Amanda & Nathan | Wedding at The Portico | Tampa Wedding Photographer

One of my favorite things is when people do a wedding the way they want to do it.

There are a million things that people will tell you that you should do when you're wedding planning, but there are very few that are actually necessary if you don't want to do them. Make your wedding a beautiful celebration of who you are together, don't worry too much about all the other details.

Nathan & Amanda are both baristas, so they had a nitro-brew coffee cart by Commune & Co at their lovely little reception. They love each other and their families (including the community of friends they have around them) so they had an intimate little joy-filled wedding, simply done, full of love. Personalization can look like only doing the beautiful things you want to.

Their ceremony at The Portico was small and emotional, and all the more powerful for that. I cried right along with them and have teared up multiple times while editing the pictures because their love for each other moves me so much. The reception at the Underground Network in Ybor City was so fun, there were a few times I had to put my camera down to join in dancing.

I'm thankful to call these two friends now.

Be in love. Have a wedding that fits your story. Call me to take pictures of that! ;)

Shoutout to my buddy Austin Ficklin for second-shooting for me!

Also, I think music goes well with pictures, here's the song Amanda walked down the aisle to.

Savannah Lauren is a Tampa wedding photographer.