Welcome to the Wedding Venue Map‘s networking event at The Wedding Barn in Oviedo, FL! This month’s Vendor Roundup brought together wedding professionals from all over Central Florida for an afternoon of connection, collaboration, and education. Every month, Wedding Venue Map creates opportunities for vendors to build friendships, grow each other’s businesses, and learn from industry experts who share tips to make us all better at what we do.

I was honored to be the sponsor photographer for this event and capture all the special moments! The ladies at Wedding Venue Map are kind, organized, communicative, and truly on top of things. Working with them was an absolute joy.

This month’s networking event was held at The Wedding Barn in Oviedo, a newer Central Florida venue I’ve loved getting to know. I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with Natalie, the venue manager who wasn’t able to make it to this afternoon’s event, as well as her brother David, the sales manager, and Nicole, their in-house wedding coordinator (pictured below). Together, they create such a warm and welcoming atmosphere for both vendors and couples. The barn itself is large, open, and full of beautiful natural light—perfect for any celebration.

The event was beautifully styled with centerpieces from FauxReal Flowers (Bri from Wedding Venue Map called them her “red bandana vibes” and it was perfect!).

Shireen of House of Sheen made sure Shannon and Bri looked flawless with hair and makeup.

Don’t they look amazing?!

I also captured some fun shots of David and Nicole, along with fresh headshots of Nicole for their website.

Patti from Cake Designers brought an irresistible dessert spread of cake, cookies, and cupcakes—her peanut butter cookies were to die for!

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One thing I truly love about Central Florida’s wedding networking scene—and especially Wedding Venue Map’s networking events at The Wedding Barn in Oviedo—is how genuine the connections are. Back in Upstate NY, events of this scale simply didn’t exist. Here, I’ve found vendors willing to share advice, offer tips, and cheer each other on. As they say, a rising tide lifts all boats.

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City BBQ in Winter Park catered the event (they do weddings too, of course!), and their brisket stole the show—so flavorful and tender it didn’t even need sauce. I’ll be making a trip there again soon.

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Brushfire BBQ sauce… love the name, even if I’d never eat anything that spicy myself!

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Our DJ for the day was Xclusive Deejays, keeping the energy up throughout the afternoon. Jason Good Media Group was also on site capturing video content (though not pictured here).

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Honestly, when I moved from Upstate NY, I worried that Orlando — being a much bigger city than Syracuse — might have a more dog-eat-dog wedding industry. I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised to find the exact opposite.

When I walk into networking events now, I recognize Jerzy, Ashley, Danny and Deanna. They greet me with a hug and a smile and ask how the kids and business is going.

Both Michael of Sonacity Photography and Jerzy of Jerzy Nieves Photography both shared a few tips with me last night — and even taught me some new things about my own equipment that I hadn’t known before! And that is a great example of a welcoming community and “friendors” helping each other out!

If you’re a wedding professional or planning your own celebration, be sure to check out Wedding Venue Map—not only is it a map of venues across Central Florida, but it’s also a vetted guide to trusted vendors.

I love that Ashley Johnson from Golden Hour Events lives just minutes from me — we always have so much fun meeting up for coffee or ice cream to chat! This time, I also got to meet her coworker Peyton, who’s also part of the Golden Hour Events team.

After enjoying the delicious food and desserts, David shared more about The Wedding Barn…

…followed by Shannon’s engaging presentation on “Unlocking the Preferred Vendor List.” She shared so many practical tips for becoming a trustworthy vendor and connecting with couples in meaningful ways.

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A huge thank you to all the vendors who made this event so special, and an even bigger thank you to Wedding Venue Map for allowing me to photograph it. I can’t wait for the next one!

If you’re a wedding professional in Central Florida, don’t miss future events like this Wedding Venue Map’s networking event at The Wedding Barn in Oviedo— it’s the perfect place to meet other vendors, swap ideas, and grow your business. And if you’d like fresh photos of you and your brand at your next event, let’s connect! And if you’d like to see some of my engagement sessions or weddings, find every one I’ve photographed on the blog at the links provided!