Lakeside Wedding Ceremony with White Garden Chairs | Lakeland Private Home

Intimate Classic “Father of the Bride” Backyard Lakeland Wedding

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Kate and Anil’s waterfront Lakeland wedding was the definition of picturesque, as it took place on the lawn of the bride’s childhood home overlooking Lake Morton, making it reminiscent of Father of the Bride. A timeless color palette of blues, whites, and greenery created a cohesive look that elevated the lakeside property’s natural aesthetic.

“There was quite an evolution of our wedding theme, but after we decided on getting married at my parents’ home, we wanted to elevate classical elements while leaning on the beauty of my childhood home and its architecture. It was important to us to only accentuate the home with a classic, simple modern twist with natural greenery and florals and not try to change it with too many competing elements,” the bride shared. “We chose cool blue tones, as Anil’s and my favorite color is turquoise. It was important it wasn’t a ‘matchy-matchy’ event, so we didn’t have one true blue we were leaning on. This can be seen in my bridesmaid’s dresses and light-colored hues throughout the event.”

The New York bride prioritized finding women-owned businesses when choosing her wedding vendor team, and she used Marry Me Tampa Bay to help research options. The all-star vendor team was crucial in a successful evening, as the October wedding unexpectedly faced the eye of Hurricane Ian passing over Lakeland the week of the celebration.

“Being surrounded by our family and friends was the most important element. But we can joke now that, post-hurricane, having the opportunity to get our marriage license and getting electricity back the night before was right up there to make or break the evening,” Kate joked. “We were very lucky that the core elements of our wedding still worked out given the timing of Hurricane Ian.”

Including the pairs’ cultural backgrounds was important to the couple, which they accomplished through food and drink and traditional Turkish traditions.

“The blending of our American and Turkish cultures led to a unique evening with music and dances some of our guests hadn’t seen before,” the bride shared. “As this was my parents’ home and it included a lot of my elements, it was important to me to include aspects of Anil’s Turkish culture. We naturally had to have Raki as a drink choice and Turkish music, and I wore gold bracelets that symbolized getting married in his culture. In Turkish culture, you give gold at weddings, so it was important to us to commemorate his parents, who were unable to attend.

Kate wanted to relax and enjoy her family in the moments captured, so she sought a wedding photographer and videographer team with a creative edge. Lakeland-based Garry and Stacy Photography Co.’s effortless poses and relaxed personalities were the perfect combinations.

“We were interested in a specific style that could tell the story of our wedding and not have it be the classic pose here and there that was too structured. We wanted fun, movement-filled photos and videos that truly captured the day. I’m pretty particular when it comes to photography, as I worked in the space myself, and it was great to find a team we could lean on where we knew their style and quality of shooting matched what we were looking for,” the bride revealed. “With Garry and Stacy Photography Co.’s team, we felt that and trusted their vision to capture our day beautifully. They were fantastic to work with, made us immediately comfortable, and were a team I could trust to carry out our vision.”

Planning her dream wedding from afar, the bride relied on an enthusiastic and creative female-owned wedding planning company, Wilder Mind Events, with a knack for adding their own ideas. The intimate 47-guest celebration blended the couple’s American and Turkish backgrounds with just the right touch of romance as guests were guided to a tented backyard reception where Grant Hemond & Associates kept the dance floor packed with the couple’s favorite hits.

“We wanted someone we could inherently trust, who was also Type-A, organized like me, and had a fun demeanor, as the main goal of the day was to truly have a blast and not worry about a thing. Morgan and Taycora at Wilder Mind Events were a dream and really went above and beyond to help us pull everything together after Hurricane Ian. We had many last-minute-by-minute updates leading up to the day with our ‘plans A-D,’ not knowing how much damage the hurricane would lead to,” Kate explained. “My focus was finding woman-owned businesses, and after speaking to Delaney at Wilder Mind Events, I felt we found a partner we could trust and lean on as our month-of coordinator. They had a fun eye and a playful demeanor we were looking for, combined with Type-A organization we felt was a good match.”

While Kate thought about her favorite memories of the day, it was a collection of moments that made the entire experience unforgettable.

“There are so many to choose from: walking down the aisle with my dad, seeing Anil for the first time, running along Lake Morton for photos and video wondering how much bird poop we stepped in, dancing on the dance floor with our friends and family, to having a last dance with only Anil and me for a moment alone before we exited for the evening,” the bride reminisced.

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Bride and Bridesmaids Getting Ready | Dusty Blue and Navy Mismatching Satin Wedding Pajamas
Bride and Bridesmaids Getting Ready | Satin Open-back A-Line Wedding Dress with Bow

How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
There was quite an evolution of our wedding theme, but after we decided on getting married at my parents’ home, we wanted to elevate classical elements while leaning on the beauty of my childhood home and its architecture. It was important to us to only accentuate the home with a classic, simple modern twist with natural greenery and florals and cool colors and not try to change it with too many competing elements.

What were your colors? 
We chose cool blue tones, as Anil and I’s favorite color is turquoise. It was important it wasn’t a “matchy-matchy” event, so we didn’t have one true blue we were leaning on. This can be seen in my bridesmaid’s dresses and light-colored hues throughout the event.

