Wedding at Sea Watch on the Ocean in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Wedding

Jul 2

First Look and Private Vows at Beachcomber Resort and Club

Chris and Ada came into their wedding day with a sense of ease that you don't always see. Ada was with her family doing make up while Chris was with his, getting ready in the room.

About a month before the wedding, I hopped on a zoom call with the both of them to go over the wedding timeline. This is crucial to planning your wedding day, because that way as a photographer I can pinpoint the most important moments you want captures, and if needed I can give you advice on how to structure certain parts of your day. Walking into a wedding day knowing exactly what matters to the couple means Im never guessing where Im going to be and I know exactly what I’ll be doing.Chris mentioned it in his review afterward — that the call made them feel very reassured going into the day. A wedding is a completely unrepeatable event and the couples who get the most out of their coverage are almost always the ones who communicated ahead of it.

The day started at Beachcomber Resort and Club with a private first look and vows, just the two of them, before the celebration moved to Sea Watch on the Ocean in Fort Lauderdale for the ceremony and reception.

There's a really nice warm, and sense of intimacy that happens when a couple chooses to exchange their vows privately before the main event. The pressure of an audience goes away. The moment belongs entirely to them. What you're left with is two people on one of the happiest days of their life soaking in their vows.

Getting ready at Beachcomber gave the morning a calm unhurried quality, and by the time they saw each other for the first look the emotion was right there on the surface. I set them up, and once ready Ada tapped Chris on the shoulder and he turned around. It was such a nice moment .🥹

Wedding Ceremony at Sea Watch on the Ocean in Fort Lauderdale

Sea Watch on the Ocean sits at 6002 North Ocean Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale right on the Atlantic. It's been a Fort Lauderdale institution for decades and the oceanfront setting gives it something most venues dont have, a beautiful horizon that stretches as far as you can see and light that changes by the minute as the afternoon moves toward evening.

The ceremony started at 5:30pm. In South Florida that timing puts you right at the edge of golden hour, and at a beachfront venue that's about as good as it gets. The ocean catches the late afternoon light in a way that wraps around everything — the couple, the guests, the whole scene — and gives every frame a warmth you can't replicate at any other time of day.

Chris and Ada's ceremony reflected who they are as a couple. Easy, warm, fully present. You could feel how much they were enjoying the day rather than just getting through it — and that same energy carried all the way through to the reception.

Reception at Sea Watch on the Ocean

The reception space at Sea Watch is exactly what you'd want from a Fort Lauderdale oceanfront venue — elegant, well lit, and designed to let the setting do the work. It was the perfect size for both their families and to dance. DJ Prime Events and Productions kept the energy moving, and Chris and Ada were fully in it from the first dance to the last song.

Hair and makeup by Pieriros Beauty had Ada looking exactly right from the private vows all the way through the reception — one of those details that matters more than people realize when you're looking at photographs across an entire day. Consistency across twelve hours of coverage is something good hair and makeup makes possible.

Thinking About a Wedding in Fort Lauderdale

Sea Watch on the Ocean is one of the more iconic wedding venues on South Florida's Atlantic coast. If you're planning a Fort Lauderdale wedding and want an oceanfront ceremony with genuine sunset light, it belongs on your shortlist.

I'm Arnold, a Miami-based wedding photographer available throughout South Florida and beyond. I shoot documentary style with genuine posing direction when couples need it — so you're never standing in front of a camera wondering what to do. My editing stays true to color because your wedding day should look like your wedding day actually looked.

If you're planning a wedding in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, or anywhere you want to take me — I'd love to hear about it.