{"id":6392,"date":"2017-04-25T12:37:55","date_gmt":"2017-04-25T12:37:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thp.goodgallery.com\/blog\/?p=6392"},"modified":"2023-11-27T16:12:30","modified_gmt":"2023-11-27T16:12:30","slug":"vizcaya-weddings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travisharris.com\/blog\/vizcaya-weddings\/","title":{"rendered":"VIZCAYA WEDDINGS | BEST MIAMI WEDDING VENUES"},"content":{"rendered":"

[dropcap]V[\/dropcap]izcaya weddings are without a doubt one of the most sought after wedding venues for any bride here in South Florida. \u00a0For that matter, I’ll say that Vizcaya Weddings are likely one of the favorite choices among many\u00a0Miami Wedding Photographers too! \u00a0I have personally been to, and shot literally hundreds of shoots, events, etc.. here at Vizcaya over the years. \u00a0While I often think to myself “Oh, we are going to Vizcaya again?” nothing is more exciting then shooting a —wedding<\/em>— here \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

What I love the most about Vizcaya Weddings is the simple fact that once the front entrance closes at 4:30pm, and the security rounds up all the straggling visitors.. the grounds become private for the wedding! \u00a0The fact that I have been to Vizcaya SO many times for shoots, I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to be there after hours for a wedding, and not have to \u00a0deal with people everywhere taking pictures with their “iPhone”. \u00a0LOL, it’s so nice when you have the entire property open and free to do as you want.<\/p>\n

Now..<\/p>\n

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Here is where I am going to take a detour from where most photographers throw up images on a blog, and pretend that everything is perfect and all smiles all day long.[\/perfectpullquote]<\/p>\n

The reality is that —every<\/em>— wedding has “something” to overcome. \u00a0This can be as simple as someone being late, or as crazy as someone loosing the rings (don’t laugh\u00a0I have seen it!) \u00a0I look at my blog as a tool to not just display my work, but to also truly communicate and educate people on the very things that I experience in the field. \u00a0My thought is that, if I can save ONE CLIENT from the same issue, mistake, or situation then it all becomes worth it. \u00a0I goto great lengths to try and educate and advise my clients on the best practices as it relates to the operational side of the wedding day, and have some very detailed blog posts on this topic including “Wedding Planning Advice”<\/a> <\/span>where I have written and produced a free video on this topic.. as well as another helpful insightful article and video on “Client Expectations”<\/a> (please excuse the sunglasses in that video LOL). \u00a0So, to say that I try and make an honest effort to ensure everyones day is as sound as possible is an\u00a0understatement \ud83d\ude42\u00a0If you’re looking for spring bridal shower ideas, Elegant Bomboniere and their\u00a0christening bomboniere<\/a> favors and decor is sure to inspire you!!<\/p>\n

I am not that guy that will just smile and say “oh, don’t worry everything is alright”. [perfectpullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]If things are not going smoothly, or something needs to be fixed.. I am going to speak up and say something. \u00a0Period.[\/perfectpullquote]<\/p>\n

This perhaps is the one greatest thing about my personality.. is that I am honest with all of my clients, and we are ALWAYS on the same page 100% of the time. \u00a0From the moment we meet in person, to the pre wedding planning that I do, to the day of when things actually unfold.. I am there every step of the way to ensure expectations are in line with reality and that I am in a position where I know I can deliver \u00a0to my fullest abilities.<\/p>\n

Okay, let’s jump into the day and talk about some of the challenges that were present and I am sure are present at all Vizcaya Weddings, because I will tell you even IF everything is “perfect” Vizcaya Weddings are NOT easy to shoot!<\/p>\n

Before I go any further.. I just want to thank my amazing clients. \u00a0They are the sweetest people ever, and were referred to me from other amazing clients (who I need to get their wedding on my blog soon too, and then will link them together!) \u00a0My clients were so much fun, loved to party.. and seemingly did not let any of the “issues” (or as I say the “something” ) on the wedding day bother them (at least not visibly) and because of that I know they had a wonderful time (especially at the reception), hell they even chased me down to take some shots with them! \u00a0\ud83d\ude09 \u00a0Trust me.. it was a great day and a wonderful event overall and I am sure are very very happy with all the outcome we captured!<\/p>\n

