Caleigh and Chris’ Clearwater wedding was a classic celebration that centered around the timeless color white with accents of slate blue and silver. The night was filled with live entertainment and a signature cocktail called Something Blue as a nod to their dog named Blue.

“I would describe our wedding theme as classic. When planning, we wanted something we could look back on years later and still be in love with every detail of the day. We really wanted something that would stand the test of time, and our wedding planners took our small vision and created the most beautiful wedding for us! The whole team made our dream wedding come true and added the most amazing details,” the bride exclaimed. “Our colors were slate blue and silver. We chose these colors because we wanted something with a little pop of color to warm up the classic white weddings we loved, and it’s such a great spring and summer color!”

The St. Petersburg bride knew from experience that a wedding planner was the first step in the planning process. After being a bridesmaid in one of their previous weddings, Caleigh was thrilled to work with Parties A La Carte.

“We wanted a planner who was well established, able to provide vendors, and helped the day run smoothly. Wedding planning was extremely overwhelming, so meeting with a planner who was so experienced and came highly recommended was such a relief! Finding a quality wedding planner is my number one recommendation to all my friends planning a wedding,” the bride revealed. “Parties A La Carte is truly the best! I cannot speak more highly of them! I had seen a few weddings they had done before, but after being a bridesmaid in one of their weddings, I instantly knew I wanted to work with them. I was in awe of how stunning that wedding was and how everything fell into place. The whole day ran so smoothly because of all the hard work they put in behind the scenes. During the whole planning process Jessica, Kelsey, and the rest of the team made planning a breeze They were so easy to work with and went above and beyond to make our wedding day so amazing and beautiful. I am so happy we worked with them because everyone was able to enjoy the day to the fullest!”

For their 130-guest May celebration, Caleigh selected the same venue that she had her sweet sixteen at. To give her fresh ideas for a modern yet timeless wedding aesthetic, she read Marry Me Tampa Bay to help create her dream wedding day.

“Marry Me Tampa Bay was a great help in finding inspiration when we first started planning. Deciding on a theme for a day you’ll remember for the rest of your life is very overwhelming, so using Marry Me Tampa Bay to find inspiration was so helpful!” the bride beamed.

To honor the bride’s father who passed away prior to the wedding, sentimental elements were intertwined throughout the ceremony and decor.

“Friends and family are the two most important things in our lives, and we really wanted to highlight that. My father passed away about nine months before our wedding day, so we wanted to incorporate small details throughout the day as a dedication to him,” Caleigh revealed. “Everything from the venue to the flowers in my bouquet and Chris’ boutonniere were all tributes to him. We had one of our long-time family friends officiate our wedding, and my godfather gave a speech in place of my dad. It was such a special day, and having members of our friends and family take part in the day really made it special.”

The large and lush ceremony floral arrangements created a stunning altar at the outdoor Clearwater venue. To pull in opulence into the classic white theme, stunning white orchids were the focal point of the bride’s cascading bouquet.

“We really wanted classic but elegant flowers. Florals and centerpieces can really transform a room. Bruce Wayne Florals came highly recommended by our planner. They really understood the vision we wanted for our day. During our mock-up, I was stunned by all the beautiful options. They worked with us to create a variety of centerpieces that were all stunning and added candles to create a warm and romantic feel,” Caleigh beamed. “My bouquet was by far my favorite piece they created. Having orchids in my bouquet was something that was very special to me and my connection to my dad, and they created the most beautiful draped bouquet with white orchids.”

While the day was filled with memories that will stay with the couple forever, it was a surprise from Chris that swept Caleigh off her feet and onto the dance floor.

“The most memorable moment of our wedding day was right before the reception. After our photos, our planner brought us into the reception room to show us before everyone got in there. As we were walking around, Chris started to sing under his breath, “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay,” and almost instantly the lead singer of the band got up and started playing that song. We had our first unofficial dance with no one in the room and the band playing just for us. It was so special,” the bride beamed. “The second most memorable moment was our grand exit. We had a sparkler exit down the dock onto a beautiful boat that took us away!”

Parties A La Carte is truly the best! I cannot speak more highly of them! I was a bridesmaid in a wedding they did at the beginning and the whole day ran so smoothly because of all the hard work they put in behind the scenes. I was in awe of how stunning that wedding was and how everything fell into place. I had seen a few weddings they had done before, but after being a bridesmaid in one of their weddings, I instantly knew I wanted to work with them. During the whole planning process Jessica, Kelsey, and the rest of the team made planning a breeze! They were so easy to work with and went above and beyond to make our wedding day so amazing and beautiful! Parties A La Carte were able to add in many details that were subtle but meant so much to Chris and me. I am so happy we worked with them because everyone was able to enjoy the day to the fullest! 

Where did you host your bachelorette party?
My bridesmaids took me to Savannah, Georgia for my bachelorette party. We wanted a place that had great restaurants, outdoor bars, and plenty to do! We stayed downtown in the cutest historic AirBnB.

Where did you spend your honeymoon?
Unico Resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico. We wanted to go somewhere where we could fully relax but also have options for some adventurous excursions and experience the culture. It was such a beautiful resort with amazing food!

The Proposal:
Gasparilla was the first day Chris and I had spent together after the first meeting. It was the first day we really started to fall for each other. Every year since that day, we would always go back to the parade with our friends and have the best time, and we’d reminisce on that first Gasparilla together. Chris decided to make our tradition a little more special. He planned for all our friends and some family members to meet up during the parade, and he popped the question in front of 300,000 people dressed as pirates! It was such a celebration!

Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
Our photographer really exceeded my expectations! Going through the photos and reliving the day all over is still one of our favorite things to do. Our band stole the show! They put on such a great show; Chris had actually asked them to play at our wedding before he even proposed to me, he was that excited about this band.

What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Hire a wedding planner! It’s the best thing you can do! Although it is an extra fee to consider, a wedding planner could actually save you money, and it will save you so much stress! My biggest thing was not wanting to be frantic on my wedding day, and our planners, Parties A La Carte, allowed everyone to enjoy the day and not worry about the small details!