Throughout the years, Photography by Santy Martinez has shot a lot of weddings, a decade’s worth to be more precise! Each of those weddings has been unique. And although every wedding we photograph is vastly different, we have found many similarities in each that have allowed us to help our couples create a timeline for their big day. Even though locations and times are different for each event, in most cases, the events happening are very similar.

This is exactly how Amy and Jorge’s wedding flowed so seamlessly and we were able to capture all the key moments and then some! At least two weeks before their wedding, we sent them a questionnaire. In their case, it helped that Amy and Jorge hired a planner, Delilah from Delilah Wedding and Events, to assist in putting together an initial schedule for their wedding day.  We take our questionnaire a step further by asking about key moments and putting together a shot list of family portraits.  We then went over all the details in a meeting in order to prepare for a stress-free day, allowing plenty of time for each series of events but still being very efficient with time. Not only did this make their wedding day relaxing and enjoyable, but it also allowed us to create stunning images without missing a beat!

Keeping the timeline in mind, you can see how each micro-event was captured.  Here is a general breakdown:

Getting Ready/Details – We always give ourselves plenty of time to shoot getting ready details such as jewelry, shoes, the dress, cufflinks, makeup getting done, etc.  Amy and Jorge got ready at the Hyatt in Coral Gables and this was an event on its own.  Scheduling enough time to take these pictures also helped the awesome team at Sissi hair and makeup, Mom, and bridesmaids know when they needed to be done, dressed, and ready.  It doesn’t take 30 minutes to put on most dresses, but it allowed Amy to relax while she put on her dress from Brides of Florida, slipped on her jewelry, saw her dad for the first time, and laugh with her bridesmaids.  Plus, we were able to spend a few minutes photographing her just before heading out for the First Look.

The First Look/The Couple – Although we don’t require a First Look to create beautiful portraits, it helps to have one if time (and daylight) does not allow for it within the time frame of the wedding day.  We were loved that Amy and Jorge planned their first look as it created a very special moment for them and for us to capture.  This also allowed them to relax and enjoy hanging out with each other for a few minutes before we went into the portrait session.

Ceremony/Family Portraits/The Couple – The ceremony can vary from wedding to wedding but it is always at the core.  Amy and Jorge got married at Coral Gables Congregational Church.  A beautiful ceremony!  We scheduled our time so that we arrive early and allow enough time after the ceremony for family portraits.  As previously mentioned, we had already established the family shot list so calling up the combination of family members was a piece of cake!  Once family pics were done, we took advantage of the beautiful church and their awesome car from Aralimo before they were whisked away to their reception at the historic Cocoplum Women’s Club.

Details, Details, Details – Once at the Cocoplum Women’s Club, it was time for us to focus on taking pics of the reception site and all the stunning details such as flowers by M&J Custom Events and the cake by Eddy’s cake and design. Everything was so stunning!  At this time, we worked with the planner, Delilah, as well as the wonderful staff at Cocoplum to make sure that everything was ready before bringing the couple in for beautiful portraits in their space.  Scheduling this time while guests were at cocktail hour was the way we were able to capture as many details as we did.

The Party – The rest of the wedding was simply capturing the event as it happened.  This portion of the evening is a great time for us to capture candid moments full of emotion and laughter.  It was easy to capture smiles as Amy and Jorge had an amazing time dancing with friends and family to the awesome DJ – JP.  So much love and happiness in the room!  We were beyond excited to capture it all.

Again, every wedding has different logistics, but having this basic guideline is what we strive for.  Amy and Jorge’s day was simply flawless and we are thrilled with the images we were permitted to capture.  We hope they were too!