\"\"When you get shoes from Christian Louboutin<\/a><\/span> then they need their own dedicated picture on the wedding day. \u00a0\ud83d\ude42 \u00a0 Not only sexy, but incredibly “sporty” too. \u00a0Really like!\"\"Some of the final images (above) with mom “doing up” the back of the dress. Beautiful! \u00a0The missing opportunity here is the fact that this is about all we got. \u00a0We had to depart the getting ready hotel and head over to Vizcaya, and had a specific timeline (like any wedding) to follow. \u00a0As I said, myself and my client were all on the same page.. the problem here, is that the other vendors were not. \u00a0To spite them knowing full well when my bride needed to be ready, they choose to take their time and do things the way they wanted.. and were frankly “a DIVIA”. \u00a0This resulted in her being over an hour late, and this directly sacrificed many of the creative shots I would have taken with her, and her bridesmaids at the hotel before having to depart. \u00a0Unfortunately this is not all that un-common (and honestly why many weddings don’t get blogged in fact as there maybe “missing” parts) You can also read this story from this couple from Atlanta<\/a> who had a bad experience too!\u00a0and it’s sad that it has to be that way. [perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]There is no reason in the world why ANY other vendor needs to act like the wedding day revolves around them[\/perfectpullquote]<\/p>\n

, and for some reason this is especially prominent with some hair and makeup “professionals”. \u00a0Perhaps it’s this type of experience that has motivated me to start my “wedding insider” series on my YouTube channel<\/a> where I go and sit down to interview some of my favorite wedding vendors, and talk about why they are great. \u00a0You can see the one I did for this popular hair and makeup artist here<\/a>. \u00a0Anyway.. the effect of hiring\u00a0a vendor that does not understand the bigger, “global” picture of the day is out right disrespectful to the client, and a liability that effects everyone involved.\u00a0\"\"\"\"Now on the other hand we did have time to get the groom prep, and “guys” all together. \u00a0Which was great. \u00a0This was because this happened earlier in the day (guys don’t take long to get ready thankfully) LOL.. so we were able to have some fun with them while the girls (now delayed) finished getting ready. \u00a0This brings up another “challenge” and frustration that we experienced on the wedding day.. \u00a0The hotel. \u00a0Yes, the hotel! [perfectpullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]What ever could the hotel have to do with issues on the wedding day you ask? \u00a0Well.. let me tell you… [\/perfectpullquote]<\/p>\n

So, its 100% common knowledge\u00a0that when any bride \/ \u00a0groom get ready in the hotel on the wedding day that IMAGES WILL BE TAKEN IN THE HOTEL! \u00a0I mean.. hello?? \u00a0So….. After I get the guys together, and all setup (as seen above) in the main lobby.. the hotel staff came over to us and said..<\/p>\n

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”I’m sorry sir.. you are not allowed to take images in any of the common areas”.[\/perfectpullquote]<\/p>\n

I looked at him (while standing in front of my client) and said.. “You must be joking right?” \u00a0Nope.. he was serious. \u00a0He said that the hotel just “does not allow it”. \u00a0 Ah.. \u00a0what about the fact that this is a WEDDING, and we are just taking a few images here of the guys.. we will be done in 5min! \u00a0Nope, sorry.. did not matter. \u00a0The representative of the hotel stood there as stiff, and as un-flexible as anyone could be.. and almost seemed to enjoy just saying “no”. \u00a0I’ll tell ya.. I don’t ever get mad easily.. but, this was extremely frustrating for me to bite down on my tongue and try to keep the ball rolling. \u00a0I guess you can call me a “professional” alright.. because if I were alone with him.. I would have let loose on what I thought \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

Now.. let’s take a second here.. and assume a few things. What do you think was the #1 reason for my client to book this hotel? \u00a0I am willing to bet anything.. it’s because of the LOOKS and the decor, and the overall expectation of how the images would come out! \u00a0If not.. then they could have just gotten ready in a Days Inn! \u00a0Right?? \u00a0Photographically it would have made no difference. \u00a0So, when you book your nice hotel.. do yourself a favor.. and be SURE to ask about photo taking on the property.. because apparently they are not all okay with it.<\/p>\n

