Lia and Brandon's boho-themed downtown Tampa wedding featured an elegant summer evening on the banks of the Hillsborough River with a surprise boat exit.
“We wanted the atmosphere of our wedding day to have a distinct soft and romantic feel and for everyone to feel the love in the air! The venue was styled in chic neutrals, think dried florals like pampas grass, bunny tails, and ruscus,” the bride shared. “We incorporated various shades of dusty rose, neutrals, white, and gold. I’m a pink-loving girl, so neutrals were the obvious color palette for me. I always knew I wanted to incorporate my favorite color into my wedding, so we had dusty rose and light pink colored roses sprinkled throughout. We also mixed in some white roses and a touch of cascading orchids in my bouquet. My bridesmaids wore dusty rose, which is actually the same color my mom had her bridesmaids wear for her wedding back in 1984, so that was a special touch.”
Marry Me Tampa Bay proved to be a valuable resource during wedding planning, providing inspiration, honest feedback on venues and vendors, and wedding advice through articles and experiences shared by other couples, which helped narrow the bride's vendor search.
“We used Marry Me Tampa Bay in the early stages of wedding planning before hiring our wedding planner. It was a great resource for not only getting inspiration but getting honest feedback on venues and vendors,” Lia revealed. “It’s always helpful hearing directly from other couples on their experiences, and the various articles on Marry Me Tampa Bay helped narrow the search when it came to reaching out to respected vendors.”
The Bradenton couple selected the husband-wife team Dewitt For Love Photography because of their admiration for the authentic editing style and the warm personalities of the photographers.
“We wanted a photographer who could really capture our love for one another and the joy that surrounded the day. We didn’t want over-edited photos that took away from the colors we chose or our beautiful surroundings. Dewitt for Love's pictures are stunning! Their photos are intentional, fun, and artistic. After seeing one of their full albums, it was game over. We were sold!” the bride beamed. “When we first met the Dewitts in person for our engagement shoot, they made us feel so comfortable! It didn’t feel posed or staged, and it felt like we were on a date just hanging out on the beach (with paparazzi, haha). Brandon and Shannon are so down to earth and truly showed they cared about us. They had us laughing the whole time. On the wedding day, they were amazing! They went above and beyond to capture the day and night, and Shannon kept me calm when we started running behind schedule.”
The bride, who has a background in shooting and editing video, were selective in choosing a wedding videographer. J&S Media exceeded their expectations with their beautiful storytelling, exceptional quality of video, and professionalism that displayed in their work.
“I looked through tons of options until I finally came across the one! Brandon and I wanted someone who could really capture the emotion of the day and make it feel like you were reliving it when you watched it back. J&S Media knows how to tell a beautiful story about your love and the wedding day. I was blown away by the quality of their video, music choices, camera angles, and storytelling they displayed in every single video I watched,” the bride gushed. “I couldn’t be happier that they were our videographers. Jennifer and Scott make such a great team! They are also newlyweds, so they know how important capturing your wedding day is. They were incredibly easy to work with, and they went above and beyond to make our final video perfect! My husband and I have literally cried every time we’ve watched our video back. I am so so thankful that I came across J&S Media, and I will never stop recommending them to other engaged couples!”
The stunning reception overlooked the lit-up cityscape of downtown Tampa while Graingertainment entertained the 128 guests with the couple's favorite hits and a lively photo booth.
“I feel like a DJ is a really hard vendor to pick because it’s not like you can look at their previous work like you can with a photographer, videographer, or even a florist. Unless you’ve been to a wedding they’ve worked, you’re choosing blind. Luckily our wedding planner highly suggested one DJ to us, and we’re glad we listened,” Lia shared. “Chris, with Graingertainment, was great, kept the party going, and read the room. He blasted the Zombie Nation song for all of us UCF Alumni to scream our school’s chant! We also had a photo booth at the wedding to keep a fun and goofy element to our day. The guy working the photobooth was phenomenal! People kept saying how funny he was.”
Lia reminisces on her magical day, thinking of how the little moments were some of her most cherished ones.
“There were so many memorable moments sprinkled throughout the day! From the first look with my dad, which I couldn’t fight back the tears during, to the moment I saw Brandon waiting for me at the altar, to our bubble exit. I can’t help but smile, thinking back to all the little moments,” the bride revealed. “One very memorable moment that was very special to me was when we surprised my parents with their own private dance. I really wanted to do something special for my mom to recognize and thank her for all the time and effort she spent making our wedding day a reality. She was right by my side the entire time, helping us coordinate every little detail. During our thank you speech, we called my parents to the dance floor, and the DJ played the song they danced to on their wedding day! They’ve been married 38 years now, and their love and respect for each other are truly an inspiration that we look up to. We then had other married couples join in and had fun playing the anniversary game.”
