Last Year I was able to do my very first Destination Wedding which has been a blessing in my life, first because it was of a couple I adored and an old co worker so I was surrounded by friends, secondly because it would take place at the lovely Barcelo Maya Palace Resort in Riviera Maya Region in Mexico. The scenery was paradise and I never really finished blogging about this fun, beautiful destination wedding I shot along with my buddy David Toth.  ( If you are looking for a place for your destination wedding, I strongly recommend the Barcelo and you can check out a very cool forum I have found by visitors who give their feedback as well- Unofficial Barcelo Maya guide) So Ladies and Gents, before I present to you the Ceremony post, behold, many images ahead, so hard to pick my favorites, after all the view was spectacular, the weather perfect and the reception was dreamy. Special thanks to Wedding Cordinator Gabriel Barbabosa who I happen to run into last week, where? in NYC of course during the awesome Wedding Salon Bridal Show.

Here is a promo video featuring the wedding I shot, the first one on the beach and you get a peak of my flash coming right up from like no where- lol, very excited that they used our wedding to do their promo- check it out and many pixs coming very soon

P.S in the works, is that special post of that super cute couple from Las Vegas, can not blog just yet, surprises ahead

also waiting for the slideshow to be up on the super www.celebrateflowers.com website so I can tell you about my special day with celebrity florist Jorge Cazzorla. So much to come, thanks for being here and reading this, I so appreciate it and would love to hear from you because after all, comments make me oh so happy.

and here are some pre wedding day pictures of me and sunset by David Toth.

Barceló Maya Beach Resort

Riviera Maya

Hotel contact information

Ctra. Federal Chetumal-Puerto Juarez
Km. 266,3 (Q.Roo)
Riviera Maya | Mexico

I did mention in Fuse News that I had been interviewed by a local paper and was super excited about it. I met up with journalist Madhu Rajaraman from Sayreville Progress at my local starbucks for some coffee and q&a, I talked loads, just went on and on and in my mind was like I wonder what the final piece will be like since I can not shut my trap. Well  I received a hard copy 2 weeks ago and I could have not been any happier about my feature, first of all I was on the front page of the paper then my story continued to a second page talking about how I started and my interest in business and branding aspect of photography. The picture makes it hard to read so I will highlight what were my favorite parts of the piece.

For starters she begins the piece saying “Feuza Reis is not your typical wedding photographer. If you want cliche snapshots with stiff poses and false smiles,look elsewhere”  This is so true, I am so more about capturing who you really are as a person, how you like to interact as a couple, a child just being a child and not saying cheese. Another favorite line which has loads to do with the vision I have for my photography business is when I am quoted ” I try to re-create the exact emotions that a person feels in a specific moment. With my images, I want to create a bridge between the past,present and future”. When a person picks up my images from years to come, I want them to look at them and go back in time, feel the emotion in the present and reflect on their future. I want to be that bridge for people. Today will never come back again, this is our life, this is our story, each day can be seen as a page, and the seasons or important events as chapters so if we only life once, we want to live it to the fullest and we want to cherish the true emotions of special days, I am that bridge. Another quote that I loved Madhu included was ” Even though I shoot weddings , I like to be more modern,edgy,urban and photojournalistic than most wedding photographers. Love what she said about me in regards to business, Madhu states that whereas many talented artists might shy away from the business side of photography, Feuza embraces it. Then final quote from me ” I just jumped in, it’s all about understanding yourself and the vision you have for your company.

Why a bridge, I was born on an urban island in Brazil, Vitoria, E.S. It is officially an island but it is the capitol so very urbanized and it is so close to the mainland that one almost does not see it is an island also due to the many close bridges. I am Brazilian and I grew up in the states and for many years had identity loss almost, when I was in the USA, I felt so different and so Brazilian but when I would spend summers there I would be almost gringa. I actually specialized in ethnicity and race relations in college and finally was able to accept the fusion of these two cultures in my life and who I really was and when I went to work on the vision I had for my photography business, I had to look at who I was and saw how the fusion of my beach childhood and city life influences my work.

