Amie and Ryan’s intimate destination St. Pete Beach wedding was an iconic garnet and gold-inspired affair at Florida’s iconic “Pink Palace.” The bride and groom prioritized their wedding around their daughters by including blue in the color palette as something extra special for their children.

“Our colors were navy, garnet, and gold. Navy because we all love blue, and gold and garnet, as a nod to Florida State University, and all three are beautiful together,” the bride shared. “When meeting with our wedding coordinator, Jillian Bartosiak with Perfecting the Plan, we wanted our four girls to be the focus of our wedding. All of our girls love the color blue, and that is why it was our main color of choice. I gave Jillian our color ideas, and she ran with it and made it amazing.”

While planning from a different state, Amie sought the guidance of St. Petersburg wedding planner Perfecting the Plan to help coordinate all the moving parts of the day so that the weekend would be relaxing and memorable. The owner, Jillian, previously worked in the wedding department of the couple’s venue, so she was well versed in all parts of their planning.

“Jillian is everything I could ask for. Perfecting the Plan was amazing, and I am beyond thankful for their friendship and services,” the bride gushed. “They made every piece of our dream wedding a reality.”

Hosting their destination winter wedding in St. Petersburg felt second nature to the Georgia bride, who decided on the luxurious Don CeSar hotel as the family could enjoy the picturesque pool and beautiful beaches before their courtyard ceremony.

“Ryan and I love the beach. We wanted a nice but intimate wedding and reception and a beachy, laid-back, but slightly fancy atmosphere. We were able to do both with the outdoor ceremony at The Don CeSar and the indoor/outdoor reception there,” Amie revealed. “We chose The Don because we have a second home nearby, and we have also been there multiple times and loved the service and atmosphere.”

“The couple is the perfect combination of class and casual. They were able to relax by the pool and beach during the day with their friends and family and then head up to their rooms and dress up for an elegant evening in the South Terrace,” Jillian added.

The atmosphere was a priority when designing the 75-guest reception. Renowned florist Botanica International Design Studio created a luxurious wedding aesthetic that captured the couple’s love for the beach and matched the sophistication of their day.

“Amie loves flowers so she wanted a lot. That was her biggest ask. As long as there were tons of flowers, she was happy,” the wedding planner revealed. “Botanica did what Botanica does best! They gave us tons of florals and went well over the top which we loved!”

The sensational colors of the Florida State Seminoles served as Amie’s decor inspiration. Navy and blush florals were added to the design to compliment the softness of The Don CeSar’s pink architecture and the deep blue water that the resort overlooks.

“The inspiration for the wedding came from their wedding invitation. We pulled the color palette and the design style from the invitation into their floral design. We had a variety of blooms, foliages, and textures to create detail. We suggested the addition of blush pink flowers to bridge the white and merlot blooms together,” Zoe Gallina, Creative Director at Botanica explained. “We paired the navy linens with gold chairs, chargers, and flatware to contrast against the rich navy. Also, to transition the color palette, we suggested the merlot linens in the cocktail hour to contrast nicely against their space.”

To add another layer of excitement to the day, hair and makeup artist Michele Renee The Studio styled the bride and her daughters in a simple glam look that made everyone feel extra special for the memorable occasion.

Looking back, it was including their daughters in the day that meant the most to the couple.

“I absolutely loved the dress reveal with our four girls. Our photographer did an amazing job capturing it in the moment. The girls were amazed with the dress up,” the bride beamed. “Our sand ceremony was very meaningful for us. Each girl had their part and their own sand. It was priceless.”