destination weddings – KiKi Creates Blog

{Beka&Mike | Engagement at Talbot Island| KiKi Creates |Jacksonville,…

November 2, 2018

Whenever I get asked what I miss about Florida the most, I always say sailing. So when Beka and Mike had the idea of sailing at sunrise for their engagement. I was all in! They are a super adventurous and fun couple, so this session was true to who they are and could not have been more up my alley. They cracked some beers on a private island as the sun hit the horizon and it was just about the coolest way to spend your morning. And, they get married in a week! So why not reminisce 🙂 Check out our sailing session below!
Enjoy!
KiKi
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Colorado

{Courtney&Raphael | Wedding at The Mountain Wedding Garden |…

October 23, 2018

Let me start by saying, these two are a kick ass couple! They’ve lived in my two favorite places, Hawaii and Colorado. Courtney is a gorgeous read head. They have an adorable dog, in which they put a giant bow tie on. And to top it off, they hiked around on their wedding day even though Courtney was sportin’ a broken foot and a baby bump. It was just one of those days where I felt like I was hanging out with my friends all day. Even though we had just met. 🙂
The wildflowers were going off for their beautiful summer wedding at the Mountain Wedding Garden in CB. With a flower crown on and their pup in the back seat, we ventured around Gothic for some sweet portraits. It was a perfectly beautiful day! They have since moved back to Hawaii and are expecting their baby soon! They are going to be some seriously adventurous, fun loving parents. Congrats you two!
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Destination Wedding Photographer

{Emily&TJ | Wedding at York Harbor Inn | KiKi…

August 31, 2018

My first wedding in Maine really set the bar for any others. It was an absolutely gorgeous, brisk day on the seaside. They had transformed the ballroom into a soft, twinkle lit reception. Created a beautiful arch looking over the ocean and essentially took over this small town in Maine and made it this sweet family gathering.
I had met Emily years ago when I was looking for a roommate. She was always a super sweet and bubbly person to be around. And meeting her amazing family for the first time, only affirmed where she got her lovely personality from. Tj and her had been together for almost 4 years, so it was no surprise they were getting married. But seeing them on their wedding day, literally non stop gazing at each other, smiles ear to ear, and so many laughs, really put into perspective how perfect they were for each other. The exciting is that this Sunday will be their one year anniversary and a few days ago they had their first baby. So I thought it only fitting their blog post should go up! I hope you enjoy!
KiKi
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Colorado

{Alyssa&Drew | Wedding at Chief Hosa Lodge | KiKi…

June 21, 2018March 28, 2019

Hearing Alyssa and Drew’s story as high school sweethearts reminds me of a real life version of a romantic movie from the 1990’s. It’s adorable and sweet and their bold and beautiful wedding day did everything to compliment it.
The rustic lodge they were married in was decorated with richly colored glasses and greenery. Medieval candelabras and wooden accents were scattered to create a warm and inviting feel. Their heartfelt speeches filled the cozy room as some people warned next to the brick fireplace huddled together.
On top of the gorgeous details, nothing makes me smile more than a wedding with doggie guests. Alyssa and Drew started their day with a first look at a frozen lake with their pup. The three of them came together as a family and were married in front of a backdrop of snow capped mountains. The night ended with a golden sunset walk through the woods. It was such a gorgeous day. Enjoy!
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Destination Wedding Photographer

