Monique and Davante’s downtown St. Pete wedding was a cross-country celebration that featured a caricaturist, spoken word artist, and the Dallas Mavericks’ official DJ to entertain their guests. The bride planned a modern summertime wedding that elegantly embraced her husband’s last name.
“It was romantic and garden-themed to go along with my husband’s last name ‘Gardner.’ We wanted it to feel very intimate and romantic while at the same time being fun and kind of laid back; it was exactly that,” Monique gushed. “Our colors were blush, burgundy, shades of plum, quartz, and magenta, with deep greens and gold accents. We chose them because of how soft and romantic yet bold they were.”
MORE: BURGUNDY WEDDING INSPIRATION
During her wedding planning process, Monique entrusted Marry Me Tampa Bay to provide her with real wedding reviews and honest planning advice that was realistic for her Florida wedding.
“I constantly referred to Marry Me Tampa Bay to review vendors, read other brides’ stories and tips, and just for overall inspiration. It was cool having a wedding hub local to Tampa Bay to rely on for quality and reputable wedding planning information,” the bride shared. “I cross-checked preferred vendor lists with reviews and features on Marry Me Tampa Bay.”
For their summertime wedding, the St. Pete couple searched for a wedding venue that featured both indoor and outdoor spaces while offering a private and intimate setting for their 100 guests.
“We fell in love with NOVA 535 the moment we walked in. It fulfilled every single hope we had for a venue. The bamboo courtyard was perfect for our theme. We especially loved the string lighting. I was head over heels for the exposed brick walls and interior decor,” the bride beamed. “It was truly the perfect canvas to make our own. I can’t stress enough how perfect the day went in large part due to NOVA’s staff and our vendors being top-notch. I had no stress and no worries on the day of. Everything was executed seamlessly.”
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Monique and Davante wanted a delicious wedding menu that kept them in budget and relied on Olympia Catering’s expertise to design food pairings that would be impressive and affordable.
“We wanted something all of our guests could enjoy but we didn’t want to blow our entire budget. Fortunately, Olympia Catering provided amazing selections for hors d’oeuvres and a plated dinner,” Monique shared. “We didn’t feel like we were sacrificing quality at all. Our guests thought dinner was outstanding, and their service was top-notch. Olympia was kind and communicative throughout the planning process.”
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To add their personalities into the details of the day, the bride and groom chose a cake pop cake with gold metallic flakes to contrast with the blush ombre color palette.
“We actually weren’t going to do a cake at all! We choose Sweetly Dipped Confections cake pops because we’d only need to have a cutting cake, which is what we wanted, and it’d be unique and would add so much to our overall look. Plus, people could eat them while dancing the night away which was also important to us,” the bride beamed. “Brandi’s work is breathtaking! I loved the non-traditional approached to a wedding cake and as soon as I contacted her and realized how amazing she would be to work with, I was on board.”
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Reminiscing on their wedding day, it was the entire vendor team that truly touched Monique’s heart with how passionately everyone worked together towards creating a magical celebration for her and Davante’s guests.
“An old boss told me years ago that whenever I got married, choose three things I really cared about and that’s it. Don’t stress about every single thing. The most important things to me were my dress, the photographer and having an open bar for our guests. I’m so glad we incorporated elements that made our wedding us as well because those things are definitely most memorable,” the bride reminisced. “Our wedding spoken word artist, Krystle Mondesir, really brought full circle our theme by writing a piece custom to my husband and my story. It was intimate and beautiful. Also, Our DJ, Poizon Ivy The DJ, who is the first female DJ of the NBA definitely set the mood for the night. We partied. She’s mind-blowing.”
What did you look for in a wedding venue?
We wanted somewhere that we could utilize both indoor and outdoor areas. We looked for somewhere that felt intimate yet spacious enough to enjoy ourselves and seat our guests comfortably.
