Victoria and Michael’s classically themed Dunedin wedding incorporated elements of the Jazz era that intertwined with the historic venue’s aesthetic and the bride and groom’s musicality.
“Music is a shared passion of ours. I went to a performing arts high school for vocal music, and Michael is musically inclined as well. We carefully chose most of the songs played at our cocktail hour and reception and even had our friends perform a live acoustic version of I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You when I walked down the aisle in our ceremony,” the bride beamed. “Our theme was romantic and elegant. Mike and I are both traditional in a lot of aspects, and we wanted that classical, familiar feel with our wedding. Our colors were ivory, greenery, burgundy, and bronze. I just loved the classy and romantic combination of these colors and knew that they would mesh perfectly with the style of our venue.”
The Clearwater bride turned to Marry Me Tampa Bay to research the most reputable wedding professionals and gain insight into wedding planning.
“Not only did I find most of my vendors through Marry Me Tampa Bay, but I got a lot of great information and tips on things like budgeting, how to navigate planning during COVID, etc. I particularly loved swooning over pictures from other local couples’ weddings and getting ideas for my own,” Victoria shared.
While the bride made most of the decisions leading up to her wedding day, Victoria hired a Tampa Bay wedding planner so that she could enjoy the celebration stress-free.
“We needed someone organized but flexible and really great at communication. I was prepared to plan most of our wedding but I needed someone to bounce ideas off of and who would help me implement them. I was recommended to Coastal Coordinating by both Marry Me Tampa Bay and our venue. I looked up their reviews and reputation and just knew I had to work with them,” the bride gushed. “I chose the Day of Coordination package, and I couldn’t be happier. Lauren was amazing. She was organized, diligent, helpful, and innovative. I had a good idea of what I wanted, but she was great at running with my ideas and fine-tuning them. She never missed a beat and truly went above and beyond several times for us. She was the glue holding it all together on our wedding day and did a fantastic job making sure it all ran smoothly.”
When choosing a photographer and videographer, the couple searched for someone who could capture candid yet vivid photographs and could document the emotion of the day.
“We reached out to Bonnie Newman Creative at the very beginning of our wedding planning process because I was captivated by the video teasers she would post on Instagram. Her wedding films literally make strangers cry, and they definitively made me cry! She followed through with everything she said she would do and truly listened to us when we explained what kind of photo and video we were seeking for our special day,” Victoria explained. “I knew that our photo and video team would be with us and near us for most of our big day, so I had to genuinely like and respect them. Bonnie and Jon were perfect on our wedding day, present but not in the way. They didn’t over pose us and they let us be ourselves. They offered help when we needed it and gave us space to experience every moment organically. I freaking love Bonnie and now consider her a friend. Not only are she and Jon ridiculously talented, but they are also simply great people.”
The couple initially chose a fall date, but due to COVID, had to postpone to the following Spring. Having already fallen in love with her color palette, Victoria kept her original hues with some complementing adjustments made by her florist.
“Florals was the area where I needed the most help. I am not a big flower person. I don’t know the names of many flowers or plants, and I am a bit unsophisticated when it comes to florals. All I knew was that I wanted romantic, showy yet classic and beautiful and someone that could honor my color scheme,” the bride explained. “We found Iza’s Flowers through Marry Me Tampa Bay, and I was blown away by her gorgeous creations and eye for design. When we met with her at her studio, I instantly knew we had to hire her. I’m a visual person, so physically showing me how she would pair certain flowers with centerpieces, metals, etc., helped me visualize everything clearly. She worked with our budget and was flexible when any changes needed to be made. She even spray-painted some of the palms bronze, which I would never have thought of, and brought so much beauty and creativity to our wedding day, and my bouquet was everything!”
Looking back, one of the most memorable moments almost didn’t happen until a suggestion from the photo and video team.
“Originally, I didn’t want the first look. I wanted the first time we saw each other to be when I walked down the aisle because I thought it would be more special and have more of a dramatic effect. Bonnie is actually the one who strongly suggested the first look, and I’m so glad we decided to do it. It was so special having that private moment together before the ceremony, and there were definitely happy tears shared. Plus, I surprised Mike and had our neighbor bring our dogs, Brooks and Ellie to join our first look. I even got them a dress and tux so they showed up ready to party,” the bride reminisced.
What did you look for in a wedding photographer/ videographer?
We wanted someone who could capture emotion really well and someone who could capture candid yet vivid photographs.
We reached out to Bonnie Newman Creative at the very beginning of our wedding planning process because I was captivated by the video teasers she would post on Instagram. Her wedding films literally make strangers cry, and they definitively made me cry! She followed through with everything she said she would do and truly listened to us when we explained what kind of photo and video we were seeking for our special day.
The package we chose came with an engagement shoot, which came out amazing, so we were able to meet with Bonnie and Jon a few times to build rapport and trust. That ultimately is the cherry on top for me. I knew that our photo and video team would be with us and near us for most of our big day, so I had to genuinely like and respect them. Bonnie and Jon were perfect on our wedding day, present but not in the way. They didn’t over pose us and they let us be ourselves. They offered help when we needed it and gave us space to experience every moment organically. I freaking love Bonnie and now consider her a friend. Not only are she and Jon ridiculously talented, but they are also simply great people.
