Fall 2021 Mini Session Locations

Scroll on to see a few samples of our mini session locations for fall of 2021!

PICNIC ISLAND- 7409 Picnic Island Blvd, Tampa, FL 33616

Picnic Island is a gorgeous park in South Tampa that features some mature, lush trees and greenery as well as a beautiful white shell walkway. Please note- we do not photograph on the beaches at this park. We’ve found they’re crowded and less photogenic than the areas with greenery!

KAPOK PARK- 2950 Glen Oak Ave N, Clearwater, FL 33759

Kapok Park is a favorite because it’s never crowded! This is a simple park with manicured grasses and trees. It’s perfect for smaller kids who are easily distracted since there’s never too much hustle and bustle happening close by.

HYDE PARK VILLAGE- 1602 W Snow Ave, Tampa, FL 33606

Hyde Park Village is a city feel that offers a variety of photo backdrops. From the fountain, to the brick walls, to the benches and grassy areas, we will always take advantage of the areas with the best light when we photograph your family here. (Morning sessions are all we suggest in this location to avoid crowds)

SWANN CIRCLE PARK- 4428 S Swann Cir, Tampa, FL 33609

Swann Circle Park is conveniently located in the heart of South Tampa! It’s a simple park but photographs well with gorgeous trees and a unique bamboo area.

There you have it- you can’t go wrong with any of this years mini session locations! Can’t wait to document your family this fall.

Click here to book now!

Tuscan Villa Wedding Inspiration

Are you in need of destination wedding ideas or locations? Do you just need a little inspiration as you plan your wedding overseas? Maybe you just have a love for all things Italy? Then look no further! This Tuscan wedding was absolute perfection all the way from the colors, to the wedding gown, to the theme. Along with some talented vendors, we crossed oceans to capture this STUNNER of Italian wedding destinations- Cortona, Italy.

You can’t go wrong with a destination wedding location in Cortona, Italy. We truly felt like we were in a movie! The scenery, restaurants, gorgeous weather and once in a lifetime views would be a treat for any wedding guest. Fun fact- they filmed the movie Under the Tuscan Sun here!

We highly recommend La Corte Dei Papi for your Italy wedding venue. The service, location, and hospitality was one of a kind. This unique Tuscan villa has been in the same family since the 1800’s!

Can we be Italian wedding photographers all the time? This spring destination wedding was one for the books. Watching these two exchange sweet words as the sun set in the Italian countryside was a moment that brought tears to our eyes.

Although the sun has set on our first Italian wedding, we certainly feel confident it won't be our last. Cannot wait to capture another Tuscan wedding very soon! If you'd like to see the film from Kenneth Cooper Films, click here!

To see another favorite destination wedding we've photographed on the island of Mustique, make your way over to Eric and Nicole's gallery here. 

Huge kudos for planning and designing goes to Along Came Stephanie | Venue: La Corte Dei Papi | Florals: Fiorista Cristina | Dress: Ti Adora from Malindy Elene Bridal | Paper Goods: Script me Pretty | Rentals: Preludio Divisione Noleggio 

Lilly Pulitzer Themed Bachelorette (or bridal shower) weekend!

We’re here to give you proof that Lilly Pulitzer does not go out of style!

Due to the popularity of any and every Pinterest pin we seem to post from this shoot (if you don’t follow us, check out our Pinterest profile here) , we’ve decided to re-blog a favorite past photo shoot of ours!

Whitney, the owner of Tres Chic Weddings, approached us with this Lilly Pulitzer inspired bachelorette weekend that would take place at The Don Cesar beach resort (it would also be such a unique, colorful, and tropical bridal shower theme!) and we needed no convincing. See some of our favorite shots from this shoot below! 

See the original feature on brides.com here.

Hope you enjoyed re-living the details on this throwback shoot as much as we did! For more beachy inspiration, why not check out Eric and Nicole's wedding on the private island of Mustique?! Click here to see more! 

Venue: Don Cesar | Planning: Whitney with Tres Chic | Florals: FH Weddings | Linens: Wildflower Linens | Stationary: Sprinkles Design | Dishes: Dishie Rentals | Paper Flowers: Katie Franklin | Hair and Makeup: Destiny and Light | Cookies: Cookie Cousins

Fort De Soto Beach Engagement Session :: Alexandra + Adam

If you are dreaming of an engagement session that has beachy, wind-blown magic, with an airy and woodsy feel, but you also want a romantic garden vibe- you might be thinking your dreams aren't possible. But we are here to tell you that Fort De Soto has it all!

