Hi! I'm Thomas Lester (but you can call me Tom). I'm an international wedding photographer based out of Jacksonville, Florida. I love my family, love life, and love photography.
My favorite moments from weddings are those secret glances a new bride gives her husband to say, "we did it and I love you", a stolen kiss, or that moment when a bride sinks into her husbands arms with the complete surrender and safety of true love. This is what makes me tick! These are the images I capture to tell the story of YOUR wedding. I am a closet romantic and I love photographing weddings.
Want to know more about me? CLICK!
I had so much fun with Samantha and David on this shoot. They are both in the Navy and have great personalities. They seem perfectly made for each other. Samantha had me cracking up the whole evening with her very dry, sarcastic sense of humor. Her delivery is impeccable! I’m looking forward to shooting their wedding.
Justice and Emily had a special connection to Memorial Park in Jacksonville Florida. I’m paraphrasing this story… hopefully I’ll get it right. They were on a first or second date and were hanging out in Memorial Park sitting on a bench, when all of a sudden a guy riding by on a bike yells, “Great Couple”. They though to themselves… “are we a couple… I guess we are now”. They have been ever since and are now engaged to be married. I love the sincere, sweet look they give when looking at each other. It was a fun shoot!
It’s not very common that I get to do a morning shoot, but I do enjoy them. Erika and Sean are morning people, so we headed out early to capture their engagement photos. We had a great time out hiking in my super secret location (not really). The sun got intense pretty quickly, so I used it to my advantage to get some dreamy, hazy, sun flare shots. Here’s one of my favorites from the shoot.
I love weddings at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. Make not bones about it… it’s a challenge. The zoo is one of the most difficult places to shoot, but that’s partially why I love to shoot there. I dig a good challenge! Aimee and Stuarts zoo wedding was gorgeous. The weather was perfect and everyone seemed to have a great time. The best part was just being around such great people. Aimee and Stuart are two of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. We also put up my “Crazy Booth”, which isn’t really a booth, but a portrait area. That was a lot of fun. I’ll post some images from the crazy booth later.
Band: Last 2 Leave Band
Cinematography: Take One Productions
Florist: Wilson’s Limited
Wedding cake: Metro Custom Cakes
Makeup artist: Nicola Eisen
Wedding gown: Bridal Shop at the Avenues
Bridesmaid’s dresses: Bella Bridesmaid
Men’s tuxes: Michael’s Formalwear
Ceremony Musician: Peter Dearing – Guitarist
I guess the Cheap Trick royalties aren’t what they used to be!
Michelle and Chandler are one of my all time favorite couples to work with. I had such a good time hanging out with them on their engagement session and their wedding day was amazing as well. They have such a sincere love for each other. To me, that is always the most exciting thing about a wedding. The icing on the cake… Chandler’s family is hysterical. You’ll see Chandler dance with his Mother in these photos. They danced to Tupac’s “Dear Mamma”. Haha… I just about pee’d my pants when they started their dance. If you are not familiar with the song, I’ll leave you with a bit of the lyrics: “And even as a crack fiend, mama, You always was a black queen, mama.” Hahaha! Classic.
Ceremony Venue: Christian Family Chapel
Reception Venue: St. Johns Golf & Country Club
Wedding Coordinator – Ceremony: Wendy Graves
Wedding Coordinator – Reception: Amanda Dunn
Florist: Emily Levy
Wedding Cake: Publix
DJ: Jeff at Y?Entertainment
Hair stylist: Nancy Leef
Wedding gown: David’s Bridal
Men’s suits: Men’s Wearhouse (and the Navy)
by tlester
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