Oana and Mathew
First Presbyterian Church/The Vault
“After spending countless hours on Pinterest reviewing floral arrangements and lighting, I wanted to incorporate an old glam, old money aesthetic into our theme. Mat loved the navy blue and blush pink palette, and we sprinkled in cream tones and different hues of green, like sage and wintergreen. We ultimately chose navy blue and blush pink after perusing multiple Pinterest boards to find a color palette that complemented our glam aesthetic.” -The Bride
FEATURING
Oana and Mathew’s elegant downtown Tampa wedding blended old-world glamour with soft romantic details inside the grand architecture of The Vault. Approximately 80 guests celebrated their January wedding beneath soaring ceilings and mosaic floors surrounded by blush pink, cream, and sage florals paired with navy blue accents, warm lighting, and classic black-tie style. The couple exchanged vows at First Presbyterian Church before guests moved into a reception filled with a packed dance floor, interactive photo booth, and timeless details that reflected the couple’s “old glam/old money” vision.
“We chose to hold the wedding in Tampa because Mat is a Tampa boy through and through, and we wanted to be close to his church while also making it easy for everyone flying in on my side. We both have easy-going personalities and wanted our guests to feel like they were at a true celebration of our love. We made sure the music was danceable versus just having a good beat, and we tried to mingle as much as possible with all our guests,” the bride shared. “Mat let me have full rein on the theme, but that didn’t mean I let him get away with that! As I asked for his input throughout the planning process, it turns out the music, having a photo booth, and an open bar were more important to him than he first realized. He wanted to make sure I had my dream wedding, so everything else was mine to bring to life.”
The Rehearsal Dinner
Le Méridien Tampa
“For the rehearsal dinner, we chose Le Meridien downtown because that was down the street and within walking distance from the reception, and where we blocked off rooms for guests coming out of town. They were amazing! So accommodating, they were prompt, professional, thought of everything, and had more than enough food and drinks for all our guests.”
The Proposal
“Mat was so nervous, even though he knew I’d say yes. We had been dating long distance for a year leading up to the proposal, so we had already had many of the serious conversations about who was moving where (me to Florida), finances, marriage, children, faith, and debt. I had a mental countdown all day thinking, ‘Okay, he didn’t do it this morning. Okay, not around noon…maybe after dinner?’ He proposed on my birthday during a walk after dinner. No cameras, no one popping out of a bush to take photos, just us in the moment.”
The Photography
Limelight Photography
“I’m a photography enthusiast myself, so I can be picky not only about the editing style, but also about how professional and detail-oriented a photographer is. We loved Limelight Photography, and shoutout to Dafne Spencer, who not only did our engagement photos but also made it such an amazing experience.
Dafne and her team were basically stealthy ninjas on the wedding day, capturing the cutest candid moments, hilarious shots, and unique angles while working with the lighting and making sure we looked our best without ever feeling intrusive. We all felt so comfortable with them, and they even had all of our photos ready within three weeks!”
The Venue
The Vault
“I wanted a venue that could cater food on-site, have accommodations nearby, when thinking of my family and friends flying in. Mat preferred that it be close to his church since we were holding the ceremony there. I had initially overlooked our venue, but he suggested I go see it anyway, so I invited his mama, aka the best mother-in-law, to join me, and we knew when we saw it, it was the one.
The Vault had that classic, grand style with the mosaic floors, giant ceilings, they have catering from the restaurant next door, plenty of space to relax on the mezzanine, a kids area (or that’s what we called it), and only a 12-minute drive from church. They had worked with our photographer before and our wedding planner. Plus, they responded to any question, inquiry, or accommodation we asked for.
From the Photographer
“Oana and Mathew had a vision of old-world glamour, and The Vault perfectly fit that vision. Their entire day, from the small to the great details, was truly picture-perfect. They incorporated simple, yet incredibly elegant, details throughout their entire wedding day, along with soft tones that many couples are gravitating towards.”
-Tara Zimmerman, Limelight Photography
The Design
“After spending countless hours on Pinterest reviewing floral arrangements and lighting, I wanted to incorporate an old glam, old money aesthetic into our theme. Mat loved the navy blue and blush pink palette, and we sprinkled in cream tones and different hues of green, like sage and wintergreen. We ultimately chose navy blue and blush pink after perusing multiple Pinterest boards to find a color palette that complemented our glam aesthetic.”
Most Memorable Moments
“We didn’t exchange our vows at the church, but instead read them to each other in a quiet spot on the second floor of the venue while everyone was being seated at the end of cocktail hour, right before we were introduced as a couple. My husband doesn’t think he’s a good writer, but he’s amazing with his words, and gosh darn it, I fought so hard to keep my makeup intact.
My grandparents, who were seven hours ahead in our home country, stayed up so my mom could FaceTime them and show them how happy we looked.
Our wedding felt like the best party and was so full of love. The most important thing to us was remembering that this day is just the beginning of the rest of our marriage and that, even if anything went sideways, what mattered most was being together with our most cherished friends and amazing families.”
The DJ
Events Done Right
This one is all my husband. He wanted to break up my wedding planning tasks, so I put him on this assignment, and he kicked butt! I have no idea how he came across Events Done Right, but he said that they had good reviews, and our DJ was top-notch.
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
Elegant Affairs by Design, our phenomenal wedding planners, along with Limelight Photography, our DJ, Events Done Right, and the team at The Vault—especially Norah and Ashley—all exceeded our expectations throughout the wedding planning process and on the wedding day itself.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
The man of your dreams will give you the wedding of your dreams. But in all seriousness, there are amazing venues and resources out there, and so many have wonderful payment plans and timelines. We found our venue maybe 14 or 15 months before our wedding date, and that gave us plenty of time to budget and pace ourselves financially and mentally for all that was to come.
