Written and Photographed By Roy

Eden Roc Miami Beach Wedding

Love is ALIVE! Romance never goes out of style and I never tire of hearing about your engagement “moment”!

Michelle knew that something was up when David started the day saying “He could not wait to marry me one day”.

Going to class that day, Michelle assumed that David was at work~little did she know that he was busy~ setting up the perfect proposal!

On her way home she realized that no one in the family was answering the phone and that David kept calling. Something inside her said this was it~that it was happening!

“As I stepped out of our elevator rose petals led the way to our door, upon entering our home rose petals covered the floor, candles set the mood and there was David all dressed up waiting for me!”

“I started to cry once I realized what was going on. All I could say was “your not doing this your not doing this!” David dropped to one knee and asked me to marry him and of course I said YES!”

Now what happens next shows me that David values the love and support of family!

“After the best of proposals, David told me to get dressed because we were going to dinner to celebrate. When we got to my favorite restaurant both of our families were there waiting to celebrate with us. David even got my cousin (who is the maid of honor) who lives in California to come in for the night and surprise me!”

Michelle and David will be getting married at the beautiful Eden Roc Resort on Miami Beach in the fall and we are looking forward to an amazing wedding!

Check out this engaging slide show below by clicking on the play button:

For those of you that are engaged, consider an engagement session as a great opportunity to get to know your photographer better. For me it’s wonderful to see how you “dance” together, to observe the little subtle ways that you love each other. With this experience, your wedding photos will truly reflect you two as a couple. Aside from that these images make great Save the Date images, gift portraits for parents and grandparents and it makes for a great guest book that’s as personal as you are!

This just in! After this Blog post was published we got the most amazing note from Michelle!:

“Roy- I can’t thank you enough for doing such a good job with these pictures. Since the pictures went up, I have received so many emails/phone calls telling him how amazing the pictures are. We are so happy with them. I just wanted to say thank you again for everything! You have made us so excited for the wedding because we can’t wait to see how incredible those pictures will be.”

Give me a call and let’s get engaged in an amazing relationship creating great memories of the two of you together!

XOXO

Roy Llera~ Contact Me

Written + Photographed By Roy

Temple Emanu-El Miami Beach Wedding

Get the ring~check! Make reservations at the restaurant of first date~check! Visit future Mother-In-Law to ask for Rebecca’s hand in marriage~”Houston-We have a problem”

Life is often unpredictable and the plans that Matthew had for the day that he planned on proposing to Rebecca were quickly thrown out the window when on his way to see Mom, quickly realized that Mom was making chicken soup for Rebecca who was a little under the weather.

So what’s Matt to do~Improvise! He patiently waited till Mom got home to discuss his intentions~check! Now back home, Matt realizes that dinner plans are now canceled. Ohh–realize that Rebecca had no idea about the “plan”. After agreeing to take-out sushi~ Matt quietly paced the condo thinking how to propose. As dinner arrived, Rebecca prepared a beautiful spread on the coffee table and as Matt entered the room stated “see, I’d make a good housewife”.

Matthew saw his opening.

He took the box out of his briefcase and walked over. Becky didn’t pick up on what was going on.  Matthew sat on the floor, opened the box, and said “speaking of housewife, will you marry me?”

Becky froze like a scared cat for about 15 seconds and then realized that Matthew was proposing.  Matthew’s hand shook when he placed the ring on her finger.  After a few minutes Matthew had to remind Becky that she never actually said yes yet.  She said yes!

Enjoy this lovely engagement session in the slide show below~Just click on the “play” button below.

To enjoy more of  Temple Emanu-El weddings click Temple Emanu-el Weddings to see more.

So what’s your story? Will you let me capture your love story? Call me~you’ll be thrilled that you did!

XOXO

Roy~ Contact Me

Written By Roy  |  Photographed By Roy

Coral Gables Congregational Wedding  |  Comber Hall Reception

I love weddings! Love the love stories, getting to know each of my couples, and best of all capturing their wedding day experience! Knowing that these photographs will grace the homes of happy parents, grandparents and that an amazing album will reflect the love of our Brides and Grooms inspires me to give 100% of all that I am to create a wonderful experience. So it was with much anticipation that I was looking forward to Ashlee and Alexis’s wedding day! From the moment we met and then photographing their engagement session I knew that this was going to be a fun and spontaneous wedding.

As a Miami wedding photographer I am focused on many details that make a wedding and I love seeing what the Bride is wearing but check out the shoe behind Ashlee’s shoe. She surprised Alexis ~ These are his party shoes!

Ashlee and Alexis decided to get ready and have their “first look” at the beautiful Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. This image is what I call a transition shot~taken as we go from one lovely setting to another. With the couple captured in the moment~spontaneously! Refreshing isn’t it?

