Downtown St. Pete Garden Wedding | Museum of Fine Arts Wedding

Joanna and Mark's downtown St. Pete wedding featured a nighttime outdoor wedding ceremony with lighted trees and hanging lanterns, creating a romantic setting for their “I Do's.”

“When I first met Mark, he was living in St. Petersburg, and we spent the majority of the beginning of our relationship there. It was the city that we fell in love in, therefore I wanted our wedding to be in the same area,” the bride explained.

With both the South Tampa bride and groom working demanding jobs, they hired St. Petersburg wedding planner Kimberly Hensley Events to keep their big day stress-free.

“Qualities we were looking for in a wedding planner included: the style of weddings she's worked on, level of commitment and availability to our rigid schedule, as well as a history of executing beautiful weddings,” Joanna shared. “I interviewed several wedding planners, and what we loved about Kimberly was her style, professionalism and reputation. Mark and I know our wedding was as incredible because of Kimberly. She was the best decision we made during the entire wedding planning process.”

On the recommendation of their wedding planner, the bride and groom selected downtown St. Pete wedding venue the Museum of Fine Arts.

“Mark and I knew the moment we walked into the space that was where we would say ‘I dos.' We wanted the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception to be at the same site, and we wanted a portion of the day to be outdoors, with an indoor option,” Joanna explained. “We loved the idea of getting married in a museum. The MOFA staff were professional with reasonable prices. Everything that day and night was executed to perfection by the venue team.”

Not only was St. Petersburg an important part of Joanna and Mark's relationship, but so was their dog Phoebe.

“We couldn't imagine such a wonderful day being celebrated without her there with us. She's been there every step of our relationship and is the center of our world,” the bride beamed. “I was stressed about the logistics of who was going to pick her up, take care of her during the day, make she was fed, etc., and that's when [I discovered] FairyTail Pet Care. We were so happy to have them take care of Phoebe and appreciative of the care they provided her. It was completely worth it! Also, the GoPro video that they gave us of Phoebe's activities had to be one of the best memories that we have and we'll be able to watch it forever.”

MORE: FAIRYTAIL PET CARE WEDDINGS

Looking back, one of the bride's most cherished memories was celebrating at her wedding reception.

“One of my favorite moments was everyone Greek dancing in a circle around me, while I was spinning in the middle in my wedding dress,” Joanna reminisced. “We continuously have friends and family telling us how amazing each aspect of our wedding was. Every bride wants to reflect on her wedding and say, ‘Everything was perfect,' and I'm lucky that I can do that.”

The Proposal:
Mark proposed in Central Park in New York City the day before Christmas Eve. He totally took me by surprise, and it was magical since the city and park were decked out for Christmas.

What did you look for in a wedding venue?
I attribute picking our wedding venue entirely to our wedding planner, Kimberly Hensley Events. Mark and I knew we wanted to get married in St. Pete and that was about the extent of what we knew we wanted in an event space. Through Kimberly's awesome deduction skills, she suggested the Museum of Fine Arts. Mark and I knew the moment we walked into the space that was where we would say “I dos.” We wanted the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception to be at the same site, and we wanted a portion of the day to be outdoors, with an indoor option. Also, we loved the idea of getting married in a museum. The MOFA staff were professional with reasonable prices. Everything that day and night was executed to perfection by the venue team.

Why did you include your pet in your wedding?
Phoebe, our dog, was included in our wedding because we couldn't imagine such a wonderful day being celebrated without her there with us. She's been there every step of our relationship and is the center of our world.

I was telling our photographer how Phoebe was going to be in the wedding, but I was stressed about the logistics of who was going to pick her up, take care of her during the day, make sure she was fed, etc., and that's when she told me about FairyTail Pet Care. We were so happy to have them take care of Phoebe and appreciative of the care they provided her. It was so nice for me or anyone in our family to not have to stress about who was going to take care of her that day. It was completely worth it! Also, the GoPro video that they gave us of Phoebe's activities had to be one of the best memories that we have and we'll be able to watch it forever.

Why did you hire a wedding planner and what did you look for in one?
Mark and I hired a wedding planner because we both are not originally from Tampa Bay. We work demanding, full-time jobs, and we wanted the planning of the wedding to be as stress-free as possible. Qualities we were looking for in a wedding planner included: the style of weddings she's worked on, level of commitment and availability to our rigid schedule, as well as a history of executing beautiful weddings. I interviewed several wedding planners, and what we loved about Kimberly [of Kimberly Hensley Events] was her style, professionalism and reputation of beautiful and wonderfully executed weddings. Once hiring Kimberly, the rest of the vendors were recommended through her, and she was spot-on in her recommendations. Mark and I know our wedding was as incredible because of Kimberly. She was the best decision we made during the entire wedding planning process.

How would you describe your theme?
The theme of our wedding was elegant garden party. We chose it based on our personality and the venue site. The venue itself was so gorgeous, that it spoke for itself.

What were your colors?
Pale sky blue with white, gold and green accents. Blue is my favorite color, and I wanted everything to be very serene. You can never go wrong with white in a wedding!

What was your wedding menu inspiration?
Mark is first generation Irish decent, and I am first generation Greek descent, therefore we wanted the food to be reflective of both heritages, but also delicious. Olympia Catering sat with us and had a tasting of multiple choices to help us curate the perfect, quality wedding menu that met both of our heritages.

What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Tampa Bay has so many amazing venue sites and vendors, so we are very lucky to have all of them. If you have the capability of getting a wedding planner, do it!

The one service I definitely would recommend each bride to focus on is the photographer. Pictures are the one thing that you will have forever to cherish, so make sure you get a great picture taker. I still cannot believe how amazingly ours captured our engagement session and wedding day.

Ceremony and Reception Venue: Museum of Fine Arts 
Photographer:  Ashlee Hamon Photography
Planner: Kimberly Hensley Events
Pet Planning and Concierge: FairyTail Pet Care *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Florist: Florist Fire
Caterer: Olympia Catering *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Rentals: Museum of Fine Arts
Cake: Olympia Catering
Groom's Cake: Sweet!
DJ: Bay Kings Band
Officiant: Sensational Ceremonies
Invitations: The Write Stuff
Transportation: The Vinoy Renaissance *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Dress Shop and Designer: Malindy Elene Couture for the Bride – Augusta Jones
Hair & Makeup: Kyle Lynn Weddings