Sharing is caring!

If you are planning a South Florida wedding and the beach isn’t on your wish list, visit the Sundy House in Delray Beach.

These Sundy House wedding pictures were taken from several different weddings, all over the lush gardens and inside the house and ballroom.  Enjoy!

When recently engaged couples think about weddings in South Florida the first though that usually comes to mind is, a wedding by the beach.  However, not every South Florida bride is interested in tying the knot at the beach.  For some brides the thought of the wind blowing recently styled hair, or feet cover with sand isn’t enticing.   Don’t get me wrong, a beach wedding doesn’t always mean wind blown hair or sandy feet, however as a South Florida wedding photographer I have shot my share of both.

If you are planning a wedding that is not on the beach, I would recommend visiting the Sundy house in Delray Beach.   For those not familiar with Delray beach, it’s one of South Florida popular locations.  The main road through Delray beach is Atlantic Avenue.  If you are looking for fine dining you have plenty of choices both along and just off of Atlantic Avenue.  If you want the beach, the beach at the end of Atlantic Avenue is wonderful.   For couples having out of town guests, the area around the Sundy House has plenty of hotel choices.  Anyone visiting South Florida is sure to have a great time hanging out around Delray Beach.

The historic Sundy house is one of the most beautiful wedding venues in Palm Beach County.  As a wedding photographer I find that there is no limit of picture taking opportunities both in the Sundy House and around the grounds.  When walking the grounds you will find several Savanna-style gazebos, picturesque streams and waterfalls and freshwater ponds in which Koi Fish make their home.  In addition the Sundy house in Delray beach features a pond which is located in the perfect place for taking romantic bride and groom pictures.  Every time I work at the Sundy House I find myself shooting new and unique wedding pictures.

If you are a nature lover than getting married at the Sundy house is an excellent choice.  The one acre property has a woodsy feel and is filled with a wide range of tropical trees including fruit trees, flowering trees and scattered pockets of bamboo groves.   Couples planning a Sundy House wedding can get married in several different areas of the property.  If you have many wedding guests having a lawn ceremony is on of my favorite spots, if you have a smaller guest list you can tie the knot under the Savannah styled gazebo, and of course the Cenote pond always makes for an incredible backdrop.

When I arrive at the Sundy House to start the photography I usually find the bride and groom in separate bungalow getting ready.  The bungalows on the property are very stylish and decorated in the same Savannah style as the venue grounds.  The fact that the bungalows are all close to each other means that I can take pictures of the bride and her girls and then visit the groom and his guys for some additional pictures.  Once the bride is in her gown I can set up the first look in which the bride and groom get to see each other for the first time before the weddings.  The fact that there are so many great shooting spots at the Sundy house,  finding a private picturesque location for this first look is easy

Once the bride and groom have seen each other, and spent some time talking, we will venture around the grounds, taking pictures in as many locations as time allows.  Every inch of the one acre property has something unique to photograph.  Pictures can be taken at the pond, in front of the bamboo gardens, buy the house and on one of the wooden bridges.  After I have spent enough time photographing the bride and groom, we will meet up with the family to take the family pictures.  I always finish with enough time for the bride to hide when the wedding guests start to arrive.

Usually wedding ceremonies at the Sundy house finish just before sunset.  This is perfect because the hour before sunset is what is referred to as The Golden Hour.  This is the time when the light is the softest and has a warm glow.  It’s the best time for taking bride and groom portraits

As the sun sets, and the incandescent lights become brighter and glow more vividly the Sundy House starts to look like a different wedding venue.  As an experienced South Florida wedding photographer, shooting under tungsten lighting opens up a world of additional photography opportunities.  If the bride and groom are willing to break away from the wedding reception for a few minutes I could shoot many more unique pictures.   During the wedding reception I try to take as many party pictures as possible.  My wedding reception coverage includes a wide range of dance pictures, and guest pictures.  One of my goals during a wedding reception is to photograph every wedding guest.  My wedding reception coverage will include casually posed guest pictures as well as wild party and dance pictures.  Of course I also photograph all the toasts and all the wedding events as well.

The Sundy house has a very unique atmosphere which makes for very creative wedding photography.   The property consist of a set of bungalows which have a rustic vibe.  In the above picture, I posed the bride by the wardrobe mirror.  Then I got her bridesmaids to crowd together for the mirror inset photo.  At the Sundy house every bungalow is unique.  Some of the bungalows have a wooden vintage look while others have different colored interiors.  Whenever, I work at the Sundy house, I’m always excited because I know I’m going to get unique images.

Above and Below:   These wedding pictures were taken in the early afternoon just after the first look.   One of the most picturesque features of the Sundy house is the properties lush landscaping.  All through the grounds you will find small sets of bamboo trees which provide lovely unique background scenery.  In the shot above I posed the bride so that the train of her bridal gown is hanging off her arm.  While they are holding hands I had them take a walk for the camera. When I create these walking action shots I often start with both the bride and groom looking at the camera.  Then during their walk I have the groom look at the camera while the bride looks at the groom.  Next I have the bride look at the camera while the groom looks at his bride.  I have found that the best way to get great couple shots is to make sure the bride and groom have fun while taking pictures.  When a couple has fun during the photography, you can see the positive attitude and expressions all over their faces.  Also, the act of walking while holding hands always looks good because the couple is photographed in action.  I have found that people photos always look best when one of the people is doing something.   The wedding photo below was taken on the upstairs walkway just outside the maid of honors room.  At this time it had started raining, the overhang provided shelter from the rain, while allowing me the take pictures that still had an outdoorsy look.  The hight of the groom compared to the bride worked perfectly for this kiss the forehead shot.

Here is more information about the Sundy House in Delray Beach, Florida.

Having photographed over six hundred weddings in South Florida, I find that working at the Sundy House is always a treat.  Because of the waking paths that travel in all different directions, I can always find a path that travels in the perfect direction, with the perfect background.  After seeing her wedding pictures, this bride wrote me a very nice thank you note.  The bamboo in the background created a very unique background.  While there are lots of wedding venues in South Florida, I have found that the Sundy House is one of the few venues that has bamboo trees that are scattered in the perfect places making the photography more interesting.

The grounds among the gardens provided us with plenty of photographic opportunities.  Because the landscaping is so lush and beautiful, Portrait pictures in all directions. As a South Florida wedding photographer, I have plenty of experience shooting pictures in a wide range of lighting conditions. This gives me almost unlimited creative options.  In the picture above, I positioned the bride and groom so that the sun was hitting them from behind.  By doing this, the sun acted like a hair light, creating a dose of extra drama while also, providing soft facial lighting.  Once I had the couple posed, all that remained was to capture their expression.  In addition, her gown really looked awesome with the light passing through the veil.

ABOVE –  As a photographer who has acquired a wide range of skills, including photographic printing I have a set of rules which I insist get followed.  This light and airy photograph above checks all the rules.  The first rule of wedding imagery is not to blow out the wedding gown.  While light and airy pictures have a certain unique artsy appeal, I insist that the image of the  bridal gown shows detail.  I can’t tell you, (The reader.) how many light and airy wedding pictures I see in which all the detail in the brides gown is so light that the detail is all gone.  Loosing detail in a while bridal gown is a result of poor exposure control.  For example, if the exposure to too high and the detail in the gown is blown out, there is no way to bring back that missing detail.  While it’s true that in some situations, a portion of the lost detail could be made to look ok, by filling in the light highlights with a texture or a color.