Glamorous Sarasota Ballroom Wedding | Ritz Carlton Sarasota Wedding
Paria and Bradley's Sarasota ballroom wedding featured an ivory, gold and champagne color palette and elegant atmosphere.
“I wanted the wedding to look elegant and glamorous, while still being classic and timeless,” the bride share. “We had tall, gold candelabras with ivory flowers for the centerpieces, lots of candles, a white dance floor and a cake with ivory flowers between the tiers and a gold monogram.”
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The South Tampa couple hosted two ceremonies, one to honor the bride's Persian heritage, followed by a traditional American wedding.
“During the Persian ceremony, the couple is seated at the Sofreh Aghd, a beautifully decorated table with various symbolic items, each of which represent an element of the couple’s new life and marriage together,” Paria explained. “Someone close to the bride, for me it was my mother, rubs sugar cones together over a delicate, lace cloth, which is held over the couple’s heads to shower their life and marriage with sweetness. At the end of the ceremony, the couple dips one pinky finger in a cup of honey and feeds it to the other to sweeten life.”
To complement their glamorous ballroom wedding, Paria and Bradley chose elegant white and gold wedding invitations and stationery.
“I knew that I wanted a monogram crest and gold foil incorporated, so I just searched for invitations that had those features and fit the theme of glamorous and elegant,” the bride explained. “My best friend had just used Invitation Galleria for her wedding and told me how amazing they were, so I met with them and loved them. They had amazing service, were organized, quick and had great pricing!”
Looking back one the bride's most cherished memories occurred during the wedding ceremony.
“The moment that stands out the most to me was walking down the spiral staircase that was overlooking the ceremony, beautiful Ritz lawn and the water and seeing Brad and all the guests’ faces. It was such an exciting entrance. I could see everyone from up above where I was ‘hidden away' and watch all the bridesmaids walk down the aisle while the string trio played in the background before I made my way down the staircase and down the aisle,” Paria reminisced.
What was your wedding invitation inspiration?
I knew that I wanted a monogram crest and gold foil incorporated, so I just searched for invitations that had those features and fit the theme of glamorous and elegant. My best friend had just used Invitation Galleria for her wedding and told me how amazing they were, so I met with them and loved them. They had amazing service, were organized, quick and had great pricing. I would definitely recommend them to anyone!
What was your bridesmaid dress inspiration?
I used Pinterest and wedding blogs like Marry Me Tampa Bay to get ideas for the bridesmaid dresses. Once I chose the designer, fabric and color, I narrowed it down to a few different styles and let my bridesmaids choose from there.
I chose Bella Bridesmaids because all of my best friends have used them for their weddings, and we never had a problem with anything. Their service is great!
The Proposal:
I had always mentioned that I thought getting engaged after two years of dating was perfect. So, I really thought Bradley was going to propose during our two-year anniversary trip, but that didn’t happen. What I didn’t know was that he had already bought the ring and everything before the trip, but didn’t do it then because he knew I’d be expecting it and it wouldn’t be a surprise.
So the next weekend Bradley and I were just hanging out around our apartment when he asked me if I wanted to go have a drink on our rooftop. We went up there and were drinking champagne when he pointed out the restaurant we had our first date at (which we could see from our rooftop), and then led into the proposal and got down on knee! I literally had no idea that he was going to do it then; I was so shocked!! I was perfect because as much as I thought I wanted it to happen on our trip, I love being surprised, and he definitely planned it perfectly!
How would you describe your theme?
Elegant, classic and glamorous. That is just always how I pictured my wedding, and it ties in perfectly with the Ritz Carlton venue.
What were your colors?
Ivory and gold, with champagne colored bridesmaids dresses, because I wanted the wedding to look elegant and glamorous, while still being classic and timeless. We had tall, gold candelabras with ivory flowers for the centerpieces, lots of candles, a white dance floor and a cake with ivory flowers between the tiers and a gold monogram.
What advice would you give to other Sarasota area couples?
Having a day-of coordinator and a good photographer will make the day of your wedding so much less stressful.
Ceremony and Reception Venue: The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota
Photographer: Hunter Ryan Photo
Videographer: Storybook Weddings
Florist: La Vie en Rose
Caterer: The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota
DJ: DJ Borna
String Trio: Strings Attached Inc.
Invitations: Invitation Galleria
Dress Shop and Designer: The Collection Bridal – Lazaro
Bridesmaid Dress Shop and Designer: Bella Bridesmaid – Watters Wtoo
Groomsmen Attire: The Black Tux
Wedding Shoes: Badgley Mischka
Hair & Makeup: Rachel Reumann