Thanks again to Sayreville Progress for this wonderful piece on me and thank you Bridal Crate Magazine for adding this in your vendor alert first page this week. Thank you to everyone who has blessed Feuza Reis Photography.

This week at my church CCOB, there was a women’s dessert night, I actually baked a cake that looked normal. My husband was a little envious, he told me I keep buying the boxes but never bake for him, kinda of true so I pulled out the other box, fudge walnut brownies and I quickly whipped that up and placed in the oven because after all I should take care of him and my family first. The boys were excited to have walnut brownies with ice cream and I left my men with their bowls and headed to church on a windy rainy thursday night. I knew there would be a speaker but would have never imagined her talk would be title, Love sweet Love. I arrived holding my dessert tight, a bit shy for there were many women and I am new at this church and do not know anyone., I felt a bit a lone as one does whenever one goes to a new place and  I looked where to put my dessert and I found my spot. We worshiped some songs and I asked God to speak to me. The Little short preached went up and began speaking what the world needs is Love Sweet Love and she went onto to preach God’s love and how He wants us to love people as they need to be loved and not how we want them to be loved. In my husband’s cake cooking for him is a sign of loving him and taking care of him and I would like to improve on that part and would like to understand and put into practice how people need to be loved. Love is patient, Love is kind, Love does not boast and she went on citing funny examples of how it is hard to love people sometimes especially those who bug us but Jesus on the sermon of the mount asked us to forgive our enemies, to pray for those who use us, to do good and that sounds impossible but when we ask for God’s love to reign in us, then we love God’s way. Love sweet love is what the world needs and love sweet love is what I felt during the ceremony and reception of Muhammed and Yolanda’s Wedding last month. It was a simple wedding, made possible by the help of a caring community.  It was not in a super sized church, nor a fancy hotel or wedding hall but the most important ingredients to any wedding were present. Love sweet love, sweet brown shy eyes tucked underneath a white cap, although tall Muhammed is very shy and hides but you can see his love sweet love for his and only his Yolanda. She hides behind her laughter, laughing, and smiling and whispers in his ears. The ceremony touched my heart for I felt that preacher was talking to me, how God uses people and I felt blessed being there sharing those moments. In the ceremony the sweet love was felt again by family members and friends who tidied up the place and who spoke of how they admired both Yolanda and Muhammed who have both lost their mothers and have gone through thick and thin with their two little boys but have stayed together strong in their love sweet love. After the wedding Yolanda emailed me the sweetest note saying the following:

So your wish is my command, a few fellow friends have been asking fore more pictures and here we go, here are some more of the dress, getting ready and beginning of ceremony, this wedding meant and means so much to me! so many posts more to come. Thank you Jill and Rich again for making me and Dave feel like royalty at our stay at the All inclusive Barcelo Resort in Riviera Mayan Beaches in Mexico. Now here are David Toth’s fabulous photos, he got some shots of the bride and then headed to the boys room where they were working hard in their getting readiness .

And coming right up, some more pixs of the lovely Bride and Ceremony. Stay Tuned

Here are some of the pixs before heading out to the ceremony.

Funny thing was we waited for a bit before Jill was picked up my her wedding coordinator and we went over if we had everything then when we got to the ceremony spot, Jay ran over and asked, where are the readings? He then volunteered to run to the hotel room which was pretty far then would try to find them in the room and we had no idea where they were but he heroically came to the rescue! They were so good to their bride and groom, it was touching.

Here is Jill patiently waiting with her Godfather.

Okay so this is the longest port ever, so many pictures, hard to choose what to show, Ceremony is coming up next, stay tuned.

