Gabrielle and Tyler’s downtown St. Pete wedding was inspired by the groom’s love for the outdoors and the bride’s adoration for all things glam. The St. Pete couple had recently relocated from Sarasota and knew that downtown St. Pete was the perfect place to begin their life together.

“Though we did not have an official ‘theme,’ our bridal party colors ended up being classic and elegant with a splash of color. We did not plan the wedding with specific colors in mind; Tyler and I both knew we wanted an outcome that was elegant, clean and romantic,” the bride shared.

As an avid Marry Me Tampa Bay reader, the bride utilized past real wedding features and vendor listings to help plan her wedding.

“Like many brides-to-be, I immediately started googling and using many of the “go-to” wedding websites. The only thing I noticed this doing was overwhelming me with hundreds of vendors who all ‘claimed to be the best.’ Marry Me Tampa Bay was the site that I used the most. I found every single one of my vendors on social media and Marry Me Tampa Bay,” Gabrielle shared. “It was so helpful to see dozens of photos of real weddings in the area. If I found a specific thing that I enjoyed about a wedding featured, I scrolled down to get the name of the vendor. We confirmed our venues after looking up weddings that had used both locations for their weddings. This process proved more helpful than any other website.”

With the goal of creating a memorable, relaxing evening with a touch of magic, the bride and groom began searching for downtown St. Pete wedding venues that would be the perfect fit for their wedding day.

“Wedding venue shopping was perhaps the hardest part! Tyler and I visited many hotels, parks and multi-use buildings before we selected the combination of The Birchwood and  Sunken Gardens. We knew our ideal selection would be in, or close to the downtown St. Pete area, and we really lucked out with both venues being available and so closely-located,” the bride explained. “The Birchwood was incredible! We did not begin our planning process with a planner, so their service was greatly appreciated. They were always eager to answer our millions of questions and really treated my family with top quality service. Without The Birchwood’s superior staff, our wedding would not have been possible.”

Leaning on her family for planning support for the wedding, the bride’s mom was able to nail down a wedding DJ that pleased everyone in attendance.

“At first we were thinking of simply having an iPod connected to speakers, but as the wedding grew, and the venue was selected, we knew we wanted someone to carry the reception. My only request was that we somehow found someone who would create the atmosphere of an awesome dance party, without alienating a lot of our older guests,” Gabrielle shared. “Grant Hemond & Associates nailed it!  It was important to Tyler and I that our DJ was classy, but could also get people out on the dance floor. It was important to my mom that our DJ facilitated the several family dances that we wanted to have happen. I personally felt like we had a lot of requests of our DJ, but he happily understood our requests and made them happen.”

Looking back on on her wedding day, one of the bride’s favorite memories was having an intimate moment with her grandfather before the wedding.

“To drive to the wedding ceremony, I requested my grandfather drive myself and my maid of honor. This was such a special time for me, as it gave me a quiet time to really process what was happening and to connect with my grandfather. I can’t recommend doing something like this enough!” the bride reminisced.

How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
We really didn’t have a theme. Tyler and I simply chose colors and features that we naturally gravitated towards. A lot of the inspiration came from The Birchwood’s vintage-glam décor and the Sunken Garden’s lush landscape.

What were your colors?
Though we did not have an official theme, our bridal party colors ended up being classic and elegant with a splash of color. We did not plan the wedding with specific colors in mind; Tyler and I both knew we wanted an outcome that was elegant, clean and romantic.

The Proposal:
Our engagement story took place during a couple’s double date weekend at the magical Don CeSar hotel. After getting a mysterious room upgrade, we were in a beautiful suite that overlooked the white beach and the rest of the hotel’s pink castle-like grounds.

As I got dressed, hoping that a magical evening was to unfold, I put on my favorite dress, a gown handmade for my grandmother when she was my age. As the elevator door opened to the rooftop of the Don, where I thought we were meeting our friends, I was stunned by hundreds of red rose petals leading up to a table with chilled champagne, the largest bouquet I had ever seen, and a red, lacquered ring box. 

Afterward, we went down to the beach to find 200 more red roses in the sand surrounding a blanket. Lit candles illuminated a scrapbook Tyler had made with photos from when we first met till now, and the song we had first slow-danced to in high school played in the background. We danced in the sand, and as he spun me around, I saw both his and my family walking toward us. Leading the group were our friends, who were clearly in on the entire plan, and my best friend’s tears had turned into full-on sobbing. It was perfect.

What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Enjoy the process! Tyler and I were adamant about making sure that the right people were working with us at the right time to make sure that we enjoyed our wedding-planning process. The minute you start to feel like it’s a job or obligation, the real reason you are celebrating gets lost! I would recommend couples hand pick their closest friends and family to be involved with different stages of the planning process, that way, you hopefully can avoid having too many opinions every step of the way!

My biggest piece of advice is something that nearly every bride shouts from the rooftop after getting married. GET A DAY-OF COORDINATOR! To cut costs, my mom and I were convinced we were going to be able to plan the entire wedding. To this day, I still feel like we could have planned everything on our own, but there is no way we would have been able to execute our plan to the level that our planner did for our wedding. What I did not think about when deciding to initially bypass a coordinator, was that if there was not a designated point of contact the day of the wedding, every vendor was going to be coming to my mom and I with questions and information up until we walked down the aisle. Had that been the case, there is no way my mom would have been able to really experience the wedding, and that would have been heartbreaking. Get a coordinator who asks questions about you, your fiancé, and your wedding.