. Fittingly, Shayla and Brandon are headed overseas themselves, where they’ll be tying the knot.

A Plan a Month in the Making

Brandon reached out to us more than a month before the big day, and he had it all mapped out. His cover story was simple: an early Easter dinner with Shayla and the family, nothing more. Behind the scenes, we reached out directly to Lido Beach Resort and gave their event coordinator a heads up on the plan, since we work closely with their team and wanted everything cleared and coordinated in advance. The resort had the whole space set for the evening, florals, champagne, and all of it, while Shayla walked in with zero idea what was actually waiting for her. Rich and Aleea came out too, helping set up the dinner space before tucking themselves into a bush about 100 feet away to watch the whole thing unfold.

Going Undercover

The day of, we shared Find My locations with Brandon so we could track each other in real time while his friends worked behind the scenes decorating. Rachel and I dressed the part, wide brim hats, cameras up like we were bird watching tourists on the beach. Being a two person team makes that kind of thing easy. One photographer standing around with a camera reads as a photographer. Two people walking the beach together just reads as a couple, so we can hang back near the family or move in close and nobody watching thinks twice. When Shayla and Brandon stepped onto the sand, we were already in position, playing pretend while they took a few photos of each other, no idea what was actually about to happen.

The Moment

Then Brandon got down on one knee, and the rest is history. What Shayla thought was a quiet holiday dinner turned into an engagement party with a slew of friends and family waiting for her, all in on the secret from the start, including the very couple who introduced Brandon to us in the first place.

Congratulations Shayla and Brandon. Thank you for allowing us to witness such a special moment for your family.

Racing the Weather

Ed had been planning this for weeks, and Lu had no idea any of it was coming. They were visiting from Chicago, Ed’s dad lived in the Sarasota area and helped coordinate the proposal. Throughout the day we stayed in touch with Ed and the cellist, watching the radar the entire drive down to Lido Beach. Thunder and lightning followed us the whole way there, but Ed wasn’t canceling, and neither were we. By the time we arrived, the sky over the gulf had turned a smoky orange, storm clouds still hanging low while a small crowd of beachgoers gathered to watch what was clearly about to happen.

A Cellist on the Sand

He walked Lu down to the sand and casually pointed out a cellist playing nearby. “Oh look, let’s go take a listen,” he told her, no big deal. Their families were hiding in the bushes behind them the entire time, phones out, filming every second while Lu remained completely unaware. A table sat waiting with champagne on ice and a bouquet of white roses, everything staged and ready.

The Moment

Then Ed got down on one knee. Her hands flew to her face, tears started, and their families came rushing out of the bushes as the cellist kept playing straight through all of it. Everyone was praising the timing that held that storm back just long enough, and honestly, we weren’t arguing with that either.

After the Yes

Once the ring was on and the hugs were finished, Ed popped the champagne he’d hidden away, and the group stayed on the beach well past sunset, catching each other up, taking selfies to send to everyone not there, and watching the sky shift from stormy orange to soft pink and gold. Lu couldn’t stop looking at her hand, and honestly, neither could we.

Congratulations Ed and Lu. Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness from all of us here in Florida.

Some weddings feel like the whole world showed up, and for Elena and Ben, it practically did. Family and friends traveled in from five different continents to celebrate this couple, filling the pews with a mix of languages and traditions all pointed toward the same two people.

Getting Ready at The Westin Sarasota

Elena spent her morning getting ready at The Westin Sarasota, her mother close by for quiet moments between makeup and lace buttons, before the two of them rode together to the church in a vintage trolley, the kind of detail that turns a drive across town into part of the story.

A Church Home Found After Hurricane Milton

Their ceremony had originally been planned for another Sarasota church, but when Hurricane Milton left that building unable to host them, First United Methodist Church of Sarasota stepped in and opened its doors. Under stained glass and soaring columns, Elena walked the aisle on her father’s arm, and the two said their vows in a room that became theirs by circumstance and turned out to be exactly right. They left through a tunnel of bubbles with the whole wedding party cheering them on, then rode the trolley back across town for a reception at The Westin.

Be Wed: A Planning Partner We’ve Known for Years

Coordinating it all was Be Wed, owned by Brittany, whose team specializes in high end weddings and brings the kind of full, coordinated crew a day like this needed, especially with a last minute venue change and guests arriving from across the globe. Three of her team members managed the day itself, moving Elena and Ben from the trolley to the church to the reception without a hitch, and Brittany herself stopped by during the reception to check in and make sure everything was running the way it should.

Our relationship with Brittany goes back further than most people realize. We first crossed paths through our shared church home, the same community where we met several other vendors we still work with today, including Cakes by Ron. Brittany has since built out Be Wed Flowers as well, so couples working with her get that same trusted eye for florals alongside the planning. She’s also the one who first connected us to SWEL, the Suncoast wedding industry network that has grown our own vendor relationships over the years. It says a lot about a planner when she’s not just great for her couples, but genuinely invested in the wider community that makes weddings like this one possible.

The Reception at The Westin

The celebration ran late into the night, golden hour portraits on the rooftop giving way to a ballroom lit in warm amber and blue, a three tier cake, and a first dance that had every phone in the room raised to capture it. Just when things could have wound down, the hora loca kicked in, glow sticks and oversized carnival hats and all, and the dance floor never really stopped after that.

One detail we loved: their wedding day landed on the same date as their anniversary, which felt like the kind of thing you can’t plan, only appreciate. Congratulations to Elena and Ben. Thank you for letting us be part of a day that brought so many people, from so many places, together, and for showing us that the best celebrations are the ones that don’t go exactly to plan.

What an honor it was to bear witness to the breathtaking Viking-inspired wedding of Heather and John this evening! 🛡️⚔️ The incredible details and the couple’s jaw-dropping wardrobe made this event truly unforgettable. ✨ It was a bucket-list kind of wedding, and we are so grateful to have been a part of it! 💕 You can see more of their stunning celebration featured on Marry Me Tampa Bay! 🌟

We’re starting the year off right with this sweet, intimate New Year’s Day wedding for Mark and Lingyi! 🎉💖 These two are just so adorable, and we had a wonderful time celebrating their love. ✨ From the charming venue at The Grove to their joyful smiles, it was the perfect way to kick off 2024. Congrats to the newlyweds! 🥂💍

Tonight Julie and David began a beautiful new chapter at the Sarasota Garden Club! 🌿💍 Surrounded by their loving family, they celebrated their union with so much joy and love. It was a true blessing to witness their special day and capture these unforgettable moments. 🥂✨ #foreverforestier