Oh.. that hotel by the way.. \u00a0was the Ritz Carelton in Coconut grove<\/a>. \u00a0So, if you fall in love with the decor of this hotel.. and think you are\u00a0going to get that in your wedding images.. you might need to re-think that, or at the very least may\u00a0need to pay more money to make this happen. \ud83d\ude09 \u00a0They got no tip when they brought my car around.. I can tell you that!
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Finally, at Vizcaya<\/a> at last! \u00a0The sun was starting to get low.. and made for some nice light for the “first look”!\"\"\"\"Can’t beat this place. \u00a0So beautiful.. no question about it \ud83d\ude42\"\"\"\"I truly did love the back of this dress, and the way that the light came into the camera lens really made for a nice soft \/ romantic image.\"\"Guests were starting to arrive at this time.. and they did not want to be seen by them. \u00a0SO.. this meant that the options for where we could –actually– take images started to narrow drastically, and were stuck in the far back of the property (which is not bad at all.. just saying.. it was not something we had in mind).. and remember when I said that Vizcaya Weddings were not easy? \u00a0LOL.. this is a side effect of that, and how ironic was it that now I had the whole place closed down.. and yet, still was rectricted! \u00a0See.. “it’s always something”.\"\"Loved this one (above) Why? \u00a0Because it’s this kinda picture that is very functional. \u00a0This can be printed and displayed in the house as\u00a0art.. vs. some of the other images that only really look great in an album etc.\"\"Now is where things get “technically challenging”. \u00a0It’s one thing to shoot Vizcaya Weddings during the daytime.. but…. at night, its another ball game and as a photographer you really need to be ready to deal with the lighting (lack there of) challenges in the field! \u00a0In this case there was almost ZERO light that I could really use, and 100% of the action needed to be lit by my flashes, which were setup all around the ceremony location to provide some dynamic lighting vs. that “on camera” flash look.\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"Absolutely beautiful reception decor! \u00a0One of the nice things about Vizcaya Weddings, is that they use this frame \/ tent setup out back so that if rain comes.. your still covered! \u00a0Very nice, and very important in South Florida!\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"My two fav. parts of the wedding day… #1 Styled shots of the bride and groom (where I have control, and get the impressive shots that I do) and #2.. RAW emotions like this. \u00a0\ud83d\ude09\"\"\"\"\"\"It may not be clear from the picture (above) but, this is the brides sister and friend playing and singing a song to them! \u00a0It was very nice!\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"\"It was a crazy party for sure! \u00a0Loved every second\u00a0of it!<\/p>\n

So to\u00a0summarize and to wrap up this blog post.. \u00a0I wanted to take the opportunity and try to educate others on the reality that goes on behind the scenes at many, many weddings. \u00a0This Vizcaya Wedding was not unique in the sense that most weddings don’t have challenges (thats not the case, MOST weddings DO have some type of challenge it’s just that people never like to talk about it). \u00a0I am also not saying my client was at any fault either.. she hired people that she thought would be great, and to that\u00a0end I am sure the end result of what they provided was in fact inline with her expectation\u00a0(the hair, the makeup, the video, etc..) but… because of their (vendors) lack of self-awareness and global perspective of how their<\/em> actions impact the wedding day.. the client is then left suffering, and I for one am forced to sit down on the sidelines and watch creative opportunity pass by and nothing is more frustrating for me then that.<\/p>\n

Choosing vendors for the wedding day has much, much more to do with the people then it does with what their “end results” are.. something I have also spoken about and interviewed others on here<\/a>. \u00a0If you need help choosing vendors.. people like hair, makeup, video, flowers, etc.. then please ask me \ud83d\ude42 \u00a0I know them all, and I know who is really a team player and who are not. \u00a0I keep track of this stuff, because I want every wedding to be the best that it can be and more to the point I want my clients to be able to get the most from what I can offer… \u00a0and I feel it’s my responsibility as a “creative professional” to educate on all this stuff .<\/p>\n

I think that when photographers just post up pictures from their weddings.. and say things like “oh, love how this came out” it’s very misleading, especially on social media platforms. \u00a0When money is being exchanged for a service there is expectation. \u00a0Managing, and educating based on that expectation is the most important thing any vendor can do for their client, because when things are all said and done thats all that matters. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

TH<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Vizcaya Wedding, and the truth as to what can go on behind the scenes!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6400,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,4],"tags":[15,98],"class_list":["post-6392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-weddings","tag-miami-wedding-photographers","tag-vizcaya-weddings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travisharris.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travisharris.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travisharris.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travisharris.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travisharris.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6392"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.travisharris.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8047,"href":"https:\/\/www.travisharris.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6392\/revisions\/8047"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travisharris.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travisharris.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travisharris.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travisharris.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}