Lexi and Anthony's elegant downtown Tampa wedding was a chic celebration with a traditional church ceremony followed by a luxurious ballroom reception filled with neutral flora, an abundance of baby's breath, and lots of romantic candlelight.
“The theme for our wedding was a very sleek, elegant look with a lot of ivory, white, and gold with acrylic accents. We chose to go with baby’s breath as our main flower for decorations; we loved how they looked!” the bride beamed. “Our colors were white, gold, ivory, and a hint of mauve, which was the bridesmaid dress color. I always envisioned our wedding to have gold accents and some sort of pink, so it worked out.”
Having worked with the families in the past, Special Moments Event Planning returned to orchestrate the Tarpon Springs bride and Michigan groom's celebration.
“We were looking for someone who, above all, was trustworthy. We preferred to work with someone who we were familiar with, and for us, it was Tammy Waterman at Special Moments. We hired Special Moments Event Planning because my brother and cousin used them as their planners. When we saw how seamless their weddings went, and after meeting and speaking with Tammy at their weddings, we just knew we had to go with their company,” the bride raved. “We worked the most with Tammy, Melissa, and Jen. Each and every one of them was an absolute gem and took every single worry we had and alleviated them. They were on top of everything at all times, answering phone calls, text messages, and emails in a very timely manner. Fast forward to the wedding day, we did not have to worry about a single thing. Tammy and her crew treated us like a king and queen! They ensured that it was an absolutely perfect day.”
With a large out-of-town guest list, the pair wanted a full-service hotel to keep things simple for their 200-guest event. The couple selected the expansive ballroom at the Hilton Tampa Downtown to host their nuptials after falling in love with the clean, modern space and impressive chandeliers.
“The first hotel we went to was the Hilton Tampa Downtown, and when we entered, we knew this was our dream venue! From the carpet to the chandeliers, there was not one thing we could complain about. It was so incredibly clean and had all the features we were looking for. We wanted a hall that looked fresh with beautiful chandeliers, a nice cocktail hour area, and, as weird as it sounds, nice bathrooms for guests to use,” the bride revealed. “The customer service was impeccable! We have truly never seen anything like it. The coordinators, especially Melissa, were there to answer any questions we had at any time of day. They truly made the planning process much easier and simpler; they are that good!”
The talented team from Lifelong Photography Studio documented the May celebration, perfectly preserving the festivities and emotions in timeless images that will be forever treasured, while guests posed for their own snapshots thanks to The Gala Photobooth, which also provided them with printed photo strips as keepsake favors.
“Once we saw how flawless the pictures were and how effortlessly Lifelong Photography Studio‘s personalities meshed with ours, we knew we had to choose them. We also loved that since they have done two family weddings, they know our wedding traditions and were able to capture the most perfect shots!” Lexi beamed.
With such a large group of friends and family coming together to celebrate their union, the bride and groom prioritized the guest experience with a focus on quality time and dancing.
“The most important element of our wedding was having all of our closest family and friends present. We both come from large families who traveled near and far, as close as Tampa and as far as Australia, to witness our Holy Matrimony,” Lexi detailed. “With that being said, the second most important element was having a dance floor big enough to fit all of our loved ones!”
The couple turned to Gabro Event Services to elevate the reception style through their broad rental inventory and professional DJ services. Soft draping, decorative lighting, and gold Chiavari chairs transformed the ballroom into an elegant dinner setting while DJ Luis kept the dance floor packed all night long.
“We looked for someone who we knew would provide top-notch services and take the time to know what vibes we were going for at our wedding. Luis, our DJ, ensured that the music we really wanted to be played at our wedding was a top priority, meshing his ideas with ours seamlessly,” Lexi shared. “We know that they give their best and their all into each and every event. Their rentals are extremely high quality, and they made sure our dream wedding came to life!”
The epic dance party led to one of Lexi's and Anthony's favorite memories of the evening when the groom stole the show!
“Aside from the actual ceremony, the most memorable moment was when Anthony crowd-surfed! We were having a great time on the stage, and our singer yelled ‘Jump!' to Anthony. We didn’t think he actually would, but he did, and it was definitely one of our favorite moments of the night!” the bride reminisced.
What did you look for in a wedding planner?
We were looking for someone who, above all, was trustworthy. We preferred to work with someone who we were familiar with, and for us, it was Tammy Waterman at Special Moments. We hired Special Moments Event Planning because my brother and cousin used them as their planners. When we saw how seamless their weddings went, and after meeting and speaking with Tammy at their weddings, we just knew we had to go with their company.
We worked the most with Tammy, Melissa, and Jen. Each and every one of them was an absolute gem and took every single worry we had and alleviated them. They were on top of everything at all times, answering phone calls, text messages, and emails in a very timely manner. Fast forward to the wedding day, we did not have to worry about a single thing. Tammy and her crew treated us like a king and queen! They ensured that it was an absolutely perfect day.
What did you look for in a photographer?
Lifelong Photography Studio was the company that my cousin and brother used for their weddings. Once we saw how flawless the pictures were and how effortlessly Lifelong Photography Studio‘s personalities meshed with ours, we knew we had to choose them.
We also loved that since they have done two family weddings, they know our wedding traditions and were able to capture the most perfect shots!
What were your wedding day hair and makeup inspiration?
My wedding day hair inspiration came from seeing other bridal looks on social media. I hired Femme Akoi Beauty Studio for various bridesmaids, mother of the groom, and many family members because I have worked with them before and know that they produce quality work.
I also loved that they traveled to the hotel, which was very convenient for our guests!
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
Greece! It has been a dream destination for both of us, and we are so happy we ended up going there. We chose Athens, Santorini, and Mykonos. We loved each place we visited and, of course, the food! We are suckers for beautiful scenery and cities where you can chill out one day and have an adventure the next.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
The theme for our wedding was a very sleek, elegant look with a lot of ivory, white, and gold with acrylic accents. We chose to go with baby’s breath as our main flower for decorations; we loved how they looked!
What were your colors?
Our colors were white, gold, ivory, and a hint of mauve, which was the bridesmaid dress color. I always envisioned our wedding to have gold accents and some sort of pink, so it worked out.
What did you look for in a wedding venue?
Knowing that we were going to have a large amount of guests coming from out of town, we really wanted to have a hotel venue. The first hotel we went to was the Hilton Tampa Downtown, and when we entered, we knew this was our dream venue! From the carpet to the chandeliers, there was not one thing we could complain about. It was so incredibly clean and had all the features we were looking for. We wanted a hall that looked fresh with beautiful chandeliers, a nice cocktail hour area, and, as weird as it sounds, nice bathrooms for guests to use.
The customer service was impeccable! We have truly never seen anything like it. The coordinators, especially Melissa, were there to answer any questions we had at any time of day. They truly made the planning process much easier and simpler; they are that good!
Why did you incorporate a photo booth into your wedding day?
We wanted our guests to have something interactive to do. We also wanted them to be able to take something home as a keepsake or memory from our wedding.
We chose The Gala Photobooth because we saw their work on social media and loved their take on photobooths with a fun attendant and so many props to choose from.
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
Every. Single. One. All of our vendors were absolutely fantastic; we are truly blessed that we had Special Moments Event Planning to recommend most of our vendors. They all made the day so perfect, working together to ensure everything was in the right places at the right times. If we could do our wedding day over, we would choose the same exact vendors again!
