Kehrin & Jason | Part 2

We've been so excited to share this with you - welcome to Kehrin & Jason's wedding day!

Let's get right to it!
We had an hour of travel ahead to get to the wedding venue, so the bride and groom got ready in the Marrakesh riad.

The couple kept their African elopement a secret from most of their family and friends.
Instead, they mailed out these adorable official announcements - perfectly timed to land in their loved ones' mail boxes precisely on the wedding day!
Announcements by dm paper designs

If there is one thing to know about Kehrin, it's that she has amazing style!
Her wedding dress was perfectly chosen from a line by Free People.

#customweddingbands

In the series above, the bride is putting on lip color from a source native to Morocco - organic Berber lipstick! Made with pomegranate powder, poppy leaves, and henna, the Berber tradition goes back centuries. She purchased some in the local market for her wedding day.

Kehrin was ready, and it was time to see her groom!

The wedding ceremony and celebration was to be about an hour outside of Marrakesh, so we hopped in to a van for the trip. We didn't know what to expect, but were greeted with breathtaking views of sand dunes as far as the eye could see!

We all wore a few different hats for the trip. Fallon helped with photo, honorary bridesmaids duties, and (wait for it...) as the wedding officiant! Here she is (in blue) helping the bride with her veil. In teal is Nicki from Fidelis Films - she and her husband Christian are incredibly talented filmmakers!

The moment a groom sees his bride down the aisle is always a favorite shot for us!

After dinner, a special fire monogram burned to celebrate the newlyweds!

This wedding will always hold a special place in our hall-of-favorites!

Since the wedding, Kehrin & Jason have had a baby girl named Marra.
Next month, Kehrin is due to have their baby boy, Kesh.
MARRA + KESH = cutest thing EVER!

Wedding Planner & Designer (& Bride!): Jet Set Wed
Stationary: dm paper designs
Dress: Free People
Video: Fidelis Films

MSP Travels: Marrakesh, Morocco

M A R R A K E S H

Steven Spielberg, Alfred Hitchcock, Oliver Stone, and Martin Scorsese have all set films to take place in the vibrant, culturally-rich city of Marrakesh, Morocco. There's a simple reason behind that: nowhere in the world lends itself quite so well to the camera's lens as this historic city. Brilliant colors, textures, and interesting architecture are everywhere. 

Enter: Kehrin Hassan of Jet Set Wed, international wedding planner & designer, and her fiancé Jason Teeters. Jason was an educator at the time (he's since become a lifestyle designer - check out JetSetState.com), and they asked us to join them on their trip to Morocco for their intimate elopement in the summer of 2015. 

Pack your bags for the first of this 2-part blog!

After our arrival in Marrakesh, it was time to check-in to our Riad (a riad is a townhouse centered around a courtyard & garden). Morocco is famous for its riads - as well as its miles of twisting alleyways!

The Riad had several bedrooms centered around the pool and a rooftop garden with seating area - the view was so cool! Once we had established our home base, it was time to go out and see some of the city!

Marrakesh is known for its marketplace - it's huge and features tons of artisans selling pottery, spices, and handmade treasures like lanterns. It did NOT disappoint.

After a quick carriage ride, we arrived at the Jardin Majorelle - Yves Saint Laurent's museum (and former home) right in Marrakesh! Celebrities (like Jennifer Lopez and the Beckhams) love visiting this African treasure.

With much of the day lost to sightseeing, it was time to get a couple of wedding errands done. Kehrin wanted to find local sources for details that would really make her wedding day pop!

With a full day behind us, it was early to bed for the wedding celebration the next day!

September's blog will follow Kehrin & Jason as they embark in to the desert for the best day ever!

Bryan & Christopher

L O V E -is- L O V E

On January 6, 2015, same-sex marriage was legalized in the state of Florida - six months before the US Supreme Court made it legal in all 50 states. 

When Bryan & Christopher invited us to capture the day as they prepared to become the first gay couple in Collier County history to get married, we couldn't WAIT to celebrate with them!

