Amber and Jamie's Tampa Bay waterfront wedding was an elegant evening featuring an intimate ceremony and reception at the bride's childhood home. The meaningful celebration was filled with a classic color story of romantic pinks to match the cheerfulness of the day.
“[Our wedding inspiration was] romantic lakeside fairytale wedding. We needed to keep the guest list small, but it was important to still have the fairytale aspect that I always dreamed about. It was important to have beautiful flowers and altar, a romantic table setting, and lights,” the bride explained. “I love feminine colors. I found a Pinterest post with burgundy, pink, rose gold, and silver that inspired the color palette.”
With the unknown of planning a COVID wedding, the Tampa couple decided to host an intimate wedding for 16 of their closest friends and family.
“We didn’t know when we would be able to have a big fancy wedding I had always envisioned,” Amber explained. “The wedding turned out beautiful and probably even more memorable being at a location we visit frequently. Before the wedding ceremony, I got to look out my childhood bedroom window to where I was going to marry my soul mate.”
As with most brides who dream about their fairytale day, Amber had been envisioning her wedding for quite a while and was a routine reader of Marry Me Tampa Bay.
“I’ve followed Marry Me Tampa Bay for years! It contributed to ideas throughout the years as I added them to my Pinterest board,” the bride shared.
Planning a dream wedding day in only two months, the bride took no chances and relied on certified Master Wedding Planner Tammy Waterman of Special Moments Event Planning to organize all the moving parts for an idyllic at-home soiree. Opulent décor elements from Kate Ryan Event Rentals transformed the backyard into a reception reminiscent of a secret garden.
“Our wedding planner came highly recommended by our friends who are industry insiders. I wanted to work with someone who would pay attention to our ideas and enhance them without breaking the bank. It was also important that they could accomplish the event in a short time frame, eight weeks. We wanted to get married before the weather became too warm,” Amber revealed. “We wanted exactly what Tammy from Special Moments Event Planning embodies; someone who listens, takes time to look at my inspiration idea board, and honestly gives experienced feedback to make sure the event will be beautiful.”
A versatile wedding photography style was key to capturing all of the décor and details planned throughout the day. Lifelong Photography Studio‘s expertise in helping couples feel comfortable in front of the camera kept the couple's portraits timeless.
“We wanted the photographers to be able to capture photos outside with natural lighting in day and night time. Also, we really like creative candid shots that aren’t as formal feeling,” Amber articulated. “I had worked with Buffy, the owner, before, and her personality makes you feel at ease and comfortable like you are getting your picture taken by one of your long-time best friends.”
Amber's modern-fairytale look was created with a gorgeous fit-and-flare dress from Truly Forever Bridal , complemented with a princess-inspired partially pulled-back hairdo by Michele Renee The Studio. Perhaps her favorite accessory of the day was her two precious pups that made an appearance at the ceremony in an adorable wooden wagon accompanied by Fairytail Pet Care.
“I wanted to look beautiful with a romantic feel of enhanced natural beauty. Using Michele Renee The Studio was even more impressive than I expected. Michele Renee made sure that I not only looked fabulous, but she made sure I felt fabulous,” the bride beamed. “The experience at Truly Forever Bridal was wonderful! The inside of the building is beautiful, with chandeliers and Tiffany Blue walls and dresses are lining the entire interior of the building. Alison was my dream dress finder. I showed her a couple of pictures of dresses that I liked and expressed concerns for those body parts I'm self-conscious about. She was so sweet, and I think we went through almost everything in my size until I found the one, classic, feminine, not too Jessica Rabbit sexy, but still flattering and timeless.”
Looking back, some of the bride's favorite moments included experiencing the day with her parents, before she and her new husband took center stage.
“I loved having my mom and maid-of-honor getting ready together. Walking down the aisle was also a very special and exciting time for my dad and me to shine together,” Amber reminisced. “Dancing on the dock during pictures, giggling at the poses our photographers were putting us in, and getting to see each other all dressed up and saying our vows were, of course, very special.”
What were your hair and makeup inspiration?
I wanted to look beautiful with a romantic feel of enhanced natural beauty.
I actually worked with Michele Renee The Studio in the early years of her business, so I knew how beautiful her work was. Using her was even more impressive than I expected. Michele Renee made sure that I not only looked fabulous, but she made sure I felt fabulous. She took a lot of time on the trial run to be sure the look I envisioned would be achieved.
Where did you host your bachelorette party?
I had a Glam Party at Michele Rene The Studio’s salon, Ginger Snips, in Seminole Heights. It was so much fun and an alternative to bar hopping.
A few girlfriends came out to feel pampered with glamour services, custom drinks, games, tacos, and a pinata. My Maid-of-Honor and Michele Renee set up the beautiful sparkly background with pretty pink tables and balloons!
What did you look for in a wedding dress?
I chose to shop at Truly Forever Bridal for a couple of reasons. The main reason was that our wedding planner recommended them since there was such a quick turnaround to the wedding day, and I could buy off the rack there. The second reason was that I had been there before for a photoshoot, and I knew it was a beautiful atmosphere to try on dresses. Third, I follow them on Instagram.
