Ringling Museum Wedding Photographer
On the terrace at Ca’ d’Zan in Sarasota, the last light catches the bride’s veil as she and the groom take a moment for themselves.
Photographing Weddings at The Ringling
On the terrace at Ca’ d’Zan, the sun was low enough to turn Sarasota Bay orange. The bride and groom touched foreheads, and the light caught the edge of her veil. I like how much you can feel in a silhouette. With their faces in shadow, the smallest movement toward each other becomes the whole photograph.
That’s what I look for when I photograph weddings at The Ringling. I can pull back to show the sweep of the museum courtyard or the candlelit arch above a ceremony, then come close enough to catch the groom’s hand resting on the bride’s arm. When I think about what I want a couple to remember years later, there’s room for both the feeling of standing in that extraordinary place and the comfort of a familiar hand.
A Candlelit Wedding Ceremony at The Ringling
At this wedding in Sarasota, I photographed the ceremony from behind the guests so I could keep their silhouettes in the frame. With the candles glowing beneath the arch, the photograph takes me back to the feeling of sitting among people who have all gone quiet at once. You can sense how much it means to everyone there to hear what these two have come to say.
In the black-and-white photograph, I keep coming back to the groom’s hand resting on the bride’s arm. It has the familiarity of a gesture he might make on any other day. Seeing it here, in front of everyone, makes the ceremony feel even more personal to me.
Wedding Portraits at Ca’ d’Zan and Among the Banyans
I like giving a wedding portrait a few minutes of its own. Beside the banyan, the tangle of roots makes the edge of the veil feel even more delicate. The bride’s expression is so still that I find myself slowing down when I look at it. On a day that moves quickly, I love making a photograph that lets you stay in one place for a little longer.
At Ca’ d’Zan, I pulled back to give the couple room beneath the palms and the last color in the sky. There’s a little anticipation in the instant before they kiss. I wanted to leave enough space around them that you could feel both the openness of the grounds and how close they had drawn to each other.
A Wedding Reception in The Ringling’s Courtyard
During a toast at The Ringling, I framed the couple through the flowers and candlelight, with their guests gathered around them. I like seeing the faces of the people listening. Everyone is hearing the same words, and you can see how differently they land. It’s one of the few times during a reception when a whole room stops what it’s doing to listen to someone talk about two people they love.
The photograph I’d end with is the bride closing her eyes as she hugs her father. I made it with the guests and tables still in the frame, so you can feel the reception carrying on around them. There’s something about the way she holds him that makes me linger. I can imagine her looking at that picture years later and remembering how it felt to be his daughter that night.
Planning a Wedding at The Ringling?
If you’re planning a wedding at The Ringling in Sarasota, I’d love to hear what drew you to the place and what you’re looking forward to most. I’ll make time for portraits that let you take in the setting together, and I’ll be watching for the moments you might only discover afterward, like the look on someone’s face while you’re saying your vows.