Natalie and Joey's waterfront Sarasota wedding featured a romantic evening under the stars at the historic Powel Crosley Estate. The Tampa bride and groom envisioned a night of fun for their 115 guests, complete with great food, amazing music, and a celebration of their love.
“We didn't have a theme or specific design inspiration and generally strayed away from any traditional wedding rules or requirements. We both loved more simple and elegant styles and picked decor and flowers that were more neutral and classic rather than following a particular theme,” the bride explained. “We did not have an official bridal party. No bridesmaid dresses; my female friends wore black, and the men wore black suits. That gave us a lot of flexibility with the decor. We had mostly neutral florals, whites, and greenery and added a rust color at the last minute.”
Natalie read Marry Me Tampa Bay's real wedding features, particularly those from the Powel, to help her envision her own fall wedding day with 115 friends and family.
“We also looked at a lot of posts on Marry Me Tampa Bay to see the versatility of the venue and preferred vendors. It was nice to see how other real weddings came together and the choices other couples made, especially at our venue,” the bride shared. “It was amazing to see how versatile the space could be to accommodate different tastes, cultures, and even budgets.”
Personality and price were two key factors when choosing a wedding planner, and the couple selected Coastal Coordinating to ensure the day ran smoothly.
“We wanted to make sure whoever we were working with was a good fit for us, personality-wise, since you do a lot of meetings and correspondence during the planning process, and the planner is also there with you on your big and, at times, stressful day,” Natalie articulated. “Coastal Coordinating was a great price for all of the services they were providing as they were bringing so much value to the planning process to make sure everything ran smoothly the day of.”
With the historic estate's iconic waterfront views, the bride wanted to ensure the florals would not compete with the natural scenery. Sarasota wedding florist Monarch Events And Design added greenery to the chuppah, elevating the backdrop of the sunset vows, and included orange and blush flowers into the bridal bouquet and tablescape designs, while string lights provided by Gabro Event Services illuminated the courtyard dance floor.
“We made sure that where we were using flowers, it was really purposeful. We only got one bouquet and boutonniere, then used bud vases for the cocktail and reception tables. We also stayed pretty minimalist with the decorations on the chuppah and chose to only use greenery at the ceremony. Joey's corsage was an orchid, as that was a meaningful flower for his mom, that is no longer with us. Our big flower item was the floral chandelier over the patio. Since this was the center of the venue, we felt it was okay to spend a bit more to make it an exciting feature, and it turned out gorgeous with lots of greenery, flowers, and twinkle lights,” the bride detailed. “Flowers can get expensive really quickly, and we felt like Monarch Events And Design really understood our vision and could do it all at a really reasonable price. Jean's work was gorgeous, and we were so happy with the chandelier, bouquet, and all of the décor.”
While the couple's November wedding was visually stunning, Natalie and Joey focused on hosting an event with a meaningful guest experience.
“We made sure that every decision we made felt authentic and that we were focusing on what was most important to us, that our family was there to celebrate, that our guests were having fun, and that the food and drinks were awesome — rather than making sure it felt extravagant,” Natalie revealed. “We were less concerned about out-doing or over-doing and instead wanted to make sure our wedding was awesome and fun. We tried to stay away from anything that felt forced or that wouldn't add anything to the enjoyment or our memory of the day. We focused less on what chairs we had and more on what would make our and our guest's experience more enjoyable.”
The downtown Tampa couple enjoyed the Sarasota area so much that they stayed at The Resort at Longboat Key for their honeymoon. As Natalie looked back on the entire experience, spending time with her bridesmaids before the ceremony and celebrating with her husband throughout the day meant the most to her.
“I had an amazing time getting ready with my friends and family members at the salon. Joey and his close friends played golf in the morning, and then he got ready at our Airbnb with his family. Our first look was so special, as it was so nice to see each other after such a busy day, and we had a great time taking our couple photos. We then made sure we spent as much of our wedding together as possible while still enjoying food and dancing with our friends and family. It was an amazing day and night!” the bride reminisced.
The Proposal:
Joey proposed in our kitchen after I got home from an OrangeTheory class. I was sweaty as I opened a new YSL purse he had got for me, and the ring box was inside. He proposed on an index card, the same way he asked me to be his girlfriend when I was studying for the Florida Bar.
We then spent the weekend hiking in Providence Canyon State Park in Georgia, as we joked about going there for our first date when we met at Florida State University when I was in law school, and Joey was getting his Master's.
What did you look for in a wedding planner?
Personality and price. We wanted to make sure whoever we were working with was a good fit for us, personality-wise, since you do a lot of meetings and correspondence during the planning process, and the planner is also there with you on your big and, at times, stressful day.
Coastal Coordinating was a great price for all of the services they were providing as they were bringing so much value to the planning process to make sure everything ran smoothly the day of.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
We intended to take a mini-moon at The Resort at Longboat Key and then do a later and longer honeymoon in Italy. However, we are expecting a baby girl and will need to make it to Italy another time. We had an amazing time in Longboat Key; it was amazing to take a pause between the business of the wedding weekend and going back to reality.
Where did you host your bachelorette party?
Siesta Key. Originally we planned to go to Cartagena, but with COVID and concerns about safety, Siesta Key was a better choice. We spent a lot of our time at the Airbnb, hanging in the pool, kayaking, doing a yacht day, and then had one nice dinner out at Jack Dusty at the Ritz Carlton.
What did you look for in a wedding florist?
We made sure that where we were using flowers, it was really purposeful. We only got one bouquet and boutonniere, then used bud vases for the cocktail and reception tables. We also stayed pretty minimalist with the decorations on the chuppah and chose to only use greenery at the ceremony. Joey's corsage was an orchid, as that was a meaningful flower for his mom, that is no longer with us.
Our big flower item was the floral chandelier over the patio. Since this was the center of the venue, we felt it was okay to spend a bit more to make it an exciting feature, and it turned out gorgeous with lots of greenery, flowers, and twinkle lights.
Flowers can get expensive really quickly, and we felt like Monarch Events And Design really understood our vision and could do it all at a really reasonable price. Jean's work was gorgeous, and we were so happy with the chandelier, bouquet, and all of the decor.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration and colors?
We didn't have a theme or specific design inspiration and generally strayed away from any traditional wedding rules or requirements. We both loved more simple and elegant styles and picked decor and flowers that were more neutral and classic rather than following a particular theme.
We did not have an official bridal party. No bridesmaid dresses; my female friends wore black, and the men wore black suits. That gave us a lot of flexibility with the decor. We had mostly neutral florals, whites, and greenery and added a rust color at the last minute.”
How did the rentals enhance the ambiance of your event?
Gabro Event Services did all of our rentals. They also strung the string lights over the patio and lawn and added Chinese lanterns for us.
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
Katy and her team at Coastal Coordinating were amazing as were our photographer team. They both went above and beyond to make sure everything went smoothly, everyone was where they were supposed to be, and Joey, me, and our guests could enjoy every moment of the day without worrying about anything.
What advice would you give to other Sarasota couples?
More is not always more. Weddings are obviously expensive, so pick what items are most important and don't feel bad about spending less on other categories. Getting married at the Crosley was really important to us, as were the photographer, dress, and food. Flowers were less important to us, so we made sure that the money spent on that category was done so strategically. Music was also important; we incorporated live music at our welcome reception and the beginning of our wedding, then had a DJ for when the party got started for dancing.
