“I would describe my wedding as being boho-inspired. It is definitely my favorite style and the same way I have our house decorated, as well as my clothing boutique,” the bride shared. “Most people would describe my personality as being pretty bright and happy, so I think the fun colors definitely align with my personality! I went with very bright, vibrant colors and then mixed that with all things gold! I wanted our wedding decor to be different from weddings our guests had attended before, something that really stood out. Hot pink, vibrant greens, and gold were my main colors. They are my all-time favorite colors and how I design pretty much every other aspect of my life – you should see my living room!”
“My highlight would be the moment I got to the beach to walk down the aisle, and I got to see my vision of the ceremony setup and all of my most favorite people there to celebrate me and Tyson!” Jordan reminisced. “My reception décor absolutely blew me away with how it was exactly how I dreamed it to be; it looked amazing and all my vendors really went above and beyond. I love being able to relive the day over and over again by being able to watch our wedding video and look at the beautiful photos. I feel so lucky that I got to live out my perfect wedding. It wasn’t something I had dreamed of from a young girl, it wasn’t until I met Tyson that I ever wanted to get married. I’m so thankful for each person that was there to make it so special for my little family, for that I am forever grateful. It really was the best, most beautiful day ever!”
Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pros:
Ceremony and Reception Venue and Caterer: The Don CeSar
Cake: The Artistic Whisk, LLC
DJ: Grant Hemond & Associates, Inc.
Officiant: A Wedding with Grace
Hair & Makeup: Femme Akoi Beauty Studio
Photographer: Photography by Avery | Videographer: A Peachy Life Productions | Florist: 2Birds Events | Rentals: Fuel4 Events | Invitations: Basic Invite | Dress Shop: Bridal Boutique | Dress Designer: Lillian West | Shoe Designer: Zac Posen | Bridesmaid Dress Shop and Designer: Show Me Your Mumu | Rehearsal Dinner: Salt Rock Grill
“The theme of the wedding was ‘Old Florida’ meets formal elegance. As an 8th-generation Floridian, my husband and I wanted to celebrate the one-of-a-kind landscape and nature that Florida has to offer. The backyard where we were married offers the privacy that we wanted and overlooks a lake and nature preserve (think saw palmettos, Oak and Magnolia trees, and Florida wildlife like alligators, herons, and bald eagles),” the bride shared. “The décor was simple yet elegant and enhanced the already present surrounding nature. We did not designate specific colors for the wedding but instead stuck with a basic color palette that included different greens to mimic the natural greenery and shades of white. The bridesmaids’ dresses were a nude/champagne color.”
“The immaculate grounds of The Concession Golf Club had an ambiance and landscape that matched the ‘Old Florida’ theme and allowed space for an outdoor tented reception. Additionally, it was a three-minute trolley ride from the ceremony site to the reception site, and they serve amazing food. We hosted the cocktail hour on the back patio prior to having guests enter the tent for the dinner and reception,” the bride detailed. “Concession Golf Club has experience hosting high volume yet elegant events. We have received rave reviews on the food; the Chef did a wonderful job with the dinner service.”
Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pros:
Reception Venue and Caterer: The Concession Golf Club
Invitations: A & P Design Co.
Bridesmaid Dress Shop and Designer: Bella Bridesmaids
Ceremony Venue: Private Residence | Photographer: Justin DeMutiis Photography | Videographer: Life’s Highlights | Planner: NK Productions Wedding Planning | Florist: Isn’t She Lovely Florals | Rentals: Affairs in the Air, Inc., US Tent Rental | Cake: Hands on Sweets | DJ: Goodley Entertainment Group (DJ Jay Gordon) | Ceremony Music: Simply Strings | Officiant: Family Friend | Stamps: Little Postage House | Transportation: Srq Trolley, Dolphin Transportation Specialists, Naples | Dress Shop: The Bridal Finery Dress Designer: Ines Di Santo | Shoe Designer: Bella Belle Shoes | Hair & Makeup: Bronze and Glow Beauty | Rehearsal Dinner: The Founders Club | Accessories/Headpiece Designer: Maria Elena Headpieces
“[Our wedding inspiration was] bright and vibrant colors to create a laid-back but classy atmosphere for our guests. We wanted to go with colors that we love versus what’s really trendy currently,” Heather shared. “We both love the color blue and knew we had to incorporate it; Michelle’s favorite color is orange, which was used for the florals.”
