St. Augustine Engagement Photographer: The Gorgeous Hannah and Derek!

St. Augustine Wedding Photographer: Featured on Pictage homepage AGAIN!

So pleased to be honored again on Pictage's homepage. I submitted this image for their latest contest titled "Faces". This is Robert and Betsy Hagerty. I photographed them a couple of years ago while Betsy was going through treatment for breast cancer. She loved her bald head and wore it like the badge of courage it was. They wanted me to photograph the two of them as well as their daughter Ariel before her hair started to grow again.




I have had the pleasure of photographing their family since, last year during one of my portrait marathons I held in Phoenix.



Thank you to the Hagerty's for letting me be part of your family and allowing me to share this image among other great photographers and their clients.

Matt & Carrie

Here is a sweet little slideshow of Matt and Carrie's wedding at the Lightner Museum. Enjoy!

St. Augustine Wedding Photographer: Photo Shoot with your Bridal Party

Erin and DJ wanted to spend their time after their May 7 ceremony on a limo cruise with their bridal party to do on location photo shoots, away from their ceremony and reception site.

This is becoming more and more common with our couples. It really makes the photo shoot as part of the celebration of the day instead of a limited time between the ceremony and reception which sometimes is rushed.

Some things to think about if you think you want to incorporate this into your wedding day:

1. It usually works best to have just your bridal party along for the ride. Trying to coordinate family too is really tough.

2. Schedule your reception to start at least 1.5 - 2 hours after your ceremony. That way you won't miss out on the party and your guests won't be wondering where you are.

3. Rent a limo, shuttle or trolley to take your bridal party from place to place. Make sure it can fit everyone and leaves space for the photographer and maybe their assistant if needed.

4. Scout locations with your photographer before the big day. No sense trying to figure out where to go on the fly and your limo driver will appreciate the heads up.

5. If you and your bridal party would like to indulge in a little liquid cheer in the limo(champagne,etc), try to stay away from drinks that stain like red wine or other dark liquors.

Here are some of my favorites from Erin and DJ's photo cruise. We hit the jackpot with this abandoned train station and the life-like soda fountain sculpture, both in downtown Wichita, KS.

Gainesville Wedding Photographer: Chelsea and Steve's big hurrah!

Chelsea and Steve met during their stint at the University of Florida and even though they have now moved to Colorado they wanted to celebrate their big day in the town they love best!

Chelsea and the ladies got ready at the Magnolia Plantation which provided a great spot for Steve to see his bride for the first time. The more first look moments I do the more I love them! We spent an hour there doing portraits of the just the two of them together before heading off to the Baughman Center for family portraits and of course their ceremony!

You would drive right by the Baughman Center and not even know it is there. This wooden gothic style chapel is so beautiful and you feel like you are in the belly of ship when you look up into it's rafters.

Each of Chelsea and Steve's bridal party each had a part in a special blessing to read. And their close friend sang a beautiful aria.

The best part that really made us all cheer was when their officiant (another close friend) announced them for the first time as Dr. and Mr. Steve Kischner. :O)

Love it!

Then the bridal party met in this cool brick street to do some fun photos before meeting up with all the guests at Boca Fiesta Restaurant

This was a truly unique venue for a reception. I loved how intimate it was with guests sitting at cozy booths including a special one just for Chelsea and Steve.

All of their details highlighted their love for El Dia de Los Muertos icons. Complete with a sugar skull groom's cake, Chelsea's garter had mini skulls and table signs also sported the sugar skulls. These two also love their bikes! Chelsea got Steve a bike bell with a skull on it and there was an oh so cute cake topper that had a caricature of the lovebirds on a bicycle built for two.

They had a great alternative to the old school bouquet/garter toss. They had piñatas for guys and girls that inside had a garter, gift cards, and a little bouquet. It was so fun to watch Chelsea and Steve take whacks blindfolded at the crepe paper burros.

We brought our awesome photo booth which along with some fake mustaches of course brought lots of laughs with their guests. Click here to see the photo booth pictures on Facebook

The pair then made their getaway in a tunnel of sparklers out to a horse drawn carriage that was waiting for them.

Congrats to you both and enjoy the cool pines of Colorado!

St. Augustine Photographer: Alice Tea Party and Fashion Show

Loved being a part of this Alice themed tea party and fashion show! Models showed off killer fashion from The Closet and from Down the Rabbit Hole boutiques. Plus tons of goodies from Sugared Bliss, Gas Restaurant, Fairy Cakes were on hand and displayed with flowers from Flower Works. Hair and makeup were provided by Mahela Salon and Monica Zonni. The models strutted their stuff down the runway to the lovely voice of Amy Hendrickson, followed by Psychronic Continuum. All of the proceeds from the event went to benefit the Head Start program in St. John's County.

St. Augustine Wedding Photographer: Featured on Pictage homepage!

Feeling so honored! Pictage, our print lab partner, chose one of my photos to feature on their homepage!

They asked for submissions that showed true emotion. Here is my winning image plus a screen shot from the Pictage homepage:






This is from Nick and Lisa's wedding from last spring at the Peña-Peck House in downtown St. Augustine. The bride's nephew was their ring bearer and had his camera in his pocket. Would love to see the photo he got!