A wedding is a collection of amazing moments and subtle details. In the months leading up to a wedding, I get to know my couples and understand the story behind all the subtlety. The brooch that is lovingly attached to Ashlee’s bouquet has a photo of her Grandparents that could not attend the wedding. This photo was taken at Ashlee’s parents wedding.

Ashlee looks stunning in her Lazaro designer gown and together they make a beautiful couple. This portrait was taken moments after the ceremony at Coral Gables Congregational Church before dashing off for the reception.

And what a reception it was! The joy of life I saw in this lovely couple was magnified by the awesome family and friends partying like there was no tomorrow! They even had a “la hora loca” literally a crazy hour to take the party to another level. The music cranks up, out comes masks and fun trinkets that has a definite carnival feel to it!

I bet you can’t wait to see their amazing slide show~~Click on the play button below for a fantastic wedding experience! I guarantee that after you see this you’re going to feel like you were a guest at their wedding!

A Few Details: Wedding Venue: Coral Gables Congregational Church; Reception Venue: Comber Hall; Bridal Gown: Lazaro; Catering and Decor: Sylvia’s Weddings of Distinction; Limousine: Meilan Limousine; Music: DJ Connection

Another interesting detail, Ashlee’s grandmother created with a lot of love each one of the pastries you see in the details image above.

A special “thank you’ to Sylvia Viyella of Sylvia’s Weddings of Distinction for introducing me to this amazing couple! It’s such a joy to work side by side with one who shares an equal passion for weddings!

Finally we received a lovely note from Ashlee and Alexis:

“I finally had a chance to get through all of the pictures this weekend (a few times) and I felt compelled to express my gratitude. You managed to capture all the emotions of our wedding while showcasing “fun” as the central theme of it all. The pictures capture everything we could have ever wanted AND MORE. They are beautiful, fun, sentimental and HILARIOUS. If I had to do it all over again, I would pick you again and again without hesitation. You’re an incredible photographer and you just blew us away with your dedication to our day.  You and your team bent over backwards to capture every detail of our day and even stuck around to the very end.  I am certain these pictures will give us the same feeling of nostalgia we had on our wedding day EVERY TIME we look at them.”

Now this is how every bride should feel after getting her wedding photos!

OK, I am super excited for this Saturday’s wedding! If you want your wedding to be captured as you dreamed it would be~then call me~ I guarantee that you’ll be glad that you invited us to be at your wedding!

Loving life!

Roy~ Contact Me

Written and Photographed by Roy

The Omphoy Ocean Resort Wedding

If you find your task is hard,
Time will bring you your reward,
Try, try again ~  T.H. Palmer

The other night, I was reading a story to my sons and the story spoke of perseverance and never giving up. The Toy Story Movies message is never to give up on trying. And so Vanina was on her fifth and last day of J-Date when she happened upon Brandon’s profile. A flirty comment and a great smile peaked Brandon’s attention and destiny was set in motion.

Emails and long phone conversations led to a dinner date on a Tuesday but the Sunday before Brandon called and wondered “Why not tonight?” Vanina said “Yes”.

“So, off we went for sushi, talked for hours, ate gelato and then…we kissed. That kiss sparked a chemistry and romance neither of us had ever felt before.  We spent ten of the next 14 days together and were inseparable – the two of us finally found true love – and we owe it all to patience, positivity and yes, J-date.” The next year was life at warp speed as they met each others families, traveled together, moved in together and shared each others dreams. Brandon knew that Vanina was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

Vanina’s parents excitedly gave him permission to marry their daughter. Now comes the thought that every guy has to ponder~ How to ask her?. “When Vanina was planning my birthday party, I knew I had found the opportune time to ask her to marry me.  Right before the cake came out, and in front of 50 friends and family, I asked Vanina if she would continue making me the happiest man on earth for the rest of my life and then…we kissed.”

Enjoy their engaging slide show below by clicking on the play button. The image below was their “Save the Date” to tell all their family and friends about their exciting news!

Vanina and Brandon will be getting married in the very near future at the Omphoy Ocean Resort, the only beachfront boutique hotel on Palm Beach island.

What a great love story! What about yours? I’d love to capture your love story with an eye for romance, love and all these wonderful moments that are going on in your lives!

Engage in life!

Roy~ Contact Me

Written and Photographed by Roy

St Patrick Catholic Church | Miami Beach Wedding  |  Four Seasons Miami Reception

I’m beginning to see a pattern with these engaging proposal stories. The guys take this really seriously and so things happen. With Maria and Miguel it was their third dating anniversary and for Miguel the day to propose had arrived! New Years Day 2009. As they arrived at the Biltmore Hotel for lunch, Maria found it odd that Miguel was having some trouble getting out of the car~so much so that he hit his head. Maria thought, “That’s odd, but I guess everyone has their days.”

