Alexis and Dylan
New College of florida
“Our wedding design inspiration was timeless, elegant, and classy. My personal style and design have always been neutral and timeless, so I wanted the wedding to mirror that and still be something we could always look back on and be fond of, despite the time that passes.
Our colors remained black and white overall. We did incorporate some greenery into our floral arrangements, but wanted the beautiful scenery surrounding the venue to be a standout, including the slight pink color of the mansion.” -The Bride
FEATURING
Alexis and Dylan’s chic Sarasota wedding was a timeless affair set in a historic venue filled with classic flora, a neutral palette, and romantic candlelight. The St. Petersburg couple exchanged vows in an outdoor garden ceremony before hosting their 110 closest friends and family for dinner and dancing in an elegant reception setting.
“Our wedding was a standout, mostly because of our story and the meaning behind the day, when all of our friends and family came together,” the bride beamed. “Our story is rare and one of two high school sweethearts getting married on their 11-year anniversary. Every stage of our wedding was filled with sharing great love for our union at the forefront. Each vendor and detail was meticulously picked to pair with our love story.”
The Proposal
“We were on a trip to Boston, MA, my favorite city, to celebrate our 10-year dating anniversary. On November 9, after breakfast, we planned a walk in the Boston Commons park area before a day of exploring. While in the park at approximately 9 a.m., Dylan completely surprised me by getting down on one knee and proposing.”
The Bach Party & Honeymoon
“My co-maid of honors hosted my bachelorette weekend in Charleston. We picked that location because of its proximity to the beach, a downtown perfect for shopping and exciting nightlife.
We spent our honeymoon in St. Vincent & The Grenadines in the Caribbean. We chose Sandals St. Vincent because the luxury resort was brand new, had beautiful volcanic scenery, and had a relaxing vibe that was perfect for us to relax after the festivities.”
The Bridal Beauty
Adore Bridal
“My wedding day beauty inspiration was to highlight my natural features through a soft and natural glam. For hair, I really wanted to feel like myself, so I chose a slick back low bun, which is a classic style I tend to wear.
I hired Adore Bridal initially based on their customer service and ability to accommodate my large bridal party. They were super responsive prior to me solidifying my choice and was able to answer any question I had. Through the bridal trial I did all the way up to the wedding day, my stylists were not only able to bring to life what I envisioned and the changes I wanted to incorporate to look my best, but also provided support and positivity on my wedding morning that made the experience unforgettable.”
The Planning
Blue Skies Weddings and Events
“When we began the process of finding a wedding planner, we had already selected our venue and knew we would require a planner with experience not only in the Sarasota area but with every detail of building a wedding from scratch, since our venue did not include any elements.
As we did research and read reviews, Blue Skies Wedding and Events stood out immediately. After our first call with Heather Tyler, she calmed my nerves and broke down the entire process of locating each vendor, which assured me she was the one! Throughout the planning process, Heather was very accommodating with our demanding careers and kept on top of everything for us. Even when there were stressful moments, Heather was great at guiding us through and being proactive based on her experience. Overall, their service was outstanding, and we are very grateful to Blue Skies.”
The Rentals
“We rented outdoor lighting, chairs, tables, and a dance floor from Gabro Event Services. The string lighting was perfect as the sun began to set during our cocktail hour, and guests were able to take gorgeous water view photos. The all-white styles we chose for ceremony and reception chairs fit in seamlessly with our tablescapes and florals.”
The Inspiration
“Our wedding design inspiration was timeless, elegant, and classy. My personal style and design have always been neutral and timeless, so I wanted the wedding to mirror that and still be something we could always look back on and be fond of, despite the time that passes. Our colors remained black and white overall. We did incorporate some greenery into our floral arrangements, but wanted the beautiful scenery surrounding the venue to be a standout, including the slight pink color of the mansion.
The most important elements of our wedding to us were being able to spend time with our guests, since most were traveling to attend, and our music. We made sure to build extra time into our weekend to greet everyone and share special moments outside of the traditional wedding. Our signature cocktail was an espresso martini, which we are known by friends and family to always be ordering at any dinner or drinking occasion.”
The Florals
Save The Date Florida
“Our wedding floral inspiration followed our overall design inspiration of maintaining a simple elegance. We really wanted the venue to shine and did not want our florals to take away from its beauty.
Our florist, Save the Date Florida, was able to take a few photos I saved as inspiration and immediately understood the vision. Danielle Zechmann provided great ideas we didn’t even think of, but followed our vision perfectly. We ended up deciding to highlight Calla Lilies since they stood out to me as a simple but very elegant flower. By adding amaranthus to the bouquets and tablescapes, we got a wow factor that we fell in love with. Our florist was also great at understanding the moody lighting we wanted to achieve and placed lamps and candles at each table. Save the Date had amazing confidence in what they could do, understood our vision, and provided mood boards that were able to bring that vision to life.”
The Photobooth
The Gala Photobooth
“We chose to have a photobooth because it is my husband’s absolute favorite part of any wedding we attend. When searching for the right photobooth, we wanted it to fit in with the overall elegant and timeless design of our wedding, so we were drawn to the black and white high-end style that The Gala Photobooth provides. The best part of their experience was the 4×6 photo printouts guests were able to take home as well as receive digitally as a framable keepsake.”
The Entertainment
Grant Hemond & Associates
“The most memorable moment of our wedding was our first dance. Our first dance song was Heaven by Jason Aldean. We chose this song for our first dance years ago to use for this special moment, as it walks through the very steps of our relationship, going from kids in love to a long-lasting marriage. While we did not take any lessons, we spent time leading up to the wedding practicing moves that would shock our guests! We ended up having a wow moment no one was expecting, which was a lift in the middle of the dance. We will both always remember hearing the chants and seeing the expressions on everyone’s faces when we executed the move perfectly.
When it came to selecting a wedding DJ, we expressed how important music was to us to our wedding planner, and she pointed us directly to Grant Hemond & Associates, specifically Adam, since she knew we would be a perfect match. We wanted to incorporate a range of music during each part of the wedding day and had very specific desires that they brought to life exactly how we hoped. Throughout the reception, we made sure our DJ incorporated our curated playlist of songs that our guests would correlate to us as a couple. We take music very seriously and have been known in our friend groups to be the playlist creators for different occasions, so we spent a lot of time as a couple coordinating songs and edits with our DJ. Grant Hemond was also amazing at communicating with us and would respond within minutes, no matter the day!”
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
Grant Hemond & Associates (Adam), The Gala Photobooth, and Ash & Co really exceeded our expectations and are the most talked about aspects of the wedding! Ash & Co actually provided both our wedding cake, which was stunning, and our rehearsal dinner groom’s cake, which honored our Alma Mater, FSU.
What advice would you give to other Sarasota couples?
Make every step of wedding planning a special memory you can share, because those moments are once-in-a-lifetime!
