Rosie and John’s downtown St. Pete wedding was a weekend filled with fun and family as the couple traveled from the North East to celebrate their nuptials in Florida’s perfect winter weather. The romantic evening reflected the couple’s personalities with a play on gothic-inspired décor and a splash of sophistication.
“We would describe our wedding as ‘grown-up goth,’ but our wedding planner told it much more elegantly in her proposal after our initial meeting with her as ‘industrial, boho, moody, edgy, romantic’,” the bride detailed. “We made sure to go with a color scheme we both liked, darker colors that matched our styles: black, red, and blush pink tones. We chose those colors because they match our personal styles in our everyday goth life.”
The Phillidalephia bride and groom researched venues where they could individualize their February wedding while also comfortably accommodating their 85 guests. They selected NOVA 535 for the intimate ambiance of the outdoor bamboo courtyard and the spacious layout of the historic brick building.
“We looked for a venue that had both indoor and outdoor options. We also just looked for a venue that matched our personal style and wouldn’t feel too big or empty,” Rosie explained. “We really loved the look of NOVA 535 inside and out! We loved working with them, and their flexibility with our cover band request was truly wonderful. The staff was very nice and surprisingly offered a lot of words of support and encouragement the moments before we walked down the aisle!”
As the couple selected their vendor team, they made sure to incorporate details into the wedding day that reflected their personalities and beliefs. Rosie and John consciously found ways to make their wedding day as inclusive as possible.
“We made sure not to gender-associate any part of our wedding because a lot of our friends are non-binary, and we think that gender traditions are totally lame. That means we didn’t have bridesmaids or groomsmen, and we just had a wedding party. We didn’t have separate bachelor/bachelorette parties; we had a combined BachelorX party! Pairs that walked down the aisle weren’t boy and girl. People were paired in a way that made sense to their relationships. For example, our bandmates walked down the aisle together, and we made sure to tell anyone in our wedding party to wear whatever clothing they felt comfortable and confident in as long as it was in our color scheme, black,” the bride revealed. “We also didn’t do any wedding traditions that made us feel like unequal partners. We didn’t exchange rings because neither of us like wearing rings. We didn’t ask that people sit on certain sides, my father didn’t walk me down the aisle, and we didn’t say, ‘you may kiss the bride,’ to seal our vows.”
Selecting a wedding planner that the couple could connect with on a personal and professional level was a priority for the couple. Stephany Perry Event’s reputation and portfolio were the ideal fit for the destination couple.
“We actually researched a few wedding planners before landing with Stephany Perry Events. We found Stephany through the NOVA 535 website and saw that she had posted in support of the BLM movement, which was baseline enough for us to know we were on the same page about certain ideologies,” the bride revealed. “After our initial meeting with Stephany, we knew we were in good hands. She was so kind and patient throughout the entire year we worked with her. John and I are both type-A planners and loved the level of detail Stephany put into every decision. She is incredibly professional, prompt, and willing to go above and beyond for any request you might have. We were very new to the world of weddings, and she walked us through every detail with patience and without judgment. She worked within our budget, helped us make tough decisions, worked within our covid limitations, helped manage tricky family dynamics, worked to make special/odd requests a reality, and worked with us remotely from our home in Philly! She truly wanted the best for us, and we never felt pressured to do anything we weren’t comfortable with. On the day of the wedding, when my nerves were at an all-time high, she was three steps ahead of everyone, and the whole event literally ran perfectly. She helped us have the wedding of our dreams that we will remember for the rest of our lives!!”
Rosie took a more modern approach to the reception dinner and hosted two food trucks in NOVA’s courtyard St. Pete Taco Lady’s rave reviews and affordable options made it a perfect alternative to the traditional seated dinner.
“We hoped to have our favorite foods at our wedding, so we went with Mr. B’s Southern Cuisine and St. Pete Taco Lady as our two food vendors. We loved the idea of food trucks because they matched our more casual style and were cheaper than a traditional caterer,” the bride detailed. “We mostly wanted to make sure to have good vegan options for our friends and family who were vegan. Sometimes vegan folks are left with a side salad as their entire meal These vendors worked with us to provide meals that accommodated those dietary needs while also serving a tasty and hearty meal!” “
As the bride reminisced on her big day, one of her favorite moments was entertaining her guests through live music.
“Every single detail of that day has been burned into our brains forever, but one of our top moments was playing in a cover band in my wedding dress with our best friends and playing our favorite emo songs from the 2000s together! It was super fun! We’re both very involved in our local DIY Punk scene and are in a hardcore band called Night Witch,” Rosie beamed.
