New blog and website! Visit us!

After much laboring we have a new blog and website! Follow this link to our new spot for all sorts of info about Kate Gardiner Photography. Thanks for visiting our old spot.


Kate Gardiner Photography -blog

The Nocatee Room at Crosswater Hall: Ponte Vedra Wedding Venue

The first thing you notice when you step into The Nocatee Room at Crosswater Hall is the light that pours in through west facing windows. It bounces off the hardwood floors and light colored carpet and makes the open beams of the vaulted ceiling glow. Tucked back into the Nocatee Village in Ponte Vedra, Fl, the venue is perfect for weddings with an elegant feel without sacrificing the relaxed Florida atmosphere. The expansive lawn where they hold outdoor ceremonies overlooks the pool area but still gives a private feeling with monolithic royal palms bordering the area. There are tons of portrait possibilities for couples and their families including a big open field across the parking lot. The huge bride room has an amazing tall mirror that will make for great getting ready photos. The bride makes a killer entrance to the ceremony, walking down the grand staircase from above the ceremony site.

The cocktail hour is held on the plantation style wraparound balcony of The Nocatee Room that is furnished with patio furniture right out of the Crate & Barrel catalog. Your guests are then ushered into that beautiful light-filled room that can seat 300 guests. Your caterer serves from their full kitchen at the rear of the room.

St. Augustine Jacksonville Wedding Venue: St. John's Country Club

For couples who are looking for a relaxed beautiful setting that has a touch of country elegance, St. John's Country Club is the place! A short drive south of Jacksonville and an equally short drive north from St. Augustine, it is perfect for medium sized weddings. I recently dropped in on event manager Amanda Dunn and got the full tour. Their side patio or nearby green provide a lovely outdoor ceremony venue. Your guests then have a short walk into the clubhouse for your reception. The clubhouse has gorgeous hardwood with a large fireplace and vaulted ceilings. There is a lovely bridge, expansive putting green and stone entryway that are perfect portrait spots!

The food though blew me away! Sushi, grilled veggie bruschetta, pan-seared tuna on pita chips, and baked brie was to die for!  Definitely give Amanda a buzz to schedule a site walk. 904.940.3200

Marsh Landing Country Club Jacksonville Wedding Venue: Jacksonville Photographer

I recently went to visit Erin D'Agostino the new event coordinator at Marsh Landing Country Club and to see their gorgeous venue. I was unaware of all it had to offer and was so excited to see the outdoor pavilion for a ceremony site. It overlooks a marsh that gives an old world Florida feel with the monolithic palm trunks sporadically throughout the reeds. Nothing like being outside for your ceremony but still be covered without having to rent a tent!

The surrounding grounds have so many neat spots that would be amazing for bridal portraits. I can't wait to shoot a wedding here!

 The inside of the club house is full of hard wood vaulted ceilings which they brought into their table settings using wood chargers and fine burlap tablecloths. I love the chandelier that hangs outside of the ballroom above a vintage look-a-like circular lobby sofa. They had the ballroom set up for a commercial shoot on the day I visited. Shea Hopely Flowers, Inc. did the floral arrangements

 

St. Augustine Photographer: 2011 Round Up

Summer and Fall of 2011 was such a whirlwind that my blog has suffered from lack of attention. We added a new little one to our family brood, photographed 7 weddings and 20 or so family portraits, and moved our photography out of our house and into a studio space! Whew!

See I told you we were busy!

Here is a round up of some the best of images from 2011. We were so blessed with wonderful clients this year and can't wait for all of our events here in 2012!

St. Augustine Photographer: Winner Best of St. Augustine 2011!

Thank You!!

We feel so honored to be voted Best of St. Augustine for two years running! And we couldn't have done it without you!

Lots of amazing things in store for 2011/2012! Stay tuned for news on portrait marathons for the holidays, photo classes, and much more!

St. Augustine Photographer: Instagram Addict

Have you played with Instagram? I have become obsessed with it. It is a great way to share photos with other photo minded people. I find inspiration in what others come up with in their everyday lives. I have noticed that a lot of my "friends" on the photo based social media site take pictures of their food. Not sure if that means that we all just love to eat or what?

If you have an iPhone, you HAVE to check out this app. It doesn't have as many filters and bells/whistles as Hipstamatic which I kind of like. The down side is that the built in camera in the app doesn't create a very big file so if you are wanting to print your Instagram photo later, it probably won't go very well. Although, I just got a note from Blurb books that they have an upload program to instantly make a book out of your Instagram photos.

Here are some of my Instagram photos from the last 2 months. I even took some photos at a friend's wedding where I was a guest. Definitely makes you think out of the box when all you have is your iPhone to make a great photo at a wedding!

Enjoy!