Michelle Stoker Photography

Tampa Family Photographer

Katie and Ryan – Winter Garden Wedding

Orlando, Wedding

Katie and Ryan were married under a beautiful oak tree in his grandparent’s backyard on Saturday. Their family and friends whole-heartedly cheered as they had their first kiss as husband and wife. Their wedding day held so many special details. Katie wore her mom’s wedding garter and used lace from her veil in the bridal bouquet, they buried a full bottle of bourbon near the ceremony site a month before the date to prevent rain (it worked!), and they invited Ryan’s grandparents to dance at the reception to celebrate their 61st wedding anniversary. Any wedding that has an outdoor ceremony, delicious BBQ, dancing under the stars, and a marvelous chinese lantern release is fine by me! Enjoy Katie and Ryan’s wedding day.

Dress and Flowers: Fashions and Flowers Bridal
Catering: 4 Rivers Smokehouse
Hair and Makeup: Friend – Sandy Simpson
Cake and Cupcakes: Made my Bride’s Mom
Invitations: Vistaprint
Honeymoon: Savannah, Georgia
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Travel: Blue Ridge Mountains, North Georgia

Michelle and David, Personal, Travel

Remember the good old days last year when I would post a Travel blog post once a week with a new European city? Weelll life back in the USA is wonderful but a bit less adventurous. Fortunately, David and I got to take a little getaway this past weekend to a beautiful cabin in North Georgia. Our friends Matt and Liz live in Atlanta and joined us for the weekend in Blue Ridge! We had soo much fun! This sounds silly but we were all amazed at the noticeable quietness of nature. Bird chirps and flapping wings were the only sounds we heard on the porch. It was a wonderful escape from busy life. Here’s a glimpse into our weekend. You’ll see photos from Amicalola Falls State Park, Cartecay Vineyards in Ellijay, horse rides with Adventure Trails, and apple treats from Mercier Orchards.

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Happy Birthday Lily! – Donut and Lemonade Party

Family, Orlando

I became an Aunt in 2006 when my sister had her first baby girl. Fast forward six years later, David and I are backpacking in Europe, and I get a message from my sister asking “can you video chat tonight?”. I’m sitting in our hotel in Zermatt, Switzerland and my facetime is ringing. My sister says, “Guess what?” and I immediately knew…. baby #2!!! That sweet baby just turned three. Lily is the sweetest little thing. Her favorite things are tomatoes, her big sissy, salsa, the big swing, and donuts!! Lily’s birthday party was all about donuts and lemonade. My sister did a wonderful job organizing and crafting for Lily’s party. I just had to blog this so I could pin the party ideas!

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Kristin and Kevin – Sirata Beach Resort, St. Pete Wedding

Tampa, Wedding

This love story starts in the summer of 2012 with two coworkers and a set of Tampa Bay Rays baseball tickets. Kristin had some tickets to sell because she was going out of town for work and Kevin thought “hmm, who’s that girl?” and talked to Kristin about the tickets. Slyly he asked her, “so are these your boyfriend’s tickets?”. Good thing that Kristin was single because a few years later, they became husband and wife! Kristin and Kevin got married in a beautiful sunset ceremony at the Sirata Resort in St. Pete Beach on February 27th. The sun was shining, the chilly wind was blowing, and everyone was smiling. It was a beautiful day. Enjoy the mint and coral details in this stunning beach wedding.

Venue/Catering: Sirata Beach Resort 
Dress: CC’s Boutique 
Cupcakes: The Cupcake Spot
Flowers: Delma’s, The Flower Booth
DJ: Good Vibes EntertainmentVIEW POST

Royce, Jessica, Mike – Tampa Newborn Photography

Family, Newborn, Tampa

I met Jessica and Mike in August of 2014 for their engagement session at Davis Island. You can see their session here. They got married last spring (while David and I were living in Italy) and just had their first baby boy! They welcomed little Royce to the world on February 19th and baby and mama are doing well. I was SO excited when Jessica emailed me about newborn photos. I loove snuggling sweet little ones and capturing their tiny details. I happily told her “yes please!” Last week, I went to their home and snapped photos of 7 day old little Royce in his beautiful nursery. This little guy is already so loved.

