Stephanie and Peter's Italian-inspired destination Sarasota wedding featured an outdoor ceremony, romantic rose-filled circular arch, and intimate candle-adorned reception.
While the New York couple initially hoped to tie the knot abroad, they shifted gears to the sunshine state.
“We originally planned to have a small destination wedding in Tuscany, Italy but due to COVID, we had to change our plans last-minute. We decided the next best thing was to get married on the beach! We are so lucky that both sets of parents live in Sarasota, Florida so it was a no-brainer,” the bride revealed.
The couple tied the knot just steps from the beach at Peter's parents' condo with the ocean breeze adding to the destination feel. The gold circular geometric arch was surrounded by greenery and blush pink roses, while the intimate reception featured wooden French country chairs and long feasting tables adorned with romantic white and blush pink roses, and a multitude of greenery for their 40 guests.
“I absolutely love the rustic Italian wedding vibe so despite not getting married in Italy, I still wanted to stick true to my dream and decided to keep the romantic, rustic look,” the bride shared. “Both my husband and I are family-centered people. We knew we wanted a very intimate affair so we kept things small. Good food and drinks were really important for us so we splurged in that area.”
Planning from out of state, having an experienced Sarasota wedding planner was of the utmost importance to the couple.
“We were looking for someone we felt comfortable with. We were dating for almost 10 years before getting married so we had a long ride before getting hitched. We knew that our wedding was the most important day of our lives, and we wanted someone who would understand and create a vision to reflect that,” Stephanie explained. “From the first call, we knew Lauren of MDP Events was the one. She was attentive, reassuring, and easy to talk to from the get-go. We found the majority of our wedding vendors through our amazing wedding planner. She gave amazing recommendations, and we were beyond happy with the way everything turned out! She was with us every step of the way and was she was an absolute dream to work with!”
Looking back, Stephanie shared that the entire day was unforgettable, even the uncooperating weather.
“The most memorable moments had to be the first look, taking pictures in front of the arch in the strong wind, pulling the arch in from the rain, seeing the table set up for the first time in our venue, and the amazing food!”
The Proposal:
We got engaged on October 19th. It was a complete surprise! We drove about an hour north to a really beautiful hiking spot. We walked miles and miles until we finally reached a cliff. Peter got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. I had no clue!
What did you look for in a wedding planner?
We were looking for someone we felt comfortable with. We were dating for almost 10 years before getting married so we had a long ride before getting hitched. We knew that our wedding was the most important day of our lives, and we wanted someone who would understand and create a vision to reflect that.
We chose MDP Events after hearing about Lauren through word of mouth. We then did a ton of research, reading all her reviews and looking at her past work. We then decided to schedule a call with her.
From the first call, we knew Lauren was the one. She was attentive, reassuring, and easy to talk to from the get-go. We found the majority of our wedding vendors through our amazing wedding planner. She gave amazing recommendations, and we were beyond happy with the way everything turned out! She was with us every step of the way and was she was an absolute dream to work with!
“We were looking for a wedding planner we felt comfortable with. We knew that our wedding was the most important day of our lives, and we wanted someone who would understand and create a vision to reflect that. From the first call, we knew Lauren of MDP Events was the one. She was attentive, reassuring, and easy to talk to from the get-go. Lauren was with us every step of the way and was she was an absolute dream to work with!”
-The Bride
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
All of them! MDP Events was amazing. Lauren went above and beyond in every single way! She was the one to recommend the majority of the vendors. Our photographer was a dream to work with. She was so professional, organized, and sweet. We ran into a little weather issue, and we were planning to be married on the beach but 30 minutes prior to the ceremony it started pouring rain. Our photographer anticipated the rain and got in all the most important beach shots before it down poured. She was an absolute lifesaver for being able to make our dream come true. Our guests cannot stop talking about how delicious the food was; it completely blew us away. Our florist did a breathing job with the florals, the arch, the tablescape, and the bouquet were done with such love and excellence. Our wedding cake was the best cake I have ever tasted.
What advice would you give to other Sarasota couples?
Hire a wedding planner! We all have such busy lives and weddings are such a stressful event, a wedding planner is a great way to take some of the stress off the couple so they can enjoy the planning process.