“Since I’m from California and Michelle’s from Ohio, we always wanted to have a destination wedding in a beautiful city. We wanted to get married on the beach with an outdoor reception. We wanted our guests to have the convenience of everything in one place, so they could relax and not worry about finding transportation and additional travel. The Hilton Clearwater Beach offered all of our events; our rehearsal dinner, wedding, and brunch the day after our wedding at the hotel,” the bride detailed. “We chose the Hilton because of the gorgeous Sandpiper Terrace, which opens up to the beach, and our ceremony and cocktail hour were just steps away. We wanted our out-of-town guests to have a vacation of their own, so it was important to us that everything be in close vicinity with no additional travel. The service was top-notch, and everyone was so nice and accommodating.”
Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pros:
Ceremony and Reception Venue: Hilton Clearwater Beach
Tablescape Rentals: Kate Ryan Event Rentals
Chair Rentals: A Chair Affair, Inc.
Photographer: Jillian Margaret Photography | Videographer: Storybook Films | Planner: Oak + Honey Event Planning Co. | Florist: Iza’s Flowers, Inc. | Day of Stationery: Baci Designer, Minted | Linens: BBJ Linen | Cake: The Artistic Whisk, LLC | DJ: Cleveland Music Group | Ceremony and Cocktail Music: The Caribbean Crew Steel Drum Band | Dress Shop and Designer: Anna Campbell Bridal Sydney Road | Shoe Designer: Badgley Mischka | Hair & Makeup: Destiny Viviana Makeup
“Our wedding design was very earthy bohemian with a splash of modern chic. We love the neutral look, and it was inspired by my photography style,” the bride explained. “[Our colors were] all neutrals. It was a mixture of browns, tans, creams, terracotta, bronze, gold, etc.”
“We really wanted to focus on statement pieces within her wedding design to make sure that we accomplished that ‘wow’ factor without going over budget. A few elements we honed in on was the ceremony arch. We loved doing the more unique arches that had the different shades of her wedding colors in each arch. We added rugs to go down the aisle to create more of that ‘barefoot’ boho vibe. The ceremony arches were then transferred to behind the sweetheart table, as well as the rug, and we added a neon sign to get a double feature of the beautiful arch,” Delaney Driver, planner and owner of Wilder Mind Events detailed. “We also did a unique seating chart to add another ‘wow’ factor. This was a fun one to incorporate because it included the guest and made it more of a fun experience for them to find their names for each seat.”
Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pros:
Planner: Wilder Mind Events
Florist: Save the Date Florida
DJ: Graingertainment
Hair & Makeup: Femme Akoi Beauty Studio
Venue: Armature Works | Photographer: Karin Maria Photography | Caterer: Puff ‘n Stuff Catering | Custom Builds: Designs by Laconic | Rentals: Plíthos Event Rentals & Styling | Cake: Publix | Invitations: Zola | Dress Shop: Studio I Do Bridals Virginia Beach | Shoe Designer: Lulus | Bridesmaid Dress Shop: Baltic Born | Rehearsal Dinner: The Columbia Restaurant
“I love the James Museum and have worked there several times and noticed that most couples tend to go towards neutral colors when they are planning their wedding. With it being such a unique spot, I wanted to do a shoot that could showcase a fun and colorful route that you could do while still staying true to the space and history. I wanted to play off of the art theme but make it bold and modern to give the space a fresh look,” the wedding planner explained. “My main inspiration came from the idea of flipping the ceremony spot. Typically, John Coleman’s sculpture ‘Honeymoon at Crow Fair’ is the focal point of each wedding, and I wanted to give couples and the venue a new way to look at how they can do a ceremony. Once I figured out the concept for the ceremony, I worked closely with Designs by Laconic and By the Bay Floral to help bring my inspiration together!”
Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pros:
Photographer: Dewitt for Love Photography
Planner: Wilder Mind Events
Cake: The Artistic Whisk, LLC
Rentals: Gabro Event Services
Venue: The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art | Video: Labif Filmhouse | Florals: By The Bay Floral | Catering: DRG Hospitality | Hair and Makeup: @Monica Ford | Dress: The Dressing Room – St Pete | Suit: AB2B Boutique | Band: Midnight Mama
Strings: Violectric | Linens: Over The Top Rental Linens | Art Installation, Ceremony Custom Build, Signage and Stationery: Designs by Laconic | Live Poet: Gios Typos | Projection Mapping: Enlightened Monkey Arts | Photobooth: Xpress UrSelf Media | Models: Jade and Mark
“Our main colors were gold and royal blue. The royal blue was inspired by bowerbirds. A male bowerbird creates a beautiful display of found blue objects to attract a mate. In the early days of our relationship, James shared this fact about bowerbirds with me, and we both thought it was so sweet and special and knew that one day we’d incorporate this into our wedding day,” the bride revealed. “Our wedding theme was all about our personal history and family with lots of sparkle. We also had lots of personalization, like custom vow books, cake cutting set, cake topper, and even a ‘Mrs. DeFord’ denim jacket. We wanted every element to feel like us with some fun sprinkled in.”
Ceremony Venue: The Tampa Theatre | Reception Venue: Oak & Ola | Photography: Regina as The Photographer | Florist: Cotton & Magnolia | Cake: Sweet Tooth Cakery | Dress Designer: Baltic Born | Makeup: Faces by Carly | Honeymoon: Epicurean Hotel, Autograph Collection
“Our wedding theme was terracotta romance! We wanted to highlight a warm palette with ivory and mixed metal accents of silver and gold. We envisioned a warm and romantic aesthetic, surrounded by soft floral arrangements and an abundance of candles. I’ve always been drawn to wedding inspiration that highlighted a warmer palette,” the bride revealed. “We wanted each of our bridesmaids to select a dress that spoke to their own unique style. The wedding day was the first time that I got to see all of the dresses come together, and it was more beautiful than I could have imagined!”
Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pros:
Caterer: Elite Events Catering, Inc.
Rentals: Kate Ryan Event Rentals
Ceremony and Reception Venue: Tampa River Center | Photographer: George Creatives | Videographer: Corey Watson | Planner: The Apostolic Wife | Florist: Blooming Flower Boutique & Art | Rentals: ADR Decor | Linens: Fancy That Specialty Linens LLC | Cake: Sweets Bakehouse | DJ: The Official Dj ShyGuy | Violinist: Laron Hearst Music | Marquee Letters: Alpha Lit Marquee Letters Orlando | Wedding Favors: Lonéz Scents (candles) + Haitian Kremas (the Bride’s family) | Officiant: Reverend C Dwight Wood | Invitations: George Creatives, Katherine George | Transportation: Tampa Airport Transportation, Tampa River Taxi | Dress Shop and Designer: Isabella Margianu Bridal | Bridal Headpiece: aiandeva | Grooms Suit: Richmenlooks | Groomsmen Suits: Jos. A. Bank | Shoe Designer: Badgley Mischka| Bridesmaid Dresses: Kennedy Blue, AZAZIE, Jenny Yoo Collection, Birdy Grey | Hair: Tiffany Stylez | Makeup: Faces by Krissy x Beauty By Carine | Photobooth: foto factory | First dance choreographer: Jonathan Chen
“We wanted a very timeless and classic color palette but didn’t really know where to start. My first meeting with our florist was at a coffee shop, and she said ‘tell me what the inside of your house looks like.’ I was so confused, but then told her it’s pretty neutral, whites, golds, and some greenery. From that single comment, she and her team created the most amazing design for our wedding centered around those colors and the overall feel of the wedding,” Erin shared.
Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pros:
Florist: Botanica International Design Studio
Rentals: A Chair Affair, Inc.
DJ: Grant Hemond & Associates, Inc.
Invitations: A & P Designs
Venue and Caterer: Oxford Exchange | Photographer: Justin DeMutiis Photography | Videographer: Voila Cinematic | Planner: One Fine Day by Sarah Fairbairn| Rentals: Style House Rentals | Cake: Hands on Sweets | Dress Designer: Lihi Hod | Shoe Designer: Roger Vivier | Hair & Makeup: Elena Joseph Hair & Makeup Designer | Rehearsal Dinner Caterer: Good Food Events + Catering