Caitlin and Daniel's classic South Tampa wedding combined neutral whites and creams with pops of blue amidst natural greenery, an abundance of candlelight, and the timeless architecture of a historic building.
“Our venue was beautiful and classic, so we went simple with our florals and décor. We love the color blue, which went perfectly with the dark wood tones inside,” the bride shared. “We used several shades of blue, as well as white and cream. I wanted the blue to pop against the soft creams and gorgeous dark wood floors.”
The Riverview bride turned to Marry Me Tampa Bay for advice and inspiration while planning her 90-person October celebration.
“I have been following Marry Me Tampa Bay since we got engaged. There were so many gorgeous inspo pictures and venues, it made it a little hard to narrow down what kind of venue we wanted to look for!” the bride revealed.
Caitlin and Daniel wanted a photographer who offered a light and bright photography style with a personality to match so that they would feel at ease in front of the camera, with natural photos as a result. After their engagement session with Buffy of Lifelong Photography Studio they knew they had made the right choice.
“Daniel is not the biggest fan of taking pictures, so finding someone who made him comfortable to get a natural smile was important. Buffy of Lifelong Photography Studio was fabulous and made us laugh. We felt really comfortable with her and trusted her to put us in the right poses. My husband and I have a big height difference (I’m 4’11” and he is 6’4”), so it’s sometimes difficult for us to both look good in photo,” the bride articulated. “I loved the bright and classic look of Lifelong's photos. Dark and moody photos became more of a trend, but I have always loved bright and clean photos. We loved our engagement pictures, so we know they’d be perfect for our wedding day.”
The bride and groom prioritized food and music as two key elements for their celebration. They even personalized several dessert options as unique offerings for their guests.
“We wanted our wedding to be a big celebration, so the food and DJ were very important to us. We wanted our guests to leave with full stomachs and sore feet from dancing all night long. The ice cream was definitely a hit! I don’t think it’s often you have local, small-batch ice cream served at your wedding. We also had two cupcake flavors in addition to our cake. We have two labs, a yellow and a chocolate lab. We named our vanilla cupcake after our yellow lab, Zamboni, and our chocolate cupcake after Tilly,” Caitlin detailed. “For cocktail hour, we had an entertainer sing and play guitar, which made everything feel a lot more intimate.”
Daniel took the lead in selecting the caterer since cuisine was of the utmost importance. To reflect their laid-back styles, the groom selected a menu filled with comfort food favorites and a few local delicacies, plus a late-night snack to refuel their guests after hours of partying.
“We did a few other tastings, and Daniel did the tasting with Olympia Catering with my mom; they both really loved the food,” the bride raved. “We didn’t want anything super fancy since burgers and fries is more our style. We had a pasta station that was a total hit, a super yummy chicken dish, and our passed hors d'oeuvres were amazing! Our favorites were the chicken and waffle shooters with maple syrup, crab cakes, and empanadas. At the end of the night, we had some burger sliders and fries, which everyone loved after hours of dancing and drinks.”
Caitlin envisioned a classic look with a touch of vintage Hollywood glam for her wedding day style. She selected an off-the-shoulder chiffon gown with a plunging sweetheart illusion neckline from Truly Forever Bridal. The bride worked with Adore Bridal to create two different wedding day beauty looks, opting for loose curls and a natural palette for the ceremony before transforming into a bolder look with bright lipstick and updo for the reception.
“For hair and makeup, I wanted to go super classic with a little bit of old Hollywood glam. My husband loves my long hair down, so I knew I wanted it down for the ceremony but up for the reception. Adore Bridal was a recommendation from our planner, and they were able to accommodate me, my six bridesmaids, one junior bridesmaid, and both moms for a great and fair price. I loved my hair and makeup; it looked so glam!” the bride beamed. “Before the reception, Adore gave me a bold lip and what they call a party pony. It was so fun and kept my hair out of the way for dancing. I really enjoyed having two different looks the day of.”
Daniel carefully planned a couple of thoughtful surprises for his bride that day, including a live painter from Breezin' Entertainment to forever capture their wedding day, which Caitlin recalls as the most memorable aspect of their celebration.
“Daniel is always full of surprises! He planned not one but two amazing surprises for me on our wedding day. First, he had our favorite ice cream shop come and surprise me after the cake cutting with some of my favorite flavors. Our guests absolutely loved it, too,” the bride reminisced. “Second, he knew it was my dream to have a live painter at the wedding, but we didn’t account for it in our budget. He made it happen! He and our planner worked to find the right guy, and he painted a wonderful picture for us to hang in our home.”
How did you incorporate your personalities into the wedding?
We are massive hockey lovers, so we wanted to include that in our wedding since it is such a big part of our story. My husband wore a custom tux with the Tampa Bay Lightning logo lining, our table numbers were the jersey numbers of some of our favorite Bolts players, and all the groomsmen were gifted and wore Lightning socks and cuff links. It was fun to find ways to include our favorite team on our big day.
What did you look for in a wedding dress?