We fell in love with NOVA 535 the moment we walked in. It fulfilled every single hope we had for a venue. The bamboo courtyard was perfect for our theme. We especially loved the string lighting. I was head over heels for the exposed brick walls and interior decor. It was truly the perfect canvas to make our own. Ruby, our Day of Coordinator was phenomenal. The venue’s staff was superb. NOVA works closely with a lot of really great vendors so that helped a ton. We connected with our caterer by way of NOVA, and they were also outstanding. I can’t stress enough how perfect the day went in large part due to NOVA’s staff and our vendors being top-notch. I had no stress and no worries on the day of. Everything was executed seamlessly.
The Proposal:
Davante plays professional basketball in Japan so we were in Nagaoka, Niigata Japan on December 30th, 2017, when he popped the question! I was not expecting it at all. The team threw a party, it was getting late, and I was honestly getting sleepy (can’t hang like I used to!). He asked me if I wanted to take a picture before we left. I always ask him to do a boomerang (for the gram), so he asked me if I wanted to do that. He had me turn around and at that point, everyone on the team pulled out their phones so I knew something was up in the moment. It all happened so fast! The party turned into us eating and playing Mario Kart, and the women even had an arm-wrestling competition for 10,000 Yen while the guys cheered us on. The night was perfect and so much fun.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
It was romantic and garden-themed to go along with my husband’s last name “Gardner.” We wanted it to feel very intimate and romantic while at the same time being fun and kind of laid back; it was exactly that.
What were your colors?
Blush, burgundy, shades of plum, quartz, and magenta, with deep greens and gold accents. We chose them because of how soft and romantic yet bold they were.
What was your wedding menu inspiration?
We wanted something all of our guests could enjoy but we didn’t want to blow our entire budget. Fortunately, Olympia Catering provided amazing selections for hors d’oeuvrs and a plated dinner. We didn’t feel like we were sacrificing quality at all. Our guests thought dinner was outstanding and their service was top-notch. Olympia was kind and communicative throughout the planning process. Highly recommended.
The menu: Passed hors d’oeuvrs, Tomato Bruschetta, Beef Quesadilla, Crabmeat and Parmesan Stuffed Mushroom, Chicken Lemongrass Potsticker
Plated Dinner: Rosemary Champagne-Shallot Cream Chicken, Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus and Carrots
What was your wedding cake inspiration?
We actually weren’t going to do a cake at all! We choose Sweetly Dipped Confections cake pops because we’d only need to have a cutting cake, which is what we wanted, and it’d be unique and would add so much to our overall look. Plus, people could eat them while dancing the night away which was also important to us. Brandi was incredible. She helped us brainstorm the look of the cake pops, and she connected us with Sweet Surprise cake for the cutting cake. They coordinated, and it turned out beautifully! I’d never seen anything like it prior to our wedding.
Brandi’s work is breathtaking! I loved the non-traditional approached to a wedding cake, and as soon as I contacted her and realized how amazing she would be to work with, I was on board.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Pick three top things you really care about. That’s it. Ignore any stress and do things the way you want and don’t feel guilty about it. This is a once in a lifetime experience. I totally wish I could relive that weekend a billion times. Enjoy it and most importantly, each other!
Ceremony and Reception Venue: NOVA 535 *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Venue
Photographer: Ashlee Hamon Photography
Videographer: K. Bryant Images
Planner: Ruby with Nova 535
Florist: 2Birds Events
Caterer: Olympia Catering *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Cake Pop Cake: Sweetly Dipped Confections *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Cutting Cake: Sweet Surprise Cakes
DJ: Poizon Ivy the DJ (Dallas Mavericks Official DJ)
Officiant: Pastor Anthony D. Burns from Milwaukee, WI
Transportation: Clearwater Jolley Trolley
Dress Shop and Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal
Hair & Makeup: The Beauty Smith and Faces By Krissy
Caricaturist: Marsha Eaton Caricatures
Spoken Word Artist: Krystle Wit A “E”
Photo Bus: Rollin’ Retro