If you have ever wondered what an Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church wedding and Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club reception looks like from start to finish, Brianna and Ryan’s wedding day is your answer.
On May 17, 2025, Brianna and Ryan Whitley were married at Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, and then made their way to one of the most beautifully photographed reception venues in all of Sarasota. I was with them from the very first moments of getting ready all the way through the last song of the night. Long day. Best kind.
These two understood something I wish every couple would hold onto: the day goes fast, and the only way to actually feel it is to stop rushing it. So they didn’t. They soaked up every moment. We mapped out their portrait sessions strategically across the whole day so that by the time cocktail hour arrived, they were actually in it – drinks in hand, surrounded by their people, present for all of it.
That is the goal. And they nailed it.
The Details
Brianna’s details told the whole story before the ceremony even started. Her invitation clearly showed “Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church” – faith and intention built right into the first impression. Her bouquet was stunning: blush and peach garden roses, dusty rose blooms, eucalyptus, and trailing satin ribbon. But tucked into the stems were two small locket charms – one holding a photo of her grandmother, and one with her dog. The kind of thing you almost miss and then can’t look away from once you see it.
Her dress, from The Perfect Dress of Sarasota, was 3D floral lace applique on a nude and blush base with off-shoulder flutter details. Ryan wore a powder blue three-piece suit, a champagne tie, and a white rose boutonniere. The combination was soft, classic, and completely timeless.
The programs were “The Newlywed Post” – a full newspaper layout complete with a word search and guest awards. I love a couple who keeps their guests entertained before the processional even begins.
Getting Ready at Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club
Brianna and her girls got ready at LRCC, which is one of my favorite ways to start a wedding day. The warmth of that space, the light, the way it all just feels elevated – it makes the getting ready images so much easier to walk away with. There was champagne with mom, a dress moment, and the kind of easy laughter that only happens when everyone is exactly where they are supposed to be.
Ryan got ready there too, and I found him sitting at the grand piano tying his shoes – completely relaxed, completely himself. That image is one of my favorites from the whole year.
The Ceremony at Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church
Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church in Lakewood Ranch is genuinely one of the most beautiful ceremony locations I have photographed. The soaring ceilings, the arched windows, the stained glass that fills the room with color – it is a space that photographs beautifully from every single angle. The architecture does a lot of the work, and all I have to do is pay attention.
But beyond the visuals, there is something about a Catholic ceremony that carries real weight. The rituals, the prayers, the kneeling at the prie-dieu – they slow the moment down in the best possible way. The message from the priest was exactly right. Meaningful without being heavy. The kind of ceremony that stays with you.
Ryan’s parents walked the aisle. The bridesmaids and groomsmen took their places. And then Brianna came through those doors with her dad – and the whole room felt it.
They exchanged their vows at the altar, they knelt together, and they kissed right there in front of the crucifix with the whole church watching. There was not a dry eye in the building.
The Classic Car
After the ceremony, Brianna and Ryan slipped away in a gorgeous vintage white car from Classic Cars Sarasota. I love this part of a church-to-venue day more than people realize. That 20 minutes between locations is just the two of them. No guests, no timeline pressure, no one needing anything. Just newlyweds. We used every second of it.
Those portraits in front of the LRCC entrance – white columns, cobblestone, the car as the backdrop – are some of the most classic images from the whole day.
Private Vows and Portraits at LRCC
Before we moved into wedding party portraits, Brianna and Ryan had a quiet moment in the ivy-covered tunnel at LRCC to exchange private vows. She held her vow book in both hands and read to him. He held her hands and just listened. I photographed it in black and white and it will be one of those images they look at for the rest of their lives.
The tunnel is one of those locations at Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club that never gets old for me. The arch, the ivy, the light that comes through the end – it works in every season and every hour of the day. Brianna’s solo portraits in there, leaning against that ivy wall, are stunning. Ryan’s portrait adjusting his tie is the kind of relaxed, natural groom image I always hope for.
The Wedding Party
Seven bridesmaids in champagne satin, six groomsmen in navy, and an enormous amount of energy. This wedding party showed up.
The groomsmen pretended to interview Brianna with microphone props in the tunnel. The full wedding party kiss shot – couple kissing center, everyone going absolutely wild around them, veil flying – is one of the most fun images I have made all year. This crew did not hold back, and I am grateful for every single one of them.
Family and Couple Portraits
We used the ornate LRCC staircase for family and couple portraits – that curving wrought iron railing is the kind of architectural detail that makes every image look like it was planned for months. The bride and her dad. The couple at the base of the stairs. The moody, beautiful kiss shot mid-staircase.
And then Brianna on the golf course with her bouquet in the afternoon light. That image is everything.
The Reception
I walked into the LRCC ballroom before the guests arrived and I just stood there for a moment.
White ceiling draping. Fairy lights woven through it. An iron chandelier at the center. A sweetheart table centered against a full white backdrop with gold lanterns and trailing greenery. Round tables set with white linens, colorful florals from Blossoms and Bubbly in sculptural white vases, and gold charger plates catching the light. The Swanky Soiree team created something I will be thinking about for a long time.
