Nicole and Alistair's downtown Tampa wedding featured wintery-plaid attire and an all-white wedding with hints of pastel, along with dinner and dancing in a historic bank vault.
“Our theme was simple but elegant. We both like very simple things/designs, but we knew we wanted it to be beautiful/elegant since this was our day,” the bride shared. “Our colors were sky blue and white. Sky blue is my favorite color, so I knew right away that I wanted that. We went with white because it went so well with the blue and with our venue.”
The local Tampa couple envisioned an all-inclusive venue to make the planning process simpler, with a convenient location for their 130 guests, many of whom traveled from out of town for the celebration.
“We wanted something that offered both the ceremony and reception in one place. We also wanted the venue to have the catering included to eliminate us having to find a caterer, and we wanted something that was local and close to things to do so our out-of-town family and friends could do stuff and make a vacation out of the weekend,” Nicole articulated. “We picked The Vault because of how beautiful the space was. We loved the natural lighting and the huge windows. We knew it was the one as soon as we finished the tour! Their service was great! The communication was quick and responsive. The team made our vision come to life!”
After planning all of the special details over the course of many months during the pandemic, along with hosting a smaller ceremony a year prior and postponing their main celebration due to COVID, the couple turned to the team at Parties A La Carte for month of coordination to bring everything together and execute their vision.
“We had done a lot of the planning of finding vendors during the lockdown, and thankfully, we were able to keep them when we decided to postpone our celebration. We needed help with just the finishing touches and the execution,” the bride explained. “After meeting with Jessica and McKenzie at Parties A La Carte, we knew they were the right choice. They listened to everything we wanted and offered help when I needed it. They made our day go perfect, and they brought our vision to life. It was a dream of a day!”
As a nod to the groom's Scottish heritage, the gentlemen sported their clan's kilts, with the signature tartan even appearing on the bride's shoes!
“Something that made our wedding unique was that Alistair and the men in his family wore Scottish kilts to the wedding to represent their clan and heritage. I even had shoes that matched Alistair's kilt,” Nicole beamed.
The couple prioritized documenting their celebration in both still photographs and cinematography and searched for a creative team that offered both services seamlessly.
“We were looking for someone who offered both photo and video services. We specifically chose J&S Media because I loved their style of photos and videos! We immediately fell in love with their photos and videos and knew that we had to have them,” Nicole raved. “After speaking with Jennifer on the phone, we realized that she and Scott were very similar to us. When we did our engagement shoot with them, we knew we had made the right choice. They were phenomenal. We love how they captured the perfect moments from our day.”
Guests enjoyed a memorable dance party during the reception thanks to Grant Hemond & Associates. Sharing special moments with family on and off the dance floor made for some unforgettable memories that Nicole will forever treasure.
“One of the most memorable moments for us was having our daughter, Mia, there with us. We loved watching Mia come down the aisle in a wagon being pulled by our flower girls,” the bride reminisced. “Another memorable moment that we had was when Mia and Alistair danced with me and my dad during the father/daughter dance.”
Where did you host your bachelorette party?
The bachelorette party was kept local, and we went around downtown St. Pete. We chose that because of timing, and I had just had our daughter.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
We didn’t do a honeymoon after this wedding because we wanted to spend time with family that had traveled into town to see us. When we got actually married in April, we went to Key West. We love the island vibes and margaritas.
What did you look for in a wedding venue?
We wanted something that offered both the ceremony and reception in one place. We also wanted the venue to have the catering included to eliminate us having to find a caterer, and we wanted something that was local and close to things to do so our out-of-town family and friends could do stuff and make a vacation out of the weekend.
We picked The Vault because of how beautiful the space was. We loved the natural lighting and the huge windows. We knew it was the one as soon as we finished the tour! Their service was great! The communication was quick and responsive. The team made our vision come to life!
The Proposal:
We were in Clearwater Beach with my family celebrating my pharmacy school graduation. Alistair always told me that he was going to wait until I finished school to propose; well, he did it the very next day on the beach. I had no idea it was coming!
What did you look for in a wedding photographer/videographer?
We were looking for someone who offered both photo and video services. We specifically chose J&S Media because I loved their style of photos and videos! We immediately fell in love with their photos and videos and knew that we had to have them!
After speaking with Jennifer on the phone, we realized that she and Scott were very similar to us. When we did our engagement shoot with them, we knew we had made the right choice. They were phenomenal. We love how they captured the perfect moments from our day.
What were your wedding hair and makeup inspiration?
I knew I wanted an updo for hair and something simple for makeup as I don’t wear a lot of makeup normally.
I hired Femme Akoi Beauty Studio after seeing them on Marry Me Tampa Bay and seeing all their work on Instagram.
What did you look for in a wedding planner?
We wanted someone who could be a month of coordinator. We had done a lot of the planning of finding vendors during the lockdown, and thankfully, we were able to keep them when we decided to postpone our celebration. We needed help with just the finishing touches and the execution.
After meeting with Jessica and McKenzie at Parties A La Carte, we knew they were the right choice. They listened to everything we wanted and offered help when I needed it. They made our day go perfect, and they brought our vision to life. It was a dream of a day!
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
Our theme was simple but elegant. We both like very simple things/designs, but we knew we wanted it to be beautiful/elegant since this was our day.
What were your colors?
Sky blue and white. Sky blue is my favorite color, so I knew immediately that I wanted that. We went with white because it went so well with the blue and with our venue.
What did you look for in a wedding DJ?
We looked for a DJ who would keep the party going all night long. Seeing all the good reviews, we went with Grant Hemond and Associates, and we were not disappointed!
Eric was the best! We got so many compliments about our DJ from guests. He really did keep the party going!
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Try to have fun planning. While it can be stressful and hectic, make it fun with each other. Also, have open communication and be willing to make compromises on some things.
