Brandi Image Photography: Blog

Bonnie & Matthew {The Wedding} | Vinoy | St. Petersburg, FL

Sat, 04 Jan 2014 12:41:58 GMT

Happy new year!! Celebrating with Bonnie & Matthew at their beautiful wedding was the cherry on top for a wonderful 2013! Enjoy this peek into their special night, it was an honor to capture your amazing memories!

Venue: Vinoy Renaissance Resort

Ceremony Coordinator: Katie Edwards | Vinoy

Gown: Macy Edwards | Lakeland, FL

Caterer: Vinoy

Flowers: Andrews Floral

Officiant: Jeanette Rivera | Vinoy

Cake: Vinoy

Christina +1 {Underwater Maternity}

Sat, 16 Nov 2013 07:51:58 GMT

Pure magic. Christina did beautifully as she became a graceful mama-to-be mermaid. it was such an awesome experience to photograph her underwater as she awaits her sweet baby girl. Thank you so much for the experience, it was incredible!

Megan & Ryan {The Wedding} | Downtown St. Pete

Thu, 07 Nov 2013 13:17:39 GMT

Funnest wedding EVER! I know that’s not a real word, but today is not a day for proper grammar, it’s the blog celebration of Megan’s and Ryan’s incredible wedding day! I met Megan through mutual friends and after a few debates on Facebook, where she so eloquently beats adversaries down, I liked her. So very much. Then I had the pleasure of meeting Ryan and knew he was the perfect one to compliment Megan’s personality. Not only that, but you can tell they were madly in love, and the rest is history.

Because the wedding day fell on Dia de los Muertos, they decided to run with the theme and it is so uniquiely beautiful. Every detail celebrated the families joining together, the hearts of two amazing spirits and the love of everyone around them. I had a blast capturing all the moments of their special day, I hope you enjoy!

Venue: Granada Terrace and Push Ultra Lounge

Ceremony Coordinator: Kelly Gilbert | Luxe Events

Caterer: Mazzaro’s

Flowers: Sarah Buczny | Divine Details

Desserts: Rachel Denney

First Dance Song: “I’ll Follow You into the Dark” -Death Cab for Cutie

Britni & Craig {The Wedding} | Mirror Lake Lyceum

Tue, 05 Nov 2013 09:28:52 GMT

What an amazing day with a wonderful couple! I went to high school with Britni’s brother and sister-in-law so I was thrilled (and feeling somewhat old) when she called to say she was getting married! I have only met a handful of couples more perfect for each other than these two. When she said the wedding would be held at the Lyceum, I was totally hooked! There’s so much history in this building and in this part of downtown St. Pete. Then, a sparkler exit and red peep toe heels, uhm, yes please!

Thank you so much for having me photograph your beautiful day! It was an honor and a blast!

Venue: Mirror Lake Lyceum

Ceremony Coordinator: Christina Craft | Ideal Design Events, Inc.

Gown: David’s Bridal

Entertainment: Eric Harding | Grant Hemond & Associates

Caterer: Delectables

Flowers: 2Birds Events

Officiant: Prescott Metcalf | 2Birds Events

Desserts: Cakes by Carolynn

First Dance Song: “Magic” -Colbie Caillat

Seriously! Gummi Bear in mid-flight contrasted against the woman’s hair. *pat on back*

Jessica & Joe {The Wedding} | NOVA 535

Mon, 28 Oct 2013 05:38:24 GMT

I can’t imagine a better way for Jessica & Joe to have celebrated their marriage than the beautiful day they put together. Starting at the classic Vinoy in downtown St. Pete, they primped and partied until they left for their ceremony at Jessica’s grandmother’s home in Seminole. Adorned with fallen maple leaves and pumpkins atop hay bales, the lush landscaping provided the perfect setting for their autumn ceremony. After their first kiss and a ride in a 1937 Packard, they danced the night away at the incredible NOVA 535. Everything was perfect and it was an honor to be there. Thank you both!!

Venue: Renaissance Vinoy Resort and NOVA 535

Ceremony Coordinator: Tammy Waterman | Special Moments

Gown: Birnbaum & Bullock | NYC

Hair and Makeup: Michele Renee The Studio

Entertainment: DJ Felix

Caterer: Chives

Flowers: Izabela Rekawek | Iza’s Flowers, Inc.

Officiant: Mary Ann Shreve-Flagor

Desserts: Hands on Sweets

First Dance Song: “It Was Me” -George Strait

Joe’s faces as he sees Jessica for the first time, priceless.

Lauren & Daniel {Destination Wedding} | Negril, Jamaica

Sun, 13 Oct 2013 10:39:19 GMT

Paradise: pure, unadulterated paradise. Being there with Lauren, Daniel and their amazing family was overwhelming. They created their perfect destination wedding day with no detail spared, nothing overlooked. Don’t ask me how but their coordinators had some sort of direct line to not only keep the rain off the wedding areas, but also to give Lauren & Daniel a beautiful rainbow as she made her grand entrance by speedboat.

