Spartan Manor is bigger than you expect. Multiple ballrooms, an outdoor courtyard, and enough going on that I think they had something like seven weddings running the day I was there. It's the kind of place that could feel like a factory and somehow doesn't.
The day
I started in the bridal suite with Hailey and her family. Did a first look with her dad, then her mom, and that one got people.
Then outside for the groomsmen, which did not last long because it was punishing out there. Bridesmaids after that, then the ceremony in the courtyard.
Quick note for anyone shooting here in May: I left my flashes sitting out in the courtyard sun and nearly burned my hand picking them up. Don't be me.
The ceremony was outside with a lot of people packed into whatever shade they could find, and it was still good. Then everyone moved inside and the music was loud from the second the doors opened.
Bridal party made their entrance, then Alex and Hailey. First dance. Then the parent dances, and that's where the room went. Everyone was crying.
Dinner was excellent, and I spent most of it trying to keep waiters from tripping over my light stand. Sorry to the Spartan Manor staff.
Then toasts, then dancing. People held back at first the way people always do, and then it broke. The DJ got me out on the cha cha slide.
My favorite frame
A shot of the two of them dancing. You see Hailey's face and the back of Alex's head, and that's all it needed to be. Everything about that day is in her expression.
Shooting at Spartan Manor
Here's what I'd tell another photographer.
The ballroom ceilings are covered in chandeliers and detail, which looks incredible and means you cannot bounce off them. Plan accordingly. I ran one AD200 Pro II bounced off a wall and the other with a MagMod diffuser. It worked, but I was fighting shadows more than I wanted to, and if I did it again I'd move the lights around a lot more instead of settling early.
The courtyard is where the ceremony happens and it is unshaded. Get your gear out of the sun and get your people into shade for portraits.
The staff are great and the food is genuinely good, and they'll feed you. Watch your light stands during dinner service, they're moving fast.
Wedding photography in New Port Richey and Tampa Bay
I shoot candid. I'd rather catch a real reaction than build a fake one, which is why my favorite shot from this wedding is the back of a guy's head.
If you're getting married at Spartan Manor or anywhere around Tampa Bay, send me your date and tell me what you've got in mind.
