Catina and Hays’ navy, marsala, blush and gold Florida wedding was a vision of rustic elegance with candlelight and romantic florals for their reception and a beautiful farm landscape as the backdrop of their ceremony.

“We live in Punta Gorda, Florida but chose Lake Placid as the location for our wedding,” the bride shared. “My husband spent the majority of his life being raised there. The property we picked is family property and also the same place where we met. It held a lot of sentimental value for us. Two days prior to our wedding we had to change venue location due to flooding from Hurricane Irma. Luckily, we had a family friend who was willing to let us use his private property, and it all turned out beautifully.”

Planning a wedding at a private venue can be a logistical feat, so Caitlyn knew she needed a wedding planner who could execute her vision and orchestrate all of the other vendors.

“I specifically reached out to NK Productions after a meeting with our designer. Once they realized that we needed everything to be brought in, and that logistics would be key, they knew they wanted to work with NK Productions.” the bride gushed. “They did an outstanding job! Especially when it came down to the changing of the venue, and the weekend of the wedding. They worked out the kinks of the venue change just two days before the wedding without me ever having to get stressed. It was as easy as calling Nicole and giving the go ahead, and the rest was worked out for me. All vendors were notified and everything switched smoothly.”

MORE: NK PRODUCTIONS WEDDINGS

Personal details made Catina and Hays’ wedding ceremony intimate and unique.

“We did a branding instead of a candle or sand unity ceremony. The brand was designed by my aunt. The frame we branded was made out of cypress wood from my great, great, great grandmother’s home that my grandfather got for me, and then my dad built the frame.”

Music was a main priority for the couple and after hearing the Matt Winter Band play, Catina knew there was no question about having them play at her wedding.

“I attended a wedding expo with my mom in the very early stages of my engagement, before I had anything booked or really any ideas of what I wanted. We were waiting in a really long line to be seated for the bridal fashion show when I heard someone singing a Chris Stapleton song acapella. I walked around until I found where that awesome voice was coming from and that’s when I met Matt Winter Band. They were amazing, and we booked them the next day. I highly recommend the band! The dance floor was occupied all night, and the band not only kept us entertained, but played a great mix of music that kept us dancing and singing along. They were one of my top vendors!”

MORE: MATT WINTER BAND WEDDINGS

Looking back, one of the bride’s most memorable moments was a surprise from Mother Nature during the ceremony.

“As I stepped out to walk down the aisle with my father, it was clear and beautiful. But shortly after we were at the altar, we could hear the rain coming. The officiant looked at me and asked if I wanted to rush through the ceremony quickly or run for cover. Before I could utter a word, the rain was on us. We turned and ran. We made our way through the crowd, hovering under the cocktail tent, and we laughed and hugged friends and family. The best part was that none of the guests ran for cover until we did. They were willing to sit through the rain to celebrate with us. We could feel how much love and support we had as we began our lives together. Five minutes after rain started, it stopped and we walked back down the aisle and did the dang thing!”

What did you look for in a wedding planner?
I looked for reviews and recommendations. Once I found someone with good reviews, I looked at previous weddings of theirs. If I could sense a feel similar to the picture I had in my own head, I looked further. The biggest testament to a wedding planner was word of mouth through other vendors. If several of them said the same planner, we knew they were good to work with, had lasting relationships in the business, and were good.

I specifically reached out to NK Productions after a meeting with our designer. Once they realized that we were proposing a wedding where everything needed to be brought in, and that logistics would be key, they knew they wanted to work with NK Productions. They did an outstanding job! Especially when it came down to the changing of the venue and the weekend of the wedding. Nicole, the owner of NK Productions, and our designer spoke to each other and worked out the kinks of the venue change just two days before the wedding without me ever having to get stressed. It was as easy as calling Nicole and giving the go ahead, and the rest was worked out for me. All vendors were notified and everything switched smoothly. At the rehearsal, it was the first time I had seen the venue. When I arrived Nicole, and her team briefed me on their idea of the layout and how things would run. Talk about top notch service! On the day of the wedding Nicole and the team kept everyone in place and notified us when we needed to be somewhere. This took the anxiety out of it for me. There were always a step ahead of me and I never needed for anything. Spectacular team!

