Sydney and Cody are truly a beautiful couple, inside and out! We met at Cypress Beach for an engagement session and we had the best time. Cody had Sydney cracking up the whole session. I loved getting to witness their laughs and huge smiles! I could really tell how much they loved each other and how much fun they had together. They complement each other so well! I can’t wait for their big day at the Birchwood, May 14, 2022 ❤️
Lead Photographer | Alexa Rodriguez
A Night At The Museum...
Happy, Energetic, Loved & Enthusiastic
Ashton and Madison met during her Sophomore year at Florida State University in Religion Class. Madison walked in the first day and thought he was cute so she sat down next to him.They started out as friends and would hangout occasionally. After 2 years of being best friends, they started dating their senior year and have been inseparable ever since.
Ashton had the ring for about a month and a half and was trying to plan where he was going to pop the question. He looked at planning a trip for them to take or locations around Tampa but couldn’t find the right opportunity. His brother plays college football in Boston, MA andMadison had never been to Boston before, so they agreed to go up together. Ashton knew
this would be the right time to ask as his family would be up there and they could all share in the moment. He planned to ask Madison in the Boston Public Gardens. His father is an avid photographer so he asked him to come up early and join them around Boston while taking photos of them and the city. Ashton’s dad was was in on the plan and knew that he had planned to ask Madison in the Public Gardens.They walked the city and eventually made it to the there. After walking around for a little while, they made their way back onto the bridge.They were getting ready to leave and Ashton’s dad decided they needed to take a few last photos. It was at this moment, Ashton got down on one knee and surprised Madison. He asked Madison to make him the happiest man by being his forever. Thankfully for him, she said YES!
What they love about each other is the ability they have to balance each other out. Madison pushes Ashton to strive for more and look to the future while Ashton calms Madison down and makes sure she enjoys the present. Ashton loves Madison’s corny sense of humor and she loves how nurturing and caring he is towards her and anyone he meets.
Together they love to travel, try new restaurants, going to wineries and breweries, working out at the gym, hanging out with family, friends and their fur “daughter” Harley.
Madison has always loved Curtis Hixon Park and love how it over looks UT. It is always so pretty around that area at night time, so it was a perfect setting for their Black Tie, very formal and elegant wedding day! They were married on the terrace over looking the water and UT.Their favorite detail of the wedding is their unique exit!They had a Grand Exit with Sparklers and then left on a water taxi boat.They took off down the Hillsborough River to dock over at the Tampa Marriott Water Street.
Madison and Ashton planned their whole wedding together and so enjoyed seeing it all come together in the end. Having Madison’s oldest brother Ryan officiate the ceremony was a true highlight of the day. (And it was a surprise to everyone!!!!). Walking down the aisle and seeing each other for the first time knowing they were about to commit to Forever was a very emotional and powerful moment. Perhaps topped only by the first kiss as husband and wife! As for the reception, being around family and friends and dancing the night away was a blast for Madison and Ashton.
Lead Photographer | Rebecca Zoumberos
Associate Photographer | Michael Zoumberos
Bridesmaid Dresses | David Bridal
Cake | Sugar Darlings
Caterer | SaltBlock Hospitality
Ceremony Site | Tampa Museum of Art
Decor Rentals | Outside The Box Rentals
DJ | James King from Grant Hemond & Associates
Florist | Artistic Florist of Tampa
Hair Stylist | Ashlee Ann Hair and Makeup
Invitations | Minted.com
Make-up Artist | Ashlee Ann Hair and Makeup
Reception Venue | Tampa Museum of Art
Videographer | Ricci Ocampos Films
Wedding Gown | Lana Addison Bridal
Wedding Planner | Holly Peterson from One Fine Day Wedding & Events
The Circle of Life!!!!! ⭕️ Life is so unpredictable....Michael used to train soccer kids for strength and conditioning. His FIRST ever client of his fitness career was Ryan Henriquez. Michael also trained his 8-year-old little sister Maddie for soccer ⚽️. And now 25 years later we just photographed Madison + Ashton’s engagement session 📸!!!!!
Maddie and Ashton both work in medical sales and together they enjoy working out at the gym, going to the park with their sweet dog Harley, hanging out at breweries and wineries with friends. What a wonderful couple and we can’t for their next year at the Tampa Museum of Art!!!!!💛💛💛
Q: Let’s start at the beginning. How did you two first meet?
