Yanman Photographers Blog

His name is Orlando, and they got married in Orlando. Can't get any easier to remember then that.

Julissa and Orlando got married right outside next to Lake Eola, it was still a little hot out, but the cloud cover really did help a lot.

Julissa got ready in her hotel room with all of her bridesmaids around for support, here she is having a bit of fun with them ...


I got to do one of the coolest things I've done in a while, I rode over with all the girls in the limo. Don't worry girls I won't tell the guys your secrets.



Orlando was ready and smiling while waiting for his bride, especially when he saw her for the first time.


What a beautiful bride as her dad walked her down the isle.


Family portraits where taken with the city as a backdrop.





We finished the night at the Sorosis Woman's Club, in downtown.

These two don't just think they can dance - They can!

Congratulations to Orlando and Julissa. We wish you a lifetime of happiness.

Labels: Downtown, Lake eola, Orlando Wedding Photography, Sorosis Womans club

Starting at the Holy Family Catholic Church and continuing at The Ballroom at Church Street, Nikki and Daniel had an incredible wedding day. We feel honored to have been a part of their special day.

Here are just a few of the fantastic images from the wedding and reception.

Labels: Ballroom at Church St, Catholic Church, Downtown, Orlando Wedding Photography

Sylvia is an ex co-worker from my IT days working in the wonderful world of electronic ticketing.

When she called and asked if I would be her photographer at her wedding I jumped at the chance.

Sylvia and I have both come a long way since we met eight years ago, and I wish her and Barny all the best.



It was a little rainy when we got started at the Aloma Methodist Church


The rain went away and the day got almost as pretty as the bride ... well almost.






The reception was held at the Altamonte Springs Clarion...






I could tell you all about the first time Sylvia and I met, but that would be a whole different blog post...

Labels: Aloma Methodist Church, Orlando, Orlando Wedding Photography, Wedding

Ok, so if you have not yet read my previous blog posts or been following along on Facebook - please start with -

Let them eat cake Part 1

Let them eat cake Part 2

Let them eat cake Part 3

Ready, OK lets get to the point,

I know how to bake a cake, but I'm no cake decorator ...



Wow! Shocker right? I'm a photographer, that watches cake shows, and thinks he can make a professional cake?

Well not really, I did want to try my hand at making a cool fondant covered cake, but I knew the results (while edible) wouldn't be pretty. At first I was just doing this for me, and the 30-50 people that will be eating this cake on Tuesday. Then it hit me...




I had all the tools ( I bought everything you could need to make the cake I planned on). I had a kitchen, the time, the ingredients and I had made great tasting cakes in the past. The two things I was lacking was knowledge and skill.

Here are some quotes from my Facebook friends and family -

"...this is a real LABOR day project! doesn't your publix have a bakery? ... i'm just askin.' : )"

"How long does it take to bake a cake?????"

"...again, why are you doing this yourself?"


Too many times in the wedding business we hear of someone taking on a project that is just a little more then they can handle. I'm not saying that you can't do it yourself on some things to save money, just know your limits and when to hire a pro.


So here are the three points that I learned from my DIY project:

1. Know your, and your friends DIY limits.
2. DIY only where you are sure of the outcome, and the time it will take.
3. DO NOT LET YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER BAKE YOUR CAKE ...

I hope everyone had a happy and safe Labor Day, and that your desert looked better then mine. :)

So this is the stage where things take a turn for the worse ...



No matter how hard I try, I can't get the fondant smooth around the sides ...



I really had no plan what I was going to do with the colored fondant ...



And at this point it was like "putting lip stick on a Pig ..."



There was just no saving this cake ... I really did try ...




At least my wife and daughter had fun adding the sprinkles to the cake ... Sprinkles make everything better right?





On to the moral of this story ...

Somewhere early on in this project (Like when I discovered I didn't buy enough cake mix), I realized there was more to be learned from making this cake then just how to do it.

So this is why I continued, and posted the entire thing to Facebook.

After I went and got more cake mix, I made layer two shown below. I had forgotten for the second time to grease or flour the pan. Also I didn't add enough oil to the mix for a cake of this size, so ... it stuck to the pan and broke apart.



The base 10 inch layer, turned out ok, but when I cut it flat it broke a bit ...



OK, Ice and add layer two ...




Then sculpt,



It leans more then I wanted but the shape is ok... Maybe?

OK after Icing ...

Then it's roll out the fondant...



Now the fun begins ...