This location is perfect for an engagement session because there is an amazing amount of versatility. (They also have a dog beach, so if you want photos with your pup we can make it happen!) Sessions here ensure our couples receive images that look like we scoured the city all day long to get various different backgrounds.Alexandra and Adam made our job easy with their stylish engagement session outfits, pure chemistry, and adventurous attitudes.

Enjoy a few of our favorites from their session below!

 Searching for more engagement session inspiration? Check out our sneak peek from Krystel and Jordan here. The rustic and rugged vibes mixed with the way they looked at each other was pure magic!

5 Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

Valentine’s day is TOMORROW, and some of you may be scrambling to find the perfect gift! Never fear- we wanted to share some easy ideas that will help you plan something special in the nick of time.

We are huge fans of the 5 love languages test (find it here) because it helps you to understand and connect with your fiancé/spouse on an even deeper level! If you haven’t taken it, we highly suggest it. Then scroll below to find the perfect Valentine’s idea for your hunny based on how they best receive love.

1) Valentine’s ideas for “Acts of Service”

This is always a high scoring love language for me (Ashley) and Justin definitely loves me well in it! Some things he has done for me in the past that would make great gifts-

-  Taking the car to get detailed

- Breakfast in bed

- Cleaning the entire house (OR gifting a service to do it- two love languages for one!)

- In home spa day complete with a pedicure and massage (I think I speak for every girl when I say make sure to get the good polish, I like this brand)

2) Valentine’s ideas for “Physical touch”

Physical touch is a big one for a lot of people, including Justin! Some of the best gifts and dates you can give to someone with this as a love language are-

-A dance class (For those of you who live in Tampa, we did swing dancing at this studio)

-A snuggly stargazing date (Justin’s personal favorite! Complete with a late night snack basket and wine)

-A couple’s massage (Try the spa at the Epicurean, a personal favorite of ours)

3) Valentine’s ideas for “Words of affirmation”

Justin and I both score high on words of affirmation, so we have personally used the ideas below and love them-

-Letters to my husband (I used these and gifted them to Justin on our wedding day)

-Love Jar or Love Balloons- write out as many reasons why you love your fiancé/spouse as you can think of on slips of paper. Then put them in balloons for your love to pop or in a jar so they can reach in and read one anytime!

-A poem or song (I wrote one for Justin on our wedding day as well! It definitely wasn’t fancy or overly clever… but he loved it because I put in effort. The thought is what counts!)

4) Valentine’s ideas for “Quality time”

This is one of the easiest love languages to gift for because all you need (mostly) is YOURSELF! If your fiancé/spouse really resonates with quality time, simply plan a date, and you are set. Here are some of our favorite ideas-

-Date night box (we have purchased this one before and like it!)

-Painting class, or painting pottery

-Cooking class (Try Sur la Table , it’s phenomenal! Pro tip: bring your own bottle of wine!)

-Renting bikes and riding along the water or in a park

5) Valentine’s ideas for “Receiving gifts”

This is the most difficult to give advice on, because gifting thoughtfully requires a lot of effort on the gifters part- you have to listen as much as you can! Justin is so thoughtful, and whenever he hears me mention something I like or want, he makes a note on his phone! That way when an occasion comes along to get a gift, he has a whole list of ideas. We’ll try to provide some inspiration to get you started below-

- Does your fiancé/spouse like wine or whiskey? Pick up their favorite bottle or visit a winery/distillery and choose a bottle together!

-Any coffee fans out there? You can’t go wrong gifting local beans, or even a new accessory! I bought Justin the Nespresso (see them here) and it’s been a big hit!

-Justin gifted me a t-shirt quilt from Project Repat and I LOVED it because it helped me clear up space in my dresser without parting with some fun memories. (Find them here)

 We hope these ideas have helped inspire you this Valentine’s day! We’d love to hear if you used any of them- pay us a visit on instagram (@justindemutiis) and let us know what you thought! 

XO Ashley

Want even more gift ideas? Try our blog 7 ideas for gifting experiences for additional inspiration!

Los Angeles Engagement Session :: Katie + Eric

Katie and Eric make the top of the list for best engagement sessions!

