“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” –Anne of Green Gables

So are we—especially when October is widely regarded as the most popular month of the year to get married! Given the cozy vibes of comfy sweaters, crisp leaves, and steaming cups of pumpkin spice lattes, it’s no wonder that the most heartwarming month of the year is an ideal time to tie the knot.

However, a fall wedding in Florida puts the “warm” into “heartwarming”. With hurricane season in full swing, daytime temperatures in the 80s-90s, and not an orange leaf in sight, planning an autumnal wedding in the Sunshine State can be a very different experience from planning one in cooler climates. That being said, there’s a lot to love about a fall wedding in Florida: milder weather, stunning sunsets late into the evening, and year-round vibrant greenery.

If you’re planning a fall wedding in Florida, here are some essential tips to navigating the Sunshine State’s unique autumn climate—and ways to maximize the fall vibes no matter the temperature outside.

Julia & Michael had such a beautiful wedding at Casa Feliz this past December! Their heartfelt Jewish wedding ceremony took place just before the end of the year at the historic home venue in scenic Winter Park, FL. The height of wedding season in Florida, December sets a perfect backdrop for a most magical wedding day with crisp air, low humidity and early sunsets.

Casa Feliz, a beautifully restored Spanish farmhouse in the heart of Winter Park, is one of the most picturesque wedding venues in Central Florida. With its charming brick exterior, arched doorways, and blue-shuttered windows, the venue feels like a step back in time. Its elegant yet cozy atmosphere creates the perfect setting for intimate, heartfelt celebrations—exactly the kind of day Julia and Michael had in store this December!

If your wedding style is “country, but make it classy,” then Legacy at Oak Meadows is a must-visit when shopping around for your dream wedding venue. What began as a family-owned 28-acre tree farm blossomed into a vision: a wedding venue to celebrate the sanctity of marriage and sacred new beginnings. Legacy at Oak Meadows was born from this idea, and the picturesque wedding venue has been celebrating happily-ever-afters ever since. Offering three picturesque locations for your indoor or outdoor wedding ceremony, plus the jaw-dropping White Lavender Barn for indoor wedding receptions, a wedding at Legacy at Oak Meadows will certainly be one of natural beauty, elegance, and unforgettable memories.

The team at Legacy at Oak Meadows invited us to take a private tour of their lovely wedding venue, and in this post we’re sharing our honest, unsponsored thoughts. We hope to capture a wedding at this gorgeous space in the near future, but in the meantime, we took plenty of photos to capture the most important details of this Central Florida wedding venue review. We can’t wait for you to read all about it!

Is there anything as classy as a garden wedding? For couples choosing an outdoor wedding venue, a garden wedding brings a certain elegance, striking a balance between casual and formal. Not only do garden weddings exude sophistication and grace, but they also are incredibly practical, requiring little additional adornment to the natural beauty of the surroundings.

We’ve searched the Orlando and Central Florida area for the most popular garden wedding venues perfect for a romantic outdoor wedding, and are here to share our picks. Not to be confused with outdoor wedding venues in general, these wedding venues specifically feature stunning curated gardens for outdoor wedding ceremonies and outdoor wedding receptions. If you’re looking for your perfect, lush garden wedding venue, then this list is for you!

Judy and Dejan’s wedding was a stunning celebration of love and culture, blending Serbian and Vietnamese traditions in a way that left everyone in awe. From their deeply moving Serbian Orthodox ceremony, filled with heartfelt emotions and sacred hymns, to the lively reception at the Orlando Science Center, every moment was unforgettable. Guests were treated to a vibrant Chinese lion dance performance, energetic music that reflected both cultures, and a dance floor that stayed packed all night. This wedding was a beautiful testament to the power of love and the joy of bringing two families and traditions together. View their full wedding photography gallery here!

We shot our first wedding at The Cottage on Lake Fairview in Orlando, FL back in summer 2023, so when we heard this venue had recently undergone new ownership and a fresh renovation, we couldn’t wait to visit again! Lately acquired by local hotspot Quantum Leap Winery, this quaint vintage cottage has been transformed into a modern urban winery wedding venue without losing any of its original charm. With a stunning lakeside wedding ceremony view and an indoor wedding reception space that gives all the Great Gatsby vibes, we love the new changes to The Cottage on Lake Fairview and can’t wait to share the details with you!

What a sweet Sunday morning micro wedding for Taylor & Mitchell! This stunning couple recently tied the knot at the historic Maitland Art & History Museum in Maitland, FL, located at the northern edge of metro Orlando, with a micro wedding reception at the Alfond Inn in Winter Park, FL. Their romantic, heartfelt small wedding really stood as a testament of their love and commitment to one another. View their full wedding photography gallery here!

If your wedding style is “country, but make it classy,” then Legacy at Oak Meadows is a must-visit when shopping around for your dream wedding venue. What began as a family-owned 28-acre tree farm blossomed into a vision: a wedding venue to celebrate the sanctity of marriage and sacred new beginnings. Legacy at Oak Meadows was born from this idea, and the picturesque wedding venue has been celebrating happily-ever-afters ever since. Offering three picturesque locations for your indoor or outdoor wedding ceremony, plus the jaw-dropping White Lavender Barn for indoor wedding receptions, a wedding at Legacy at Oak Meadows will certainly be one of natural beauty, elegance, and unforgettable memories.

