Christine and Kevin's classic and elegant downtown St. Pete wedding was adorned with Southern charm and a navy, blush and gold color palette.
“We both love Florida and love the deep South, where we both went to school. We wanted to highlight touches of Old St. Pete, weave in our adopted Southern roots and reflect our fun, light hearted personalities,” the bride shared. “I am a self-proclaimed girly-girl, but wanted to incorporate the elegance of fall.”
MORE: OLD FLORIDA INSPIRED WEDDINGS
The St. Pete couple both grew up in the area and knew that they wanted to highlight their hometown. Bringing together their local roots and love for SEC football, Christine and Kevin made their wedding uniquely their own with an emphasis on the details.
“There was never a question that we wanted to get married in downtown St. Pete. We are so proud of our city and all it has become. Our wedding weekend highlighted all that we love about downtown St Pete. We kicked off with a welcome party at Proper/Park and Rec, had bridesmaid luncheon at the Canopy at The Birchwood, golf tournament at the Vinoy, rehearsal dinner at 400 Beach and family farewell brunch at the Yacht Club,” the bride beamed.
MORE: DOWNTOWN ST. PETE WEDDINGS
Christine was loyal Marry Me Tampa Bay reader and used it to research local wedding vendors and to be inspired by other couples.
“Marry Me Tampa Bay gave me the opportunity to browse a variety of vendors and see their work on display. I often used the search feature to see real, local examples of how other brides and vendors turned an idea into a reality,” the bride shared.
With the bride's love for monograms and beautiful paper goods, she went to St. Pete wedding invitation designers A&P Designs to create a custom letterpress invitation suite that would be a unique representation of the couple and their style.
“I wanted a local, ‘brick and mortar' stationer to support a St. Pete small business. We wanted someone we could meet with to know us and our style and who create a beautiful wedding paper set that was uniquely ours,” Christine explained. “All my family and friends know I’m a little bit crazy about a good monogram. We cannot speak highly enough about A&P Designs. The owner, Alicia, was so wonderful and patient in working with me to create an incredible watercolor crest for our wedding, which was woven in subtly across our entire wedding year.”
Envisioning a classic wedding day beauty look, the bride searched for a style that reflected her personality and complemented the design of her wedding dress. With Kate Middleton as her style inspiration, Christine turned to Tampa Bay wedding hair and makeup team Michele Renee The Studio to create an effortless up-do fit for a princess.
“I had actually been a bridesmaid in two other Michele Renee The Studio weddings prior to my own, so selecting them was never really a question! I tried to do my due diligence to look around at other vendor prices, but quickly came back to Michele Renee for their quality, experience and competitive prices. I was so incredibly happy with how my hair and makeup turned out on my wedding day. I’ve never felt prettier! Savannah’s attention to detail and patience was incredible,” the bride gushed.
MORE: MICHELE RENEE THE STUDIO WEDDINGS
Looking back, the bride shared her most memorable wedding day moments.
“I will never forget the feeling of standing on the altar holding Kevin’s hands and reciting our vows. It was pure magic. It was incredibly powerful to have everyone that we love so dearly in one church with us on one day. Our officiant was Kevin’s uncle, Father John Tapp, who also was my childhood priest growing up. I will never forget the special homily he gave. To cap off the best night of our lives, my parents surprised us with a horse-drawn carriage waiting for us at the end of the sparkler tunnel that took us on a romantic ride back to the Vinoy hotel,” the bride reminisced.
What did you look for in a stationery designer?
I love the art of beautiful paper! I wanted a local, “brick and mortar” stationer that we could meet with, that could get to know us and our style, support a St. Pete small business and create a beautiful wedding paper set that was uniquely ours.
I want to learn more about Stationery and Invitations from A&P Designs
All my family and friends know I’m a little bit crazy about a good monogram. We worked with A&P Designs to create our custom wedding crest which we wove throughout the wedding year, from Save-the-Dates, stamps and thank you cards all the way to our napkins, koozies, cake topper and dance floor. We cannot speak highly enough about A&P Designs. We wanted our wedding paper suite to be perfectly woven together, from the first stamp on the Save-the-Date to the last reply card and everything in between. The owner, Alicia, was so wonderful and patient in working with me to create an incredible watercolor crest for our wedding which was woven in subtly across our entire wedding year. A&P designed our Save-the-Dates, a watercolor floral crest of our names with flowers from my bouquet (used for shower thank you notes, save the date stamps, our wedding website and a gold version for our dance floor), a monogram version of our crest, which we used for our invitation stamps, our invitations with letterpress printing, envelopes and envelope liners, reply card, details card, and custom watercolor map of our beloved St. Pete including our new home, favorite spots and wedding weekend important locations.
