Abigail and Davis
The Belleview Inn
“We envisioned a wedding that felt timeless, simple, and classy, but still felt like us. Drawing inspiration from the classic Old Florida charm of the venue, we incorporated elegant details, coastal textures, and a warm, inviting atmosphere throughout the weekend.
Our colors included neutral tones of white and green with blue accents to complement the coastal and timeless nature of our venue. All of our florals were white and green, with a variety of blue details intentionally placed throughout. We really wanted the venue’s beautiful details to stand out while incorporating colors we both loved.” -The Bride
FEATURING
Abigail and Davis’s timeless Belleair wedding was a heartfelt celebration that blended historic Old Florida charm with elegant details, coastal textures, and a warm, inviting atmosphere. During their October wedding, the Tampa bride and groom welcomed 120 guests to their historic Clearwater venue, where loved ones gathered for a weekend celebration featuring an outdoor ceremony along the property’s iconic front drive, cocktail hour on the veranda, and a tented reception adorned with white and green florals, blue accents, and thoughtful details beneath the stars.
“Our goal was to create a wedding day that felt authentically us,” the bride beamed. “We incorporated personal touches throughout the celebration, including signature cocktails inspired by our favorite drinks, meaningful family heirlooms that honored both of our families, and Reggae/Dancehall music during our reception.”
Researching Wedding Vendors
“I absolutely loved looking through previous Belleview Inn weddings featured on Marry Me Tampa Bay to get inspiration for florals, colors, placement of decor, and photo locations.”
Most Memorable Moments
“Our first look was one of the most memorable moments of the entire day. As soon as Davis turned around and saw me, he started crying, which, of course, made me cry too. It felt like we were the only two people in the room. We were grateful to have that time together before the ceremony to soak everything in. I remember feeling overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude, knowing that after years of growing up together and dreaming about this day since we were 16, it had finally arrived. It was such an emotional and meaningful moment, and one of the most special memories from our wedding day.
One of the most unique and meaningful parts of the day was having Davis’ father serve as our officiant, which made the ceremony feel even more personal and special. Instead of doing a traditional bouquet toss at the reception, I wanted to dedicate my bouquet to my mom. We both cried, and it was one of my favorite parts of the evening.”
The Proposal
“Davis surprised me with a weekend away at Rosemary Beach. We hit the road from Tampa, and he told me we were spending the weekend with his family. When we arrived, he immediately brought me out to the beach and proposed. When we went back to the house, I was so surprised to find all of our family and friends were there! Everything was a complete surprise, and he did such a great job coordinating it. We were on cloud nine for the rest of the weekend!”
The Bach Party & Honeymoon
“My bachelorette was hosted in Rosemary Beach, Florida. We got engaged there, and I wanted to go back for a relaxing trip with my girls. We went to the beach, relaxed at the pool, took a yoga class, shopped, and had so much fun. My maid of honor and bridesmaids truly made it the best week ever.
We spent our honeymoon in Oahu, Hawaii, at the Ritz-Carlton, Turtle Bay on the North Shore. We wanted something tropical even during the fall months, and somewhere neither of us had been. Once we found the resort, we knew instantly we wanted to stay there. We had the best, most relaxing week and would recommend it to anyone!”
Hair and Makeup Inspiration
Femme Akoi Beauty Studio
“I wanted timeless, natural glam for my wedding makeup and hair. I wanted to wear my hair half up, half down, and have natural makeup because I still wanted to feel like myself.
I absolutely loved the soft curls and glowy natural glam I ended up with! I found Femme Akoi Beauty Studio from looking at previous weddings at the venue. I found Monica with Femme Akoi through Instagram, and her beauty style was exactly what I was going for! She helped create a peaceful, relaxed environment, making getting ready feel stress-free and allowing us to fully enjoy every moment. My mother, mother-in-law, and all my bridesmaids absolutely loved their hair and makeup too. Their beauty team made our morning in the bridal suite so calming and fun.”
The Design
“We envisioned a wedding that felt timeless, simple, and classy, but still felt like us. Drawing inspiration from the classic Old Florida charm of the venue, we incorporated elegant details, coastal textures, and a warm, inviting atmosphere throughout the weekend.
Our colors included neutral tones of white and green with blue accents to complement the coastal and timeless nature of our venue. All of our florals were white and green, with a variety of blue details intentionally placed throughout. We really wanted the venue’s beautiful details to stand out while incorporating colors we both loved.”
The Details
“Our goal was to create a wedding day that felt authentically us. One of the most important aspects of our wedding was being able to spend as much time as possible with our guests and ensure a wonderful guest experience. We were able to host all of our events at the venue and have our guests stay on-site throughout the weekend. Since so many of our family and friends traveled to celebrate with us, it was important that we had the opportunity to spend meaningful time with them beyond just the wedding day. Having everyone stay on-site allowed us to turn our wedding into a full weekend celebration.
We incorporated personal touches throughout the celebration, including signature cocktails inspired by our favorite drinks, a Dirty Shirley for me and a Matador for Davis. To honor our families and the generations who came before us, we displayed family photos dating back to our great-great-grandparents on our welcome table.
For our first dance, we chose Love Like This by Ben Rector, a song that holds special meaning for us because it was one of our favorite songs to listen to together in high school. We also played Reggae/Dancehall music during our reception. Davis and his family are from the Cayman Islands, and we wanted to incorporate Caymanian culture during the most fun part of the night—dancing!
For our cake, we incorporated meaningful family heirlooms that honored both of our families by using my parents’ wedding cake topper and Davis’s parents’ cake-cutting utensils. We also hosted an after-party featuring one of our favorite late-night treats, Chick-fil-A, and had personalized cups, matchboxes, and napkins throughout the weekend.”
The DJ
Grant Hemond & Associates
“We wanted a DJ who was fun, but also able to mix in some of the classic music we chose for our ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. We wanted a relaxed and elegant ceremony and cocktail hour, but wanted a party during our reception!
Adam Hensleigh from Grant Hemond & Associates was excellent and gave us exactly what we wanted; the dance floor was full all night long! We did some research on Instagram and were looking for someone who would keep the dance floor alive and energetic. Adam did just that and coordinated with us early in the process to make sure we had a great playlist for each event.”
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
Our planner, Riley Snider, with Elegant Affairs by Design, was absolutely amazing. We wanted a planner who was organized, detail-oriented, and patient, and Riley checked all those boxes! Our florist, Ava-Elise Event Decor and More, absolutely blew us away! I envisioned a warm, candlelit dinner and reception under our tent, and they helped to make it exactly that! We had the perfect amount of florals at our reception and a beautiful waterfall of flowers down the steps at our ceremony. The catering from the venue was phenomenal! We curated the perfect menus featuring some of our favorite dishes. Everything was excellent; our guests absolutely loved it.
What advice would you give to other Clearwater couples?
Don’t overthink everything! Go with your gut and do what feels most true to you as a couple. Get a pair of ballet flats to dance in! I absolutely loved my wedding-day heels, but it was nice to change into something comfortable so I could enjoy dancing the entire night.