We mixed it up a bit from the usual for this couple who loves photos and did an all day engagement session! Traveling around Los Angeles with a sweet couple, seeing some of the best places in the area, all with a camera in hand?! Don't have to ask us twice.

Take a peek below to see some of our favorite engagement session shots in Downtown LA, perusing some of the best dessert spots, the Griffith observatory, and Malibu beaches.

Special thanks again to Katie and Eric for being so laid back, easy to photograph, and fun! 

Searching for more engagement session goodness? Check out another favorite here! Chay's outfits, champagne, and that golden light gave us allll the heart eyes!

The Key to Communication in your marriage: How to stay on the same page as your spouse all year long!

I’m going to let you guys in on a little secret that has set us up to be successful in our communication with each other since day one: GOAL SETTING IN MARRIAGE.

Some of you are reading what I just said and thinking- "What in the world? I have enough on my plate just trying to set my personal goals, why would I want to add a totally different list specific to my marriage?”. Maybe having a better marriage or having more dates nights is already on your personal goals list, so you feel like you don’t need to make other goals together. I’m here to tell you WHY I wholeheartedly believe in sitting down with your spouse to make goals, HOW I believe it can change your communication, your marriage, and your life this year, and WHAT you need to do to get started!

Last year, we decided to purchase the goal setting guide for couples from our friends at Cultivate What Matters. Lara Casey says this best, so I am going to quote her directly here! :

“Why set goals as a couple? Three of the biggest complaints couples have about their relationships are poor communication, not being understood, and not feeling like they’re on the same page. That’s where good goal setting comes in! Setting goals together will help you work as  team, improve communication by expressing your dreams and challenges, provide accountability, and deliver a great sense of unity and connectedness when you make progress together. Good goals can change everything”.

BOOM- Lara Casey for the win! This statement embodies exactly how we feel about goal setting in our marriage- and we encourage you to give it a go! Below, I’m going to share some of the basic framework we use in our goal setting, and tell you real-life examples from our own marriage. 

1) Celebrate

This year for our marriage goal setting, we decided a little getaway was just what we needed to feel refreshed and inspired while planning our year. What better place to escape the Florida heat than snowy Vermont?! On a whim we decided to use up some of those credit card points we’d been hoarding to book the cutest little boutique hotel called the Taconic in the heart of Manchester, Vermont. We got a sweet little room with mountain views and a fireplace, grabbed some wine on night one, and celebrated! We believe the goal setting process should ALWAYS begin with celebrating where you’ve been and what you’ve accomplished. I repeat- step one should ALWAYS BE to celebrate!!! As human beings we are so quick to think of the bad things that have happened- so this exercise will really help you cultivate gratitude (you already know we’re big on this if you read our blog about tips we use to be grateful every day!), and celebrate all the past year has brought to you as opposed to thinking “Oh- it’s new years and I have a LOT of improving to do…”. Starting out any exercise feeling overwhelmed with changes you want or need isn’t going to lead you in the right direction.

2) Ask important questions

After our night of celebration, we woke up early the next day and decided to dig into the goals right away. For us, we have to start with coffee and some prayers :) So I encourage you to do whatever it is in the morning that helps you feel pumped and ready before you dive in!

We always begin marriage goal setting by sharing our personal goals first. This way we can use those as a guide to keep us focused on what matters to us both individually, and then we move onto the big questions for marriage. When I say big questions, I’m talking plans for buying a home, kids, travel plans, yearly budget… we get into it ALL on goal setting! Don’t be afraid to bring up those big, sometimes uncomfortable questions and dreams. The discomfort is really where the magic happens and you can dig deeper with your spouse. Some of the most important questions we asked ourselves-

1. What can we do to make our marriage a top priority in both of our lives?

2. Where do we see ourselves one year from now? How about 10? 20? Write out dreams and hopes.

3. How can we encourage one another in our personal goals for 2019?

4. How can we pray for one another this year?

These are just a few of the most important questions, and we encourage you to come up with questions that are specific to your own lives and marriages to add here. If you need more suggestions or would like to see our full list, feel free to email us directly and we are happy to share!

3) Create baby steps

After we work through all the biggest questions, the final steps are creating a vision for our marriage (an actual vision sentence.. like a big corporation ha!) and then writing out baby steps we can take to accomplish each goal.An example of baby steps from one of our own personal goals looks like this:

Goal:

Keep our marriage a top priority in both of our lives all year long.

