There’s something special about getting married with the ocean as your backdrop.
Gissel and David traveled from Connecticut to South Florida to celebrate their wedding at the beautiful Pelican Grand Beach Resort, a luxury oceanfront resort in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
With sweeping ocean views, palm trees, coastal architecture, and the people closest to them gathered together, their wedding had everything you could ask for from a South Florida celebration.
Getting Ready at Pelican Grand Beach Resort
The day began with Gissel getting ready inside the Pelican Grand, where the bright interiors and ocean views created a beautiful setting for the quieter moments before the ceremony.
From her wedding dress hanging beside the window to the final touches of hair and makeup, I wanted to capture the details while also documenting the anticipation building throughout the morning.
Her elegant satin gown, white floral bouquet, and subtle touches of blue worked beautifully with the coastal surroundings.
An Oceanfront Wedding Ceremony in Fort Lauderdale
One of the highlights of getting married at the Pelican Grand Beach Resort is its incredible location directly along the Florida beach.
Gissel and David exchanged vows surrounded by family and friends with the ocean just beyond them. After saying “I do,” their guests celebrated around them as the newlyweds shared a kiss and officially began the next chapter together.
As a photographer, these are some of my favorite moments to document. The portraits are beautiful, but the reactions, laughter, hugs, and excitement happening naturally throughout a wedding day are what make every celebration different.
Wedding Portraits Overlooking the South Florida Ocean
After the ceremony, we took advantage of the Pelican Grand’s oceanfront setting for Gissel and David’s portraits.
The terrace gave us a gorgeous combination of palm trees, tropical greenery, open sky, and uninterrupted views of the beach.
We created a mixture of classic portraits, romantic close-ups, and wider environmental photographs that showed not only Gissel and David, but also the incredible location they chose for their wedding.
And, of course, we had to have a little fun.
This Dip and kiss photograph is one of my favorite from their wedding. The movement of Gissel’s dress, the ocean, palm trees, and their kiss brought everything together in one image that feels unmistakably South Florida.
The Moments Between the Poses
While I love creating polished wedding portraits, I also want my couples to recognize themselves in their photographs.
Some of my favorite images happen between the poses, the glance at each other, a laugh, a kiss, or those few seconds when the couple forgets about the camera altogether.
My approach is to provide direction when it’s needed while still giving couples room to enjoy the experience. A wedding shouldn’t feel like an eight-hour photoshoot.
The goal is a collection that combines beautiful portraits with the genuine moments that made the day theirs.
Being able to incorporate the location into their photographs was important to me. Years from now, I don’t just want them to remember how they looked on their wedding day. I want these photographs to remind them where they were and how the day felt.
Congratulations, Gissel & David
It was a pleasure of being part of your wedding and documenting everything from the quiet getting-ready moments to their oceanfront ceremony and portraits around the Pelican Grand.
The Pelican Grand Beach Resort in Fort Lauderdale offers couples the opportunity to have a luxury resort wedding while still experiencing what makes South Florida so special: the ocean, tropical landscape, warm weather, and relaxed coastal atmosphere.
Planning a Wedding at Pelican Grand Beach Resort?
If you’re planning a wedding at Pelican Grand Beach Resort, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Jupiter, or anywhere throughout South Florida, I’d love to hear what you’re planning.
My approach combines naturally unfolding moments with thoughtfully directed portraits, creating wedding photographs that feel polished, personal, and timeless.
