Kimberly and Vincent started their wedding off at the Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club where they had their ceremony and formals. Then they continued the celebration of their wedding day at the Countryside Country Club also located in Naples, Florida for their dinner and dancing!

Stacy and Jimmy were married at the Sanibel Harbour Resort and Spa last weekend. Jimmy got ready at his home in Fort Myers and Stacy got ready at the Sanibel Harbour. This was a really fun wedding to be a part of because of the many Greek wedding traditions that took place during the ceremony and the reception. To help explain some of the pictures, I found this information on another blog about Greek wedding traditions (http://blog.thebrideandgroom.com/wedding-traditions/cultural-weddings-greek-wedding-traditions/)…

“The wedding ceremony itself consists of two parts which are distinct and separate from each other: The Service of Betrothal and the Ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage.  Each thing in the ceremony has special meaning and significance, particularly the repetition of each act three times – symbolizing the Holy Trinity: God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit…

The exchanging of rings is the focus of the Service of Betrothal. The priest blesses the rings by holding them in his right hand and making the sign of the cross over the heads of the bride and groom. The rings are then placed on the third fingers of their right hands. The Koumbaro , swaps the rings over between the bride and groom’s fingers, three times.

In the Greek Orthodox religion, the best man is replaced by a Koumbaros, who must be a member in good standing of the church, and has extended duties during the ceremony.

The Ceremony of the Sacrament of Marriage consists of several parts –  petitions, prayers, the crowning, readings from the New Testament, the offering of the common cup, the circling of the ceremonial table and the benediction. At the conclusion of the prayers, the priest joins the right hands of the bride and groom. Their hands remain joined until the end of the wedding ceremony, which symbolizes the couple’s union.

The crowning is the focal point of the marriage ceremony. The bride and groom are crowned with thin crowns, called stefana,  which are joined by a white ribbon and have been blessed by the priest. The crowns symbolize the glory and honor that is being bestowed on them by God, and the ribbon symbolizes their unity. The Koumbaro then exchanges the crowns between the heads of the couple, three times.
The Common Cup

The crowning is followed by a reading of the Gospel, which tells of the marriage of Cana at Galilee. It was at this wedding that Jesus performed his first miracle, changing water into wine, which was then given to the married couple. Wine is given to the couple and they each drink from it three times…

The priest blesses the couple, the crowns are removed and he then separates their previously joined hands with the bible, reminding them that only God can break the union which they have just entered into.

There is perhaps no more memorable element of a Greek wedding celebration than the dancing. The bride and groom dance together…Eventually, they invite others to join in the dancing, which can go on for hours.”

Last weekend we photographed Keri and Mike’s wedding at the Miromar Lakes Beach and Golf Club. We were thrilled to photograph at Miromar Lakes! The entire property was stunningly beautiful.  It has so many wonderful spots for photographs and the staff was great to work with.

Keri and Mike are a beautiful couple and were wonderful to work with.  The day was perfectly planned and everyone had such a great time…including us! 

These dinner menus were made out of chocolate!!!

Kari and Matt were married at the luxurious Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Naples, Florida on December 6, 2008. They chose a beautiful location and a beautiful day – perfect for such a wonderful couple. We also had the pleasure of photographing their engagement portraits at the Ritz-Carlton, Naples a few months ago.

Here are some of our favorite pictures from their wedding day.

This one is of Matt while he is waiting for that special moment of seeing Kari for the first time on their wedding day!

The little flower girl was so adorable. She let us take tons of pictures of her!

Nicole and Arthur were married at the breathtaking beach resort, the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida. These images show just a few of the many beautiful locations at the Ritz-Carlton for photographs…

Susan and Jeff were married at the charming Castaways Beach and Bay Cottages located where Sanibel and Captiva Islands meet. A perfect place for an intimate wedding.