The precious snuggle moments with a person of your dreams, the tears in your mom’s eyes when she’s helping you put on the most beautiful wedding dress ever, the sweet giggles of your girlfriends who are the bridesmaids you dreamt about since high school, the smiles on your guests’ faces when the most precious flower girl is walking down the aisle, your magical first kiss at the wedding you imagined since being a little girl…. All those are the moments and emotions we want you to be able to relive even 50 years after your Big Day, looking at the photos of your wedding. Our passion, to create the most important memories for you and your family, gave the beginning to Ti Adoro Studios (former Alena Bakutis Photography).

Let’s be honest — most love stories don’t start with “and then we met on Match.com.” But ours did, and we’re not even a little embarrassed about it.

When Alena and Michael connected in 2016, the stars aligned almost suspiciously well. Alena had been photographing weddings for six years. Michael had been DJing in Mexico Beach on the side while finishing his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Two creative souls, one algorithm, zero regrets.

Here’s where it gets fun: Michael was raised in a family of master photographers. He literally grew up in that world, the way some kids absorb the family restaurant or the family hardware store, he absorbed light, composition, and the business of photography. Then he walked away from it and became a broadcaster. (We love a plot twist.) His energy, his voice, his ability to make any room feel at ease, that’s what caught Alena’s attention first.

What started as a relationship quickly turned into a creative partnership. Alena trained Michael as a second shooter, and together they expanded into families, portraits, and Michael’s personal specialty: surprise beach proposals. Future grooms call Michael when they want to make it magical and have absolutely no idea where to start. He thrives there.

Since 2017, we have shot weddings together across Europe, the Virgin Islands, and beyond. A lot of miles, a lot of dancing, and more than a few happy tears. When we got married in 2021, it felt like the right moment to make it truly official as a team. Alena’s longtime brand, Alena Bakutis Photography, the name so many clients had come to know and love, retired gracefully, and everything moved under the Ti Adoro Studios umbrella we had built together.

Two photographers. One vision. And a genuine inability to leave the house without noticing the light.

We are so glad you are here.

Alena and Michael

Ti Adoro Studios serves the Florida Panhandle, including Tallahassee, 30a: Rosemary Beach, Alys Beach, Seaside, Watercolor; Pensacola.

We travel worldwide and have done weddings, engagement sessions and honeymoon photography in Czech Republic, Italy, Croatia, Canada, US Virgin Islands. So if you are located or planning your wedding anywhere in the US or outside of the country, and would like for us to come photograph your Destination Wedding or create beautiful Engagement or Honeymoon Photography, we are available for travel!