Nicole with Femme Akoi made me look and feel like an absolute queen on my wedding day, and that’s exactly what I was looking for. They are just really great at what they do. They are professional and consistent and make sure that you’re happy with how you look. They made me feel comfortable to speak up if I wanted to change something. Their work speaks for itself, but it also helps that they are genuinely kind people.
What were your wedding hair/makeup inspiration?
I have long hair, and I wear my hair down a lot, so I wanted something different for my wedding day. I spent several months stalking Pinterest and Instagram for hair and makeup inspiration for our wedding. I played with the idea of retro waves at first because of the jazz theme at our venue but ultimately decided that I wanted a soft glam look instead. I chose a low updo bun with a side part braid with some loose curls left out. My grandmother in Colombia bought me a beautiful flower hairpin, which was on top of my bun, and it turned out so pretty. My makeup was the perfect amount of glam without it being caked on and altering my natural features.
The Proposal:
My best friend Dustin was a performer on the Disney Cruise Line, so Mike and I sailed on a Fourth of July weekend. The cruise went to Disney’s private island and the Bahamas. On the night of July 4th, Mike and I went to a fancy dinner on the ship, and the plan was to meet Dustin after dinner for the cast and crew’s party.
When we arrived at the room that would host the party, the door opened, and it was not the cast and crew party. The room was dimly lit, someone was playing All of Me by John Legend on the piano, and there was a table in the center of the room that held champagne, chocolate, and a photo slideshow of Mike and me. Michael proposed on the top deck of the Disney Dream ship. It was a magical engagement in every sense. We ended up going to the real party afterward and celebrated with lots of champagne and dancing.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
Romantic and elegant. We are both classic and traditional in a lot of aspects, and we wanted that classical, familiar feel with our wedding.
What were your colors?
Our colors were ivory, greenery, burgundy, and bronze. We stuck with the color scheme that we chose for our original wedding date in October. Although they were fall colors, and I did struggle with the seasonal change, I just loved the classy and romantic combination of these colors and knew that they would mesh perfectly with the style of our venue. Our florist, Iza’s Flowers helped us adjust our flowers for a spring wedding, but we definitely kept the same colors.
What did you look for in a wedding planner?
We needed someone organized but flexible and really great at communication. I was prepared to plan most of our wedding but I needed someone to bounce ideas off of and who would help me implement them.
I was recommended to Coastal Coordinating by both Marry Me Tampa Bay and our venue. I looked up their reviews and reputation and just knew I had to work with them. I chose the Day of Coordination package, and I couldn’t be happier. Lauren was amazing. She was organized, diligent, helpful, and innovative. I had a good idea of what I wanted, but she was great at running with my ideas and fine-tuning them. She never missed a beat and truly went above and beyond several times for us. She was the glue holding it all together on our wedding day and did a fantastic job making sure it all ran smoothly. I love Lauren!
“Bonnie Newman Creative was perfect on our wedding day, present but not in the way. They didn’t over pose us and they let us be ourselves. They offered help when we needed it and gave us space to experience every moment organically.” -The Bride
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
Sandals Grande Lucian all-inclusive resort. We are big travel people and exploring new places is our favorite thing to do together. We wanted to go somewhere new that felt like an adventure but also somewhere we could relax and not worry about anything. Our travel agent suggested Sandals because of the all-inclusive perk and also because most locations are on beautiful white sandy beaches. We narrowed it down to St. Lucia based on the stellar reviews and because we had never been to St.Lucia. It was all around an amazing and memorable experience.
Where did you host your bachelorette party?
My best friends hosted my bachelorette party in Austin, TX. Austin has been a bucket list destination for a long time. Its slogan is “Keep Austin Weird,” and I knew it would be the perfect place to let loose, be silly, and eat great food. It did not disappoint, and neither did my friends. It was one of the best weekends of my life!
What was your wedding floral inspiration?
Florals was the area where I needed the most help. I am not a big flower person. I don’t know the names of many flowers or plants, and I am a bit unsophisticated when it comes to florals. All I knew was that I wanted romantic, showy yet classic and beautiful and someone that could honor my color scheme.
We found Iza’s Flowers through Marry Me Tampa Bay, and I was blown away by her gorgeous creations and eye for design. When we met with her at her studio, I instantly knew we had to hire her. I’m a visual person, so physically showing me how she would pair certain flowers with centerpieces, metals, etc., helped me visualize everything clearly. She worked with our budget and was flexible when any changes needed to be made. She even spray-painted some of the palms bronze, which I would never have thought of, and brought so much beauty and creativity to our wedding day, and my bouquet was everything!
“We found Iza’s Flowers through Marry Me Tampa Bay, and I was blown away by her gorgeous creations and eye for design. I’m a visual person, so physically showing me how she would pair certain flowers with centerpieces, metals, etc., helped me visualize everything clearly.
She worked with our budget and was flexible when any changes needed to be made. She even spray-painted some of the palms bronze, which I would never have thought of, and brought so much beauty and creativity to our wedding day, and my bouquet was everything!”
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Be present every step of the way through the planning process but especially on your wedding day. It goes by so fast, and you will wish you could do it all over again. Also, don’t forget your veil when you walk down the aisle as I did!