Going wedding dress shopping, I actually had no clue what I wanted! I knew I didn’t want a lot of lace or a ball gown, and that’s about it. I wanted to try on different styles to see what my shorter and curvy body looked good in.
Truly Forever Bridal was one of several dress shopping recommendations from my wedding planner. I set up the appointment with them first since I knew I wanted a more affordable dress. They had plenty of options, and my stylist was super sweet. She walked me through the process and helped me pull a variety of dresses. I ended up choosing one of her picks!
The Proposal:
We got engaged in October in Central Park. We had been planning a trip to watch the Lightning in New York for away games against the Rangers, Islanders, and Devils. Daniel hired a photographer in New York, and they planned the best place to do it. It was a gorgeous morning in Central Park, and he took me completely by surprise! Our photographer was taking pictures of the scenery on Bow Bridge, so I had no clue what was happening until he was down on one knee. Afterward, we celebrated Tavern on the Green with brunch.
What did you look for in a wedding photographer?
Daniel is not the biggest fan of taking pictures, so finding someone who made him comfortable to get a natural smile was important.
Buffy of Lifelong Photography Studio was fabulous and made us laugh. We felt really comfortable with her and trusted her to put us in the right poses. My husband and I have a big height difference (I’m 4’11” and he is 6’4”), so it’s sometimes difficult for us to both look good in photo.
I loved the bright and classic look of Lifelong's photos. Dark and moody photos became more of a trend, but I have always loved bright and clean photos. We loved our engagement pictures, so we know they’d be perfect for our wedding day.
What were your wedding hair and makeup inspiration?
For hair and makeup, I wanted to go super classic with a little bit of old Hollywood glam. My husband loves my long hair down, so I knew I wanted it down for the ceremony but up for the reception.
Adore Bridal was a recommendation from our planner, and they were able to accommodate me, my six bridesmaids, one junior bridesmaid, and both moms for a great and fair price. I loved my hair and makeup; it looked so glam!
Before the reception, they gave me a bold lip and what they call a party pony. It was so fun and kept my hair out of the way for dancing. I really enjoyed having two different looks the day of.
Why did you choose to hire a live painter for your wedding day?
This was a surprise from Daniel! He and our wedding planner set it up together. I had seen a live painter on an Instagram video and showed it to Daniel, mentioning how cool it would be, but it was probably not in the budget.
He and our planner found a way and hired Breezin' Entertainment. I was so surprised when we were walking back down the aisle to see the artist there painting our ceremony. It was such a special surprise!
What did you look for in a wedding officiant?
We didn’t want a very religious ceremony so we asked our wedding planner for an officiant who offered that.
In our initial meeting with A Wedding With Grace, Grace was incredibly easy to talk to! We probably talked on the phone for over an hour, and she had a good idea of what we wanted. She included a reading called “Love is like hockey” in our ceremony, and everyone commented how “us” it was. It made it so special!
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
We initially planned a two-week-long European cruise that went to Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, and England. However, due to COVID, we canceled it, not knowing what would and wouldn’t be open. We hope eventually take that cruise for our 5-year wedding anniversary. Instead, we booked a week at Sandals in Montego Bay, Jamaica. We wanted to relax after all of the craziness of the wedding week.
Where did you host your bachelorette party?
Five out of my six bridesmaids live out of state, so we wanted to choose something easy to get to and something fun! We decided on Universal Orlando. My bridesmaids were able to fly into Tampa, and we all drove up together. We spent the weekend riding roller coasters and drinking frozen butterbeer (and some real beer, too, of course). Universal was a great option because we were able to stay on property, so we didn’t have to worry about Ubers. We also had City Walk at our disposal for plenty of yummy food options and bars at night.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
Our venue was beautiful and classic, so we went simple with our florals and décor. We love the color blue, which went perfectly with the dark wood tones inside.
What were your colors?
We used several shades of blue, as well as white and cream. I wanted the blue to pop against the soft creams and gorgeous dark wood floors.
What did you look for in a wedding caterer?
Daniel selected the caterer. We did a few other tastings, and he did the tasting with Olympia Catering with my mom; they both really loved the food.
We didn’t want anything super fancy since burgers and fries is more our style. We had a pasta station that was a total hit, a super yummy chicken dish, and our passed hors d'oeuvres were amazing! Our favorites were the chicken and waffle shooters with maple syrup, crab cakes, and empanadas. At the end of the night, we had some burger sliders and fries, which everyone loved after hours of dancing and drinks.
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
Our wedding planner was by far one of the most amazing people I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Heather made our day feel so much more special, and she worked so hard to make our dreams a reality. Buffy from Lifelong Photography Studio was also wonderful to work with; she was super excited to shoot at the Orlo and work with us, which helped put us at ease.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Don’t stress about what other people want, and make sure your wedding is what YOU want it to be. Of course, take your guests into consideration because of course you want them to have a good time, but remember, at the end of the day, it is about you as a couple. This day is to celebrate your love and your lives joining together, so do the things that make you happy and cherish every moment of the day.
