This incredibly sweet couple traveled down from a small town in Georgia to have their dream Disney wedding at the happiest place on earth. It was such a pleasure to spend the day with them as their photographer and videographer— they were dream clients for sure! Whitney was so easy going and put her full trust in us which always helps us to do our very best work. Chris was equally as kind and the way he gushed at Whitney the whole day was literally the cutest.
The love and admiration they have for each other was apparent to everyone and being able to capture that through both still images and video was truly magical. Take a peek at their full wedding feature film below as well as a selection of a few of my favorite photos of the day!
Before the wedding day, I met with the couple to craft their wedding timeline together to ensure we had all of the important details noted. Here’s a brief summary of how we planned out the day!
7:30-8:00 Bride Prep at Contemporary Resort
8:00-8:15 Photo/Video travel time to Grand Floridian Resort
8:15 – 8:40 – Groom Prep & Groom/Immediate Family photos at the Grand Floridian Main Lobby
8:40 – 9:00 – Bride/Immediate Family photos at the Grand Floridian Main Lobby
9:00-9:15 Walk to Wedding Pavilion
9:15-9:25 Bride photos in vestibule / Video setup for ceremony
9:30-10:00 Ceremony
10:00-10:30 Family photos
10:30-11:00 Couples photos
11:00-11:15 Walk to Citricos for room reveal
11:30 – 12:00 Introductions, First Dance, Toasts & Blessing
12:00 – 1:00 Reception candid photos (Vendor meal break)
1:00 – 1:15 Cake Cutting
1:15-1:30 Portraits at Citricos Balcony
1:30pm Photo/Video coverage ends
We started the morning at the bridal suite at the Contemporary Resort where we got a few quick shots of the details and Whitney getting into her dress. She mentioned the details were not as important to her so we set aside only 30 minutes for her prep, but she was super organized and totally ready for us when we arrived so no time was wasted. Then we headed over to the Grand Floridian Resort where we did some groom prep with Chris and his daughter.
We had also set aside extra time for bridal portraits at the Grand Floridian lobby before ceremony as her priority was to have portraits with the Christmas decor. Since they did not have a wedding party we were able to utilize all of the time just for the bride! The Christmas tree was already up and everything was so festive and lively– Christmastime at Grand Floridian is a whole vibe. 🎄 Whitney was such a queen and took all of my posing direction and guidance like a pro.
Their intimate ceremony at the Wedding Pavilion was so touching and emotional that my eyes definitley got teary. My favorite part was how Chris incorporated Taylor Swift lyrics into his vows! It was SO CUTE. After their ceremony I met them at Picture Point for a few newlywed photos and then they had a fun bubble wand exit with their guests.
We got lucky after ceremony because the Disney wedding coordinators gave me a little extra time inside of the Wedding Pavilion for photos so we took full advantage! They also had a small family portraits list so we were able to send more time for Bride & Groom portraits. The groom had also requested a photo with the monorail and since we had the time, we went back to the lobby to get something fun & creative. The photo with the monorail swooshing by is one of my favorites of the day for sure!
Their reception took place at Citricos which is always so pretty because of the big windows and beautiful furniture. It’s one of those places that doesn’t need much decor which is really perfect for an intimate brunch reception. They had a violinist to set the ambiance for their first dance and their cake cutting. We also took advantage of the balcony at Citricos to close out the day with a few more beautiful couples photos with the reflection of the windows which was super dreamy! Since we had a few extra minutes at the end, I also borrowed their wedding rings and got a nice super close-up shot of their rings since I wasn’t able to do that during bridal prep as I usually do. I love making good use of extra time!
We genuinely had the best time hanging out with this amazing couple and this will be a day that I always remember fondly.
Thank you Whitney & Chris for being so warm and kind– you made our jobs so easy. Cheers to a lifetime of magic. ✨
Love, Elle