What she didn’t realize was that Miguel had a ring box that he was trying to conceal! After a wonderful lunch, they had a delightful walk around this stunning hotel. When they neared the fountain by the golf course, Miguel wanted to take pictures of Maria and then have Maria take a few pics of him. I think it’s here that he’s thinking, “How do I segue into the proposal moment?”

Well he distracts her by stating that he thinks he sees a turtle in the fountain, “When I turn to tell him that those were lights I find him on one knee and I start not believing what is happening and he laughed and told me “Mari, will you marry me?” and while I am a very composed person most of the time, I lost it!” She stated over and over again, “Are you serious? No way! Oh my God!” Then the tears starting pouring from Maria’s eyes and Miguel asks her again, “Will you marry me?”

Well, we all know the answer to this one because tomorrow Maria and Miguel are having a wedding!

You’re invited to take a look at their amazing slide show. Just click the play button below~Enjoy!

Maria and Miguel will be getting married at the beautiful St Patrick Catholic Church in Miami Beach followed by their reception at the Four Seasons Miami. Click to view more weddings that we have photographed at St Patrick and at the Four Seasons.

I just had a thought, if you’re a guy planning on asking your best girl the “question” think about having this moment photographed. It would be amazing to capture her expression in that moment of surprise and sheer joy! I’d love to be there for you!

Have a great weekend! I know I will~

XOXO,

Roy- Contact me

“That bridge is special to us because… she told me that every Saturday during the summer brides getting married in the area would come to that bridge for pictures.”

“…I took her out for a dance lesson. She always said that she wanted to take dance lessons…”

How many times have you been on a date and the rain catches you, you take her hand and find a lonely doorway or you happen to have an umbrella that just draws you that much closer.. So when Greg shared with me that the weekend that he met Jennifer it rained and the day that he asked her to marry him it rained…so the planned walk around the city turned into a early dinner in hopes that the rain would subside. “After we finished dinner and I had gone to the bathroom twice to look at the ring!!!”… the rain stopped long enough for their walk to that bridge and as planned Greg took a knee and ask Jennifer to marry him and after a positive response and a hug that you want to last forever…it starts to rain again…who cares! They just got engaged and with that feeling anything can happen and it’s wonderful!

Upon entering their suite at the hotel, a hundred roses were awaiting Jennifer and the cork popped, the champagne was poured and a toast for love everlasting sealed the deal. “I was just so happy to begin my life with Jennifer that all I could think about was the moment”

Enjoy an amazing slide show of this beautiful beginning!

“The engagement shoot was a wonderful time for Jennifer and me and we loved every minute of it. Pictures are very important for me and Jennifer as we aren’t together every day, and when I look at the pictures from the engagement shoot I think about that day and how happy we are and it makes me smile.  Knowing that that photo shoot was kind of the “unofficial” start to our wedding celebration is something very special… it is an honor having you photograph such a special occasion for the two of us”

…and the day they had their engagement session…it rained…and then the sun came out and somewhere I am sure there was a rainbow. Well, we are so looking forward to an amazing wedding and partly cloudy skies with no chance of rain!

Come again!

Roy Llera – Contact me

Little did Xavier know that the young intern that he hired for the summer of 2002 would one day become his fiancé…after that summer they stayed connected as friends and it wasn’t till the summer of 2006 that they started dating and this weekend they will be getting married! We are so looking forward to their wedding this weekend!!

Fuego!

Enjoy the engagement slide show below and if you’re a guest say hi to us on Saturday…we’ll be the ones with the cameras.

"Que la vida es un carnaval...

Family and friends recently celebrated a special day together at the beautiful Viceroy Hotel…hugs, kisses, laughter and lots of dancing were invited to this party as well…

"A photo taken years ago in Cuba celebrating a birthday!

A beautiful space, yummy food and some killer music…family and friends…when you put it all together…it’s a carnival!

Enjoy the show…Aracely…Feliz Cumpleanos!

...sand in our toes...summer breeze.

As a Miami wedding photographer, one of the wonderful benefits to this wonderful career is seeing our couples grow as a family! Ten years ago, our super fantastic business manager-Todd photographed Cala & Aaron’s wedding.

Beautiful Ela..

Cala is a photographer and it’s always a blast to create for another creative soul!

You just want to hug them forever...

I think Daddy heart is taken...

Life is a “beach’!

At first I was attracted to the gesturing…slapping down of “las fichas”…the commentary…”me pegue”(the joyful, cocky voice of the player who puts his final domino piece on the table at the end of the game) but as I observed the “theater” that I love in life. I noticed this “actress” playing her role…I love the way she fixed her hair carefully bringing the curls out (reminiscent of a cupie doll) out from under her bandana…her bright eyes alert as they danced from each participants gestures…it was late in the day…