A Dream Bay Resort Wedding Centered Around the People Who Matter Most

One conversation during our consultation shaped the way I approached this entire wedding.

When we talked about what mattered most to them, Etai + Arielle shared that they didn't want their gallery to focus only on the two of them. They wanted to remember the people who traveled to celebrate alongside them just as much as the wedding itself. The conversations during cocktail hour. The hugs between family members. Friends reconnecting after years apart. Those moments were just as important as the portraits.

Photographing those moments is already a big part of how I document a wedding, but knowing how much they meant to Etai + Arielle made me even more intentional. Before the wedding, I made sure my team understood that their guests weren't simply part of the background; they were part of the story we were there to tell.

That intention showed up throughout the day.

Because so many guests were traveling to Key Largo after work, they planned a two-hour cocktail hour before the ceremony. It gave people time to settle in, reconnect, and simply enjoy being together. Instead of feeling like another item on the timeline, cocktail hour became one of the most meaningful parts of the day, filled with conversations, laughter, and reunions that deserved to be remembered.

There was another detail that made documenting this wedding especially meaningful.

As a film photographer herself, Arielle has a deep appreciation for the character that film brings. Including 35mm film, medium format, and Super 8 wasn't about following a trend—it was about preserving the day in a way that felt true to them. Knowing how much those photographs would mean made every frame feel even more intentional.

By the end of the evening, it was clear they had created exactly the kind of wedding they had envisioned. Yes, there were beautiful portraits and an unforgettable dance floor, but there was also a gallery filled with the people they love most. Looking through it now, you don't just see a wedding day—you see the community that surrounded them, and I think that's exactly what they hoped to remember.

Planning a Wedding That Feels Like You?

Your wedding doesn't have to look or move like anyone else's. Make space for the people, moments, and traditions that matter to you.

If you're planning a wedding in the Florida Keys, Palm Beach, or South Florida and want your photographs to tell the story of everything happening around you, I'd love to hear what you're planning.

Wedding Vendors

Photography + Videography: @nineonefourpf
Film Photography + Super 8: @nineonefourpf
Venue: @dreambayresort
Makeup Artist: @miss_moss_mua
Hair: @stefaniaglamour