One of the fun perks of being a wedding photographer is working in an industry with some amazingly talented creatives! There is nothing better than to see a bride’s dream wedding materialize while capturing the beauty of it all with our cameras and vision! I love to share inspiration, the newest trends, and creative ideas with our brides so that they may learn more about their own unique wedding style. Besides keeping up with the best wedding magazines and blogs, I aim to experience and learn from the wedding experts in our ever-changing industry! That is one of the reasons I called a fellow photog friend, Johnna Brynn of Johnna Brynn Photography and we headed down to Miami, Fl for the weekend (truth be told, I will find any reason in the world to head down to one of my favorite spots!)

Invitation designer and innovator, Ceci Johnson of Ceci New York is pure inspiration to me and I had been following her gorgeous work for a while. When she announced the Town and Country Magazine‘s Ask the Experts event, a personal, one-on-one and Q&A showcase, I was beyond excited for a chance to meet her and hear some great advice from Ceci and the other experts! Joined by gown guru, Mark Ingram of Mark Ingram Bridal Atelier; cake designer extraordinaire, Ron Ben-Israel of Ron Ben-Israel Cakes; event planner, Eyal Tessler of In Any Event; Shai Tertner of Shiraz Events, event designer and organizer of the Miami event; and fabulous designer of linens, Pablo Oliveria of Nuage Designs. These experts discussed how important a couple’s own wedding theme and style are to the success of their day, answered questions and gave advice on where brides should start first in their planning. Surprisingly, it was not the wedding gown! ; )  It was almost unanimous that a bride start with her invitation designer. The invitations and Save the Dates set the mood and style of a wedding event, it is the first impression guests will see for the event, and takes time to create, keeping in mind that they must be mailed within an appropriate time frame. These experts gave priceless information and I am so thankful for their time! I look forward to working with them in the future and I know our brides will have an amazing experience with each and every one of them!

Now I can’t end this blog post without sharing some of the gorgeous details of this event! I was even able to snap a few photos to share with our readers and brides! Warning: Be ready for inspiration overload!

The event was held at  Villa 221, a beautiful venue that is pure eye candy for photographers! A stunning piece, using orchids and acrylic greeted the guests as they arrived. Models wore stunning gowns from Rome based designer, Peter Langner, Jenny Packham, and Monique Lhuillier and carried a cascading orchid bouquet to accentuate their bridal style. I absolutely adored Kathryn Parrish of  Parrish Designs‘s organic table setting, which included grapewood branches, birch accents, succulents, airplants and natural ferns. A lovely white wedding table showcasing a “glam” look had an arrangement  of flowers that included orchids, tulips, sweet peas and anemones. My favorite table featured a whimsical, avante garde look using phalaenopsis, vanda orchids and hyacinths with a plethora of floating candles and glass accents. The striking and vivid hues of purple were mesmerizing! The music by DJ LEEOR had a irresistible vibe and superb quality! And I can’t forget to mention the yummiest cupcakes ever by Robert J. Onuska, owner of Stella’s Sweet Shoppe in Miami. Be sure to check out Atlas Party Rental and Ring Finger Studio, they were also at the event and had lovely displays! Hopefully I didn’t miss anyone! It was such a fun-filled and inspiring Saturday! A huge thanks to everyone who was a part of this great event!