Elegant Tampa Wedding | Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay Wedding

Christy and James’ elegant Tampa wedding celebrated not only her marriage, but also included a key moment in the bride’s new faith.

“Our ceremony was truly the most important thing to us. It was important to be married in our church, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, in downtown Tampa. I had been going through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults program to become Catholic with James as my sponsor. At the ceremony, I accepted communion for the first time, and it truly was a beautiful moment,” the bride reminisced. “We hired a bagpiper and drummer to play outside of the church as guests arrived. They played the Highland Cathedral when I walked down the aisle, which was magical. Everyone was calling our wedding the ‘Royal Wedding.’”

MORE: SACRED HEART CATHOLIC CHURCH WEDDINGS

The South Tampa couple continued their classic wedding with a romantic reception, featuring tall, lush centerpieces, sequined linens and upholstered furniture for the sweetheart table.

“Our colors were blush, gold, champagne, ivory and black,” Christy explained. “I am a very detail oriented person, and I loved seeing all of my hard work come together with the help of all the vendors.”

MORE: ELEGANT TAMPA BAY WEDDINGS

The lavish details also extended to the bride and groom’s wedding cake and desserts.

“We wanted to have a cake that was just as beautiful as it was delicious. We also wanted mini cupcakes to offer different flavors of cake and add a cute element to a traditional cake,” the bride shared. “Trudy Melissa Cakes made the most delicious and gorgeous cake I have ever seen; everyone was raving about it! She was fantastic to work and has a really great policy where instead of having to freeze the top layer of your cake, she makes a fresh top layer of cake for your first anniversary; I loved that idea!”

Although they had a traditional wedding theme, the bride and groom added playful touches to their glamorous reception.

“Our wedding hashtag was #JDandFeyoncé (all my husband’s friends call him JD). Our cocktail napkins were in gold foil printed with ‘Drunk in Love’, and our first dance with the wedding party was Jay-Z and Beyonce’s Crazy in Love,” the bride shared. “We wanted everyone to have fun, and James and I truly had so much fun at our own wedding. We danced so much and let ourselves just take it all in.”

The Proposal:
James whisked me away to a beach getaway. He wouldn’t tell me where we were going; he wanted to surprise me! He just told me to pack a swimsuit and one nice outfit. Next thing you know, we pulled up to the Ritz Carlton Resort & Spa in Naples. We spent a relaxing day on the beach, and James told me the only thing on the agenda for the day was our dinner reservation that evening.

While getting dressed for dinner, he said the sunset was so gorgeous that he was going to wait for me on the balcony with some wine and to meet him when I was done getting ready. Our room overlooked the beach and was breathtaking. I finished getting all snazzed up and walked out on the balcony; the view took my breath away! Then, I realized I had taken so long to get ready that we were going to be late for our dinner reservation! So I started to walk back inside the room, and James said, “Oh wait, there was something I wanted to tell you,” and the rest is history! It was just perfectly magical, special and a sacred moment with just the two of us.

How would you describe your theme? 
Classic, romantic glamour.

What were your colors?
Blush, gold, champagne, ivory and black. I just love blush and gold and knew I wanted my bridesmaids in blush colored long gowns. The groomsmen were all in black tuxes with matching bowties.

Wedding Hashtag: #JDandFeyoncé

What did you look for in a wedding cake?
We wanted to have a cake that was just as beautiful as it was delicious. We also wanted mini cupcakes to offer different flavors of cake and add a cute element to a traditional cake. We did really fun flavors for the cupcakes including mint chocolate chip, strawberry shortcake, red velvet and chocolate peanut butter.

Trudy Melissa Cakes was recommended to me by a friend who raved about the cakes, flavor and price point. When I met with Trudy, she was so willing to create whatever vision I had and worked with me on the flavors and design of the cake. She made the most delicious and gorgeous cake I have ever seen; everyone was raving about it! She was fantastic to work with and even left me a sweet gift the day of the wedding: champagne, chocolates and a sweet card. She also has a really great policy where instead of having to freeze the top layer of your cake, she makes a fresh top layer of cake for your first anniversary; I loved that idea! It was a pleasure working with her, and I will absolutely use her in the future for all of my cake needs!

What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay Brides?
Make sure you take the time to interview a few vendors for each thing you need, because picking great vendors that you like working with is so important.

Figure out what elements are most important to you and spend the money on what matters.

Don’t let other people tell you what you should and shouldn’t do; listen to yourself.

Don’t try to do everything at once. Break up tasks monthly and start checking things off the list. I used The Knot app for my checklist.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Invite your friends over, get some wine and make it fun to work on things.

Hire a day of wedding coordinator. My planner truly allowed me to enjoy the day, and she managed all the behind-the-scenes chaos.

Make sure you take in every moment that you can the “day of.” Stop and look around before you walk down the aisle; everyone is there because they love you and your groom. At the reception, look at everyone having fun. It all happens fast, so you want those memories to be savored.

Ceremony Venue: Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Reception Venue: Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay
Photographer: Jon Montis Photography
Videographer: Iron and Oak Studios
Planner: Days Remembered by ND
Florist/Draping: MMD Events
Chair and Charger Rentals: Signature Event Rentals
Linen Rentals: Over the Top Rental Linens *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pro
Sequined Linens: Nuage Designs
Caterer: Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay
Cake: Trudy Melissa Cakes
Band: Frequency Band
Officiant: Father Zachary Elliott
Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas
Transportation: Network Limousines 
Dress: Mikaella Bridal
Hair & Makeup: Rachel Artistry
Photo Booth: TapSnap