The Proposal:
Hays and I are adventurers. We have a list of bucket list adventures, Rainbow River being one of them. So when he planned a weekend to travel there I thought nothing of it. When we arrived, we immediately hit the water. Canoeing down the river was so much fun! The water was crystal clear no matter the depth, and the surroundings looked like old Florida. As I was taking in the scenery, Hays was constantly on the lookout for the perfect place to ask me to spend the rest of our lives together. He concluded that the tippy canoe was not the best place, so after a couple of hours on the water we took to the hiking trails. We hiked for awhile and marveled at the waterfalls and gardens, and then Hays took me to a dock overlooking that beautiful river. There, he began setting up our GoPro to take some pictures. Next thing I know I’m looking down to see the man of my dreams on bended knee. After he asked me to marry him we hugged and laughed and cried for along time. We spoke about all of the times we’d dreamt of that day, how we knew we were the ones for each other, and many dreams of our future.

How did you incorporate your spouse’s personalities into the wedding?
We are both low key and typically go with the flow, so small gestures like talking during the ceremony and cracking jokes helped lessen the formality and subdue the nerves. As we left the ceremony, we played the song Tall Trees by Alan Jackson.

How would you describe your wedding theme/ design inspiration?
Elegant, rustic with a vision of lots of candles and flowers. We chose this because this is our day-to-day style and something we thought we would not tire of throughout the process. I enjoy flowers and to me there can never be enough! We wanted a romantic, intimate feel and felt that the flicker of candlelight in a dimly lit room would create that effect. I wanted to make sure that every detail was something that felt like us. I am a hopeless romantic, so the abundance of flowers definitely portrayed my personality.

What were your colors?
Navy, marsala, blush and gold. When I closed my eyes and pictured an intimate romantic setting those deep rich colors came to mind. I found some pictures on Pinterest that incorporated the protea flower and lots of marsala flowers with hints of blush. The contrast looked beautiful and romantic and that’s when blush became part of the equation. The gold was a common theme among the candle votives, so we stuck with that color as well.

What did you look for in a wedding entertainment company?
I found Matt Winter Band prior to even having the chance to decide whether or not I wanted a band or DJ. It didn’t take much convincing after hearing him play.

I attended a wedding expo with my mom in the very early stages of my engagement. This was before I had anything booked or really any ideas of what I wanted. We were waiting in a really long line to be seated for the bridal fashion show when I heard someone singing a Chris Stapleton song accapella. I had my mom hold our place in line and I walked around that coliseum until I found where that awesome voice was coming from and that’s when I met Matt Winter Band. They were amazing, and we booked them the next day. I highly recommend the band! They were so easy to work with. We sent them song lists that we would like for our wedding and some of them Matt had to learn prior to the wedding. He sang them live and was outstanding! The dance floor was occupied all night and the band not only kept us entertained, but played a great mix of music that kept us dancing and singing along. They were one of my top vendors!

What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples:
My husband’s advice is find a venue quickly; they are the first things booked. My advice would be to stick with what feels most comfortable. Also, enjoy each phase…things will go wrong, but if you take it in stride it doesn’t matter in the end. Always remember the reason for the day…love.

Ceremony and Reception Venue: Private Property
Photographer: Sarah and Ben Photography
Videographer: Lucky Lemon Films
Planner: NK Productions *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Florist and Rentals: MMD Events
Caterer: Michael’s on East
DJ: Matt Winter Band *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Officiant: Danny Bilyeu
Invitations: Write on Sarasota
Dress Shop and Designer: Solutions Bridal Designer House; Ines Di Santo
Bridesmaid Dress Shop and Designer: Bella Bridesmaids (Orlando); Jenny Yoo
Hair & Makeup: Cutting Loose and Bloom Salon and Spa
Favors: Southern Meets Mennonite
Boots: Lane Boots
Groom/Groomsmen Attire: Men’s Wearhouse and Joseph Abboud