The memory table was the detail that got me most. Framed family photos displayed throughout the room – including a vintage black and white portrait of Brianna’s maternal grandparents, Antonietta and Giovanni Coppola, labeled in her handwriting. That is the kind of thing you cannot manufacture. It is love made visible.
The bridesmaids made their grand entrance with bouquets raised over their heads, absolutely beaming. The first dance was tender. The toasts made people laugh and then cry and then laugh again. And when Brianna put on her heart-shaped rhinestone sunglasses and hit the dance floor, the party was officially on.
Sunset on the Golf Course
We slipped out during the reception for a few minutes on the course as the sun dropped below the tree line. That light over the water, the sky going orange and gold, just the two of them on the green.
This first image the image Brianna and Ryan had printed as a 24×36 canvas. Standing together under a tree as the golden hour wrapped around them, looking at each other like no one else existed. I could not have asked for a better ending to a portrait session, or to a day.
The Party
The rest of the night belonged to the guests. Foam sticks raised in the air. Heart sunglasses. Dancing that did not stop. This crew gave everything they had, and I loved every second of it.
Angela Tip: Planning a Church Ceremony with a Separate Reception Venue
One of the questions I get most often from Catholic brides in the Sarasota area is this: if my ceremony is at a church and my reception is somewhere else, does that hurt my photos? Do I lose too much time?
Here is the honest answer: only if you do not plan for it.
Brianna and Ryan’s day is the example I will be pointing to for a long time. By building portrait sessions into multiple points throughout the day – getting ready portraits at LRCC before the ceremony, car portraits between venues, and then private vows and wedding party portraits back at LRCC before the reception – we captured a complete, full, beautiful wedding day without anyone feeling rushed.
By the time cocktail hour started, Brianna and Ryan were already there. Present. Enjoying it. That does not happen by accident. It happens when your timeline is built around the day you actually want, not squeezed into whatever time is left.
If you are planning a church ceremony with a reception at a separate venue, here is what I want you to know: build travel time into your timeline from day one. Consider whether a first look at your reception venue makes sense for you – it can free up an enormous amount of portrait time and let you walk into your reception feeling relaxed instead of behind. And work with a photographer who has done this before and knows how to make the transitions feel seamless.
Angela Tip: Sentimental Bouquet Details
If you want to carry someone with you on your wedding day, a bouquet locket is one of the most quiet and meaningful ways to do it.
Brianna tucked two small locket charms into her stems – one with a photo of her grandmother, one with her dog. They are small enough that they feel natural in the images, and meaningful enough that once you notice them, you cannot stop looking. If this is something you want, bring it up with your florist during your consultation. The stems can be arranged to keep the charms visible, secure, and out of the way of the flowers themselves.
Why the Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church Wedding and Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club Reception Combination Works So Well
These two venues complement each other in a way that I genuinely think makes the wedding day richer, not more complicated.
Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church brings something that a country club cannot replicate: sacred space. The architecture, the traditions, the weight of the ceremony itself. A Catholic ceremony is not just a backdrop for portraits – it is a sacrament. And when you photograph it in a space as beautiful as OLA, you walk away with images that carry that meaning.
Then you arrive at Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club and the energy completely shifts. The tunnel. The grand staircase with the wrought iron railing. The golf course stretching out behind your portraits. The ballroom at full reception lighting. This venue photographs beautifully at every point in the day, in every kind of light. And having just come from a ceremony location that is architecturally different – warmer, more intimate, more traditional – gives your full gallery an incredible range.
If you are planning a Catholic wedding in the Lakewood Ranch or Sarasota area and wondering whether this combination can work, I hope this answers your question.
As a preferred photographer at Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club, I have photographed this venue across many kinds of day structures – and a church ceremony followed by an LRCC reception is one of the most beautiful ones I get to document.
If you want to see what a full ceremony and reception at Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club looks like without a separate church venue, check out Eva and Michael’s wedding here. Two completely different day structures, the same stunning venue, two completely different stories.
If you're in the early stages of planning, the Sarasota wedding venues guide is a great place to compare locations and understand what to look for in a Sarasota or Lakewood Ranch venue. And if your partner hasn't proposed yet, the Sarasota proposal photographer guide walks through locations, timing, and how to pull off a beautiful surprise. When you're ready to talk about your wedding day, head over to The Deets to learn more about what it's like to work with Angela Moon Photography.
Are You Planning a Wedding at Our Lady of the Angels or Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club?
I would love to be part of your day. I know these venues well, I know how to build a timeline that works, and I will be with you from start to finish. Reach out and let’s talk about what your wedding day could look like.
Vendor Credits
Venue + Coordinator: Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club – Hayley Sundin
DJ: Josh Gaufman
Hair + Makeup: Just Beauty
Dress Boutique: The Perfect Dress
Florist: Blossoms and Bubbly
Videographer: Cosmo Losco Films
Photobooth + Audio Guestbook: ACT II Entertainment
Draping: Swanky Soiree
Wedding Cake: CaraMel’s Bakery
Transportation: Classic Cars Sarasota
Transportation: Siesta Key Trolley
Brianna + Ryan Whitley | Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church Wedding + Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club Reception | Lakewood Ranch, Florida | May 17, 2025 | Photography by Angela Moon Photography
