Hawkesdene Wedding // Mr. + Mrs. Whalen

I met Kaytee and Chad back in the summer of 2020 for their engagement session at Picnic Island. During their shoot the Sahara dust storm that moved across the North Atlantic to the US was hitting which made their images some of the most unique I’ve taken to this day. While I thought this was just a rare and lucky thing to happen, and is was, what I would soon come to find out after photographing Kaytee and Chad’s Hawkesdene wedding day is that Mother Nature seems to favor them over any other humans I’ve ever met. Which brings me to their wedding day. I am SO thankful Kaytee and Chad trusted this native Floridian to travel north and capture their dreamy mountain wedding. As someone who jumps at any chance they get to photograph outside the state, this Hawkesdene wedding was a bucket list wedding for me.

I started this Hawkesdene wedding day with Kaytee and her girls in the bridal cabin photographing details and getting ready photos. As Kaytee was putting on her finishing touches, Chad prepared for their first look where they choose to privately share their vows together before the ceremony. Now to circle back to the Mother Nature thing, during their ceremony it was overcast which was perfect for photos underneath the canopy of lush forest we were surrounded by. But this is where it gets crazy- after their grand entrance into the reception as Mr. & Mrs. Whalen shared their first dance, it started raining. Nothing unusual especially in the mountains. But for it to be perfect timing and to have the rain falling in the background of their photos is just magical… but wait, there’s more! The rain stopped and as we headed to the top of the mountain for their portraits, there was a giant freakin’ rainbow perfectly placed for their photos. I mean you can’t make this stuff up people! I was in true disbelief. As if their portraits weren’t already going to be perfect because this venue is what photographers dreams are made of, Mother Nature said hold my beer. The rest of the evening was spent partying with their closest friends and family as well as the neighborhood dogs too. A sparkler exit to end the night was a perfect way to end the most perfect day. Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Whalen for bringing me along for the ride, I loved every second!

Vendor Team:
Venue: Hawkesdene
Hair/MUA: Angela Argyriou
Florist: Springvine Design
Dress Designer: Martina Liana
Dress Boutique: The Perfect Dress Sarasota
Catering: Hawkesdene
Cake: Deborah at Hawkesdene
DJ: Remix Weddings
Videographer: J. Mitchell Productions