Ashley and Nick's downtown Tampa wedding didn't skip a beat when it came to capturing their vision of laid-back Florida elegance.
“Since we had a lot of family and friends traveling from out of state for our wedding, we really wanted it to feel like a vacation for them,” the bride explained. “Everything we chose, from our venue to our entertainment, was selected to ensure our guests would experience the perfect Florida weekend getaway.”
Planning with their guests' experience in mind, the bride and groom set the perfect ambiance for their pre-ceremony cocktail hour with light refreshments and live music from Sunset Strings.
“My guests absolutely raved about the electric violin player during the cocktail hour, and I am actually disappointed I had to miss it since we were out taking photos during that time!” the bride gushed. “Erica at Sunset Strings was so easy to work with and incorporated everything we requested, and our guests had a really great time.”
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Early in her planning process, the bride looked to Marry Me Tampa Bay for real advice on wedding day inspiration and local vendors.
“I started browsing Marry Me Tampa Bay before we were even engaged to get overall ideas for design, color, and details that we might want to incorporate once we were engaged,” the bride shared. “It wasn't until I was actually engaged that I did a lot more detailed research on the website to find the right wedding planner for our vision. Once I hired a planner, the process of selecting vendors was a lot easier, but I always found my way back to Marry Me Tampa Bay to review vendors and see what other couples thought of their services. I definitely found the website very helpful when it came to planning our special day!”
Specifically looking for for a Tampa wedding planner with experience and knowledge, Ashley hired Special Moments Event Planning who could add to her vision and make it even better than she could have imagined.
“Tammy from Special Moments really took her time to get to know us and what we were looking for before we hired her. We did our research and really felt as though no one in the Tampa area had the experience and ideas like she did,” the bride explained. “When we gave her our vision, Tammy always had suggestions for things we could incorporate, and I really appreciated that when working with her and her team. During the process, I felt like I was able to total relax because we knew they had it all under control.”
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It was important to the couple to find a wedding videographer who could tell the story of their day and create a keepsake that they would take them back to their special day.
“Our whole reason for wanting a video was so we could feel transported back to that moment any time we watched it for years to come,” the bride shared. “After speaking with Kemari of Kemari Lyn Films, we knew we had to have her film our wedding day. She doesn't just love her job, but she loves to share love stories. We were more than thrilled with the finished product!”
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Looking for wedding baker who could create a delicious tasting cake with a modern look, Ashley and Nick turned to The Artistic Whisk for their unmatched expertise and passion.
“Anyone who has been to a tasting with Jovana from Artistic Whisk knows how passionate she is about her job and how much that comes through during her tasting. Not only were her cakes delicious, but I knew working with her would be a breeze,” the bride beamed. “It was really important to me that everyone involved in our wedding truly loved their job and brought joy to our planning process; Jovana was no exception to that. She really took our vision and not only made it work within our budget, but also gave us her own creative ideas. I loved having Artistic Whisk be part of our day.”
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Looking back, Ashley loved seeing Nick for the first time and dancing together as a married couple.
“Our first look was one of my favorite moments because I had been anticipating seeing Nick all day,” the bride reminisced. “Some of my other favorite memories are our first dance as man and wife and our boat send-off at the marina behind the hotel. Being able to finally have a private moment to reflect on the day as we sailed away was priceless.”
The Proposal:
We were less than a month away from a vacation to Thailand, so I figured the proposal would happen on the trip. Nick knew I was anticipating it, but he wanted to catch me by surprise. He set up an elaborate plan weeks before to go on a double date with one of my bridesmaids and her husband. On that day, my friend canceled our plans to see a movie. Nick suggested we still go and grab dinner at Del Frisco Grille, the restaurant where we had our first date.
The staff brought out the ring with dessert! Nick was so nervous he just said, “You're engaged!” I was so excited I said, “Do I get to eat that cheesecake?” So, technically I never said “Yes!” After dinner, we walked down to Cooper's Hawk for a celebratory drink where Nick had secretly contacted all of our closest friends and family to have them waiting at the restaurant to celebrate our engagement.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
Since we had a lot of family and friends traveling from out of state for our wedding, we really wanted it to feel like a vacation for them. Everything we chose, from our venue to our entertainment, was selected to ensure our guests would experience the perfect Florida weekend getaway.
What were your colors?