{Claire&Mo | Wedding at The White Room | KiKi…

June 7, 2018March 28, 2019

Oh Claire and Mo. How I feel so special to be able to call you friends. I met Mo almost 7 years ago at the local watering hole, Mellow Mushroom. He is apart of my great group of friends in Jax. They are not only great because they are just so fun, but that group of a dozen plus people believed in me and my career, even despite some of the weird or novice ideas I may have had at the beginning of starting my company. 🙂 Mo was also one of the first people I went offshore fishing with, which still remains one of my favorite things to do. Needless to say, they have a very special place in my heart.
A few years ago, Claire Bear came into the group with her beautiful red hair and infectious smile. Claire is not just a beautiful woman, she is one bad ass boss. She started her company in her early twenties and already has an amazing store front, another stylist and countless clients that love her talents and personality. I am so impressed by her drive at such a young age and her ability to remain so carefree along the way. So to add that to the already fun loving and kind Mo, was pretty much perfect. When they got engaged it made our whole group so happy to see two close friends start their life together.
Ya know, I could go on and on about their day and them. But I will say one thing that I really loved and let the photos say the rest. While Claire was twirling around in her wedding gown on the dance floor, with literally the biggest smile I have ever seen on her face, I went up to Mo to ask him how he was doing. Mo, putting work on his cocktail and not some much on the dance floor was looking at Claire, also with a big smile. He responded to me and said, “I am doing great! As long as she is the happiest she can be, I am.” And that’s just the kind of guy Mo is. I can’t say I have ever heard him complain or talk about himself much. He just always seems to be the one that’s happy if everyone else is. A completely selfless guy. So, congrats you two! On not only getting married, but being genuinely kind and amazing friends to me. Enjoy the blog and check out a couple things Claire had to say about the day below..
“I had dreamt of the day I would get engaged to Mo, but once it happened I was overwhelmed with the idea of wedding planning. Fortunately, my mom knew exactly where to start. Her and I worked together to create my dream wedding and the best day of my life! My favorite memory of the day was getting to ride the trolley as a new married couple, just the two of us, to the reception. It was the only moment we had to ourselves in the midst of the crazy, wonderful day.”
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Venue: Mission Nombre de Dios, St. Augustine

Reception: The White Room

Dress: The White Magnolia

Designer: Wtoo by Watters

Makeup: Gypsy at Studio Bride

Hair: Rachel Barnes at Mantra Hair Salon

Florist: Flower Works – David

Cake: Sweet Weddings

DJ: Billy Parry BPM Weddings

Caterer: The White Room

Officiant: Father William Kelly

Colorado

{Anna&Joe | Wedding at The Winterbourne Inn | KiKi…

March 27, 2018

I met Anna and Joe Camping. Which is a great start to any story because we all love camping. Anna was actually sitting in a hammock with a colorful shirt, beautiful blonde hair and such an inviting smile. Then I met Joe, who has an even bigger smile and a wonderfully happy personality. They were not engaged at the time, but they were one of those couples where everyone was just waiting for it to happen. And I wish there is something I could say to convey the love Joe and Anna have. I’ve tried to put some words together but I am struggling to really say how I can tell there going to make it. So I’ll say this… Everyone, literally everyone I talked to about Joe and Anna, knew that they were the purest definition of meant to be. I’ve never seen a couple compliment each other so beautifully and so lovingly. And beyond the great relationship, they are just darn right FUN dancing machines. There is never a dull moment around them. I actually stayed an hour longer and didn’t realize it because I too was having fun and maybe dancing while photographing (It’s a total pro move:)). I will let you read what Anna wrote below and hope you enjoy the images! -KiKi

From Anna the Bride:
“Joe and I love being outdoors and do a lot of camping so naturally the ceremony was outside on the St. Johns River. Joe grew up on the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, the venue was a perfect fit. Our flower dog was our fluffy husky. He is our fur baby and anyone who knows us also knows Ryder. He totally stole the show!

When I found my dress I loved the vintage feel of the lace. It was a sweet surprise that the lace on my mom’s veil had the same lace…so I surprised her by wearing the veil on my wedding day. It was a sweet surprise.

Joe and I also love music so our DJ was crucial. He was a friend of ours that we have seen on several occasions. He knew exactly our style and knew how to mix fun songs together to get EVERYONE on the dance floor. I think at one point we had three dance parties going on at the same time in various areas of the venue. We love music so much we made a “mix cd” for our wedding favors so our guests could rock out with us for years to come.”

