Monic and Andrew’s downtown St. Pete wedding was a classic celebration filled with neutral flora and greenery along with nods to their pets, favorite sports teams, and date night traditions. Guests enjoyed sweeping views of the nearby park’s green space and local marina, which inspired the natural color palette for the event.

“We didn’t have an official theme, but wanted something simple and timeless. We are both pretty easygoing and didn’t want to do anything over the top,” the bride shared. “Our colors were a palette of dusty blue, navy, sage, gold, and white. Blue is our favorite color so that was easy, and the other colors just naturally flowed with the venue. Once we selected The Birchwood, the view of the park and the water lend themselves to beautiful blues and greens, so we just wanted to play off the natural colors and beauty of the view.”

The born and raised St. Pete bride relied on Marry Me Tampa Bay’s local expertise to aid her in selecting a key wedding vendors. Along with a personal referral for their photo and video team, and a previous visit to the Birchwood, they turned to their wedding planner to help guide the rest of the process.

“We found both our wedding planner, Blue Skies Weddings & Events, and our wedding cake vendor, through Marry Me Tampa Bay,” the bride recalled. “Marry Me Tampa Bay helped me initially with thinking about all of the different types of vendors and aspects that would be needed and also helped me with looking up well rated vendors in my area.”

The couple sought a charming and convenient wedding venue that boasted inclusive amenities for their 90-guest November celebration. The on-site lodging, catering, and indoor and outdoor event spaces at the boutique hotel made it the perfect choice.

“We knew we wanted to be in downtown St. Pete, and a view of the water was ideal. With it being Florida, we were worried about the rain so we definitely wanted the wedding inside to not have to deal with the hassle of last-minute changes. We also wanted it to be easy to navigate to for some of guests that needed extra accommodations. A venue with a hotel was also a plus, because over half of our guest list was from out of town,” the bride revealed. “The Birchwood made things so easy from start to finish. It was not only our venue but also took care of our catering, tables, chairs, linens, uplighting, and bar. Their staff was phenomenal in helping us plan and serve our guests during our night.”

Recognizing the value of working with a skilled wedding planning team, the bride selected Blue Skies Weddings & Events after seeing them listed as a preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay wedding planner for their experience at her venue, attention to detail, and ability to transform a creative vision.

“We wanted a planner who understood us and our vision for our wedding and who was familiar with the venue. Blue Skies Weddings & Events have done a lot of weddings at The Birchwood so that was the first thing we liked about them,” the bride beamed. “We reviewed their packages and talked to a few different planners, and Blue Skies understood our vision and was able to help us the most with our questions so we went with them. Their service was outstanding. Samantha helped us with so many details and aspects that I would have never thought of myself; from the big plans to small details, they were there every step of the way.”

The pair customized the wedding day experience by threading their personalities throughout the decor, food, and favors. From signage featuring their fur babies, to handwritten oyster place cards courtesy of Inky Fingers Calligraphy, each element reflected their relationship in a way that felt authentically ‘them.’

“We incorporated our personalities into the wedding in a ton of different ways and surprises for each other. We included our dogs in as much as we could without actually having them there. Our dogs were on our welcome sign, on cocktail napkins, the bar sign, and we had a biscuit bar for to-go treats for our guests’ pups back at home. And oysters are our favorite date night so we used oyster shells as name cards on the tables for all of our guests,” Monica detailed. “My husband and I share a love for our sports teams, which led to surprises we had for each other during the wedding. Andrew surprised me with my a new Tampa Bay Lightning captains jersey complete with my new last name! I surprised him with a wedding cake that had our favorite team logos hidden on the back.”

While searching for a photographer, Monica’s priority was finding someone with not only an impressive portfolio of work, but someone with whom she felt at ease, allowing her to feel comfortable in front of the camera.

“I wanted a photographer who, above all else, I would feel comfortable with. I liked the style of Sabrina Autumn Photography‘s photos and videos I had seen, and once we talked I knew it would be a great fit,” the bride raved. “Sabrina came highly recommended by family friends and I had seen a lot of her work in the past that I liked. I messaged Sabrina letting her know what I was looking for and a little bit about myself and Andrew. We clicked immediately and it was a great fit, she was very quick in responding and helping me prepare.”

The master of ceremonies and DJ from Tampa Bay DJ Company ensured that the reception formalities flowed smoothly, from introductions to formal dances to speeches. While the entire evening was noteworthy, it was the maid of honors speech, which was a true stand-out performance, that stole the show.

“My sister and maid of honor’s speech was amazing!” Monica gushed. “She wrote an awesome rap about my husband’s and my relationship and performed it as her speech. She had everyone laughing and got a standing ovation! The video is on my instagram and facebook, we still rewatch it all the time!”

Where did you host your bachelorette party?
My sister and maid of honor planned my bachelorette and combination 30th birthday party together. We stayed somewhat local and got an AirbnB in Tampa for the weekend. Most of the girls were local and it was easier to plan a weekend nearby rather than to travel. 

The Proposal:
Andrew is never good at surprising me, so I was positive that he was going to propose during our dinner reservation at Urban Stillhouse. Earlier that day, we went out to lunch with friends in downtown St. Pete and then went for a walk by the water. As we were walking along the seawall, I was just chatting away when I realized no one was walking with me anymore. I turned around to see Andrew on one knee, with my best friend watching from the side. 

What did you look for in a wedding photo and video team?
I wanted a photographer who, above all else, I would feel comfortable with. I liked the style of Sabrina Autumn Photography‘s photos and videos I had seen, and once we talked I knew it would be a great fit.

Sabrina came highly recommended by family friends and I had seen a lot of her work in the past that I liked. I messaged Sabrina letting her know what I was looking for and a little bit about myself and Andrew. We clicked immediately and it was a great fit, she was very quick in responding and helping me prepare.

What did you look for in a wedding planner?
We wanted a planner who understood us and our vision for our wedding and who was familiar with the venue.

Blue Skies Weddings & Events have done a lot of weddings at The Birchwood so that was the first thing we liked about them. We reviewed their packages and talked to a few different planners, and Blue Skies understood our vision and was able to help us the most with our questions so we went with them. Their service was outstanding. Samantha helped us with so many details and aspects that I would have never thought of myself; from the big plans to small details, they were there every step of the way.

What did you look for in a wedding venue?
We knew we wanted to be in downtown St. Pete, and a view of the water was ideal. With it being Florida, we were worried about the rain so we definitely wanted the wedding inside to not have to deal with the hassle of last-minute changes. We also wanted it to be easy to navigate to for some of guests that needed extra accommodations. A venue with a hotel was also a plus, because over half of our guest list was from out of town.

The Birchwood made things so easy from start to finish. It was not only our venue but also took care of our catering, tables, chairs, linens, uplighting, and bar. Their staff was phenomenal in helping us plan and serve our guests during our night.

Why did you choose to design custom name cards?
Our favorite date night has always been oysters, and I wanted a way to incorporate oysters into our wedding as a personal touch. I found the idea to use oyster shells as a name place setting from searching online, and the link I found was from a prior wedding Inky Fingers Calligraphy had done.

Margot explained everything and showed me samples of the different options and colors to make sure my final product was exactly as I wanted. She was also very accommodating taking multiple last-minute adjustments on my guest list names. We still use our oyster around our house as decor today! 

What did you look for in a wedding DJ?
We wanted someone who could understand both our music styles and be able to blend them well. 

Tampa Bay DJ Company came highly recommended by our wedding planner, and they matched us with a DJ who had a similar music taste and was able to mix in all our favorites throughout the night. Overall the music and service were great.