The longer we are in Europe, the more I realize how beautiful and how BIG our world is. There are so so many towns, cities, villages, countries in this world, each with their own culture and history. I love it. Milan is definitely a city. Cars, trains, people, banks, businesses everywhere. We had the opportunity last weekend to take a little trip outside of the city to visit the French Riviera. I’m in love. We took an early train on Saturday morning to Ventimiglia, the last stop in Italy. Then, took a connecting train to Monte Carlo, Monaco. On this train ride, I watched the movie Grace of Monaco starring Nicole Kidman on the iPad. What a lovely movie and great introduction to Monaco. We arrived in this beautiful, wealthy, tiny country around noon, wandered our way to Hotel Ambassador, checked in early and then started exploring…
Erica – Verona, Italy Senior Portraits
My sweet friend Liz and I have been friends for over a decade. She has three younger sisters and truly loves her family. Liz’s sister, Erica, is a senior at Timber Creek High School in Orlando (Go Wolves!) and just spent two weeks in Verona, Italy with an exchange program. She first hosted an Italian teenager in her Florida home and then in exchange, Erica was able to come to Verona to experience the Italian life. Last week, I had the opportunity to hop on a 90 minute train from Milan to Verona to see Erica and take her senior photos. I am so happy that I was able to spend time with this smart, sweet, articulate lady. She will be attending UCF (Go Knights!!) in the fall and will be on the rowing team! I am so excited for her future. Thank you, Erica, for spending an afternoon in Italy with me! I hope you love these pictures and that they will always remind you of your wonderful experience abroad.
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Married: Ashley and Josh – Anniversary
Happy ONE year Anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. Plata! I went to college with Ashley and loved hearing about her relationship with Josh. These two are perfect together. So supportive, fun, and sweet together. Their wedding at Palma Sola Botanical Park in Bradenton was set and ready for their gorgeous outdoor ceremony when Florida skies let loose and flooded their wedding day. “No biggie, we are still getting married today!” said the sweet couple. And it was such a beautiful day!! To celebrate their first year anniversary, Ashley and Josh looked through their wedding photos and found a few that are most meaningful to them. Loved Ashley’s initial response: “Is 9 too many? bahahahaha. How do you pick your favorite wedding pictures? I feel like every picture tells its own story about our special day and I can honestly say I love every single one. BUT, if we were to choose they are as follows :)”
(Left) “First kiss as husband and wife. How could this not be one of our favorites. Plus you get a little sneak peak of our FABULOUS guests who huddled inside the house behind us to support us since we had no where for them to sit due to the weather.”
(Right) “This is MY (Ashley) absolutely favorite
Married: Christina and Ruben – Anniversary
One year ago, Christina and Ruben became husband and wife at Tanner Hall in Orlando. Their ceremony was filled with love, support, and perfect Florida weather. Their reception was such a fun party! We loved documenting their beautiful day. To celebrate their one year anniversary, I asked the happy couple (AND expecting parents!!) to look back on their wedding photos and to pick a few that are most meaningful to them.
(Left) “Ruben and I LOVE this picture! Taken immediately after the ceremony, it was just the two of us and while I was nervous and anxious about the reception, he brought me back down to earth by taking my mind off of it with laughter. This is one of the many reasons why I fell in love with him and this photograph is a reminder of that moment.”
Europe Travels: Bernina Express – Bergün, Switzerland
Do you have a favorite place on Earth? A place where you look around and think “Is this what Heaven looks like?” For me, that place is Switzerland. In 2012, David and I spent a few days in Zermatt and it was so perfect. A tiny village at the base of the Matterhorn mountain. We fell in love with that little town and vowed to get back to Switzerland one day. Fast forward to March 2015, when David requested a weekend in Switzerland for his 26th birthday. I happily obliged! On Saturday (David’s birthday), we took a regional train from Milan to Tirano. We had a yummy pizza lunch there and then hopped on the Bernina Express towards Bergün, Switzerland. The Bernina Express is a scenic train ride with panoramic windows through the Swiss Alps. The entire ride was incredible. We were so high up in the snowy mountains. We got off the train in Bergün, a sweet tiny town with a few hotels, restaurants, and homes. The next day, we took the train in reverse order back to Milan and it was just as gorgeous. Here’s our weekend in Switzerland! (Please ignore the window glare in some of the photos. It’s not my favorite thing to shoot through glass.)
