Kelsey and Chris
“Our theme was primarily greenery and tropical to highlight St. Pete and Florida and complement the venue.
Our colors were green to go with our greenery look with Florida tropics. We incorporated all different shades of green for signs, gifts, and table linens.” -The Bride
FEATURING
Kelsey and Chris’ tropical downtown St. Pete wedding brought 143 loved ones together for a March celebration that began at St. Raphael Catholic Church and continued at their architecturally striking reception venue, The Poynter Institute. Inspired by Florida’s lush landscape, the Florida bride and groom embraced a palette of layered greens accented with crisp white florals, abundant foliage, and thoughtful personalized details that reflected their love story.
“We were able to design our wedding to fit our personalities perfectly,” the bride shared. “One big thing we incorporated was the LEGO guest book. Building LEGOs together has been one of our favorite downtime activities, and we were extremely happy to bring this to life at our wedding. We also had a live watercolor portrait painter for our guests. We felt strongly about creating an environment for our guests that really showed who we are as a couple and allowed them to truly enjoy themselves.”
Researching Wedding Vendors
“I used the site to come up with a list for each type of vendor that I would later reach out to. I also looked through reviews from prior clients that gave me an idea if that vendor would suit our style and what we were looking for.”
The Bach Party & Honeymoon
“We went to Lake Tahoe for my bach party. I chose this location because I am one of the last of my friends to get married, and I wanted to pick a place none of them had been to on a previous bachelorette trip to make it fun for everyone. My friends are all over the country, so it was an easy place for everyone to travel to. We went in the summer, and it was so much fun! We even swam in Lake Tahoe!
We are going to Antarctica for our honeymoon in February! We felt that this was a very different trip and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We wanted to do something different from the tropical weather we live in, and what could be more opposite?”
The Proposal
“Chris proposed in Vermont amid fall foliage. It is a place that holds a special place in our relationship. Going to see the changing leaves was our first trip together as a couple and something we continued to do each year thereafter. Even after moving to Florida, we made a point to take a trip to Vermont to see the change and experience some fall weather. We still do this every year.”
The Planning
Coastal Coordinating
“I wasn’t really sure what I was looking for in a wedding planner. Many of my friends didn’t use one, so I didn’t have much guidance. I wanted to do some of the organizing and designing myself, and I didn’t want someone to come in and do everything for me. But I also knew that with the venue requiring many outside vendors, I would need a day-of coordinator.
Never would I have guessed that having a day-of coordinator would give me the level of help I received from Melanie Bauduin of Coastal Coordinating. She was amazing! She started helping me three months out by reading through contracts, organizing meetings, and creating my timeline. She always made me feel like my ideas were possible, even if they needed a little tweaking here and there. Melanie had everything ready to go and met us for our final walk-through so she knew where everything needed to go. She is the reason my vision came to life, and I could not be more thankful for her!”
The Hair and Makeup
Adore Bridal
“It was important to look like myself. I have been part of other weddings in the past that made me too done up that even Chris couldn’t recognize me.
I specifically chose Adore Bridal because of the reviews I read on Marry Me Tampa Bay from brides reporting the same concern. When I spoke with Kelcey Yaeger on the phone, she assured me that this was something they take pride in: a natural look that doesn’t change the bride. I loved the airbrush makeup technique that was used. I don’t wear a lot of makeup or do much with my long, stick-straight natural hair, so I trusted my hair and makeup artist to take the reins. They were so easy to work with and even gave me the great idea of using extensions to help my hair hold a curl, which I would never have thought of, and it truly made all the difference. Chris was extremely happy with how I looked and even mentioned it multiple times. It also looked amazing in photos!”
The Photography
“We looked for a photographer who could work with our awkward selves. Taking formal pictures doesn’t come naturally to us, so we didn’t want to go overboard, but we wanted to make sure we captured some really nice ones!
I hired Dewitt for Love Photography for a multitude of reasons, but it really came down to our first phone conversation. Shannon Dewitt made me feel so comfortable talking with her, like we had been friends forever. She was open to all of our thoughts and ideas and assured me that she would take care of everything. Shannon and Brandon Dewitt did such an amazing job, and I really couldn’t have asked for a better experience. They were able to go between my location and Chris’ location, making everything so seamless and easy. They also coordinated with our family friends to bring our dog to our photo location so we could get pictures with her, doing it all behind the scenes without causing me any stress, which was amazing.
I also told Shannon that it was important to be at cocktail hour by 6 p.m. (it started at 5:30). Since we didn’t do a first look, we took our pictures after our church ceremony. She was able to get us from the church to the photo location, keep track of time, complete all of our pictures, and get us to cocktail hour at exactly 6 p.m.!”