Oh yeah, the wedding was held on an 80′ catamaran over a coral reef! The words “stunning”, “picturesque”, and “breathtaking” could be said at least 100 times within this post, it was all that and so much more. Add Lazaro, tiffany blue accents and the wedding officiant who is more comfortable performing ceremonies on the sides of skyscrapers and you have one incredible day!

Ok, back to Lazaro- stunning. Lauren also wore sequined blue Sperrys to keep her tootsies safe and slip free but totally adorable! There are so many wonderful details in their fabulous day, to write them out wouldn’t do justice- time to head to the pictures. I can’t wait to go back and experience more of this incredible island. Thank you Lauren, Daniel, and your families for having us with you to capture this amazing time. It was an honor and so much fun!

PS- How could this wedding get any better? We did an underwater session the next day! Keep watch, that’ll be up on the blog soon!

Packing for Jamaica!!

Tue, 24 Sep 2013 06:30:41 GMT

YES! We are shipping out for Jamaica, mon! While I was creating my packing checklist and figuring out all we needed to bring to make sure we’re covered, I thought this info may be helpful to you! We are not only photographing the wedding, but we are also setting up a day of shooting in and under the water! I fell in love with underwater photography in the spring when a past bride, Britta, asked that her Rock the Dress session be underwater. You may remember these:

Lauren & Daniel will be getting in the water together the day after their wedding- I can’t wait! So, what do we pack for a typical wedding and what are we bringing to this one with the extra shoot planned? Here’s the list:

Canon 5D Mark III

Canon 60D

Canon Battery Grip

Canon 40mm Lens f2.8

Canon 85mm Lens f1.8

Canon 50mm Lens w/ Hood f1.2

Canon 100mm Macro Lens f2.8

Canon 17-40mm Lens f4

Canon 24-70 Lens f2.8

Canon 70-200mm Lens w/ Hood f2.8

Canon 580exII Speedlite

Canon 430exII

Video Light

PocketWizard Plus II Transceiver

PocketWizard Plus III

Canon Battery Charger LC-E6

Canon Battery Pack LP-E6

Expo disc

Asus Laptop N56V

Ikelite Underwater Housing for 5DIII

Dome and Lens Mounts

(2) Ikelite Strobes DS 161

(2) CF Cards 32G, 16G

(5) SD Cards 32G, 16G, (2) 8G, 2G

Western Digital My Passport External HD

Everything on that list is in my standard wedding bag with the exception of the Ikelite Housing, Dome and Lens Mounts, Ikelite Strobes, Laptop and External Hard drive. It’s not necessary to bring the laptop or HD to a wedding because my camera allows me to shoot on two cards simultaneously, with RAW images on both cards. This allows an in-camera backup in case of card failure, and I am all about backups.

Two lessons I learned from Britta’s shoot were that I needed strobes and a wide angle lens. The Ikelite system is made to work with the 100mm Macro f2.8, the 17-40mm f4, 16-35 f2.8 II, or the 135L. I only had the 100 Macro and knew with this trip coming up, I would need the wider lens. So, this time, I have both strobes and the 17-40mm f4. Sweet!

If you have questions about the gear, travel, or underwater photography, please leave them in the comments below and I’ll be sure to answer them.

Love & Smiles -Brandi

Rosalie & Randy {The Wedding} | DeQueen, Arkansas

Wed, 04 Sep 2013 06:37:13 GMT

When my cousin told me she was getting married, I was ecstatic! When she asked me to come out and photograph her wedding, I was bouncing off the walls! Rosalie finally met the love of her life in Randy and I couldn’t be happier for both of them.

She put together a beautiful day full of sentimental DIY touches that showed off how crafty and talented she is! Everything from the little chapel where the ceremony took place, to the reception decor, she spent so much time making sure every detail was perfect. The town where they live was most perfectly described by Randy’s best man as, “The last Mayberry”. Small population, everyone knows everyone else and everyone really cares about the town and the people in it. Rosalie and Randy have a lovely home in a wonderful place, thank you for inviting me to experience it!

Lauren & Daniel {The Engagement} | Nashville

Thu, 22 Aug 2013 14:07:40 GMT

My trip to Nashville turned out to be a celebration of not one, but two amazing couples! Lauren & Daniel are planning a wedding you’re going to turn green over next month! But more recently, the stars aligned for us and we realized we were all going to be in Nashville during the same weekend- so why not do their engagement session there! Lauren’s long raven hair was just stunning against her white dresses.

Not only did we have a great time getting stuck in a courthouse stairwell, Daniel looked at me and popped the quesiton I longed to hear, “Do you want us to get in the fountain?”. Of course, I breathlessly said, “YES!” and they did. That water was boiling by the time they left it and every drop was well worth it. Love you both! I can’t wait for your incredible wedding!

Mr & Mrs Morris | Sweet Morning Kisses

Sun, 18 Aug 2013 08:42:19 GMT

This was one of my favorite sessions to do with the Morris’s during our 4 days of Gaylord Opryland fun! The morning after their beautiful wedding, I met them back in their bridal suite for an intimate shoot and boy, did they rock it! The perfect mix of sweet and heat.