Tina and Ray
Sacred Heart Catholic Church/Hotel Haya
“Our wedding was very simple, elegant, and botanical. I’m a very less-is-more type of person when it comes to style, and I wanted something very timeless. I chose shades of green with black and white because of their simplicity and timelessness.” -The Bride
FEATURING
Tina and Ray’s elegant Ybor City wedding blended timeless black-and-white details with lush botanical greenery, creating a refined yet relaxed atmosphere that reflected their simple, classic style. Their day began with a traditional Catholic church ceremony at Sacred Heart Catholic Church before continuing to a lively reception at Hotel Haya, where meaningful cultural traditions and vibrant celebration filled the evening. Elegant greenery-forward florals complemented the historic architecture while subtle cultural elements honored the couple’s Filipino, Vietnamese, and Chinese heritage. Held in September with 143 guests in attendance, the celebration felt both intimate and joyful as family and friends gathered to witness a full-circle moment for the couple in the city where their story first began.
“Ray and I have spent half of our relationship long-distance. Our wedding was on our six-year anniversary after we finally moved in together and stopped living in separate states. This was a full-circle moment that was really special to us,” the bride revealed. “During our reception, we both wore red in honour of Ray’s Vietnamese/Chinese heritage. Ray wore a red ao dai, while I wore a red dress with a Filipino sleeve bolero. These traditions were very important for us to highlight, as our parents are immigrants who always celebrated our cultures.”
The Bach Party & Honeymoon
“We went to Austin, TX, for my bachelorette. I wanted to go somewhere I’ve never been before that also has a great food scene. I’m a huge foodie, and Austin was recommended to me by a few people. We did the perfect amount of hanging and chilling at the pool, and eating/ordering at the most recommended spots. It was perfect!
We went to Cabo, and we stayed at an all-inclusive. We wanted a honeymoon that wouldn’t break the bank and somewhere where we could just relax and hang out. We are also saving up for a longer vacation to the Philippines and Japan next year.”
The Details
“Our ceremony/mass and the incorporation of our cultures throughout the day were most important to us. We come from very Catholic families, so having our ceremony at Sacred Heart Catholic Church was a dream come true. The church itself is beautiful, and our priest, Fr. Jojo, really helped us to bring our Filipino culture into the ceremony. We incorporated our Filipino wedding traditions, such as the arras, veil, and cord, into the ceremony/mass, which was really important to both of our families.
During our reception, we both wore red in honour of Ray’s Vietnamese/Chinese heritage. Ray wore a red ao dai, while I wore a red dress with a Filipino sleeve bolero. These traditions were very important for us to highlight, as our parents are immigrants who always celebrated our cultures.”
From the Photographer
“Tina and Ray’s wedding was filled with Filipino traditions, including the cord and veil ceremony during mass and the lively money dance at the reception. Because they’ve spent most of their relationship long-distance with Ray in the military, this day was one of the rare moments their families and closest people were finally all together. Their wedding blended a classic black and white with a subtle botanical vibe.”
-Jennifer Reed, Photographer at J&S Media
The Proposal
“We were living in Maryland at the time and planned to go see the cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC. It was cold and wet, since it had just rained for a few days before we went. We were walking around, and there were tons of people around since it was peak season. Ray stopped near one of the Cherry Blossom trees and asked me to marry him. I was, unfortunately, grumpy because it was so cold outside, but the proposal quickly changed my mood. Now it’s just another funny story we have to share.”
The Planning
The Olive Tree Weddings
“I wanted a planner who was familiar with my venues, so they could provide guidance throughout the process.
I found Olive Tree Weddings on Hotel Haya‘s preferred vendor list. When I initially reached out to Amanda, she was quick to respond and very friendly on the phone. What stood out to me most was that she has helped plan many weddings at both Sacred Heart Catholic Church and Hotel Haya, which won me over. I hired her for a month of coordination, and her organization and communication with the rest of my vendors kept me stress-free the whole month. I would recommend them to all of my friends who are planning weddings.”
The Photography & Videography
“Ray and I wanted a team with whom we feel comfortable. We wanted to love the quality of their work since it’s one of the most important days of our lives.
I’ve known Jennifer and Scott, the owners of J&S Media, since college, and they are some of the nicest people ever. It was an easy choice, especially since we love the quality of the work they’ve done with our friends’ weddings. We felt comfortable being in front of the camera because of Jennifer and Scott, and Ray and I are not a couple who take many photos together. I couldn’t imagine working with another photographer/videographer team, and J&S Media really went above and beyond for our long 11-hour wedding day.”
The Design
“Our wedding was very simple, elegant, and botanical. I’m a very less-is-more type of person when it comes to style, and I wanted something very timeless. I chose shades of green with black and white because of their simplicity and timelessness.”
The Reception Venue
“We wanted a place where the people were easy to work with and where the venue included many services or rentals. Most of all, we wanted a place that fit our budget.
Hotel Haya was the first place we toured when we were looking at venues. When we were planning, we looked at venues before Ray deployed overseas. When I reached out to them to ask to tour because he was getting deployed, they were quick to respond and made the accommodations to meet with us. This alone showed us how they would treat us as clients for our wedding, and that rang true throughout our whole planning process.
Working with Meghan Hygh was easy, and everyone was so helpful, from the hotel reception to the bartenders. I couldn’t think of a better venue to work with. Plus, Hotel Haya is gorgeous!”
From the Planner
“I wish I could take credit for helping with design elements for this wedding, but this was all Tina! Her ideas were beautifully brought to life by the Ava Elise floral team. I genuinely loved seeing how much joy their friends and family had on the wedding day. We see a lot of weddings, and this group was all so kind and just so happy to be a part of Tina and Ray’s day. I loved the bright greens in the florals; they truly popped in the ballroom!”
-Amanda Biery, Owner of The Olive Tree Weddings
Most Memorable Moment
“We’re simple people. We love good food, good music, and good vibes. We can be very outgoing, and we made sure to be on the dance floor at all times.
Aside from us getting married, our favorite moment was sitting at the sweetheart table and looking at everyone during dinner time. Seeing all of our favorite people in one room really showed us how loved we are by our family and friends.”
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
I really can’t say enough about all of my vendors. Every single vendor truly helped to make the planning process easy for me, and I can say without hesitation that planning my wedding was not stressful at all. This is 100% because of the vendors that I worked with. They were all very easy to communicate with, and that was the most important aspect to me.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Wedding planning is stressful, but don’t make it more stressful than it needs to be. We had a 2.5-year engagement (Ray was deployed for a year of it), and I did a little bit of planning for the last year and a half of it. Focus on what’s most important to you, and the rest will just fall into place.