The team at Legacy at Oak Meadows invited us to take a private tour of their lovely wedding venue, and in this post we’re sharing our honest, unsponsored thoughts. We hope to capture a wedding at this gorgeous space in the near future, but in the meantime, we took plenty of photos to capture the most important details of this Central Florida wedding venue review. We can’t wait for you to read all about it!

Raina & Marc recently tied the knot in Tampa, FL just days after Hurricane Milton devastated the area. Determined to still tie the knot, they held their wedding ceremony at The Salvation Army in Tampa, FL in a sweet and simple minimal budget-friendly micro wedding. View the highlights of their wedding photography here!

and more of a full wedding day experience that’s sure to wow and entertain your guests every moment of your special day. As a rustic barn wedding venue in Central Florida—centrally located just north of Orlando—it’s easy to see why The Hidden Barn Venue is extremely popular among couples looking to tie the knot. Not only is this rustic-chic, western-themed barn wedding venue a gorgeous spot to hold a wedding, but it’s filled with surprises that you really can’t find in any other wedding venue: and it’s sure to be an unforgettable, fun-filled wedding day experience for your guests.

The team at The Hidden Barn Venue invited us to take a private tour of their lovely wedding venue in Apopka, FL, and in this post we’re sharing our honest, unsponsored thoughts. We hope to capture a wedding at this gorgeous outdoor venue in the near future, but in the meantime, we took plenty of photos to capture the most important details of this Central Florida wedding venue review. We can’t wait for you to read all about it!and more of a full wedding day experience that’s sure to wow and entertain your guests every moment of your special day. As a rustic barn wedding venue in Central Florida—centrally located just north of Orlando—it’s easy to see why The Hidden Barn Venue is extremely popular among couples looking to tie the knot. Not only is this rustic-chic, western-themed barn wedding venue a gorgeous spot to hold a wedding, but it’s filled with surprises that you really can’t find in any other wedding venue: and it’s sure to be an unforgettable, fun-filled wedding day experience for your guests.

The team at The Hidden Barn Venue invited us to take a private tour of their lovely wedding venue in Apopka, FL, and in this post we’re sharing our honest, unsponsored thoughts. We hope to capture a wedding at this gorgeous outdoor venue in the near future, but in the meantime, we took plenty of photos to capture the most important details of this Central Florida wedding venue review. We can’t wait for you to read all about it!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, we’re not talking about holiday plans, turkeys, Christmas trees, crisp leaves and the scent of pumpkin in the air…It’s wedding trend forecast season!

If you read last year’s 2024 wedding trends blog post, you may see some overlap as many 2025 wedding trends are continuing strong from 2024. However, this year we’ve put extra thought into considering micro weddings and how these trends can be practically applied to smaller weddings, notably how these trends can be done sustainably and affordably (spoiler alert: saving money on your wedding will be a big trend in 2025!).

Keep reading for our top 2025 wedding trend predictions—specifically catered towards micro weddings and small weddings!

Most people wouldn’t put the words “luxury” and “micro wedding” together in a sentence, but we’re here to assure you that the two are not mutually exclusive.

If you have expensive tastes (it’s okay to admit it!) but hope to exchange vows with just a select group of your nearest and dearest—or if you’re planning a micro wedding on a budget but still want to feel like a prince or princess on your wedding day—just know that you can still have an affordable micro wedding and say “I do” in an incredibly glamorous setting. How, you might ask, when wedding venues are just so expensive these days?! (Ahem: these top 10 Orlando and Central Florida area wedding venues under $2,000 might convince you otherwise.)

The answer: finding a luxury wedding venue that offers micro wedding or intimate wedding packages.

Trust us, it’s incredibly hard to find this information online (we would know: we had to do the grueling work to put this list together!), so save yourself the trouble with our top recommendations for wedding venues that bring on the glam without breaking the bank.

These 8 luxury wedding venues in Central Florida are surprisingly affordable for micro weddings and intimate weddings—keep reading for the full list!

‘Til debt do we part?

Recently the topic of going into debt to pay for your wedding has taken social media by storm. Countless TikTok videos and Instagram posts have flooded our algorithms with brides sharing the cold reality of paying off wedding debt once the honeymoon is over, with many taking on additional jobs and delaying their dreams of traveling or buying a home.

We personally avoid debt whenever possible in not only our personal lives but also our business, and we often speak this same value to our wedding photography clients. We never want a potential bride or groom to feel a need to go into debt simply to pay for our wedding photography services, nor do we think that going into debt to pay for a wedding has to be the new norm.

So is it really possible to get married without going into debt? We say yes—and we’re here to share a few helpful tips to saying “I do” without the debt.