From the Photographer
“We loved the timeless tradition mixed with modern edge of Kelsey and Christopher’s wedding day! The florals by 2Birds added a modern feel with a tropical twist on the white and green color palette, which really allowed the deep colors and interior architecture of the Poynter Institute to shine!
The timeline was well-paced and relaxed, leaving time for portraits at a beautiful park area where they met up with their precious pup! One of our favorite touches of the day was their LEGO guest book, where guests could create their own versions of themselves for the couple to cherish forever!”
– Shannon Dewitt, Dewitt for Love Photography
From the Planner
“Kelsey and Chris were so fun to plan with. They were excited for all of their friends and family to visit St. Pete and step into the life they have created together here! Many personal touches made the wedding unique, from their ‘build your own LEGO’ guest book to the Italian bread baskets on the table; everything represented Kelsey and Chris. They truly spoiled their guests with food, drinks, live music, watercolor sketches, a coffee cart, and even special wristbands for the after-party at their favorite spot. It was so fun to see the guests loving everything the couple had in store for them!”
-Melanie Bauduin, Coastal Coordinating
The Reception Venue
Poynter Institute
“We really wanted a venue that would allow us to bring our own style to the wedding and feel less cookie-cutter. We also had a certain budget in mind and wanted a venue that would allow us to spend money on vendors without going over budget. We wanted a venue that was easy to work with and allowed us to fully participate in our day.
We absolutely loved The Poynter Institute. It was the third of the four venues we looked at, and when we left, we immediately talked about it the whole car ride home. We loved it because we felt that it really encompassed Florida’s vibe, which was exactly what we were looking for, specifically the courtyard and the outdoor pool area. The architecture really spoke for itself and had so much beauty that it would look amazing in pictures (which it did!). We knew we could do so much with the space and really make it our own, which was really important to us! The Poynter Institute is also less than a mile from our apartment, and it brought our guests into our Florida lives while giving them a chance to explore the area and our new home.”
The Design
“Our theme was primarily greenery and tropical. This highlighted St. Pete and Florida very well. Considering many of our guests came from the Northeast, we wanted to make them feel as if they entered a tropical paradise. We felt that this theme and its colors also complemented the venue.
Our colors were green to go with our greenery look with Florida tropics. My sister was the only bridesmaid and maid of honor, and she wore a very vibrant green dress, which looked amazing against the white and our white-and-green flower bouquets! We incorporated all different shades of green for signs, gifts, and table linens.
Personally, I am a huge Taylor Swift fan! I wanted to incorporate that into our wedding without overwhelming people. I was able to do this by having certain signs, such as the LEGO table, card table, and welcome sign, that all featured subtle Taylor Swift quotes.”
The Experience
“We were able to design our wedding to fit our personalities perfectly. One big thing we incorporated was the LEGO guest book. Building LEGOs together has been one of our favorite downtime activities, and we were extremely happy to bring this to life at our wedding. We also had a live watercolor portrait painter for our guests, and our table signs had us at the age we were for the table.
We felt strongly about creating an environment for our guests that truly reflected who we are as a couple and allowed them to enjoy themselves. We wanted a mix of DJ and live music, and our DJ, DJ Tommy Giaime, was excellent at incorporating our musical tastes and the dances we felt were important. We also felt strongly about being part of our cocktail hour and engaging with our guests as much as possible.
Our wedding was unique because even guests who didn’t know each other before the weekend were friends by the end, taking shots at the bar and dancing together. The special touches we put into our wedding made it more personal.”
Most Memorable Moments
“The most memorable moments were our dance floor time — it was when we really could let loose with our guests and have a great time. Music is a big part of our lives, and having friends from all different areas of our lives together dancing was truly something that I will never forget. I love watching the videos from the dance floor.”
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
All my vendors far exceeded my expectations, but I will shout out Jade Strings! We had only spoken to DJ Tommy Giaime about what we wanted our day to look like, and he was so open to everything we talked about. We hadn’t really spoken with our live violinist and saxophone players, and they truly blew our minds and the minds of our guests. Sarah Ball was amazing from the start, playing all my crazy Taylor Swift songs during cocktail hour and even some of the random video game music that Chris requested. Then she came out during dancing, guns blazing, singing Higher Love with the most amazing voice! I was immediately blown away! She then took it a couple of steps further and played Devil Went Down to Georgia while walking in a circle! My guests are still talking about this!
What advice would you give to other St. Petersburg couples?
Look at what is really important to you and prioritize those items; it is ok to cut back or eliminate things that may not be as important, especially if you are on a budget. We decided to eliminate a videographer because it was not as important to us as other things.