Steps:

1. Going on a date every single Monday! From going on a long walk to a full day at the beach or a garden, we commit to doing something each and every week to focus on us as a couple.

2. Putting phones on airplane mode between 10PM and 9AM. This time should be for us as a couple each and every day to talk, pray together, laugh… We don’t want anyone or anything competing for that time and attention!

3. Work through the “You and Me” app . (An app suggested by a friend that has you read a book and answer questions together that strengthen your relationship)

We created these steps for each and every goal, and it makes a big difference breaking things down into something manageable!

After discussing all the big questions for hours- we decided our marriage vision is: “To be pleasing to God, to be happy and joyful with one another, to be inspiring and encouraging to other couples.” These few little words sum up all the most important things to us this year- And we have some exciting steps and plans to bring our vision to life, particularly for the couples who give us the honor of photographing their weddings!

After all was said and done we celebrated our progress by going on a snowmobiling journey and having a Thai dinner! Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate.

We are so happy we decided to take a trip to Vermont this year and worked through the steps of celebrating our 2018, sharing personal goals, asking each other the big questions for 2019, breaking goals into baby steps, creating a vision, and celebrating AGAIN!

We hope this blog has given you some inspiration for goal setting in your own marriage to improve your communication all year round. We promise you won’t regret setting aside this time to fully commit to one another through 2019 and beyond- The best is yet to come, you can do it!

Xo,

Justin and Ashley

P.S- if you need some tips for starting your personal goal setting, check out these three tips for setting goals. It’s never too late to begin!

3 tips for setting goals

Up until just a few years ago, I NEVER set goals for myself. I’m a fairly driven person, so I never saw the need to “waste time” crafting a bunch of words or thinking through what I wanted out of life, because I was fairly content. Thankfully, my hubs is an AMAZING goal setter, and showed me the light!

Now, I can’t IMAGINE not setting goals for myself. I’m no longer content just cruising through and letting life happen to me, because I’ve seen the difference keeping my goals front and center in my life can make! I’m more driven, better at saying no to things that don’t align well with my values, and all around happier… all from writing down those words I once thought silly.

Below are just a few tips we like to use to set goals- we hope they’ll help you in making this the best, most intentional year yet!

1) Write them down

 I’ll say it again: WRITE. THEM. DOWN-  The simplest and yet most overlooked piece of goal setting. I’ve heard it said a goal not written down is just a wish: and I wholeheartedly agree. There’s something final about putting pen to paper and actually writing what you want into existence.I should note here that I’m not just taking about writing them down in your spiral notebook, turning the page, and never looking at them again. Write them anywhere and everywhere you can! Write them in your journal, on a card that you keep in your wallet, on a post it stuck to your steering wheel, on your bathroom mirror. We are big fans of creating a vision board as well! We have something similar in our home to this . Write down your goals, and then keep them in sight as much as possible! This re-affirms what you want and keeps it in your mind all day long!

2) Make them specific

Don’t just make the goal “I want to spend time with family this year” or “I want to help more people this year!”. Vague goals are just asking to be forgotten! Instead say “I will plan two trips with my family this year- one in March and one in September” or “I will to sign up for Big Brothers Big Sisters by February”. These goals are actually something you can look at and work towards!

3) Break them into manageable steps

Do you have a big dream for your year that seems impossible? Something huge like “Lose 60 pounds this year” or “save enough to buy a house”? I always say it’s great to dream big, but sometimes looking at a sentence like that is enough to overwhelm you. For these goals I always suggest breaking them down into smaller steps and keeping it all written somewhere you can see it. For example, for losing 60 pounds this year you could say: I want to lose 3 pounds per month in January through May, 10 in June July and August when I have extra time, and 4 pounds September through December by cutting more sugar from my diet”. This way, you can look at January and know- all you have to focus on at that moment is losing 3 pounds- not 60! Take baby steps one month at a time until you accomplish your goal. Justin and I LOVE using Powersheets to break down our goals. We’ve utilized these magical workbooks for years and swear by them! Shop them here. 

I hope these tips have helped you, friends! Go out and write down those goals, make them specific, and break them down into baby steps. I know this is going to be your best year yet!

 XO, 

Ashley

Kara + Tony