Europe Travels: Brussels, Belgium
This past weekend (March 6-8), David and I flew to Brussels, Belgium to spend the weekend with our friends/David’s co-workers. Three other people in David’s program with Nielsen are located in Europe for their last rotation. We are in Milan, Richard is in Brussels, Kevin is in Paris and Stephanie is in London (remember her gorgeous engagement session in NYC?). We landed in Brussels late Friday night and took a train from the airport to Richard’s apartment. On Saturday, we had a delish breakfast near Grand Place and then took a walking tour where we saw the big sights in Brussels. Our tour guide was so sweet and knowledgable. We saw so many great sights and gorgeous architecture! After the tour, we had lunch (waffles and Belgian fries) and then took the train to Atomium. It was HUGE! It was built in 1958 for the World’s Fair. We got to go inside and go up steep stairs to go between the balls. We took an elevator to the very top for a panoramic view of Brussels. On Saturday evening, we had a great traditional Belgian dinner (beef stew in Belgian beer) and then got some homemade Belgian chocolate for dessert. We ended the evening at Brussels’ most famous bar, Delirium, which offers more than 3,000 beers! Such a great day! On Sunday, we woke up early for an hour train ride to Bruges. This is such a romantic little city. It feels very much like Venice with all of the canals. We did a canal tour and got to see some beautiful sights. We spent our day wandering the city and found a great little place for lunch with the sweetest owners. On Sunday evening, we parted ways and headed back to our own European homes. It was a great trip!
Emily and Matthew – Highland Manor, Apopka Wedding
On February 8th, Matthew and Emily became Mr. and Mrs. Fedel at Highland Manor in Apopka, Florida. Their love story is so unique and so sweet. Emily was in Nerja, Spain to work at a conference when she just happened to ask the guy next to her with some help with the wifi. Their conversation flourished and led to an invite to a day trip to Seville. The bus ride there was full of wonderful conversation. On the bus ride back, as the sun was setting, Matthew asked Emily on a date. A few days later, they were officially dating. Three years after their first dates in Spain, these two became husband and wife. All of the details of their wedding day were planned thoroughly and with care. Emily thought of everything and it showed. I LOVED her wedding dress. Handmade and custom designed by her friend, Lisa Trotter. Emily and Lisa worked together to build her perfect dress by purchasing fabrics, sewing buttons, and including the wedding date on the inside hem. The dress fit perfectly. I loved how Emily included her mother’s and grandmother’s wedding gowns. We got to take a few photos with both dresses hanging next to her. I also loved that Emily included her best college girlfriends as her “Girls in Blue” – they helped with welcoming guests, playing music during the ceremony, and helping with the details. So sweet. The outside ceremony was perfect, the family and friends were all so loving, and the reception was so fun! Lots of dancing, laughing, and smiles. This wedding was wonderful. Thank you, Matthew and Emily, for allowing us to document your wedding day. Enjoy your photos!
Thank you to The Knot for featuring this wonderful wedding!
Venue: Highland Manor in Apopka, Florida
Dress: Custom designed by Lisa Trotter
Caterer: Dubsdread Catering
DJ: Grant Hemond and Associates
Flowers: Amy O’Bryan at Thistle and Tulle
Honeymoon: Rome, Italy
Paige and Tim – Orlando Expecting Portraits
Do you have certain friends that are just your “people”? Paige and Tim are my people. Every time I see them, my heart is filled with love and encouragement. I’ve known this sweet couple since my sophomore year at UCF and they’ve been in front of my camera many times. From their dating days, to an anniversary session in St. Augustine, to celebrating buying their first home, and now, their most exciting news of all… they are expecting!! Paige and Tim have had their hearts set on becoming parents for a while and with lots of hope, help, and prayers, they are expecting a sweet little GIRL in August!! SO excited for them! We met at the Kraft Azalea Gardens a few days before Valentine’s Day for a mini session of announcing their big news!
Dating in 2009 – First Wedding Anniversary in 2012 – Bought their first House in 2013 – PREGNANT in 2015VIEW POST
Hiii, my name is Michelle Stoker…
I’ve had this blog for over two years and just realized that I’ve never done a fun “Get to Know Me” blog post! You know my work through my photos but here’s a chance to get to know a little more about the lady behind the camera. Hiii, my name is Michelle Stoker, I am 25 years old. I was born and raised in Orlando and lived there for 21 years. My loved ones call me “Mich” and I love it. I instantly feel like BFFs if you call me by that name. I graduated from UCF with my Elementary Education degree and have taught Kindergarten for 3 years. I started my photography hobby towards the end of 2008 and my official business in 2012.
I purchased my first DSLR camera in May 2008 and the photo on the left was the very first click on the camera. I thought it was so artsy and creative. Ha! I was a sophomore in college and was so excited about using my new Canon Rebel XT to document my world, including lots of selfies with my niece!
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Europe Travels: Bologna
David and I are officially living in Milan, Italy! I am so fortunate to be able to accompany David on his last rotation. We spent our first week settling in, catching up on sleep, and exploring our new city. On Saturday, we boarded a train to Bologna to visit the Armentrout family! I met this family four years ago in Fort Collins, Colorado. Right after David and I got married, we moved to Fort Collins for David’s internship with Intel. I worked at a kid’s summer camp for Campus Crusade for Christ. The oldest daughter in the Armentrout family was in my class. She was the sweetest, most articulate five year old I’ve ever met. Fast forward a few years… Keri and Karl and their three kiddos have uprooted their lives and are committed to serving Italian students in Bologna for the next two years. Their job is to make relationships with the local university students and to show them love, lead them to a church, and share their faith. David and I had such a good day exploring Bologna with this sweet family. I’m so glad that I brought my camera along so I could capture some portraits and city shots! Here’s our day in Bologna…
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