I had such a blast with this getting ready session, here we are in the midst of greens outside and a beautiful aqua ocean in a warm tranquil spa of this gorgeous destination wedding I shot at  Barcelo Resort in the Rivieran Mayan Beaches in Mexico . This was the best and most beautiful getting ready session I had ever done and Jill was so beautiful to photograph that I had to pick many favorites and do a full post just on her getting ready.= and while we were at the Spa, her flowers came so I snuck out with them for some shots. And her eyes totally match the ocean which made it oh so much better. I loved how it was her, her mother and mother in law! Just a little recap on how Rich the groom proposed to Jill. She was waiting for a ring during Christmas and she searched the house and found nothing. Then on a trip to Florida, he planned for them to swim with the dolphins at a park owned by Sea World but not the big Sea World one, and at the end of the swimming session, the attendant asked if she wanted to tug with the dolphin and she said sure but little did she know that the dolphin would be bringing a little float that read ” Jill will you marry me”. The dolphin did indeed bring it but Jill did not read it, lol and Rich had to tell her to read it. I thought it was so romantic and so thoughtful, he gets major brownie points and it compliments the Destination Wedding theme oh so well! Here is the part 1 of many posts to come.

All photos shot at

Barceló Maya Beach Resort

Contact me: feuza@feuza reis.com

All above mentioned items are happening in a one week time frame, luckily two have happened already and in a few hours I am helping host the Dane Sanders NY Road Show 09. I am feeling so blessed and honored, so many things have gone wrong but God has been faithful and it all worked out in the end. I know so much will come out of this and I think it is the perfect last thing before I fully launch my Wedding Photography Business January 09, stay tuned for new equipment, my website and with all those costs comes higher prices, I will be raising my prices for 2010 so you can still take advantage of 2009 prices if you book your wedding by December 29, 2009.

This week I will be offline with all this stuff happening and lots of backlog ( not a fun word) to edit, still pixs from the lovely destinationCancun Wedding, last Sunday’s Baptism which is all day affair and a wedding last Saturday which was my first ever booked!

If you are a photographer  in the NY, NJ, PA, CT, MA area or from any where else in the world and you will be at PDN, please please say hi to me Feuza, pronounced like a fuse-box “Fuse-A”.  I am bad with names and remember them so don’t be shy, just holla! This year’s PDNwill be so different, last year I was like a kid and knew absolutely know one, I sat at a Bob Davis presentation and thought it was awesome and then they started talking all these meters and #’s and it was like a foreign language, I had no idea what shooting raw was about and was so so overwhelmed by all the Album Companies and choices. This year, I know a bit more, know lots more photographers and hoping to meet some new ones like The Youngrens ( not sure if they are attending) Kenny Kim , Kristen Leigh , and a few more on my list as well as attending with Bianca Valentim, Noticed Photography and Paula Leme, watch out PDN the Brazilian Girls are taking over! hahaha. So we need some pixs up in here. More Mexico Please, some personal pixs of room and amenities and sneaks of the fabulous couple, Jill and Rich.

 My room which I loved loved loved, Barcelo rocks!

looks like a great place for a Wedding Ceremony!

Contact me: feuza @feuza reis.com

I once read somewhere that you always learn something after shooting a wedding and this something is usually due to a mistake you have committed, forgotten shots, wrong composition, under exposure, over exposure, what ever it may be you learn something. I learned quite a lot from my first Destination Wedding at the beautiful Barcelo Maya Beach Resort at Riviera Maya region in in  Mexico. I was there with one of my mentors David Toth who I learned so much from, more of it was just by observing the way he works and we talked some technical stuff and talked about differant types of clients but the biggest lesson I left from this trip was be true to yourself and no more feeling self conscious. Well this was only my fourth wedding and I was in a differant county, in the most beautiful beach I have ever been, shooting a destionation wedding and have David as my second shooter, it was an out of body experiance sort of when I got married as I was walking into the church. I did not know if I smiled or cried or where to look, I did not feel like myself. And at this wedding, I felt overwhelmed, self conscious, after all all eyes are on me as the pro and David has been doing this for what 15 years now, he knows better, let him take charge and I really could have given more in Cancun. I should have been more me, more in charge, more do this, more just the Bridal poses that now I am kicking myself in the butt for, but I am not sad, oh no, cause I jotted down what I did wrong, what I should have done and I know I will be back, Riviera awaits me and so do other places. Before I left for todays wedding, lots of bad things happen, but I was not gonna cry or pout but I was gonna make the best of it cause I know it all works out in the end. I am way behind with my editing and I know many would love to see the Cancun shots, but wait a little longer, here are some more shots of the fabulous Barcelo, and a sneak peak of the Bride and Groom. Ole!