The Proposal:
We were taking a trip with his family to Blue Ridge for a week, and on the second day of the trip, we went hiking up to a beautiful waterfall! We were all taking pictures when all of a sudden, he got down on one knee! Brandon then surprised me afterward with a carriage ride, champagne, and cake. And to top it off, he surprised me with my parents coming up! It was perfect!
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
Costa Rica! It was the most amazing trip! We wanted to go somewhere that had been on our bucket list and somewhere that had a good mixture of adventure with activities and relaxation. We highly recommend it to other couples, especially staying at Nayara Springs!
Where did you host your bachelorette party?
Scottsdale, AZ. I chose this location because it was somewhere I’d never been, and it just looked so fun! 10 of my friends had a blast!
What did you look for in a wedding photographer?
We wanted a photographer who could really capture our love for one another and the joy that surrounded the day. We didn’t want over-edited photos that took away from the colors we chose or our beautiful surroundings.
Dewitt for Love's pictures are stunning! Choosing this husband and wife duo was the easiest decision! Their photos are intentional, fun, and artistic. After seeing one of their full albums, it was game over. We were sold!
When we first met the Dewitts in person for our engagement shoot, they made us feel so comfortable! It didn’t feel posed or staged, and it felt like we were on a date just hanging out on the beach (with paparazzi, haha).
Brandon and Shannon are so down to earth and truly showed they cared about us. They had us laughing the whole time. On the wedding day, they were amazing! They went above and beyond to capture the day and night, and Shannon kept me calm when we started running behind schedule. Oh, and you can expect to see Brandon on the dance floor not only taking pictures but dancing to the music too!
“We wanted a photographer who could really capture our love for one another and the joy that surrounded the day. We didn’t want over-edited photos that took away from the colors we chose or our beautiful surroundings. Dewitt for Love's pictures are stunning! Their photos are intentional, fun, and artistic.”
-The Bride
What did you look for in a wedding videographer?
Coming from a background in shooting and editing video, I was very picky when choosing a videographer. I looked through tons of options until I finally came across the one! Brandon and I wanted someone who could really capture the emotion of the day and make it feel like you were reliving it when you watched it back.
J&S Media knows how to tell a beautiful story about your love and the wedding day. I was blown away by the quality of their video, music choices, camera angles, and storytelling they displayed in every single video I watched. I couldn’t be happier that they were our videographers. Jennifer and Scott make such a great team! They are also newlyweds, so they know how important capturing your wedding day is. They were incredibly easy to work with, and they went above and beyond to make our final video perfect! Jennifer listened to my wants and needs, as well as my suggestions for the video, and made it happen! My husband and I have literally cried every time we’ve watched our video back. I am so so thankful that I came across J&S Media, and I will never stop recommending them to other engaged couples!
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
Our theme was boho romantic! We wanted the atmosphere of our wedding day to have a distinct soft and romantic feel. We wanted everyone to feel the love in the air! The venue was styled in chic neutrals, think dried florals like pampas grass, bunny tails, and ruckus. And I always knew I wanted to incorporate my favorite color into my wedding, so we had dusty rose and light pink colored roses sprinkled throughout. We both grew up loving the ocean and are at the beach any chance we get, so having the cocktail hour and reception right on the water felt like home.
What were your colors?
We incorporated various shades of dusty rose, neutrals, white, and gold. I’m a pink-loving girl, so neutrals were the obvious color palette for me. I always knew I wanted to incorporate my favorite color into my wedding, so we had dusty rose and light pink colored roses sprinkled throughout. We also mixed in some white roses and a touch of cascading orchids in my bouquet. My bridesmaids wore dusty rose, which is actually the same color my mom had her bridesmaids wear for her wedding back in 1984, so that was a special touch.
What did you look for in a wedding DJ?
I feel like a DJ is a really hard vendor to pick because it’s not like you can look at their previous work like you can with a photographer, videographer, or even a florist. Unless you’ve been to a wedding they’ve worked, you’re choosing blind. Luckily our wedding planner highly suggested one DJ to us, and we’re glad we listened.
Chris, with Graingertainment, was great, kept the party going, and read the room. He also provided the photo booth we had, which was a big hit! The guy working the photobooth was phenomenal! People kept saying how funny he was.”
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
My wedding planner was a blessing. She kept things organized and took a lot of the stress of planning a wedding off of me. She treated me more like a friend than a client and made herself available whenever I needed her. My florist and videographer also blew me away!
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Don’t have too long of an engagement. The typical one-year is perfect! Unfortunately, due to COVID, we didn’t have much of a choice and were engaged for a year and eight months. I got so much stuff done at the beginning of our engagement when it came to booking vendors and making decisions, but then I took a break. Too long of a break, and the time crept up on me, and the stress followed.
Also, test out different lipsticks ahead of your wedding day, don’t just depend on your makeup artist. Test out the longevity of different lipsticks when it comes to eating and kissing. You definitely want it to last, and you want to have it with you for touch-ups instead of the small sample you may get from a makeup artist. I recommend Maybelline Super Stay Vinyl Ink Liquid Lipstick!