A: Ashton and I met Sophomore year at Florida State University in Religion Class. I walked in the first day and saw him sitting down and thought to myself, he's cute so I sat down next to him. We started out as friends and would hangout occasionally. After 2 years of being best friends, we started dating our senior year and have been inseparable ever since.
Q: What makes your relationship special? Tell us some things that you both value in your time together. (example: pushing each other to new limits, love to travel, huge comic book fans, foodies, etc.) What makes your relationship unique?
A: What makes our relationship special is the ability we have to balance each other out. Madison pushes me to strive for more and look to the future while I am here to calm her down and make sure she enjoys the present. We also, love to travel, try new restaurants and love going to wineries and breweries.
Q: How did you know your partner was the one? When did you first know this in your relationship? (these may often be the same moment, but aren’t always)
A: I knew Ashton was the one on a trip to Savannah visiting his family. We were on his mother's boat and I was watching him play and love on his little brother. It was at that time, I knew I was in love with him. Ashton is just so compassionate, patient, nurturing and loving. I knew he would not only make a great husband but an even better father to our future kids. I knew Madison was the one when we were doing long distance after college. I was living in Dallas, TX and she was in Tampa, FL. We hadn't seen each other in months and after an amazing weekend with her in Dallas, I was reminded of her smile, beauty, and her terrible dad jokes. It was so hard to see her leave and I knew that she was the one. I didn't want to continue life without her by my side and after 10 months in Dallas, I searched and secured a job in Tampa to be with her forever.
Q: Give us all the details about the proposal. How and where did it happen? Was it a surprise? What was the planning process?
A: I had the ring for about a month and a half and was trying to plan where I was going to pop the question. I looked at planning a trip for us to take or locations around Tampa but couldn't find the right opportunity. My brother plays college football in Boston, MA and Madison had never been to Boston before so we agreed to go up together. I knew this would be the right time to ask as my family would be up there and we could all share in the moment. I planned to ask her in the Boston Public Gardens. My father is an avid photographer so I asked him to come up early and join us around Boston while taking photos of us and the city. He was in on the plan and knew that I had planned to ask her that day in the gardens. We walked the city and eventually made it to the gardens. After walking around for a little while, we made our way back onto the bridge. We were getting ready to leave and I decided we needed to take a few last photos. It was at this moment, I got down on one knee and surprised her. I asked her to make me the happiest man by being mine forever. Thankfully she said YES!
Q: We’re all about the bling… Tell us all about that ring!
A: Ashton and I were in St. Maarten on vacation and we walked into this jewelry store that was voted #1 on the island. We were looking at engagement settings for fun and I put this engagement setting on that had diamonds on the front, top and back of the band that went half way down ring. It was at that moment I was in love with this engagement setting and Ashton was equally as excited. He always knew I wanted sparkle and for the main stone to be a radiant cut. A year after being in St. Maarten, he told me he had to go to Jacksonville for some work training but instead flew down to St. Maarteen to pick up my dream ring.
Q: What are you most excited about when it comes to your wedding planning?
A: What we are most excited about when it comes to our wedding planning is being able to visualize what our wedding day will look like. We love meeting with vendors and listening to their ideas and knowing we have the best people around us that will bring our vision to life.
Lead Photographers | Luxury Collection with Michael + Rebecca Zoumberos
Locations | Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Tampa Museum of Art, University of Tampa
Rachel + James met each other as teammates on the high school cross-country team. James asked Rachel to the Military Ball and the rest is history. They usually spend their days at the beach, working out, or snuggling up on the couch with a good movie. They love each other's personalities and how they make each other laugh.
Rachel + James ceremony location has a special meaning for them because Rachel's grandparents were married at the same church. Sacred Heart Church was decorated beautifully with sparkling Christmas lights and bright red poinsettias. The perfect backdrop for Rachel + James to say "I Do".
Rachel + James had their reception at the historic Floridan Hotel. It was a night full of laughter, dancing and--most importantly-- love.
Congratulations!
