Naples Florida Wedding Featured in People

Will you join me in giving a big congratulations to the newlyweds, Bill and Mariah Ritter!! This Naples, Florida wedding was one of those weddings that people talk about for years to come and I can’t wait to share it with you!

About the Couple

Mariah and Bill met working at a grocery store called Mariano’s. Mariah was a cashier and Bill was a bagger. It was love at first sight and they began dating in March 2017! Shortly after they met, they began their Youtube channel, which launched their lives into a world of content creation and creating fun videos for their friends and family.

Engagement Session & Planning

Before Mariah and Bill reached out about hiring me, I had seen a couple of Mariah and Bill’s videos here and there on TikTok. If you watch their videos, they are great at entertaining and love to share their life with their families, friends, and followers. After watching so much of their life through videos and social media, I felt like I already knew them so well. This was a unique situation compared to most of my couples’ because I usually just get to meet them over a video call and once for an engagement session before the big day. However, I remember leaving that first video call with Mariah and Bill, which was over an hour long, and thinking, “I could talk to them forever!”. I couldn’t stop smiling, thinking about our chat. I thought, “They are truly some of the sweetest people and so easy to talk to.”

Sometimes it’s hard to tell what a person is going to be like when you get to know them online. However, after meeting Mariah and Bill in person for their engagement session at The Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Florida, I can see why people adore them. They truly are as sweet and in love as they seem! Mariah and Bill have the biggest hearts and are so genuine, fun, and caring! You can check out their engagement blog here.

Throughout the last year, I’ve cherished being able to chat with Mariah about so many wedding planning things, and personal things, and being able to build a friendship with her. I also adored how involved and genuinely excited Bill was about everything in the process as well! One thing I deeply appreciated was how much the couple trusted me from the beginning. They welcomed my advice and expertise, and wanted to do everything they could to make sure their wedding was going to be a stress-free and fun day!

It’s so important to find vendors that you trust and know will take care of you because it truly makes a difference in the process leading up to the big day. Mariah and Bill did just that and it made such an impact. They trusted their vendors, felt prepared and relaxed for their wedding day, and all the vendors enjoyed working together to make their day epic.

Pre-Wedding Events

Working with Mariah and Bill was one of the most extensive wedding experiences I’ve taken on and also one of the most rewarding and fulfilling. In addition to their engagement session, I had the honor of being able to spend their entire wedding week with them and capture the celebratory events and memories along the way!

First up was Mariah‘s Barbie-themed bachelorette party in Miami on Tuesday. I’ll make a whole other blog for that in the future because the decor was EPIC and a total Barbie dream house! It was so special being able to meet all the girlies before the wedding day and having such fun chats in the Airbnb and by the poolside during photos. On Wednesday, I drove to Naples and edited some photos from the Bach party.

On Thursday I photographed the wedding rehearsal and scoped out the best photo locations with their wedding planner, Taylor. It was so great being able to meet more of their friends and family at the rehearsal! Afterward, we all went to the Naples Grande Beach Resort for the groom’s dinner, which we ended with a dreamy sunset photoshoot of Mariah and Bill on the beach! at the venue followed by the rehearsal dinner with a sunset session on the beach. And of course, on Friday, we ended the week with the most epic Naples, Florida wedding at The Club at The Strand.

I absolutely loved every minute of being involved in all of these events because I was able to build such a good relationship with their friends and family and see how much they care for those they love and cherish.

The Wedding

The weather was perfect and in the 70s day for their fairytale wedding. The Club at the Strand is one of those venues when you walk in, you just think to yourself, WOW. It’s a venue that makes every wedding look timeless and stunning. Taylor Stone Weddings did a fabulous job with the custom guest sign, the decor, planning, officiating, and late-night DJ-ing! I Dew Events completed every space to perfection with the most stunning florals!!

The tears were brewing from the very start of the day. Mariah looked absolutely stunning and made the most beautiful bride! From her Martina Liana 1371 wedding gown, the pearls in her hair, and her Bella Belle shoes with bows that got switched with her custom Nike’s for the after party, she thought of everything in her details! And don’t even get me started on the legendary custom white suit that Bill was wearing!! It was absolute perfection next to Mariah. What made it even more special was that he chose white to match when his dad got married in a white suit.

When it was time for Mariah to walk down the aisle, I think everyone was shedding at least a few tears. I know I was! Bill’s reaction to seeing his beautiful bride for the first time walking down the aisle was priceless and it couldn’t have been more perfect. The timeless white florals, pink bridesmaid dresses, and grey suits were the best choices to complement the bright and creamy tones of The Strand.

Mariah and Bill’s wedding gallery was one of the biggest I’ve ever delivered because there were 10,000 photos captured in 11 hours and it was all because they did such a good job at prioritizing time for photos and we captured everything they desired on their wedding day. Plus, they had so many amazing details to capture! From their wedding day details, the custom couple’s drink stand, the personalized signage, the cotton candy cart, gelato, and sparkler exit, their day reflected their lives so well! The beginning of the day was well-paced and filled with emotion, and the ending of the day was packed with energy and epic music all thanks to the incredible DJ DonFRESH!

I can’t end this blog without giving a huge shout-out to Kate Olivia Films, Mariah and Bill’s videographer, and my close friend! She is such a joy to work with and I love that our styles and editing align so well too! Her video is on Mariah and Bill’s YouTube channel so go check it out!!

Finally, I am SO honored to say that Mariah and Bill’s wedding was featured in People’s Magazine, which you can check out HERE. I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I have enjoyed capturing them!