Jessica and Josh
“We wanted our wedding to feel warm, fun, and full of personality. We are both designers and animators, so we really cared about aesthetics and wanted the day to reflect our creative sides. Since we were getting married in the fall, we leaned into that through our color palette and textures while still keeping it modern, romantic, and true to our venue. It ended up feeling perfectly us.
We leaned into rich fall tones, without going too traditional, with colors like terracotta orange, olive green, dusty rose, and deep maroon. They felt modern yet warm and fit perfectly with the colors of Hotel Haya.”
—The Bride
FEATURING
Jessica and Josh’s creative Ybor City wedding was a true reflection of their love story, combining custom artwork with decorative details befitting their historic Florida venue for a unique and memorable guest experience. The Tampa couple hosted their 125 beloved guests for an October celebration filled with warm shades of terracotta and sage, charming stained glass accents, and whimsical flora.
“Being creatives, we took a very hands-on approach to designing the wedding. We treated our wedding like a creative project and poured ourselves into every detail,” the bride revealed. “We created our entire invitation suite from scratch, which was definitely the hardest part, since we had to blend our two artistic voices into a cohesive style. I illustrated the Hotel Haya building for our invites and even recreated the pattern of one of the hotel’s tiles to use as a recurring motif throughout the day. We designed everything from menus, signage, and stickers (we even had a classic custom sticker machine— a super fun, personal touch!). From the custom artwork to the surprise reception dress change and even the late-night Chick-fil-A snack, it all felt like a true reflection of us.“
The Bach Party & Honeymoon
“We did a joint bachelor/bachelorette weekend in Orlando since we share so many mutual friends. We rented a big Airbnb and themed it ‘Camp Young Buck’ (a play on our last names). I made a custom logo, stickers, koozies, and signs, and it was such a blast! We spent one day on a boat, another playing games at the house, and it was the perfect, fun weekend with all our favorite people.
For our honeymoon, we went to an all-inclusive resort in Cancun. We wanted the most classic, relaxing honeymoon possible, a chance to unwind on the beach, soak in everything, and reminisce after such a whirlwind wedding, and it was the best decision ever. We’re planning a big international trip for our first anniversary when we have more time and energy to plan now that the wedding planning craziness is over!”
The Venue
Hotel Haya
“We wanted a space that really matched the vision we had in our heads, something beautiful, full of character, and with the option to be indoors (since Florida weather can be so unpredictable!). We also knew what didn’t feel like us; for example, we knew early on that we didn’t want a barn or something too minimal. We’re drawn to venues with personality and charm and leaned more toward an urban, stylish setting that still felt warm and inviting.
We loved that Hotel Haya was historic and a little industrial, yet still refined and colorful. The textures, stained glass, and exposed brick gave it so much personality. It also felt so authentically Tampa, which was perfect since much of my husband’s family was visiting from out of town, and we wanted them to really experience the city. The service was incredible from start to finish, too; so helpful, accommodating, and genuinely kind. We couldn’t recommend them enough.”
The Proposal
“Josh proposed last December at Pass-a-Grille Beach, one of our favorite spots. He completely surprised me with a beautiful picnic setup filled with flowers, photos, and champagne. I immediately started crying the second I saw it and was totally surprised! After I said yes, we celebrated with our immediate families and FaceTimed all of our friends to share the news. It was the perfect, emotional day, made that wonderful time of year even better!”
The Most Memorable Moment
“There were so, so many memorable moments in our day, but one of the most memorable was walking down the aisle and seeing my husband tearing up while all our loved ones gathered to watch us commit our lives to each other. That was the moment it all really hit, filled with so much gravity, all the planning and effort had led to this perfect, joy-filled day, and all of the work was totally worth it, and now it was time to fully embrace the day we had put so much effort into planning.”
The Photo and Video
Evoke Photo and Film
“Since we cared so much about the aesthetics of our wedding, finding the right photographer and videographer was really important to us! We wanted someone who could capture the feeling of the day, not just how it looked, and someone whose work felt warm, timeless yet current, bright yet elegant. We also wanted a team that prioritized genuine emotion and candid moments over posed or overly staged photos.
Apart from loving all the photos they have in their portfolio and post online, I immediately clicked with Stacy Boyce from Evoke Photo and Film. After one call, I knew they were the perfect fit. They completely aligned with our vision and priorities, and their team’s energy on the day was unmatched. Meeting them for our engagement photoshoot only confirmed that they were the perfect choice for our big day, and the final photos and video captured every emotion perfectly.”
Researching Wedding Vendors
” I used Marry Me Tampa Bay all throughout the planning process. It was such a great resource to see real weddings, compare vendor work, and visualize how other couples styled our venue.
Once we chose Hotel Haya, I spent so much time looking through other Haya weddings on the site for décor inspiration!”
The Inspiration
“We wanted our wedding to feel warm, fun, and full of personality. We are both designers and animators, so we really cared about aesthetics and wanted the day to reflect our creative sides. Since we were getting married in the fall, we leaned into that through our color palette and textures while still keeping it modern, romantic, and true to our venue. It ended up feeling perfectly us.
We leaned into rich fall tones, without going too traditional, with colors like terracotta orange, olive green, dusty rose, and deep maroon. They felt modern yet warm and fit perfectly with the colors of Hotel Haya.
As visual people, the overall aesthetic of the day was really important to us, but even more than that, having all of our friends and family together dancing the night away was what we were most excited for.”
The Entertainment
Graingertainment
“We wanted someone upbeat, trendy, contemporary, and overall just a great vibe, since they really are the vibe-setters with the music they play! We also knew we wanted a DJ who offered rentals, since we had our hearts set on market lights over the dance floor and wanted to bundle everything together for ease.
We met some of the Graingertainment crew at a bridal expo at Armature Works and immediately loved their whole energy. They were cool, down-to-earth, and instantly became our top choice for DJs. After checking them out online and seeing all the amazing reviews, it completely confirmed our decision. They did such a great job at our wedding, too. DJ Gary was incredible, from our pre-wedding call to go over final details all the way to the very last song. He kept the energy up, was so kind, and read the room in a way that made the music flow perfectly. He was confident and calm throughout, which made us feel like we were in great hands the entire night.”
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
All of our vendors exceeded expectations! Evoke Photo and Film delivered the most beautiful, heartfelt images. Carley of Day of Details kept everything running seamlessly before, during, and after the wedding. Regan of Arms of Persephone immediately understood my vision and brought it to life with the most stunning florals, and DJ Gary of Graingertainment set the perfect soundtrack for the night and kept the vibe going! I truly felt like I was in great hands from the moment I booked each of my vendors, and that proved to be completely true.
What advice would you give to other Tampa couples?
Focus on what truly feels like you and don’t get caught up in what you should do. It’s so worth it to pour time into the things that make the day feel personal — those are the details that everyone remembers and that make it unforgettable. All of the work will feel worth it in the end.