St. Augustine Wedding Photographer: Zem and Tiffany

Zem and Tiffany had a sweet little ceremony on April 20 on Vilano Beach with an intimate reception at The Reef Restaurant a few feet away.

Jamey Turner provided amazing music with his water glass harp. The sound of it made you feel like their ceremony was in the Caribbean.

Tiffany and Zem have their own tie-dyed shirt business and made all of the bridal party's shirts and dresses. Their son Aiden had his own fab tie-dyed shirt which showed off the beautiful turtle locket Zem and Tiffany gave to him during their ceremony.

Peggy LaRoche was their officiant and coordinated her outfit with Tiffany's colors of orange, red and yellow.

Watch their slideshow below to see more of their lovely wedding day.

St. Augustine Photographer: Long lost blog!

The first part of 2011 has been a whirlwind four months! Lots of travel. Lots of great events and lots of gorgeous photos!

Here are a few of my favs from the year so far. Make sure to visit the Kate Gardiner Photography Facebook page and become a fan. I've been posting most of my sneak peaks on there shortly after each event so couples and families can have a few on their profile pages right away.

More exciting news in upcoming posts, including features in Florida Bride Magazine and Pictage.com.

Jessica + Patrick: St. Augustine Wedding Photographer

Jessica and Patrick tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony on Dec. 11 at the Cathedral Basillica of St. Augustine. The couple walked with their bridal party from the Cathedral down to the Llambias House and had a great time on the way. Their wedding luncheon at the Llambias House was so gorgeous! The weather was a perfect 68 degrees with lots of sunshine. As the afternoon went on though I don't think the guests felt the cold as some serious dancing heated up! More photos to come especially some gems from their photo booth, but here are a few of my favs so far.

Ponte Vedra Wedding Photographer: Kris and Nichole Sneak Peak!

Kris and Nichole had a beautiful fall wedding last weekend at Palm Valley Gardens in Ponte Vedra. The weather was a perfect 70 degrees with a slight breeze! Stay tuned for more photos from this gorgeous event but I loved the joy in Kris and Nichole's faces so much in this photo that I couldn't wait to post!

St. Augustine Photographer: Images for a Cure

We are so excited to be a part of the Images for a Cure campaign benefiting The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®! So excited in fact that we are combining our annual holiday portrait special with raising some cash for this amazing project.


Until Oct. 31 we are offering a special 30 minute mini session for $50*. All of the $50 session fee will be donated to the Images for a Cure campaign. You can schedule your shoot for a day that works for you, just make sure to book before Oct. 31! This deal is too good to miss out on, plus that warm fuzzy feeling you get when doing a bit of good.

(*Fine print: The $50 covers the session fee only and includes online proofing only. All prints, digital files and other photo products are available for purchase)

Best of St. Augustine 2010: Best Photographer!

Wow! Wow! Wow!

Thank you to all who voted for us in the Best of St. Augustine contest!

We were totally blown away by the response from our clients, friends, family and people we have yet to meet. We aren't very good at giving speeches but we are good at giving a great discount!

Until Oct. 31, 15% off on all canvas wall art!
(we know you have a blank wall that needs beautifying!)
Drop us a note in the comments and we'll get your order in so you have art by the holidays!

Speaking of the holidays...
They are right around the corner!
Schedule your holiday family session ASAP or it will be December before you know it and too late!

Ginger and Richard Sneak Peek: St. Augustine Wedding Photographer

Ginger and Richard had a beautiful wedding on Saturday on the beach with a reception at the St. Francis Barracks Officer's Club. We had a wonderful time and loved how willing they were to do a little photo fun at a moment's notice! Stay tuned for more from their big day!

The Story of Alexandra and Anthony: St. Augustine Wedding Photographer

This is the wedding story of Alexandra and Anthony. I am using their grown-up names in this post because that is what they are now. Are they still that lovable boy and girl, Tony and Alex, that won the St. Augustine Record's Wedding Giveaway? Yes!! But beyond the details that gave them a free wedding, these two are wonderfully in love and that's not kid stuff.

They had been trying for quite some time to have a wedding. The Record's contest was the fourth they had entered, hoping they could have the wedding they dreamed of. Anthony has an eye disease that is diminishing his site and they did not want to wait a moment longer. The pair had been together since they really were kids at Bartram Trail High School and it always seemed obvious to them that someday they would get married. The time had come but the funds hadn't.

August 14 by far had to be one of the hottest days of the summer and all air movement had come to a halt and just hung there. But everyone was a trooper, bedecked in tuxedos and gowns, for the late afternoon wedding. The heat didn't seem to matter much to anyone really. They had waited a long time to see this day and nothing could beat it.

It was our extreme pleasure to be part of the Wedding Giveaway and part of the day Alexandra and Anthony started their new lives together. Congratulations!






























Vendors:
Marsh Creek Country Club- Crystal Hill
Proshow DJ Service- Bill Jones & Denny Barrett
I Do Planning by Serena Forrester
Defore's Cake Design
Flowers by Shirley
Nettles Fine Jewelry
Panache Salon & Spa
John Reardon of My Custom Wedding Ceremony
Andy's Taylor Rental
St. Augustine Record- Lynne Carter