Lead Photographer | Audrey Clifford
Associate Photographer | Carlos Rello
Cake | Publix
Ceremony | Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Ceremony Music | Sean M Fitzsimmons- Brown
DJ | Grant Hemond & Associates
Event Planner | Kelly Kennedy Weddings and Events | Lianna
Hair + Makeup | Lilis Hair and Make Up
Reception | Floridan Palace
Videographer | Webster Video Solutions
Suzanne & Alex’ Love Story
How They Met…
From Alex: May 18, 2013 is where this love story began. As I walked in nervously into what was my first day working as a Summer Camp Counselor at Hunter's Green Country Club in Tampa, all I was worried about was trying not to sweat through the only shirt they had given me to wear for the summer (do not be alarmed - soon after, I received a 2nd shirt). After walking through the front door, any shot I had at my nerves disappearing (and the sweating stopping) was gone, as I laid eyes on the most beautiful girl I had even seen. From that moment, I knew this girl was going to be someone special in my life - and when I saw her in her (mandated) one-piece bathing suit during swimming time, I knew she was the one for me.
The Proposal…
From Alex: Soon after we officially began dating (not until summer of 2016), I knew how I was going to do it. If and when we got to that point, I was going to take her back to summer camp at Hunter's Green. Thanks to a lot of planning (with the help of my mother, Matt Hilts, and plenty of friends along the way), I was able to convince her to visit our old stomping grounds with me, to check out the renovations. As we walked towards our old camp gathering area in the back of the club, I remembered an old conversation we had about six months earlier.
SC - "You nervous?"
AW - "I don't get nervous"
SC - "What about if you ever ask me to marry you, will you be nervous then?"
AW - "No"
SC - "I'll make sure to ask you in the moment"
AW - "I'll hold you to it"
As we stopped in front of the building, I turned and looked into her eyes, she seemed confused on what was going on. I knew at that point, I had pulled it off.
AW - "Aren't you going to ask me?"
SC - "Ask you what"
AW - "If I'm nervous"
It took a couple seconds for it to click with her, but before it did, I started to go into a rehearsed speech I had prepared 1,000 times leading up to this moment. When she finally sensed what was going on, and I saw the tears starting to form, and her face lighting up - I lost it. I no longer remembered what I was going to say. I'm not entirely sure what came out the rest of the way, but all I know is it ended with pulling out a small box from my back pocket (thanks, Jake Ninko, for the wallet-looking box - highly recommended) and I was on a knee, ready to give the love of my life the only secret I've ever had to keep from her (other than birthday presents). Obviously, you know what happens next.
Ready Or Not Here They Come!
From Alex: Life is hard. That's an understatement. Life is full of ups and downs. Isn't that the truth! I always loved the song, "Ironic" by Alanis Morissette - "It's like 10,000 spoons, when all you need is a knife", definitely my favorite line in the song. Life is most certainly - ironic.
How ironic it is, that in what I consider the greatest time of my life (my journey with Suzanne), we would also each go through our most difficult moments. Life hasn't been particularly kind to us in the past couple of years, but that's how I know we were meant for each other - I knew we were made for each other. I will never be able to put into words just how much support Suzanne has shown to be throughout my pain. She's been a shoulder to cry on, the Wall (pun intended) to lean on, and my best friend to vent to. She assures me that everything is going to be alright - and I believe her. This is why I pledged to her parents (and the rest of her family) that I'll work every single day to make sure I am everything to her, that she has been to me. I know that no matter what comes our way, as long as we both support each other, we can take on the world.
Fast forward through all the tough times, we think it's time for a celebration. Through a recent move, new jobs, and all the joy of planning a wedding, I think it's time to throw a big party to show just how far we have come.
From Suzanne & Alex’ wedding blog | https://www.zola.com/wedding/suzanneandalexander
Lead Photographer | Dafne Spencer
Associate Photographer | Kara Lerchenfeld
Intern | Tara Zimmerman
Bridesmaid Dresses | Lulus
Cake | Publix
Caterer | The Rusty Pelican
Ceremony Site | The Rusty Pelican
DJ | DJ Cory Barron
Event Planner | Jennifer Matteo Event Planning | Ryan Mae
Florist | Victoria Blooms, LLC
Getting Ready Location | The CURRENT Hotel
Hair + Makeup | Brides by Kelly Anne + Co
Reception Venue | The Rusty Pelican
Videographer | Brandon Berlew
Wedding Gown | The White Magnolia | Jacksonville
