Megan and Ian’s downtown Tampa wedding was a whimsical evening filled with colorful flora anchored by a sophisticated shade of china blue as an ode to the summer season. The pair exchanged vows in a traditional Catholic ceremony within a historic gothic-style cathedral before celebrating with their closest friends and family with an elegant dinner reception.

“When I started planning I made a list of all the things I wanted the wedding to be, and the list was a combination of Speak Now/Lover, garden, books, and Alice and Wonderland. We wanted something colorful and unique,” the bride shared. “The main accent color was blue, simply because I thought it best complemented the other wide array of colors used throughout. The bridesmaids all chose their own dresses, so they were all sorts of colors, as were the flowers. I used the time of year to guide my color choices most of all, going for colors I felt represented summer.”

As a fellow wedding professional and florist, Megan sought to personalize her wedding day without getting too caught up in making everything unique and different. The bride and groom customized their wedding elements where it felt appropriate, and omitted aspects that didn’t appeal to them.

“As readers, we wanted to incorporate books, and we did that through our seating chart, place cards, and table numbers, all of which we created ourselves. Another way we incorporated our personalities was through the wedding ceremony. As Catholics, it was important to us to get married in a church, and Sacred Heart was the obvious choice. We were able to personalize the ceremony by choosing readings that held meaning to us, which made the whole thing far more special,” Megan detailed. “As a vendor, I see people do things for the first, second, and 100th time, but although there are sometimes ideas that I have seen before, that doesn’t mean our guests have. Knowing this, I didn’t get hung up on certain details while trying to be cutting-edge or different. The day was still very much about us, so we didn’t do a lot of formalities simply because everyone does them. For example, we didn’t have a bridal party entrance, a first look, or a bouquet and garter toss. Our day was unique because we are unique!”

As floral designer with Bloom Shakalaka, the Orlando bride knew her fellow creative co-workers would bring her June wedding inspiration to life. They incorporated a plethora of colors, textures, and varietals to create a whimsical collection of arrangements, including a stunning surprise especially for Megan.

“After working so many weddings as a florist, I gained a really clear sense of what I did and did not want my flowers to look like, as well as what varieties I liked the best. Instead of just focusing on what flowers I liked, I also went with some flowers that I knew would look cool in the design! That meant choosing stems like clematis and hellebore for movement, and allium for texture. Then I also chose favorites like ranunculus, peonies, sweet peas, and hydrangeas. I worked with Bloom Shakalaka because they were my co-workers, and there was no one I would’ve trusted more because no one knew my floral taste better!” the bride beamed. “Along the way it was really great to be able to bounce ideas off of them. They were fabulous and worked to make sure I loved everything, and even surprised me with the most incredible dance floor installation. I am forever impressed by the incredible work they do and how they turn brides’ visions into reality, including mine!”

With two very different tastes in music, the bride and groom sought a DJ who could bridge the gap between their styles and keep everyone partying on the dance floor throughout the evening. DJ Jason with Grant Hemond & Associates exceeded all expectations, leaving their 122 guests with fond memories of a night they never wanted to end.

“My husband and I have completely opposite music tastes; he loves The Beatles and music from the 70s, and I love Taylor Swift and music from the Disney Channel! So for us it was essential that our DJ could blend the two vibes – a difficult task for sure! Grant Hemond & Associates was recommended to us from several different people, both vendors and family and friends, and they were also at a really great price point. The whole team exceeded absolutely every expectation. Jason Tally was our DJ, and he was incredible,” Megan raved. “People of all ages were dancing all night and our friends still tell us how fun our wedding was. On the day of the wedding, we sprang the idea on Jason of throwing t-shirts to our guests, and he totally went with it and orchestrated the moment so well. If you want people to have a good time, throw t-shirts! We were so impressed, and my sister just booked him for her October wedding!”

Although the entire day was filled with notable memories, it was when Megan paused to be present and soak it all in that she will forever treasure.

“There were so many memorable moments, many of which were just the little moments in between everything when I took a moment to realize that we were having the best day with all of our friends and family. We are able to look back on moments like that because our vendor team was so stellar,” the bride reminisced. “I didn’t worry about anything all day, and it was thanks to the amazing team of people we had assembled. Having a good vendor team truly makes all the difference, but I am a vendor so I might be biased!”

The Proposal: 
On our three-year anniversary we went on a rainy, pre-dinner walk around Lake Mirror in Lakeland, and Ian asked me to hold the umbrella. My dubious ‘why’ quickly turned into an, “Are you serious?” as he got down on one knee and pulled out a ring. I was not expecting a proposal at all that day. After making sure he was 100% not joking, I of course said yes. It was just the two of us, and it was very special.

As a wedding floral designer, what was your floral inspiration?
After working so many weddings as a florist, I gained a really clear sense of what I did and did not want my flowers to look like, as well as what varieties I liked the best. Instead of just focusing on what flowers I liked, I also went with some flowers that I knew would look cool in the design! That meant choosing stems like clematis and hellebore for movement, and allium for texture. Then I also chose favorites like ranunculus, peonies, sweet peas, and hydrangeas. 

I worked with Bloom Shakalaka because they were my co-workers, and there was no one I would’ve trusted more because no one knew my floral taste better! Along the way it was really great to be able to bounce ideas off of them. They were fabulous and worked to make sure I loved everything, and even surprised me with the most incredible dance floor installation. I am forever impressed by the incredible work they do and how they turn brides’ visions into reality, including mine!

What did you look for in a wedding DJ? 
My husband and I have completely opposite music tastes; he loves The Beatles and music from the 70s, and I love Taylor Swift and music from the Disney Channel! So for us it was essential that our DJ could blend the two vibes – a difficult task for sure!

Grant Hemond & Associates was recommended to us from several different people, both vendors and family and friends, and they were also at a really great price point. The whole team exceeded absolutely every expectation. Jason Tally was our DJ, and he was incredible. People of all ages were dancing all night and our friends still tell us how fun our wedding was. On the day of the wedding, we sprang the idea on Jason of throwing t-shirts to our guests, and he totally went with it and orchestrated the moment so well. If you want people to have a good time, throw t-shirts! We were so impressed, and my sister just booked him for her October wedding!