Natalie and Evan
The Current Hotel
“I would describe our theme as elevated coastal. We love going to the beach, and I’ve always dreamed of having a beach wedding. The CURRENT Hotel offered us a great beach setting with a little bit of modern glam on the inside. Our wedding colors were blue, peach, green, white, and gold. I love color, and we chose these shades because they fit with the spring season on the beach.” -The Bride
FEATURING
Natalie and Evan’s waterfront Tampa Bay wedding combined pastel hues of peach and cornflower with coastal details that reflected their mutual love of the beach. The Florida couple exchanged vows in a secluded ceremony before hosting their 99 guests in a romantic resort ballroom setting.
“Walking down the aisle was the most memorable moment for me. Walking with my dad and seeing all of the people we love there to support us, and then turning the corner and seeing Evan as I walked down the aisle, was a moment that I’ll never forget,” the bride reminisced. “Of course, I was nervous, but I was also happy and excited to marry my sweet husband.”
The Venue
The CURRENT Hotel
“When we were looking for venues, we wanted a venue that was on the water, preferably with beach access. We were also looking for a venue that would take care of preparing and serving the food.
Once we saw The CURRENT Hotel, we fell in love with it. Not only did it have a private beach, great food, nice hotel rooms for guests, and the typical rental equipment (tables, chairs, linens), but The CURRENT associates also made us feel like they would go out of their way to make our day exactly how we wanted it. The service was great!
Having the ceremony at The CURRENT‘s private beach, as well as having most of our guests stay on property, made our wedding unique.”
The Proposal
“Evan proposed while we were in Santorini, Greece. We had rented an off-road vehicle to tour the island that day, and we stopped at a little beach bar for a drink. Evan asked the waiter to take our picture, and then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him!”
The Bach Party and Honeymoon
“We went on a Caribbean cruise for my bachelorette. We had 12 ladies total, and it was perfect because we got to relax and have fun on the ship, but we also got to explore a few different islands.
We spent our honeymoon in Maui, Hawaii. Going to Hawaii has always been a bucket list trip for me. We chose Maui because it seemed like there were a lot of couples’ activities available. We took a sunset sail and drove the Road to Hana. We loved it!”
Finding Wedding Vendors
“I read several Marry Me Tampa Bay articles during my wedding planning journey. I especially loved the wedding planning advice page!“
The Inspiration
“I would describe our theme as elevated coastal. We love going to the beach, and I’ve always dreamed of having a beach wedding. The CURRENT Hotel offered us a great beach setting with a little bit of modern glam on the inside. Our wedding colors were blue, peach, green, white, and gold. I love color, and we chose these shades because they fit with the spring season on the beach.
The ceremony was the most important element for us. We wanted to have an intimate ceremony on the beach officiated by our pastor. The details of the ceremony reflected on the special moments that built our relationship together.
We incorporated our personalities into our wedding in a few different ways. We had signature cocktails named after our dog and cat, and we also designed and created thank-you cards for our guests’ place settings. Additionally, we worked with our band to play our favorite songs, and I DJ’ed during our band’s break.”
Which vendors exceeded your expectations?
All of our vendors absolutely exceeded our expectations! I loved our team, and they made the day so much more fun and enjoyable. Our wedding planner, Marykate Cavanagh of Events by Marykate, was so fabulous! She is absolutely the girl you want to have around on your wedding day! She was so dedicated to making our day perfect!
Our photographer, Ryley Mayoras from Iris and Urchin Photography, was so much fun to be around! She was fun, bubbly, and great at directing us for photos! She is a rockstar! We got 1,200 edited photos from Ryley a few weeks after the wedding.
Our florist, Renee’ Pea (“Mrs. Pea”) from FauxReal Flowers Brandon, did a phenomenal job with our floral arrangements. I wanted faux flowers to keep my bridal bouquet looking just as it had when I walked down the aisle, rather than go through the process to preserve fresh florals. We had an initial consultation with Mrs. Pea to develop our “flower recipe” for the arch, centerpieces, and bouquets. She is so friendly and helpful!
Our band, The Sofa Kings, are good family friends. They provided all of the sound equipment for the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. The lead singer, Al, and the lead guitarist, Rich, worked very closely with Marykate to coordinate the announcements and the day’s timing. We had so much fun singing and dancing with them!!
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Set goals to tackle a few items each month, leading up to their wedding. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all of the to-dos. Finding a wedding planner early in the process is also a great idea! Marykate provided us with a goal tracker and met with us several times to make sure that we were making progress each month, as well as providing advice. Additionally, it’s easy to get carried away with all the ideas you see on Pinterest and Instagram, but most guests won’t remember everything. Simple can be great!