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Liz and Matt – St. Petersburg Family Residence Wedding

Tampa, Wedding

Liz and Matt live in Georgia but both really wanted to have a sunny, waterfront wedding on the West Coast of Florida. Good thing that they have a very sweet Uncle Tony who was more than willing to open his beautiful home to host their wedding ceremony. Liz and Matt hosted 40 of their closest friends and family in St. Petersburg in an intimate lakefront ceremony and a delicious seafood dinner afterwards. I spent two hours with this fun crew and was smiling the entire time. This family is full of love, support, and jokes! It was a great day. Happy wedding, Liz and Matt!

Venue: Private Residence in St. Pete
Dress: David’s Bridal
Hair and Makeup: Creative Touches Hair and Makeup
Flowers: Sharen’s Flowers and Gifts 

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Vendors You Should Know – Black Sheep Bride

Tampa, Wedding

 

I have an interesting question for you. How is the wedding industry currently helping the world? My friend, Danielle, founder of Black Sheep Bride is creating a movement of motivating engaged couples and wedding vendors to be more sustainable and to give back/help others. I loved interviewing Danielle for today’s Vendors You Should Know blog because she is truly passionate about creating a socially conscious mindset in the wedding industry. I met Danielle at the first Tampa Rising Tide meetup last year and I was so impressed by her. I could have talked to her all night. It made me think of my own wedding day when David and I decided to honor our guests by donating to The Orlando Sentinel Family Fund to support low-income families. We wrapped cookies stating our donation and put them in a basket at the door for the guests to grab as they left (and this was before Pinterest, that’s why it was such a boring label. Ha!). Danielle’s niche in the wedding industry is a little different and not so typical but it MAKES SO MUCH SENSE. Please keep reading to learn how we can help create more sustainable weddings and help the world while we’re at it.VIEW POST

6 Words Every Engaged Couple Needs to Hear

Engagement, Michelle and David, Wedding


If you are still twirling that new diamond around your left ring finger and smiling from the recent proposal, congratulations!! We are so excited for you! And we have a small piece of advice for you. People will soon tell you that “Your wedding day is going to be the best day of your life!” I want to tell you… I hope that it’s not. Ok, let me back up. I truly hope that your wedding is insanely beautiful, perfectly successful, and an insanely fun party. But ultimately, I hope that you will have even better days after the wedding.VIEW POST

Behind the Scenes in 2015

Engagement, Michelle and David, Orlando, Personal, Tampa, Travel, Wedding

Personally, 2015 was an epic year for us. We rang in the new year on the freezing streets of NYC and spent all of January finishing up David’s rotation in the Big Apple. Then, on Valentine’s Day, we flew across the Atlantic to our temporary home (but forever in our hearts) Milan, Italy. We spent the Spring exploring Europe and traveling every weekend. Still can’t believe all of the countries we visited! This summer, we embarked on a three-week Western USA road trip to Utah, Nevada, and California. The Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Pacific Coast Highway, Napa. #murica. Finally, in August, we settled back into our home and life in Tampa. It was a surreal year for us. This was definitely the year of travel but of course, we still found time to get our hands on our cameras and document beautiful places and people! This is one of my favorite posts of the year – the Behind the Scenes photos of us working!

Here’s a look back at 2014 and 2013. Enjoy!

Full disclaimer: If you hire me as your wedding photographer, I will take advantage of your dance floor!
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Vendors You Should Know – Rialto Theater in Tampa

Tampa, Wedding

What is one thing that EVERY engaged couple needs to research, visit, discuss with the family, read online reviews, etc to find the perfect match? The venue, of course! There are so many different options for venues in Central Florida – in a church, garden, museum, beach, on a boat, under a big oak tree, or even in a beautiful refurbished building. Everyone has their own style and preferences and that’s the beauty of each unique wedding. I am so excited to share some valuable wisdom from the owners of the gorgeous, built in 1925, Rialto Theater in Tampa. When I walked through the bright blue doors for the first time recently at the Tampa Indie Flea, my jaw dropped and my eyes could not peel off of the gorgeous, gigantic arch and the surprisingly high ceiling over the stage. It is such a pretty and unexpected sight. Hope and George have a unique background and knew they were the perfect match to purchase and renovate the theater. Read below for more information about the Rialto Theater and Hope’s helpful tips to all you engaged couples.

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THEME BY ECLAIR DESIGNS