The experience at Truly Forever Bridal was wonderful! The inside of the building is beautiful, with chandeliers and Tiffany Blue walls and dresses are lining the entire interior of the building. Alison was my dream dress finder. I showed her a couple of pictures of dresses that I liked and expressed concerns for those body parts I'm self-conscious about.
Alison quickly pulled out options for me to say yay or nay, and then she started a dressing room for me. She was so sweet, and I think we went through almost everything in my size until I found the one, classic, feminine, not too Jessica Rabbit sexy, but still flattering and timeless. Then I posed with the “Say Yes to the Dress” sign.
The Proposal:
Jamie proposed on Christmas Day because what is a better gift than the rest of our lives together and a beautiful diamond ring.
He proposed in our living room in front of the Christmas tree so I would always have that special memory.
What was your theme?
Romantic lakeside fairytale wedding. We needed to keep the guest list small, but it was important to still have the fairytale aspect that I always dreamed about. It was important to have beautiful flowers and an altar, a romantic table setting, and lights.
What were your colors?
I love feminine colors. I found a Pinterest post with burgundy, pink, rose gold, and silver that inspired the color palette.
Why did you choose to incorporate your pet into your wedding day?
We adore our little fur babies, and the day would not have been complete without them.
I had seen FairyTail Pet Care on Instagram, and our event planner, Tammy, recommended them specifically and explained how important it would be to have the pups taken care of on the wedding day. You can tell they are true professionals and care deeply about what they do and the service they provide. The new client questionnaire is very thoughtful and thorough. They also came over to meet our dogs and us before the wedding, which did a lot for our peace of mind on the wedding day.
How did you incorporate your personalities into the wedding?
Through the music selection. We love Disney movies so we had classic Disney movie romantic songs playing as guests arrived. I love Taylor Swift and, as a couple, we have always had fun car singing to Taylor’s early hits, so we chose The Best Day to be played for the mothers walking down the aisle.
What did you look for in a wedding planner?
Our wedding planner came highly recommended by our friends who are industry insiders. I wanted to work with someone who would pay attention to our ideas and enhance them without breaking the bank. It was also important that they could accomplish the event in a short time frame, eight weeks. We wanted to get married before the weather became too warm.
We wanted exactly what Tammy from Special Moments Event Planning embodies; someone who listens, takes time to look at my inspiration idea board, and honestly gives experienced feedback to make sure the event will be beautiful.
What did you look for in a wedding photographer?
We wanted the photographers to be able to capture photos outside with natural lighting in day and night time. Also, we really like creative candid shots that aren’t as formal feeling.
I had worked with Buffy of Lifelong Photography Studio before, and her personality makes you feel at ease and comfortable-like you are getting your picture taken by one of your long-time best friends.
What did you look for in a wedding rental company?
We leaned on our wedding planner for recommendations, but we wanted a special look achieved, and Kate Ryan Event Rentals had beautiful chairs that really added to the ambiance.
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
I feel like all of our dream team of vendors did an amazing job where we weren’t worried about anything.
Tammy and her team at Special Moments Event Planning took care of everything and more. Things we never would’ve thought of they made sure were perfect. I really wanted the dogs to be pulled down the aisle, and Tammy found the perfect wagon to rent and even found a way to get it to our venue. The dogs didn’t agree with my vision of being pulled in the wagon, but it was there for cute pictures! I was also so impressed with how detail-oriented Tammy was and how intently she focused on my inspirational pictures. She met with me and asked questions, and the final product was way better than the inspiration pics.
Michele Renee The Studio made sure we found the right kind of hair extensions, special eye patches and that my maid of honor and mom looked flawless.
Ileana from FairyTail Pet Care sent me a couple of candid shots of the pups from the day after she dropped off the dogs after their part in the ceremony was over. Those were so special because they were the first wedding photos I saw! Also, our dogs loved her and her team.
Lifelong Photography Studios sent a beautiful USB with our photo gallery pictures on it. They go above and beyond with reviewing all the shots you want to be included and are good at creative fun shots. Buffy, Gabrielle, and Mo were so much fun!
Our florist has the most beautiful flowers I’ve ever seen. She took a lot of time to discuss a vision and create a beautiful altar that we also repurposed as a place setting. She and her team put in a lot of work with that process!
We really loved our caterer and her approach to creating our menu. She asked what type of food we like and created a fun blend of favorites that blended well with a classic filet and shrimp entree. Her servers were professional, and everything was timed perfectly and looked beautiful. Most importantly, everyone was happy with how the food tasted.
Our videographer created a beautiful short film for us to put on announcements as a QR code to feel like we included friends and family that couldn’t attend.
Our DJ was great. He has a fun personality that was able to get more people dancing than I expected.
Amber and Jamie from Trinity Wedding Cinema on Vimeo.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
We went to a really cool VRBO rental on Captiva Island, FL. We could bring the puppies with us, and we didn’t need to fly to get there due to COVID concerns. Now it is definitely going to become an annual ritual!
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
If your budget allows bringing in professionals to lean on is well worth the splurge to make the day more relaxing and enjoyable. We also really liked having such a quick turnaround from engagement to wedding and couldn’t have pulled that off without working with such professionals.