The Proposal:
We have been together for 10 years! When John held my hand for the first time, we passed by some random stump on the side of the road, and he said, “Wowww, what if we got married here.” I giggled and said, “Ha ha, okay, when?” and he said, “Right now on this stump. This can be our marriage stump!”
Fast forward, I had planned to propose to John on a camping trip with our friends. I convinced John to go to a side dock on the water to look at the sky for a bit. While distracted, our friends sneakily set up champagne and decorations on a stump on the path back to the campsite. As we got up and started to head back to the campsite, John noticed the stump with champagne and decorations and said, ‘Wait.. are you proposing to me?’ He obviously said yes, and we immediately started bawling and hugging each other.
What did you look for in a wedding venue?
We looked for a venue that had both indoor and outdoor options. We also looked for a venue that matched our personal style and wouldn’t feel too big or empty.
We really loved the look of NOVA 535 inside and out! We loved working with them, and their flexibility with our cover band request was truly wonderful. The staff was very nice and surprisingly offered a lot of words of support and encouragement the moments before we walked down the aisle!
What did you look for in a wedding planner?
We actually researched a few wedding planners before landing with Stephany Perry Events. After an initial google search of “Tampa Bay wedding planners,” we went through Instagram and picked out a few whose styles we really liked. After narrowing down the few we liked, we did a deep dive into each of their personal social media accounts to make sure they were politically aligned with our personal ideals.
We found Stephany through the NOVA 535 website and saw that she had posted in support of the BLM movement, which was baseline enough for us to know we were on the same page about certain ideologies.
After our initial meeting with Stephany, we knew we were in good hands. She was so kind and patient throughout the entire year we worked with her. John and I are both type-A planners and loved the level of detail Stephany put into every decision. She is incredibly professional, prompt, and willing to go above and beyond for any request you might have. We were very new to the world of weddings, and she walked us through every detail with patience and without judgment.
When planning was stressful, Stephany was there to help us through it. She worked within our budget, helped us make tough decisions, worked within our covid limitations, helped manage tricky family dynamics, worked to make special/odd requests a reality, and worked with us remotely from our home in Philly! She truly wanted the best for us, and we never felt pressured to do anything we weren’t comfortable with. The vendors we booked through her were also extremely professional and kind! On the day of the wedding, when my nerves were at an all-time high, she was three steps ahead of everyone, and the whole event literally ran perfectly. She helped us have the wedding of our dreams that we will remember for the rest of our lives!
Where did you host your bach party?
We hosted a combined BachelorX party! We rented out an Airbnb in clearwater that wasn’t too far from the venue and could comfortably fit the 22 people in our wedding party.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
Key West! We chose it because we missed the beach after moving to Philly, it was within our budget, and we both have never been there.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
We would describe our wedding as ‘grown-up goth,’ but our wedding planner told it much more elegantly in her proposal after our initial meeting with her as ‘industrial, boho, moody, edgy, romantic.
What were your colors?
We made sure to go with a color scheme we both liked, darker colors that matched our styles: black, red, and blush pink tones. We chose those colors because they match our personal styles in our everyday goth life.
What did you look for in a wedding caterer?
We hoped to have our favorite foods at our wedding so we went with Mr. B’s Southern Cuisine and St. Pete Taco Lady as our two food vendors. We loved the idea of food trucks because they matched our more casual style and were cheaper than a traditional caterer.
We mostly wanted to make sure to have GOOD vegan options for our friends and family who were vegan. Sometimes vegan folks are left with a side salad as their entire meal These vendors worked with us to provide meals that accommodated those dietary needs while also serving a tasty and hearty meal!
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
Besides our wedding planner, we loved working with our photographer. She was extremely kind and encouraging and even hired a close personal friend of mine to be her second photographer. She captured everything that was special to us throughout the day and had amazing direction.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Weather-wise, February was literally perfect in Tampa! Not too hot and not too cold.
Planning should be done as a partnership. This day is about two people, and there should be equal input from both people to reduce the stress of planning and make the day truly reflect both of you!
Try not to let anyone boss you around or let traditions get in the way of the enjoyment of your wedding. We didn’t do a lot of traditional wedding things despite some pushback from the family! Doing what we wanted made us way more comfortable and happy with the entire day.
HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER! It was 10000% worth it to work with a planner! Stephany Perry Events took most of the stress out of planning the wedding, and the day of our wedding was literally flawless because she was there to run the show.
If you have the budget for it, hire a videographer! What they say about the day flying by is 100% true, and we were so happy to have footage from every moment of our big day!
