Meredith and Ben’s Clearwater Beach wedding featured an Old-Florida inspired wedding theme to represent the bride’s Floridian heritage and a color palette reminiscent of the couples favorite football team, the Green Bay Packers.
“I am a sixth generation Floridian and my ancestors were the original settlers of Key West. The old Florida-style homes, fresh-caught seafood and little beach towns that I grew up with were a driving factor in every decision,” the bride shared. “Our colors were forest green and gold, an upscale play on the colors of our favorite football team, the Green Bay Packers. As Vince Lombardi once said ‘God, family and football. In that order…’ The foundation of our relationship is our love for all three of these, and they all played a key role in our wedding.”
MORE: GREEN WEDDINGS
On the suggestion of the bride’s parents, the St. Pete couple hired Clearwater Beach wedding planner Glitz Events.
“We wanted someone who understood our vision, had a connection to the local industry and could be trusted execute it all on the big day. We found our coordinator, Amy Kladis of Glitz Events , through Marry Me Tampa Bay. Even after meeting with other amazing planners, it was clear that Amy offered everything that we hoped for and then some,” Meredith gushed. “Hiring Amy was the absolute best decision we made in the wedding planning process. She is worth her weight in gold! She is so sweet, had a solution to every problem and truly was the reason our wedding day was flawless.”
Knowing the style of photography that draws in a couple to is an important factor in finding the right Tampa Bay wedding photographer, and the bride and groom were immediately drawn to the light and airy style Ailyn La Torre Photography.
“We wanted someone who could capture our day with this look and feel and, ideally, someone who had shot our venue before, since we know they would be comfortable with the space,” the bride explained. “I instantly fell in love with Ailyn La Torre Photography and knew it was just what we were looking for. She clearly understood our vision the best! I truly felt confident giving her the responsibility of capturing our wedding day!”
Looking back, one of the bride’s most memorable moments was walking down the aisle and seeing her emotional groom.
“My sweet Ben crying like a baby as I walked down the aisle was by far the best moment of the day! We chose to not have a first look because we wanted to share the moment with our friends and family, and it did not disappoint. I think every girl in the room was swooning over just how sweet the moment was,” the bride reminisced.
The Proposal:
I barely remember the proposal because I totally blacked out! I knew Ben was going to propose soon, but thought it would be the following week when we were visiting his family Green Bay, WI. The night of the proposal, we went to dinner at Eddie V’s in Tampa to “celebrate” some big news he had received in medical school that week. I was casually picking out a bottle of wine, and next thing I knew, a bright light was coming towards me (our friend who works there was capturing the moment on his phone!) and Ben was getting up. I blacked out and don’t remember anything past this point except sobbing like a baby! The best part had to be that all of our friends and family were waiting for us at a secret celebration at Jackson’s! We drank and danced the night away, it was definitely a great preview to our wedding reception!
What did you look for in a wedding photographer?
We were both drawn to a light and airy style of wedding photography. We wanted someone who could capture our day with this look and feel and, ideally, someone who had shot our venue before, since we know they would be comfortable with the space.
Ailyn La Torre Photography was actually the reason we found our venue! I was searching for “Clearwater, Florida Weddings” on Pinterest, and one of her blog posts at the Carlouel came up. I instantly fell in love and knew it was just what we were looking for. From there, I knew we had to consider Ailyn when looking at photographers, and after interviewing several options, she clearly understood our vision the best! I truly felt confident giving her the responsibility of capturing our wedding day!
How would you describe your theme?
Old Florida. I am a sixth generation Floridian and my ancestors were the original settlers of Key West. The old Florida-style homes, fresh caught seafood, and little beach towns that I grew up with were a driving factor in every decision.
What were your colors?
Forest green and gold. This was our upscale play on the colors of our favorite football team, the Green Bay Packers. The colors also fit perfectly with the rest of the vision for the wedding, which included white flowers, lots of greenery and brass accents.
What did you look for in a wedding planner?
My parents encouraged us to work with a planner. We wanted someone who understood our vision, had a connection to the local industry and could be trusted execute it all on the big day.
We found our coordinator, Glitz Events, through Marry Me Tampa Bay. Our initial meeting with Amy from Glitz Events was the first wedding related meeting we had in the planning process. Even after meeting with other amazing planners, it was clear that Amy offered everything that we hoped for and then some. Hiring her was the absolute best decision we made in the wedding planning process. She is worth her weight in gold! Amy is so sweet, had a solution to every problem and truly was the reason our wedding day was flawless. I cannot say enough amazing things about Amy and the Glitz team!
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Skip the “shoe box” venue and embrace all of the unique opportunities of our locale! How lucky are we that we have so many amazing venues that show off the beauty of this area!?
Hire a coordinator. Hire a coordinator. Hire a coordinator.
Make sure that your wedding day is a reflection of both of you! I’ve seen friends get caught up in all of the details that they dreamed up for their big day, but it isn’t just your day! Although I took the lead on planning, Ben and I made every decision together in the planning process. It really made the day uniquely ours. If your groom isn’t into planning, find the few details that matter most to him and let him run with it; you might be surprised at how great it all turns out.
Lastly, listen to your groom. If he is going to go out on a limb to share his opinion, it probably really matters to him or it is something you need to hear. During bridesmaid dressing shopping, Ben vetoed the dress had a high neck in the front and back and had 3D floral elements on the neckline. He took one look at the picture and said, “Those Shakespeare collars have got to go!” I am glad he said something because he was 100% right!
Ceremony: St. Cecelia’s Catholic Church
Reception Venue & Caterer: The Carlouel Yacht Club
Photographer: Ailyn La Torre Photography
Videographer: Brogen Productions
Planner: Glitz Events – Amy Kladis
Florist: Wonderland Floral Art
Cake: Publix
DJ: Delite Entertainment
Invitations: Custom Designed by Glitz Events, Monogram by Empress Stationery
Transportation: Jolley Trolley
Dress Shop and Designer: Athena’s Bridal – Morilee by Madeline Gardner
Bridesmaid Dresses: Watters
Hair & Makeup: Lasting Luxe
Guitarist: Matt Jeffries
Brass vessels: WISH Rentals
Rings: King Jewelers
