Without much of the stigma it once held, elopement marriage is rising in popularity among budget-conscious couples.  Adele and Clark decided to get married on their own terms!  The focus was on the couple and their wishes—not on the extravagant extras, which can be costly. However, in the same way a traditional bride and groom select the wardrobe, flowers, food and music that best suit them, a unique venue can make an elopement memorable. Lucky for us, the Sarasota area is so centrally located that there are several world-class elopement destinations nearby.  The city, hotels, parks and as Adele and Clark chose, the beach!  With a few surprises and an abandoned house around the corner.  See more of the photographs in the “pages” section to the right.

For Elopement and Destination Packages, I recommend working with Sand Petal Weddings:

http://www.sandpetalwedding.com

http://sheilasimmington.com/sarasota-wedding-romantics.html

Several couples that I have recently photographed are planning to have their future wedding at the Club.  Check out Jessie and Matt and Michael and Jessica’s engagement photo’s in my ‘Your Story’ column on my blog home page. You can follow their progress and see photo’s of their upcoming wedding at Lakewood Ranch.

I highly recommend this gorgeous setting for a  ”Want IT All Wedding: From the beginning, the loveliest bridal room for the entire wedding party to get ready in to the elegant 4,200 square foot grand ballroom which is designed with tasteful chandeliers, richly colored carpet and a balcony that overlooks the golf course, nature preserve, and fountain-filled lake.  Scenic Fountains and lakes, decorative bridges and a great view of the Country Club from outside create a great back drops for amazing wedding photography. Contact the staff at Lakewood Ranch:  http://www.lakewoodranchgolf.com/club/scripts/section/section.asp?NS=PWB

A Wedding gown hanging in the private bridal suite at Lakewood Ranch.

The most unusual floral bridal bouquet I have ever seen, designed by Tiger Lily florists of Sarasota.

Here are the grooms men on the wedding lawn.

Jillian and Kevins wedding took place at the  University Park Country Club, in Sarasota Florida.

Posing for maternity portraits is a way for pregnant women to celebrate their pregnancies and have a photographic keepsake of their experiences. Portraits of pregnant mothers can range from artistic to traditional, with mothers donning sophisticated clothes that accentuate the pregnant belly or nothing at all. Regardless of what they wear, however, maternity photos give pregnant women the opportunity to boost their confidence during a time when they may not feel they look their best. If you’re planning to take maternity photos in the near future, read on to find out more about what to wear for maternity portraits.

Considerations

1. When considering clothing for maternity photo shoots, it is important for each woman to take into consideration her sense of style, level of comfort and types of maternity photos she wants to have. Nude photos tend to be more artistic photographic representations of pregnancies with a focus on the pregnant belly. More conservative photos tend to consist of a pregnant woman from the belly up or a full body shot. For these, the pregnant woman dons clothes that shows off her stomach.

Types

2. Clothing for maternity photo shoots should be tight-fitting around the belly. Loose and baggy shirts and pants will only hide the pregnant stomach. Stretch pants and pants that have low waistlines won’t bunch up as the woman is posing or sitting, and are a good idea to wear during a shoot. In addition, tight-fitting tank tops and maternity tops that have thin fabrics that cling to the body are also good choices for maternity portraits.For pregnant women who want to include their other children in their shoots, they may don a more playful style of clothing. White tank tops accentuate the stomach and have thin fabrics. Casual fitted khaki pants are a good wardrobe choice for these types of shoots.

Time Frame

3. A pregnant woman should consider taking maternity photos as far along in her pregnancy as possible. If she does this later in the pregnancy, she will be better able to show off her stomach in the clothing that she wears. The third trimester tends to be the best time to schedule a maternity photo shoot. The belly is extremely visible at this point, and the photographer can capture the fullness of the stomach.

Warning

4. Keep clothing selections for maternity portraits simple. Stripes and busy patterns can hide the stomach or detract attention away from it. Instead, stick with solid colors. In general, black and white clothing tends to work best. In fact, something as simple as a husband’s button down shirt works well,  Black and white lingerie can also be used for more artistic shoots.