e. gilbert photography » e. gilbert photography >> orlando, florida portraits & events

amy & tom’s mission inn resort new year’s eve wedding {orlando wedding photographer}

i’ve been waiting to share amy & tom’s new year’s eve wedding at the mission inn resort since january, and i figured sharing it on new year’s eve this year would be perfect! these two are the most relaxed couple & so much fun to be around, and it was a fantastic way to ring in the new year!

amy diy-ed her bouquet & tom’s boutonniere using fabric from her mother’s wedding dress (the lace on her dress is from her mother’s dress as well). there were plenty of disco balls & clocks throughout amy & tom’s wedding details, including several vintage watch faces in amy’s bouquet (and you all know the mickey mouse one is my favorite, of course!). amy also had some of the lace from her mother’s wedding dress made into the larger bangle she wore!

after detail shots it was time for the first look & portraits!

amy had to show off her wedding day fluevogs (both halves of the couple are shoe connoisseurs – tom was wearing fluevogs, too).

tom’s boutonniere also had a mickey mouse watch face to match amy’s bouquet.

told you they were shoe connoisseurs!

before the ceremony, we grabbed a few quick shots with their parents’ wedding day photos!

be warned – if you are a guest at one of my weddings and your dress matches the decor, you may be used as a prop for detail shots! especially if you’re wearing sequins that match the decor.

while amy & tom mingled with their guests and enjoyed their cocktail hour (thanks, first look!), we grabbed some reception detail shots or all of the glittery goodness!

amy diy-ed their card box – a globe that she tiled with blue & gold tiles for extra sparkle! there were vintage new years postcards hanging over the sweetheart table, and the favors were mini bottle of champagne (perfect for any wedding, really, but especially new year’s eve).

they also had the most fabulous dessert buffet full of mini pies!

after dinner it was time for the mini pie cutting! so cute.

if you thought people partied hard at weddings, just imagine a new year’s eve wedding! everyone was on the dance floor all night long.

it’s my kind of wedding when there’s a surprise delivery of grilled cheese to refuel everyone halfway through the night!

it’s also my kind of wedding when the bride performs an impromptu rendition of the lonely island’s ‘i’m on a boat’…

after the countdown to midnight, it was time for their sparkler exit to finish out the night!


photography: e. gilbert photography
ceremony, reception, catering: mission inn resort
dessert / pie buffet: two sweets bake shop
bride & groom’s shoes: john fluevog shoes
bride’s custom lace bangle: gifts for all seasons
bouquet & boutonniere, reception decor: diy
dj & uplighting: junction 88
second shooter: karina otero


central florida wedding photographer – e. gilbert photography

other posts you might enjoy:
britni & joe {courtyard at lake lucerne wedding}
heather & steve {boardwalk resort wedding}
teri & carson {orlando science center wedding}

Nichola MortonApril 26, 2017 - 11:06 pm

How beautiful and i love the photography.

emilyJune 7, 2017 - 1:13 am

Thank you!! 🙂

britni & joe’s courtyard at lake lucerne wedding {orlando wedding photographer}

britni & joe

sometimes your best friends get married, and not only are you the photographer, you’re also the planner, head of diy, and coordinator. luckily, after the rehearsal dinner, i handed off day-of coordination (complete with thorough schedules and clipboard!) to a responsible friend so that i could focus on photos. if this post is long, i apologize – it’s always hard for me to narrow down photos for blog posts, but it’s especially hard when the bride is your best friend & you had a hand in every aspect of the wedding!

britni & joe

britni & joe

if i pointed out everything i diy-ed, this post would get super redundant, but i will say this – i made britni’s bouquet and it’s probably the diy i was most proud of from their wedding!

britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe

britni & joe

britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe

brit & i are both obsessed with black phoenix alchemy lab (if you’re a perfume nerd you have to check them out!), so of course she wore one of their scents for the wedding, the witch bride.

britni & joe

britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe

ah, yes, the classic groomsmen ginyu force pose! (yes, i have done this shot at other weddings. yes, always by request. yes, all of our friends are nerds.)

britni & joe
britni & joe

can you see why i had trouble narrowing this down for the blog???

britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe

sometimes your boyfriend is the best man and you shove your backup camera at him right before the first look to play second shooter… 😀

britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe

i may have had trouble narrowing their bride & groom portraits down for this post too… #sorrynotsorry.

britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe

siblings are weird…so glad it’s not just my family that’s crazy.

britni & joe
britni & joe

just a few more bride & groom shots, i promise.

britni & joe
britni & joe

okay, okay, enough. ceremony time!

britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe

we practiced this hand-fasting at least ten times and they still struggled with it, oops.

britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe

married!!!

britni & joe

britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe

all of the centerpieces were slightly different, and one of my favorite touches were the little mythological creatures we spray-painted rose gold & hid in the foliage & used as cake toppers.

britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe

britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe

after the first dance, we made the decision to move the reception fully inside thanks to the unseasonably cold weather – that way everyone was still able to dance and enjoy the rest of the night without freezing!

britni & joe
britni & joe

of course channing quoted hamilton in his best man speech, just for britni. out of everything that day, hamilton was what finally had her in tears. thanks, lin-manuel miranda.

britni & joe

britni & joe

britni & joe
britni & joe

britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe
britni & joe


photography: e. gilbert photography
ceremony & reception: the courtyard at lake lucerne (dr. phillips house)
hair & makeup: diy
bride’s dress: aida (bought online)
bride’s sweater: vintage
bride’s shoes: jessica simpson
bridesmaid dresses
: etsy
groom & groomsmen attire: vera wang, men’s wearhouse (millenia)
catering: john michael events
floral, decor, signage: diy
wedding cake & cupcakes
: gift from a friend!
dj: omega djs


orlando offbeat wedding photographer – e. gilbert photography

other posts you might enjoy:
britni & joe {at home proposal}
teri & carson {offbeat horror themed wedding}
– dylan & luke {orlando science center wedding}

[…] britni & joe’s courtyard at lake lucerne wedding {orlando wedding photographer} […]

[…] matt {intimate orlando wedding} – kristin & jason {hard rock hotel elopement} – britni & joe {courtyard at lake lucerne […]

stephanie & david {disney’s polynesian resort proposal photographer}

walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography

i had so much fun helping david plan the details of his proposal to stephanie, and we had plenty of accomplices! first was stephanie’s family – mom, dad, and brother – who knew that david was going to be surprising stephanie on this trip and who helped several times along the way, including making sure she was in the right place at the right time to get her clue from the next accomplices – the cast members at the pineapple lanai! armed with a photo of stephanie to know who they were looking for (and a frantic warning from me that she was on her way!), when stephanie showed up after dinner and ordered a dole whip, she was instead handed a wrapped package containing a book & a map, leading to the luau beach.

walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography
walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography

waiting for her on the beach was david, which was a huge surprise considering he was supposed to be at a work function – it was his excuse for “not being able to go on the trip,” complete with emails from his boss helping him set the whole surprise up! told you we had lots of accomplices! 😉

walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography

of course once stephanie found david waiting on luau beach, the next part might not have been that shocking, especially considering the rose petals & candles he had set up…

walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography
walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography
walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography
walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography

walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography

walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography
walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography

of course after the proposal there was one more surprise – engagement photos! stephanie’s mom even pulled through with a classic mom move – she’d had stephanie try on dresses at the contemporary before dinner, bought one because ‘it looked so nice,’ and brought it along, knowing stephanie would want to change for photos! thanks, mom! while stephanie was changing, i grabbed some glamour shots of her new ring.

walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography
walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography
walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography
once she was ready, it was time for some quick engagement photos before the happy couple was off to celebrate!

walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography
walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography

walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography

walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography
walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography

walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography

walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography
walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography

walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography

walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography
walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography
walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography

walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography

walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography
walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography

walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography

walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography
walt disney world - polynesian resort proposal photography


central florida proposal photography – e. gilbert photography

other posts you might enjoy:
jacquelyn & steven {wizarding world proposal}
amanda & neil {grand floridian engagement session}
courtney & brendan {diagon alley proposal}