Ybor City Wedding – Vintage Tampa Wedding – Don Vicente Wedding
Becca and Keith's Love Story:
I grew up in New Port Richey, FL and just 15 miles away in Clearwater, FL was Keith; who knew that almost 20 years later we would meet at Florida Gulf Coast University?
It was the beginning of my second year and Keith’s third year semester, when my roommate, Meghan, was having problems with her computer. Meghan had invited Keith and his friend Toby to help fix it. I didn’t know that they were coming over and walked out into the living room to find Keith sitting on the couch. I looked at him and said, “Who are you and what are you doing in my dorm?” He sarcastically replied with, “My name is Ezekiel,” and gave me a left hand shake. That left hand shake and sassiness left a big impression on me, because we' have been by each other’s side ever since.
From the Groom: The Proposal
We both had been wanting a new puppy for a little while, and we had planned to pick up a new English Bulldog from Arcadia. As we drove back to Tampa, I convinced Becca we should take her for her first walk at Curtis Hixon Park.
Little did she know, my best friend and his wife had set up an area with candles and flowers at the “Will You Marry Me?” bench. We waited for the rain to pass, and we went for the walk where we ran into the area setup. I got on one knee and proposed, while she held our new puppy. She couldn’t stop giggling and finally said “Yes.”
Vintage, Garden Ybor City Wedding
Becca and Keith said their “I do's” in Seminole Heights at St. Paul Lutheran Church, then headed to Ybor City for a vintage, garden wedding reception.
“I chose this theme because I love old vintage things that have a lot of character, and I wanted everything to be mismatched,” the bride explained. “My mom and I went to flea markets and thrift shops to find all of the china and the decorations for the wedding.”
To complement their vintage wedding, the Tampa Bay couple chose historic Tampa wedding venue The Don Vicente De Ybor Historic Inn.
“We love old architecture and buildings that have lots of character, and we fell in love with the Don Vicente. From the beautiful staircase, to the hand carved wooden bar and the brass and blush pink light fixtures, we loved it all,” Becca shared. “We also loved the fact that we could rent the whole place and use the speakeasy basement space for an after party.”
So that they didn't overwhelm themselves while planning their Ybor City wedding, Becca and Keith hired Tampa wedding planner Special Moments.
“We knew we couldn't do it all by ourselves, and we wanted someone who had connections to other vendors and someone who could set up the day of,” the bride explained. “Tammy [of Special Moments] had worked a lot with the Don Vicente. Our personalities really meshed well, and she understood our vision of what we wanted for our big day.”
MORE: SPECIAL MOMENTS WEDDINGS
The bride and groom focused their wedding day on “family, friends and food,” with a special sweet treat planned for the end of the evening.
“Cold Stone Creamery was amazing! My side of the family loves ice cream, and Cold Stone was able to make our ice cream bar absolutely one of our favorite things!” Becca gushed.
Looking back, the bride shared that one of her most memorable moments was seeing Keith crying as she walked down the aisle.
“No first looks for us,” the bride said.
“I had an idea of using pinks and mint greens, but when I found the floral dresses for the maid and matron of honor, my color pallet evolved into using the colors from the flowers in that dress.” – The Bride
“We knew we couldn't do it all by ourselves, and we wanted someone who had connections to other vendors and someone who could set up the day of. Tammy [of Special Moments] had worked a lot with the Don Vicente. Our personalities really meshed well, and she understood our vision of what we wanted for our big day.” – The Bride
“Cold Stone Creamery was amazing! My side of the family loves ice cream, and Cold Stone was able to make our ice cream bar absolutely one of our favorite things!” – The Bride
“All of our vendors exceed my expectations! The food was fabulous, the flowers were spectacular, our coordinator was outstanding, our cake was beautiful and delicious and our photos were stunning! They worked so hard and were so nice to work with. I could not have asked for a better wedding day. All of the people that worked with us were terrific!” – The Bride
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay Brides?
Don't stress, have fun, and eat food.
Don't skimp on the photographer and food.
Shop for bridesmaids dresses one at time versus group shopping. Halt the drama.
Ybor Wedding Ceremony Venue: St. Paul Lutheran Church
Ybor Wedding Reception Venue: The Don Vicente De Ybor Historic Inn
Ybor Wedding Photographer: Esther Louise Photography
Ybor Wedding Photographer: Iron & Oak Films
Ybor Wedding Planner: Special Moments *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Vendor
Ybor Wedding Florist: Skip’s Florist and Christmas House
Ybor Wedding Caterer: The Don Vicente De Ybor Historic Inn
Ybor Wedding Cake: Ph.D-serts
Ybor Ice Cream Bar: Cold Stone Creamery
Ybor Wedding Linen Rentals: Custom Linen Rentals
Ybor Wedding Chair Rental: Signature Event Rentals
Ybor Wedding Band: Mainstream Band
Ybor Wedding Officiant: Reverend James West
Ybor Wedding Invitations: Carlson Craft
Ybor Wedding Officiant: Reverend Roland Lajoie
Ybor Wedding Dress: Maria’s Bridal Connection – Maggie Sottero
Ybor Wedding Groomsmen Suits: Frank’s Formal Wear of Tampa
Ybor Wedding Hair: Every Strand Salon
Ybor Wedding Makeup: Anna Somerville
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