Kristen and Lloyd are beyond cool. They dress cool. They talk cool. They have a cool record collection... They just seem to ooze coolness in a way that makes you want to know them. Their friends will back me up here. BUT they're also genuine, down to earth and just bloody lovely humans. So photographing their wedding in the beautiful Harry P Leu Gardens was a pretty great way to spend a winter's day in Orlando. 

I don't know why, but I often end up photographing couples from different parts of the world who meet in unlikely circumstances. Lloyd is a strapping British music industry guy whose work unexpectedly based him in Florida (a place he once described as a creative desert), and it took meeting Kristen for him to realize, there are things to love about Florida after all. This is similar to my own story (not the music industry part -- I'm not that cool), but certainly the part about winding up in Florida, falling in love, and eventually moving here permanently. I could totally relate, and I always have a heightened sensitivity to the emotions experienced by the couples and their families in this situation. Needless to say, these are often my favorite stories to tell, and seeing people come together from great distances, somehow makes the world feel smaller and less scary for an expat like me. 

The gardens seemed to explode with the deep greens and golden earthy tones that I love photographing... which just so happened to match beautifully with the bridal party's outfits. This probably wasn't an accident considering the bride's impeccable sense of style -- Thank's for making me look good, Kristen!

Oh yeah, the best part... After the ceremony, they had a pretty wild party at the Winter Park Farmers Market... that place is cool too!

The dance-floor was more like a tequila fueled mosh pit!  

At some point between Lloyd's crowd surfing and Kristen's head banging, I looked around and thought to myself, yeah this is what a wedding should be! Not because it was beautiful, tasteful, fun or even perfect... but because it was an honest reflection of who Kristen and Lloyd actually are as a couple. And that is absolutely what a wedding should be!