Caylie & Elijah are the sweetest young couple and so very in love with one another. We met in late 2020 and clicked immediately. Their engagement session was my first glimpse into how sweet and affectionate they are with each other, falling easily into the more touching and intimate poses that I directed them into.
Originally they had a large barn wedding planned, but soon realized that they would much prefer to host something smaller and more intimate. They toyed around with the idea of a cruise wedding but eventually decided that Vizcaya Museum and Gardens would make the perfect backdrop to tell their love story. I was over the moon with excitement, as I simply love photographing in that venue.
They kept plans simple, renting a house in Miami for themselves and family to stay in for a weekend of fun and also to get ready at. Caylie was ready with all her details for me to photograph when I arrived. We then had Elijah get dressed and sent him on his way to Vizcaya so he wouldn’t see Caylie before their first look.
I really marveled at how relaxed the day was. We had a basic timeline that we had worked together on but otherwise they were able to slow down and enjoy all the parts that go into a wedding day. After getting Caylie in her dress and drying a few tears from her mom and Elijah’s mom the rest of the bridal party and guests were en route to the venue. Elijah and I walked the gardens to the spot they had talked about to see what the light looked like and left the majority of the family members there so the bride and groom could be placed for a First Look.
I have rarely seen a groom react with such love and adoration as Elijah when he turned around and saw his beautiful bride for the first time… *heart eyes*. His joy felt palpable as did Caylie’s at seeing how proud he was. After a few sweet couples photos it was time to get them married! Elijah got set wiht his brother, who was their officiant, and Caylie was escorted by her father to meet Elijah at the bottom of a beautiful fountain. Their vows to each other were heartfelt and touching, leaving hardly a dry eye amongst those family and friends that made the journey to be there.
After the ceremony and family formals were finished Caylie & Elijah and I were off to explore the grounds of the gardens to create some beautiful couples portraits. What a day! The sun was out and high with hardly a cloud to diminish the vibrancy of love these two have for each other. An hour later it was time to head to the Hyatt Centric for their post wedding lunch reception.
Here the couple kept things simple. Up high in one of the private rooms they had a small set up of refreshments, lunch and fun beverages. They had their first dance and cut the cake, but otherwise just wanted to spend time around their loved ones with little worry about traditional reception events. As gifts for those that could join them in celebration, they had collected an eclectic group of coffee mugs for everyone to choose from.
It was an absolutely gorgeous intimate destination wedding!