Micro weddings have been around for as long as couples have been tying the knot, but they made a big resurgence in the post-pandemic era, and they’re not going away anytime soon.

Our 2025 wedding season prediction: micro weddings are IN—and they’re here to stay.

Now, we may be biased (speaking as a micro wedding photographer), but there’s a good reason we have a soft spot for intimate weddings. There’s a certain magic about smaller gatherings where a couple and their nearest & dearest gather together to celebrate their love and commitment to one another, and while we’re all for big weddings too, the unique beauty of a micro wedding is just in a league of its own.

If you’re thinking of having a micro wedding in 2025, we’re here to share the reasons why these intimate, small weddings are continuing strong in the new year’s wedding trends and why they’re here to stay—and most of all, why you should consider one, too.

In this economy, it almost feels like the cost of buying fresh fruit at the grocery store is about the same as booking your wedding venue.

As most of us are tightening our wallets and seeing our dollars stretch thinner and thinner, weddings are also feeling the pinch. Many couples are opting for a small, intimate or micro wedding as a means to tie the knot on a budget or even getting married in their own backyard. And finding the wedding venue of your dreams without breaking the bank? That feels more like a pipe dream.

However, finding an affordable wedding venue doesn’t have to cause undue stress. Whether you’re booking an Orlando-area wedding venue under $2,000 or just looking to pinch a few pennies, we’re here to share some creative ways to save a few extra dollars on your dream wedding venue.

Save your pennies for a rainy day and try these 9 wallet-friendly tactics to save money on your wedding venue (I guarantee you #8 will surprise you)!

We recently shot Lily & Ryan’s Asian-inspired wedding at the glamorous Tavares Pavilion on the Lake in Tavares, FL and had a wonderful experience with this wedding venue! Sitting majestically along scenic Lake Dora, this space is actually owned by the city of Tavares, which makes it an incredibly affordable wedding venue—yet without lacking any of the elegance and charm of a privately-owned wedding venue.

We truly enjoyed Lily & Ryan’s wedding at Tavares Pavilion on the Lake and so, in our quest to share the best wedding venues (and most affordable wedding venues for micro weddings!) in the Orlando and Central Florida area, we’re heartily adding this stunning wedding venue to our list. Keep reading for an inside scoop of what it’s like to get married at Tavares Pavilion on the Lake in Tavares, FL!

Lily & Ryan had a sweet, heartfelt Asian-inspired elegant classic wedding at Tavares Pavilion on the Lake in Tavares, FL! From the significance of weaving in Lily’s Asian culture to their Christian religious wedding ceremony, it truly was a special wedding and an honor to be a part of. View the wedding photography gallery of highlights from their intimate micro wedding day here!

They say every bride wants to feel like a princess on her wedding day, but some of us just want to be the Daisy Buchanan of our best Great Gatsby lives.

Nothing hits quite like holding your special day at a historic home wedding venue. Whether your vibe is Roaring ‘20s Glamour or Southern Belle of the Ball—or just quiet luxury—getting married at a historic home-turned-wedding-venue is a popular choice for many couples. Historic building weddings ooze charm and timeless elegance and allow the bride to really feel like the lady of the house in her very own Central Florida version of Downton Abbey.

For a city best known for theme parks, beaches, and tourists, Orlando has a surprising number of stunningly-beautiful historic homes that now serve as sought-after wedding venues, and we believe they all deserve a chance in the spotlight. In this post, we’ve narrowed down the list to the top 10 most popular ones that we think are absolutely worth adding to your list.

In no particular order, we’ve compiled the top 10 best historic home wedding venues near Orlando, FL ideal for elegant luxe weddings—don’t miss this!

We at Author Made had the complete honor and joy to capture Vicky & Robert’s 50th (!) anniversary vow renewal and wedding reception this June at historic Tanner Hall in downtown Winter Garden, FL! Not only was this an incredibly special moment for these two lovebirds celebrating five decades together, but this moment, date, and location all held such significance. Not only did the celebration take place on the exact date of their 50th wedding anniversary, but Tanner Hall has actually been used as a wedding venue for 3 generations of vow renewal celebrations for their family. View the wedding photography gallery of highlights from their special micro wedding day here!

For the romantic countryside allure of an elegant outdoor wedding venue, the charm of Chapel Valley Farm is unparalleled. If you’ve ever wished you had your own private rustic estate to exchange vows in a relaxed setting amongst the beauty of nature, then a wedding at Chapel Valley Farm might be exactly what you’re looking for. More like celebrating your special day on your very own private farm versus renting a formal wedding venue, outdoor weddings at this elegant modern barn wedding venue trade stuffy ballrooms and formal chandeliers for towering trees, family-style reception tables, and dancing underneath the stars.

The team at Chapel Valley Farm invited us to take a private tour of their lovely wedding venue in Eustis, FL, and in this post we’re sharing our honest, unsponsored thoughts. We hope to capture a wedding at this gorgeous outdoor venue in the near future, but in the meantime, we took plenty of photos to capture the most important details of this Central Florida wedding venue review. We can’t wait for you to read all about it!