Let’s go way back to 2003. Still the days of FILM. I had photographed Vanessa’s sister’s wedding in New Orleans the previous summer and was so flattered when she called to request my services for her “dream” wedding on the beach of Marco Island, Florida.
The quintessential tropical wedding bouquets! One of my truly “documentary” photos of the bride making her way down to the wedding site and being admired by all she passed. These orange dresses Vanessa picked for the bridesmaids and flower girl were SO vibrant! Just stunning for a tropical beach wedding!

And, just like weather is prone to doing, a gigantic storm cloud parked itself directly overhead as soon as Vanessa appeared on the beach. I LOVE this photograph. The light on her face is so gorgeous as she smiles in spite of her dismay. This storm was NOT in the dream plan. At all.
There really was nothing to do but laugh at the tremendous gusts of wind that were blowing all the chairs (and some of the guests) down the beach as she approached the aisle. Dave seemed to be oblivious to the weather once he caught sight of his bride.
Can you seen the water drops all over my lens? And check those clouds. It was SO dark!! And hard to tell but it was raining HARD.   
A VERY emotional ceremony, for many reasons. These images have brought back a flood of memories for me of that day, that moment. I was soaked to the bone, my assistant Cat and I trying to change film under our dresses to protect it from the sheets of rain, desperate to capture the moment which lasted only minutes before the whole party dashed inside.
One of the benefits of being a destination wedding photographer is that I am staying the night! The next morning was gorgeous and sunny so everyone came back out on the beach for a fun photo shoot! So I got the best of both worlds: wedding in a torrential downpour and perfect weather beach shoot.