Navy, mulberry, blush, and gold. We wanted soft, romantic colors that would be good for fall, but that are also timeless and classic.
What was your live music inspiration?
We wanted to incorporate string musicians into the ceremony and cocktail hour for the enjoyment of our guests.
I want to learn more about Live Wedding Entertainment.
We had Sunset Strings play during a pre-ceremony cocktail reception, and they accompanied my sister in singing a song just before the ceremony began. My guests absolutely raved about the electric violin player during the cocktail hour, and I am actually disappointed I had to miss it since we were out taking photos during that time! Erica at Sunset Strings was so easy to work with and incorporated everything we requested, and our guests had a really great time.
What did you look for in a wedding planner?
We wanted someone who was going to see our vision and make it even better than we could have imagined. We weren't looking for someone to just agree with us all the time, we wanted someone to challenge us to be creative. Specifically, we needed a planner who had a lot of knowledge and experience in taking small ideas and making them that much more special.
I want to learn more about Special Moments Event Planning
Tammy from Special Moments Event Planning really took her time to get to know us and what we were looking for before we hired her. We did our research and really felt as though no one in the Tampa area had the experience and ideas like she did. When we gave her our vision, Tammy always had suggestions for things we could incorporate, and I really appreciated that when working with her and her team. During the process, I felt like I was able to total relax because we knew they had it all under control.
What did you look for in a wedding videographer?
We wanted someone who would not just take a video, but who was able to tell the story of our day. Our whole reason for wanting a video was so that we could feel transported back to that moment any time we watched it for years to come.
I want to learn more about Videography by Kemari Lyn Films
After speaking with Kemari of Kemari Lyn Films, we knew we had to have her film our wedding day. Kemari doesn't just love her job, but she loves to share love stories. I felt really comfortable that Kemari would be able to participate in our day with us and would know just what moments to capture and how to present our day on film. We were more than thrilled with the finished product. Kemari was an absolute joy to have around and to work with!
What was your dessert inspiration?
Nick loves chocolate, but I also wanted something unique and fall-flavored. We opted for two different cake flavors, classic chocolate and strawberry, and a more fall-inspired cinnamon flavor. We chose to have a “watercolor” type cake that matched our invitations and color scheme based on an inspiration photo we found. We also wanted to have our dogs incorporated into our day somehow and were able to work them into the cake design.
I Want to Learn More about Desserts & Cake from The Artistic Whisk.
Anyone who has been to a tasting with Jovana from The Artistic Whisk knows how passionate she is about her job and how much that comes through during her tasting. Not only were her cakes delicious, but I knew working with her would be a breeze. It was really important to me that everyone involved in our wedding truly loved their job and brought joy to our planning process; Jovana was no exception to that. She really took our vision and not only made it work within our budget but also gave us her own creative ideas. I loved having The Artistic Whisk be part of our day.
How did you achieve your decor look?
We hired Gabro Event Services per our planner's recommendation and thought they did a fabulous job!
I want to learn more about decor and draping from Gabro Event Services
The way our hotel ballroom was transformed and our sweetheart table with draping made our reception feel like an absolute dream.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Hire a wedding planner even if you don't think you need one! Try finding something unique to you both as a couple that you can incorporate into the day because those are the details that everyone remembers the most. Don't let the opinions of others change too much of your plans. Take dance lessons beforehand if you can. We were able to choreograph our first dance and felt comfortable dancing throughout the evening after having learned some basic dance moves! This definitely made our reception even more fun for us!
Ceremony and Reception Venue, Caterer: Tampa Marriott Water Street
Photographer: Richard Harrell Photography
Videographer: Kemari Lyn Films *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Planner: Special Moments Event Planning *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Florist: The Bride's Bouquet
Rentals: Gabro Event Services *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Cake: The Artistic Whisk *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Live Band: Orlando Dueling Pianos
Live Ceremony Music: Sunset Strings *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Officiant: Maureen Chesson (Groom's Aunt)
Invitations: Minted
Transportation: L3 Limo
Dress: Allure Bridal
Bridesmaides: Azazie – Juliana
Hair & Makeup: Beautiful You Makeup and Hair
Rehearsal Dinner Venue: Yacht Starship *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Event Painting: Nancy Spielman Event Painting
Wedding Workout: Bar Method Tampa *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