The Proposal:
Kevin proposed on January 7th, right after the craziness of Christmas and his brother’s New Years Eve wedding. He told me we were going to his company’s holiday party downtown and suggested we get drinks at the Vinoy before, as we commonly do. I remember thinking he was acting a little funny, but I chalked it up to thinking he was just dreading the party because he would miss the NFL playoff games. After having one drink at the porch, he abruptly suggested we try the new “pop up bar” in the tea garden. Despite my questioning and protesting, he managed to convince me to head towards the tea garden, even though the sign said closed for a private event. As soon as he opened the doors, I saw we were alone in the romantic garden and there was bottle of champagne on ice and two glasses on the beautiful fountain. Everything started to click and I immediately starting crying and shaking. He walked me closer to the fountain, took my hands, and through both of our tears said the most beautiful words and got down on one knee. We sat on the fountain, toasting champagne, laughing from shock and crying from happiness as his mom secretly snapped photos from the bushes (unbeknownst to me!). Later that night, he took me to a surprise party with all our family and friends waiting. It was a dream!
What was your wedding hair and makeup inspiration?
I wanted something classic and elegant that reflected my personality and the style of my wedding dress. Kate Middleton is my style icon so I used a lot of her pictures to help convey my ideas.
I want to learn more about hair and makeup services from Michele Renee the Studio
I had actually been a bridesmaid in two other Michele Renee The Studio weddings prior to my own, so selecting them was never really a question! I tried to do my due diligence to look around at other vendor prices, but quickly came back to Michele Renee for their quality, experience and competitive prices. I was so incredibly happy with how my hair and makeup turned out on my wedding day. I’ve never felt prettier! Exactly how a bride should feel! Savannah’s attention to detail and patience was incredible. She was so sweet to my mom and also helped her feel completely at ease with her own hair and makeup.
How did you incorporate you and your spouse's personalities into the wedding?
Kevin and I are HUGE SEC football fans. I’m an LSU girl (Geaux Tigers!) and he’s an Ole Miss boy (Hotty Toddy!). We had limited choices on a wedding date, and when we found out October 7th was a huge SEC rivalry weekend, we knew we had to embrace it. We set up a “football lounge” on the patio with a projector, couches and ESPN multi-cast so our guests could watch their games. We even made our late night snack a fun nod to our college football roots, LSU corndogs and Ole Miss “chicken on a stick.”
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
Classic elegance woven with Southern charm. We both love Florida and love the deep South, where we both went to school (Louisiana and Mississippi). We wanted to highlight touches of Old St. Pete, weave in our adopted Southern roots and reflect our fun, light hearted personalities.
What were your colors?
I am a self-proclaimed girly-girl, but wanted to incorporate the elegance of fall. I chose navy, blush and gold for their classy, rich, and romantic hues.
What did you look for in a wedding DJ?
We wanted a DJ who would be a part of our fun reception, not try to take it over.
I want to learn more about DJ/Lighting services from Grant Hemond & Associates.
We were so happy with James and the Grant Hemond & Associates team! He was lively, up beat, kept the party going and really fed off the energy of our guests.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Do your research and use your local resources! Meet with or have phone interviews with as many vendors as you can. Go with vendors who you think will help you make your ideas a reality, not someone that is trying to fit you into their cookie-cutter mold of weddings. Stay organized, delegate tasks and surround yourself with a good team. And most importantly, continue to cultivate and grow your relationship with your fiancé. Its an incredibly unique time in your relationship as a couple; it goes by so fast! Be mindful to carve out time for date night and spend time reflecting on who you are as individuals and who you will become as a couple.
Ceremony: St. Paul’s Catholic Church
Reception, Caterer and Cake: Vinoy Renaissance
Photographer: K&K Photography
Videographer: Imagery Wedding Films
Planner: Friends of…Entertaining
Florist: 2Birds Events
Rentals: Rent All City
DJ: Grant Hemond & Associates – James King *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Officiant: Father John Tapp
Invitations: A&P Designs *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Transportation: Clearwater Jolley Trolley
Dress Shop and Designer: The Bridal Gallery of Orlando, Rosa Clara Bridal
Bridesmaid Dress Shop and Designer: Azazie
Hair & Makeup: Michele Renee the Studio *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Photo Booth: Shutterbooth *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Custom Dance Floor: That’s A Wrap
Favors: Milagros Soap Company
Kettle Corn: Mookie’s Kettle Corn
Menswear: Jos A Bank
Custom Rehearsal Dinner Dress: Anglo Couture
Carriage: St. Petersburg Carriages
Dance Lessons: 1st Dance Studio
Flower Girl Dresses: Pink Princess