Rattan Lanterns with Unplugged Wedding Ceremony
Lakeside Wedding Ceremony with White Garden Chairs | Lakeland Private Home

The Proposal:
Under the guise of my 30th birthday, Anil and a couple of our friends went to the Poconos in Pennsylvania for a weekend away. He proposed after asking to “take a walk” at sunset, leading to our friends coming with cheers and champagne to celebrate. Exactly what we wanted as a couple; a low-key moment to truly capture the love we have for each other.

Lakeside Wedding Ceremony with White Garden Chairs | Lakeland Private Home
Bride and Groom Vow Reading | Banana Leaf, Monstera, Fern Wedding Altar | Lakeside Wedding Ceremony Inspiration
Bride and Groom Vow Reading | Lakeside Wedding Ceremony Ideas
Bride and Groom Kissing Wedding Portrait | Tampa Bay Videographer Photographer Garry and Stacy Photography

What did you look for in a wedding planner?

We wanted someone we could inherently trust, who was also Type-A, organized like me, and had a fun demeanor, as the main goal of the day was to truly have a blast and not worry about a thing.

My focus was finding woman-owned businesses, and after speaking to Delaney at Wilder Mind Events, I felt we found a partner we could trust and lean on as our month-of coordinator. They had a fun eye and a playful demeanor we were looking for, combined with Type-A organization we felt was a good match.

Morgan and Taycora at Wilder Mind Events were a dream and really went above and beyond to help us pull everything together after Hurricane Ian. We had many last-minute-by-minute updates leading up to the day with our ‘plans A-D,’ not knowing how much damage the hurricane would lead to.

Bride and Groom Lakeside Wedding Portrait | Lakeland Wedding Photographer Garry and Stacy Photography Co.
Bride and Groom Veil Wedding Portrait | Lakeland Photographer Videographer Garry and Stacy Photography Co.

What did you look for in a wedding photography/videography team? 

We were interested in a specific style that could tell the story of our wedding and not have it be the classic pose here and there that was too structured. We wanted fun, movement-filled photos and videos that truly captured the day. With Garry and Stacy Photography Co.’s team, we felt that and trusted their vision to capture our day beautifully.

Garry and Stacy’s team were fantastic to work with, made you immediately comfortable, and was a team I could trust to carry out our vision. I’m pretty particular when it comes to photography, as I worked in the space myself, and it was great to find a team we could lean on where we knew their style and quality of shooting matched what we were looking for.

Bride and Groom Outdoor Wedding Portrait

Where did you spend your honeymoon?
We chose Turkey as our honeymoon location as my now-husband, given his green card journey, had not been home to Turkey in 6.5 years nor seen his family. He received his green card a month before our wedding, and it was incredibly important to us to spend extended time there to not only see (and for me to meet) his family but to travel to his favorite places. I had never been to Turkey before and was excited to see where he was from and eat a lot of great food.

Where did you host your bachelorette party?
My bachelorette party was hosted in New York City as it was an easy core location for my friends and provided a lot of opportunities to eat great food, which was my goal. We celebrated over good eats and a private boat tour of Manhattan and ended the weekend with a favorite pastime of mine and Anil’s, picnicking in Central Park.

White Tent with Drapery | White Backyard Wedding Reception Ideas
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Bride and Groom First Dance | Tampa Bay DJ Grand Hemond and Associates
Bride and Groom First Dance | Tampa Bay DJ Grand Hemond and Associates | Planner Wilder Mind Events | Photography Garry and Stacy Photography Co.

What did you look for in a wedding DJ?

We wanted someone who would be comfortable playing both contemporary western and Turkish music and someone who could rally our guests to get to the dance floor and elevate the evening with a fun vibe.

Jody at Grant Hemond & Associates did a great job and was very flexible with what we needed. He was great to work with and captured what we were looking for. The blending of our American and Turkish cultures led to a unique evening with music and dances some of our guests hadn’t seen before.

Bride and Groom Grand Exit | Sparkler Send off

Which vendors really exceeded your expectations and how?
We were truly very happy with all of our vendors. We were very particular with whom we chose and had great partners across the board. Especially after Hurricane Ian, everyone rallied, and we were able to pull off a truly beautiful evening where our guests had no idea what went on behind the scenes, not even 24-hrs before to pull it off.

What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Don’t worry about what others will think or what the biggest trend on wedding TikTok is. Do what you want to do. It’s your day. Celebrate how you want.

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Feature Credits

Vendors and venues marked with

are Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pros and have been personally vetted by our editor.

Rehearsal Dinner VenueFrescos Southern Kitchen & Bar
Florists/DecorBloom Shakalaka
DJ/Band & Live EntertainmentGrant Hemond & Associates
DJ/Band & Live Entertainmentsweet Caroline Entertainment
Invitations & StationeryTruly Engaging by MagnetStreet
Dress and Bridesmaid AttireThe Southern Swan
Bridesmaids DressesMarchesa
Bridesmaids DressesAstr the Label
PhotoboothBourbon Booth
Limo and TransportationLakeland Limos
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About the Author

Anna Coats

Marry Me Tampa Bay editor Anna Coats created Marry Me Tampa Bay in 2012 to showcase the area’s best local weddings and vendors. She has been featured as a wedding expert on the national talk show Daytime, Fox13, ABC Action News, Great Day Tampa Bay, and Bay News 9 (now Spectrum).

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