                I first learned of the First Glance through Jasmine Star Blog where she posted that she loved when couples opted for a First Glance or First look which meant they would see each other before the Wedding Ceremony in an intimate place where only the two of them would have a First Glance of how each other looked on that special day. For the photographer it is a dream, he or she gets to stand on the sidelines and experience this unique moment of the Bride and Groom calmly seeing each other first as well as capture some amazing on location shots. Now hold on, isn’t that moment suppose to be when the Bride comes in that church door and the famous bridal hymn plays and everyone stands to see her and to see his reaction as he sees her for the first time? Isn’t a First Glance going to take away from that moment and make it less special? If they have already seen each other then that famous entrance will be less special?  I mean where I come from that is a big NO NO. It is bad luck to see the Bride before the wedding ceremony and many cultures have and would have a hard time accepting this  especially in the Americas.  I thought the idea was brilliant but thought since I deal mostly with Brazilian Community, they would never go for such a thing.  Now First Glance is not for everyone but here are some reasons why to do it.

·         It is a moment where only the two of you experience which makes it even extra special

·         The emotions of this moment will be scene in the photos and Videography if you wish later to share with friends and family and view it again and again

·         The shots of the First Glance are one of a kind- you really see emotion come to live in the pictures

·         You take away that pressure of that entrance because it can be a scary thing, everyone is watching you, watching your reaction, you are trying to smile and entertain the crowd, and see if the decoration is how you imagined, if all is in place but at the same time trying to see your groom for the first time and as a former bride that entrance is an out of body experience which later  I was like I don’t even know how I felt and where I should look.

If you want to know more about First Glances, please download the full version of this Article  Here are some pictures to help illustrate my point.

To do or not to do a First Glance

Small glances, small shy smiles and a small child along side of her. I would see Dercilene once in a while at church and some small talk here and there but that was all. She lives in Long Branch,NJ and I was super excited when she called me telling me about her wedding plans and how she wanted me and Max to capture it. She has been with her current husband now for five years and they have a 3 year old son Otavio but they had never officially gotten married, but gathered the cloth as we Brazilians say and they knew it was time. Dercilene wanted to formalize it all with God, with her family, with her conscious.She was to get baptized the next day so the emotions soared. She was such a calm bride, still with small glances and smiles and small child but such a big heart of love, trust and fidelity.  Here are some sneak peaks and stay tuned for next blog post with some announcements.

A night wedding outside made me very worrysome so I suggested to the Bride to do a first glance before the cerimony and I did not think she would agree since it is not common at all for Brazilian Weddings. They are very superstitious but to my suprise she said what ever you think is best, you know better. Aren’t those the words you want to hear from every client? For them to trust you enough to do what they are paying you to?  Long Branch has a great beach and I have been doing some beach sessions there but I wanted something differant. I was so psyched and I had driven by Monmouth College and thought it had been calling my name, almost mysterious and lush green from all the trees. My gut feeling was right, it was a great spot, having this almost Rome like  pillars and great garden surrounded by old buildings, FABULOUS!. There were major delays and we were behind schedule making me very nevrous for my first glance shot but I am so glad we did, best shots of the day. Here are a few, it was an emotional moment and I felt blessed and honored to watch it.