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Venue: The Winterbourne Inn

Photographer: Kiki Creates

Dress: Watters from White Magnolia in Jacksonville, FL

Makeup and hair:

Hair- Sami Skinner Rio Salon

Makeup: Lucia Palenik

Rentals: Lights- St Johns Illuminations

Florist: The Anti Bride j

Cake: Calli Marie Bakes

Caterer: The Winterbourne Inn

Officiant: Pastor Bob Hovey , First coast ceremonies firstcoastceremonies@gmail.com

Coordinator: Kim Pilgrim, The Winterbourne Inn winterbourneinn@hotmail.com

Colorado

{Ariana & Kurtis | Wedding at Seven Falls |…

March 20, 2018

To be apart of only 20 people at someones wedding is a very special thing. Of all the places, people and things in this world, some how your moments along the way lead you to be one of the most important people in someones life. 1 of 20 in attendance to share their most special and thoughtful day. Now that is pretty neat. And out of the sea of photographers they could have chosen to be that person to capture such a sweet and family oriented day, it is pretty darn neat to be picked for that too.
Ariana and Kurtis and their closest family and friends shared a spot under the waterfall at Seven Falls the day after Thanksgiving. Gathered around with no chairs or microphones and using each other to keep warm, they inched closer to hear their teary eyed vows. With their pup at their feet, rings tied around his collar, they held hands underneath the roaring of the falls. So much love and energy it was hard to stay focused and not get swept up in the moment. As they were pronounced husband and wife, everyone put their hands on them in prayer and then they shared a huge hug and kiss.
To follow such a unique and beautiful ceremony was hard. But being a crew of 20 we slowly became the talk of the park. Of course my crazy idea was to have them walk up some 200+ stairs, stand on a platform with no people (on the busiest day of the year), while I ran a half a mile across to another platform and up an elevator to get a shot of the whole waterfall. We had Kurtis on the phone with me kindly asking people to get of the tiny platform and their wedding guests holding people off on the stairs by them and cheering me on over at the other platform while on the phone directing them. I was trying my hardest not to giggle while making the photo but it really was the biggest joint effort to make it happen and it turned out pretty epic! But enough from me! Below is what the Bride told me about her wedding day and be sure to check out the images after! Enjoy! KiKi

From the Bride, Ariana:

“Our wedding was so perfect because it felt like just a gathering of family which is what we wanted. We had the most important people there to celebrate such an important event and we got to do it in one of the most beautiful places in the world. We got to be so relaxed and laid back and just focus on the important things rather then making sure everything was perfect which in the end it really was. We got to really spend the day together and just laugh and really feel all the love that we have for each other. I honestly cant imagine marrying the love of my life any other way.”

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Venue: Seven Falls

Dress: Davids Bridal

Makeup and hair: Done by the bride

Florist: Skyway Creations

Cake: Edelweiss Restaurant

Caterer: Edelweiss Restaurant

Officiant: Erich Michelfelder (father of groom)

Colorado

{Krissi & Ben | Wedding at Upper Schmid Ranch…

January 25, 2018

My favorite season is Colorado is in September when fall is slowly changing to winter. The aspens are super yellow and lively and the mountain tops are covered in snow. It’s the perfect contrast of light and dark and is a gorgeous time of year.
So you can only imagine my eyes when I pulled up for Krissi and Bens gorgeous wedding at Upper Schmid Ranch. It’s the perfect vibe of rustic beautiful woods and absolutely stunning Mountain View’s. And Krissi and Ben knew how to make it even that much better. A mobile bar, karaoke, multiple doggie guest, Polaroid photo booth, and a cupcake station.
It was certainly a day to remember and a wedding I absolutely loved being apart of.
Enjoy!
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Colorado

{Mother & Daughter Session | KiKi Creates | Crested…

December 4, 2017

My good friend Courtney had a photo session planned with her mom when she came in town this past summer. When she first approached me she asked, “is it weird for a 30 year old to do a mother daughter session? I always see it with little kids.” It’s true, but just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it can’t be done! And that is the true Courtney Burton way!
In honor of my mother’s birthday week and the fact that I would love to have a mother daughter session with my mom, I’ve posted these lovely photos. Courtney, Debbie, Birdie the dog and I took a hike around the wildflowers, mountains and river bends and documented their adorable and loving personalities.
Enjoy this warm, smiley Colorado session on this cold winter day!
KiKi
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Destination Wedding Photographer

{Catherine & Ryan | Day Before Session at Sylvan…

November 22, 2017

It may have rained the entire next day on their wedding, but we sure did get a gorgeous day before session. Check out Catherine and Ryan romping around South Dakota on their last single day before they said I do!
Enjoy!
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Tag: destination weddings