Brittany and Gregory's destination Sarasota wedding focused on food and guest experience for the outdoor elegant affair.
“My theme was an elegant, classy, and somewhat tropical theme. I chose a variety of greenery for my flowers because I love the outdoors,” the bride shared. “Our colors were gold, navy, and dusty rose. Gold was the accent, the navy was the suits that the guys wore, and the girls wore dusty rose.”
MORE: TROPICAL WEDDING INSPIRATION
Visiting Sarasota is an annual tradition for the Cincinnati couple who turned to Marry Me Tampa Bay to research wedding venues.
“I reached out to Marry Me Tampa Bay about some different venue options,” Brittany explained. “We chose Sarasota for our wedding because we vacation there every summer. I have been going to the area for 31 years for family vacations and it is like a second home to me. The fact that we were able to get about 100 of our closest family and friends to travel to Florida for our destination wedding made it very unique.”
When choosing a Sarasota wedding venue, uniqueness, outdoor space, and an intimate setting were top priorities for the bride and groom.
“We loved The Resort at Longboat Key Club once we saw it. It was actually the first and only venue that we visited. We love the atmosphere that it gave off as far as a vacation for our guests, the proximity to the beach, and the convenience of the resort amenities for everyone,” the bride gushed. “We found that their service was absolutely wonderful, and the wedding venue coordinator and her team made it a very successful event. Most of the vendors we found were suggested by the Longboat Key Club wedding coordinator Ayla Goggin.”
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE RESORT AT LONGBOAT KEY CLUB WEDDINGS | EMAIL AYLA
Looking back, some of Brittany's favorite memories from throughout the day, including her ceremony, portraits, and reception.
“Our most memorable moment was when we were married in the church which was Saint Martha’s in downtown Sarasota. Another very memorable moment was when we were able to get onto someone’s yacht to take our wedding pictures,” the bride reminisced. “At the reception, it was wonderful to be surrounded by all your closest family and friends for a night all about you and your husband. We also could never forget when the golf course sprinklers came on for a split second. Thankfully no decor was ruined, and it is considered good luck to rain on your wedding day!”
The Proposal:
Greg proposed when we were out on a date night on December 16, 2017. He did it in our hotel room before we had dinner. It was a very private proposal for just the two of us.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
Elegant, classy, and somewhat tropical. I chose a variety of greenery for my flowers because I love the outdoors.
What were your colors?
Gold, navy, and dusty rose. Gold was the accent, the navy was the suits that the guys wore, and the girls wore dusty rose.
What did you look for in a wedding venue?
Uniqueness, outdoors, and an intimate setting. Food was important.
I want to learn more about weddings at Longboat Key Club.
We loved The Resort at Longboat Key Club once we saw it. It was actually the first and only venue that we visited. We love the atmosphere that it gave off as far as a vacation for our guests, the proximity to the beach, and the convenience of the resort amenities for everyone. We chose food stations because we both like to think of ourselves as “foodies” and love to try a variety of things. We found that their service was absolutely wonderful, and the wedding venue coordinator and her team made it a very successful event. Most of the vendors we found were suggested by the Longboat Key Club wedding coordinator Ayla Goggin.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
I would suggest that you do research prior to choosing any of your vendors. I also highly suggest reading reviews for each vendor and venue locations. Usually, people are pretty honest about their reviews. The planning process is sometimes stressful but it is also a lot of fun and chances are you will never do this type of planning again in your lifetime. So make the most of it and roll with the punches.
Ceremony Venue: St. Martha Catholic Church
Reception Venue and Caterer: The Resort at Longboat Key Club *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Venue
Photographer: Corner House Photography
Planner/Rentals: Swanky Soirée
Florist: Flowers By Fudgie
Cake: Cakes by Ron
DJ: DeLair Entertainment
Officiant: Father Fausto Stampiglia
Invitations: Shutterfly
Transportation: Siesta Trolley Inc.
Dress: Christina Wu Brides, Morilee
