Sarah & Graham's Wedding at The Orlo

The Orlo Wedding

Sarah and Graham tied the knot during their stunning wedding at The Orlo. Built in 1896 by Orlo J. Spafford, president of the Tampa National Bank, and resold in 1922 to the Tampa Women’s Club, The Orlo has become an iconic historic building in the Hyde Park district of Tampa.

Before their relationship began, Sarah and Graham found their faith which brought them together. Both attending Radiant Church, the two met in the Fall of 2016 while attending a Bible study group. Walking into the room for the first time, Graham was completely taken with Sarah and after catching her attention as well, asked her out on a first date. Obliging to the offer, the two became absolutely inseparable since!

Falling in love came so natural to the two, and both new pretty soon into their relationship that they had found their “forever.” Planning out his proposal to Sarah, Graham wanted it to be reminiscent of their first date. Starting off with taking Sarah to Bar Taco in Hyde Park Village for dinner, the two afterwards sat on the same bench by the fountain where they had sat on their first date. Turning to Sarah, Graham asked for her hand in marriage, and she of course said, “yes!”

Two years later, the two are now tying the knot at The Orlo and are still completely smitten with one another. Arriving a bit early, we surprised Sarah and jumped right into capturing her details. Going for a more dramatic look, I loved using the natural light and unique location set in-between the two levels of the staircase. Once hair and makeup was complete, we brought our girls back to the same spot for a few beautiful robe shots as a group. I must say that one of my favorite shots is Sarah looking up at her dress – it is just so poetic.

As the girls headed back upstairs to change into their dresses, Graham and his guys arrived to suit up. Capturing the groom’s party downstairs by the windowsill, we of course had to had in a few fun shots of silly socks and cheersing.

Back upstairs, Sarah was getting into her dress with the help of her mom. A beautiful moment was shared by her MOH and sister, which I just adored. It is always so special to have a family moment, especially when it is so symbolic of moving into a new chapter of your life. After getting into her dress, we headed downstairs by the front door for a first touch, prayer, and exchanging of gifts. After sharing a moment with their lord, we separated the two for a first look by the staircase.

Seeing Sarah for the first time truly took Graham’s breath away. Her Hayley Paige dress felt like a glass slipper fit on her and the two did all they could to hold back the tears. After a first look together, we also captured a first look with her father (yes, more tears too!) and bridal party portraits outside.

At this point, we had utilized several spaces outside and inside for formal portraits and getting ready. I loved being able to move freely about the grounds and really capture the iconic building inside and out. Leading up to the front door, we positioned our bridal party for their formal portraits, followed by each individual party as well. Newlywed portraits were an absolute blast – with some of my favs being next to Sarah’s father’s remodeled Chevy truck. A combination of three trucks, a lot of passion and love, and an insane amount of time could be seen in the beauty of it.

Behind the house in the extended building included a stunning wall to wall window ballroom, which is where our sweethearts ceremony took place; along with the room being flipped later for the reception. While Sarah and Graham may have held back the tears during their first look, they definitely came out during the walk down the aisle. Truly, an indescribable amount of emotion can always be felt when seeing your other half at the end of the aisle.

A beautiful ceremony was followed by family portraits before heading off to cocktail hour. Once their ceremony space was flipped, their reception entrance began. Sarah and Graham definitely “wow’d” their guests with a surprise coordinated dance. Toasts, dining, a mother-son dance, and a father-daughter dance, opened the dance floor to their reception.

With so much excitement, and of course tons of dancing, I appreciate Sarah and Graham giving me just a few minutes of their time to step out for nighttime photos with Sarah’s dad’s truck. After a few pretty killer shots they headed back in for more dancing before a sparkler send off concluded the night.

Wishing our sweethearts a beautiful life together!