Coastal Destination Wedding – Miranda & Lars

It was clear from the moment I arrived at their coastal destination wedding venue that every single person who attended Miranda & Lars’s special day is madly in love with them. As individuals, and as a couple. Their own (and each other’s) family, and the friends who had met each of them in grade school, high school, college, or elsewhere. This couple is kind and generous, fun and funny, loyal and supportive – the exact qualities in people that make me so happy to be around. I have no doubt that just how much I adored capturing these precious memories for this sweet couple will jump right out of these images and into the hearts of everyone who sees them.

Miranda & Lars’s love story centers around lighthouses and the water. Their first romantic trip as a couple, their forever promise to each other, and their engagement session all took place along the water where they could incorporate historic lighthouses into these milestones in their relationship. It was only fitting for their destination wedding to also be on the water, close to another famous lighthouse. Lighthouses have guided people through uncertain and troubled times for centuries. It was right before the pandemic hit that I photographed their engagement session, so there could not have been a better symbol to lead Miranda and Lars through everything that it took to navigate the next 18 months together before their wedding could take place.

I am convinced that these two have a secret connection to the coast and those beautiful beacons of light, as we were gifted a glorious sunset over the water – for the second time with them! I did not think it was possible to top the sunset images from their engagement session, but be sure to scroll all the way through the images so you can see for yourself the priceless memories this wonderful couple made at the end of their wedding day. They were embraced by truly breathtaking colors over the water and the guiding lights came on in unison to congratulate them!

The members of Team Bride from this fabulous destination wedding are equally formal & fun, elegant & athletic, strong & emotional. They are and have been sisters, roommates, classmates, and – above all, they are the best of friends with Miranda. They are the definition of a tribe, and it was an honor to capture their time together on this special day. A giant fan of the show “Friends” (who isn’t?), her getting ready space had the super fun theme of “The One Where Miranda Gets Married”. It was like being surrounded by cheeriness as a wedding photographer with a day that included sunflower robes, bright beautiful smiles, and a celebration of flowers. And aren’t they all just the cutest in their little socks? Miranda’s mother buttoned up ALLLL the tiny buttons on her dress, her father walked her down the aisle, her BFF did her hair, and her sister stood beside her as she married the love of her life. This couple’s village is truly amazing, and they made every effort to ensure that the day was absolutely perfect.

Lars’s getting ready space was filled with sports, games, and tons of food. Team Groom was comprised of the best of friends who have been beside Lars during every period of his life. They were all excited, so supportive, and ready for every single photo op that anyone suggested. They have endless stories about childhood games, high school adventures, and college antics, and laughter filled the room whether just 2 or all 8 of them were together. The best man even said during his toast that Lars has an extraordinary relationship with every one of his close friends, and that was never more clear than on this very special wedding day.

It makes my heart so full to see two people who are incredibly happy together where their wedding day is not the start of their life together; rather, it is the celebration of the wonderful life they have already created together, and the promise of all the days to come. Miranda and Lars had to deal with postponing their wedding, moving twice in as many years, and so many requirements unique to being teachers during the pandemic. But they did it all together, and they were even more excited for their day to arrive in 2021, in spite of the many struggles of the prior year.

One of the absolute best parts of their day was the way Lars stole glances at his new bride – from his first glimpse of her walking with her father as their ceremony began, to the final part of their evening as they walked toward the sunset – as if he was simply in awe that this beautiful princess whom he loves so fiercely is finally his wife. I’m certain these two will continue to sneak glances at each other and be in awe of what they continue to create during all the many, many walks and days to come!

The details that a couple chooses for their elopement or wedding day make the day uniquely theirs. They will usually have a general template in mind for the outline of the day, but how they choose to fill in the blanks with the colors they pick, and where and how they decide to use them are totally up to them. For Miranda and Lars, sports are a solid part of their lives, and most of their best friendships have been forged on the ice, the field, the pitch, or the court, so it just made sense that they would work that into their wedding attire! So bright yellow @wedding_converse it was for the Groom and his attendants, and navy @wedding_converse for the Bride and her attendants! Everyone was matching, summery & colorful, and above all – they were all super comfortable for all of the day’s adventures. Running, jumping, dancing – no problem! No need for extra shoes, or going barefoot, and not one complaint about sore feet. WIN-WIN-WIN!

Another extremely unique detail from this couple’s destination wedding was that they used WOODEN flowers! Miranda’s ultra-creative mother (you can find her on Etsy @theknottedgiraffe) made her bouquet, and she also put the final touches on bouquets and boutonnières for the entire wedding party. The wooden flowers were not only bright and beautiful, they were classy, spot on with the color palette, and… best of all: they were eco-friendly and sustainable! For a wedding photographer, it is amazing to be able to take photos of flowers all day long and have them look exactly like they did at the start of the day because they are protected from wilting due to heat or humidity. And these can be kept forever as gorgeous mementos from this couple’s best day ever.

Miranda & Lars – thank you for trusting my crazy ideas, for sharing yours with me, and for believing me when I say it’s time to go play in the sunset – again! But most of all, thank you for giving me the amazing opportunity to join all of the wonderful people who love spending time with you.

~ Deborah

Bamboo Dreams Photography captures the natural beauty of love through elopement and wedding photography, engagement sessions and proposals throughout Florida and worldwide!

Special thanks to these fabulous wedding pros for helping to make this day even more special:

Bridal Gown & Attendants’ Dresses: The Wedding Shoppe