It was a historic day - one that MSP was so proud to be a part of! 
But this blog isn't about that day, as you can find those details in many publications and magazines (check out Equal & Forever, LGBTWeddings.com, H&H Weddings, or any others out there on Google).

Instead, this month's blog is about Bryan & Christopher's SECOND wedding day.
While the first took place at the county courthouse with their closest family and friends, B&C wanted to celebrate in a more personalized style - an event with all the trimmings, the extended guest list, and the formal celebration of their marriage! We think the couple put it best on their Save the Dates (done by the talented DM Paper Designs, featuring an MSP image, of course!):

The day started off at the Bayfront Inn 5th Avenue in Naples, Florida, where Bryan & Christopher were spending the day with their very best friends!

This is Bryan - TV news anchor and all-around cutie pie!

And here's Christopher - talented dancer, choreographer, and all-around great guy!

Super cute couple, right?! And their besties were also SO wonderful to be around, if you couldn't tell from the ridiculously adorable blue plaid shirts!

B&C have SUCH creative souls in their crew - we instantly fell in love with this gift idea from one of their groomsmen: a bottle of wine for each milestone the newlyweds will hit in the future!

Not to mention the musical talent...

But of course, none of them would have made it there if it weren't for the jewel-toned invitation suite DM Paper Designs provided (featuring the couple's special peacock feather design!)

With both grooms ready, it was time for the First Glance at the Naples Performing Arts Center!

Even now (a few years later), this First Glance stands out as one of the most emotional, beautiful experiences we've gotten to capture! Once it was over, it was time for the ceremony to begin!

The design of Bryan & Christopher's wedding was one where the ceremony seating doubled as the reception seating - the entire event took place in one area of the Performing Arts Center. We don't see that a lot, but we loved the idea - we even did it on our own wedding day!

Seeing our images framed on a wedding day (in this case, from their January courthouse wedding!) never fails to make us ::swoon::

Instead of a traditional aisle, the path to the altar brought both of the grooms through the crowd of their guests - so they could meet in the middle of their very dearest loved ones!

::swoon::

With the ceremony through, the couple used the creative poem below to announce that it was dinner time!

To celebrate, Tastebuds Custom Catering created a mock taco truck that let guests enjoy the most delicious tacos ever -
while remaining cool indoors. BRILLIANT!

We are so grateful to have clients like Bryan & Christopher - we've remained friends the last few years, and can't wait to see where the future takes them!

Venue: Naples Performing Arts Center
Stationery: DM Paper Designs
Boutonnieres: Signature Floral
Cake: Grace & Shelly's
Cateer & Rentals: Tastebuds Custom Catering
 

Alexandra & Colin

May is here! Spring is the perfect time for some gorgeous wedding photos... don't you think?

SPOILER ALERT: We love weddings. Like, a lot. It's kind of our "thing"...

And when we photograph a wedding, we're typically there for 8, 9, or even 10 hours.
But sometimes, we're asked to cover just a portion of the day - the really important stuff, like the ceremony and the family portraits... and of course, the romantic couples' shots you've come to know and love from the MSP portfolio.

Alexandra & Colin were married on an April Tuesday at the JW Marriott Marco Island.
You don't need us to tell you how special it was - check it out below!

This is Colin. Dreamy, right? We hung out with him for a few minutes before
the ceremony started, and he was just as nice as he was handsome!

Then it was time to get down to business, and to saying "I Do!"

Few things say "Perfect Beach Wedding" like the JW Marriott's tiki hut!

'Cause when you're in Florida, you wear funky pineapple socks! Right?!

With the family and wedding party portraits behind us, it was then time to say goodbye to the guests of the newlyweds, as we headed out to spend some time on the beach alone with them :)

Fun fact: Alexandra is a hair stylist. Accounts for those gorgeous beachy mermaid waves, right? 

Alexandra's floral was done by her grandmother -
we can't get enough of personal family touches like that on a wedding day!

And even though we didn't stay for the reception dinner, we made sure to get a few shots of the elegant tablescape and fun little cake made by our friend Lexie at Sweetified Bakery!

Venue: JW Marriott Marco Island
Wedding Cake: Sweetified