Powel Crosley Estate Wedding – Carrie Wildes Photography

Alex and Kyle’s Love Story:
Kyle and I met in 10th grade through my best friend, and we started “dating” shortly after.

We dated for eight years, even making it work long distance while I was at University of Florida and he went to University of South Florida.

My parents live part of the year in the Florida Keys, and we spend a lot of time there each year.

Kyle proposed to me on a private island called Tarpon Belly Key in the Keys. He had both of our families on the island setting up for the proposal and dinner, while he distracted me for the afternoon in Key West. When we got back, we hopped on my Dad’s boat and went to the island for what I thought was a cookout.

When we arrived on the island, both of our families gathered around while Kyle proposed to me with the ring in a conch shell (which we later used as our ring bearer “pillow” in the wedding.) I of course said YES!

We spent the night enjoying dinner with an engagement party with our families.

Tangerine and Navy Blue DIY Wine Themed Powel Crosley Estate Wedding

Alex and Kyle searched for a waterfront wedding venue, minus the sandy beach, and found their dream location just south of Tampa Bay.

“We chose Sarasota because we fell in love with the venue and liked that it was a mini getaway for everyone,” the bride explained. “Once we visited the Powel Crosley Estate we knew it was the one right away. We loved the privacy of having the entire property to ourselves all day. Our guests loved exploring the house and reading about the amazing history.”

The Tampa couple combined their love for DIY projects and wine for their tangerine and navy blue wedding.

“We had a lot of DIY elements that added to the wedding memories, as we had many craft days with the bridal party and family. Kyle and his groomsmen made all of the lawn games, my bridesmaids and I made all of the program fans and I created the escort card wine corks and mossy crates that held them, table number and menu bottles. Every cork used in the wedding was from wine personally drank by us, our family and friends with love over the year of planning!” the bride exclaimed.

To capture their big day, Alex and Kyle wanted a Sarasota wedding photographer who had rave reviews and a natural style.

“We met with Carrie [of Carrie Wildes Photography] who was very down to earth and friendly. We reviewed past weddings that they had shot and loved the style and creativity. They really know how to utilize natural light and edit to really make you look your best without it looking artificial,” the bride explained. “We also wanted a photographer who did not need to be told which moments they were expected to capture. Our photographer was everywhere throughout the night, helping us find the amazing photo ops that were all throughout the property.”

MORE: CARRIE WILDES PHOTOGRAPHY WEDDINGS

Wedding videography was also important to the bride and groom.

“A Peachy Life Productions did an amazing job. On the day of the wedding Darin and Tao [of A Peachy Life Productions] arrived on time and made all of our friends and family feel like they weren’t even being recorded. I was worried about photographers and videographers being in our face during our first look, ceremony, etc., but they were almost unnoticed, while still capturing everything perfectly and staying out of the photographer’s shots,” the bride shared. “Our highlights video turned out amazing, bringing tears to our eyes and helping us remember the night as it flew by so fast.”

Looking back, one of Alex’s most memorable moments included her first dance with Kyle.

“We had a last minute thought to take dance lessons and have a choreographed first dance. We didn’t tell very many people, so I think it was a big surprise when we came out to dance to Lucky by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat,” the bride reminisced.

“We used a conch shell for the ring bearer to carry because that is what Kyle proposed in.” – The Bride

“I loved my makeup artist Eri Vincent Makeup. I’m a big fan of makeup and wanted everything to be perfect and last all day for the wedding. Eri made me and all of the ladies in the wedding party feel beautiful, and I think that makes all of the pictures and videos even better!” – The Bride

“Walking down the stairs entering the ceremony was one of the most memorable moments, because all eyes were on me and I finally got to see everything come together that we had been planning for a year.” – The Bride

“We were looking for a photographer that had great reviews from other brides and had a certain style that did not have over-edited photos. Carrie Wildes Photography really knows how to utilize natural light and edit to really make you look your best without it looking artificial. We also wanted a photographer who did not need to be told which moments they were expected to capture. Our photographer was everywhere throughout the night, helping us find the amazing photo ops that were all throughout the property.” – The Bride

“We had a lot of DIY elements that added to the wedding memories, as we had many craft days with the bridal party and family. Kyle and his groomsmen made all of the lawn games, my bridesmaids and I made all of the program fans and I created the escort card wine corks and mossy crates that held them, table number and menu bottles. Every cork used in the wedding was from wine personally drank by us, our family and friends with love over the year of planning!” – The Bride

What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay Brides?
Hire a day of coordinator if you are at a venue where you bring in all of your own vendors. Our coordinator, Alexis from Sarasota Wedding Gallery, helped us with all of the small details you probably wouldn’t think about and was able to make decisions for me when I was busy taking in the whole day.

Don’t follow traditions just because you’re told to! After researching some of the origins behind certain traditions I realized a lot of them don’t even make sense today. The biggest one was not seeing each other before the ceremony. I’m so glad we went against this tradition, because doing a first look let us have plenty of time to take pictures and video footage and get to spend time with our guests at cocktail hour instead of rushing to get pictures in before sunset.

Venue: Powel Crosley Estate
Photographer: Carrie Wildes Photography *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Vendor
Videographer: A Peachy Life Productions
Planner: Sarasota Wedding Gallery – Alexis
Florist: Flowers by Design
Caterer: Milan Catering
Ceremony & Cocktail Hour Music: Brian Suterthland Trio
DJ: Party Doctor Productions
Officiant: Mike Pinelli
Dress: The White Closet Bridal – Justin Alexander Bridal
Bridesmaid Dress: The White Closet Bridal – Andrew Adela
Groomsmen Tuxedos: Men’s Wearhouse
Makeup: Eri Vincent Makeup

We are proud to have Carrie Wildes Photography as a Marry Me Tampa Bay sponsor!