Erin and Jack's South Tampa wedding felt like a lush greenhouse garden tucked inside an elegant historic building, featuring an abundance of romantic candlelight, suspended floral chandeliers, and classic white roses and greenery abound.
“We wanted a very timeless and classic color palette but didn't really know where to start. My first meeting with our florist was at a coffee shop, and she said ‘tell me what the inside of your house looks like.' I was so confused, but then told her it's pretty neutral, whites, golds, and some greenery. From that single comment, she and her team created the most amazing design for our wedding centered around those colors and the overall feel of the wedding,” Erin shared.
The Tampa couple entrusted Zoe Gallina and the team at Botanica International Design Studio to create luxurious wedding flora for the October celebration, and the end outcome was beyond the bride's dreams.
“We wanted someone with a great reputation and an amazing portfolio of innovative and creative design. I wanted a wedding that was unique to us and our style, not something you have seen over and over before,” the bride explained. “We definitely added some unexpected touches, things that would surprise the guests, like greenery and florals suspended from the ceilings. I cannot say enough about Botanica, its vision, and team! I had always heard that Botanica was the ‘end all be all' in regards to florals and event design, and they did not disappoint. Zoe and Ian are truly a dynamic duo and had so many wonderful and unique ideas for our special day!”
Complementing this natural and neutral color palette and the greenery-focused design of the wedding space, A&P Design Co. created a custom invitation suite to give the couple's 120 guests a sneak peek into the wedding day style to come.
“The inspiration for our invitations was the greenery and the lattice at our venue,” the bride detailed. “After meeting with Alicia at A&P Design Co. and viewing her portfolio, I felt confident she would create something beautiful!”
Erin and Jack focused on their guests' experience when making planning decisions and prioritized a DJ who could keep everyone entertained throughout the evening.
“We kept it fun and lively with lots of great music, drinks, and dancing. We wanted a DJ who would keep everyone on the dance floor! Grant Hemond & Associates was a recommendation from our planner, as well as other friends who had used them before. Our DJ was great; he even let some guests get behind the table and have a little fun with the music!” the bride raved.
The couple enlisted a close friend to officiate their nuptials, and the result was a heartfelt and personal ceremony that made their wedding day truly one-of-a-kind.
“When we got engaged, we asked a great friend of ours to officiate the wedding. He and his wife know us so well, so we thought there'd be no one better! His vows for us were spot-on and kept us (and the guests) laughing throughout the ceremony! [He even wore] a custom robe with ‘Jack loves Erin' on the back,” Erin gushed. “We also focused on the guests' experience – keeping it fun and lively with lots of great music, drinks, and dancing.”
Although the entire celebration was noteworthy, Erin recalls a special moment on the dance floor that struck her as even more memorable than the rest.
“There were so many memorable parts of the day, it's hard to say [which moment was my favorite], but I remember so vividly our three kids smiling and dancing at the reception, as an ‘official' family for the first time.” the bride reminisced.
What was your wedding invitation inspiration?
The inspiration for our invitations was the greenery and the lattice at our venue.
After meeting with Alicia of A&P Design Co. and viewing her portfolio, I felt confident she would create something beautiful!
“I wanted a wedding that was unique to us and our style, not something you have seen over and over before. We definitely added some unexpected touches, things that would surprise the guests, like greenery and florals suspended from the ceilings. I cannot say enough about Botanica International Design Studio, its vision, and team! I had always heard that Botanica was the ‘end all be all' in regards to florals and event design, and they did not disappoint.”
-The Bride
The Proposal:
Jack is known for his cheesy dad jokes. One afternoon, the kids were outside playing with neighbors, and I was getting dinner ready. He went out to play with them, and they all came in and the kids said in unison, “How does a carrot ask a question?” I was very confused and said “I don't know…how?” and then I looked up and saw my son holding an actual carrot with a ring on it! We still laugh that he technically never asked, instead, he walked over and said, “Let's do this, babe!”
What elements of your wedding were the most important?
This was a second marriage for both of us, so we were most concerned with how to incorporate our three children into the wedding. Jack's two girls were our flower girls and my son walked me down the aisle and, along with my dad, gave me away.
Where did you host your bachelorette party?
We did a joint bachelor/bachelorette party with some of our closest friends. We chartered a yacht and went exploring for four days in the Florida Keys!
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
We planned to go to St. Bart's but they closed the borders to travelers the week of our arrival. We made a last-minute change and went to Tulum instead, so technically we have yet to go on our planned honeymoon!
What was your floral inspiration?
We wanted a wedding florist with a great reputation and an amazing portfolio of innovative and creative design. I wanted a wedding that was unique to us and our style, not something you have seen over and over before.
We wanted a very timeless and classic color palette but didn't really know where to start. My first meeting with our florist was at a coffee shop, and she said ‘tell me what the inside of your house looks like.' I was so confused, but then told her it's pretty neutral, whites, golds, and some greenery. From that single comment, she and her team created the most amazing design for our wedding centered around those colors and the overall feel of the wedding.
We definitely added some unexpected touches, things that would surprise the guests, like greenery and florals suspended from the ceilings. I cannot say enough about Botanica International Design Studio, its vision, and team! I had always heard that Botanica was the “end all be all” in regards to florals and event design, and they did not disappoint. Zoe and Ian are truly a dynamic duo and had so many wonderful and unique ideas for our special day!
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations? Can I say all of them? Every one of our vendors went above and beyond expectations. They were flexible, accommodating, and so eager to make our day perfect. Given that we chose to continue on with our wedding during the pandemic and such uncertain times, it was so reassuring to have such dedicated vendors working with us.
We selected our wedding planner because of a prior relationship with her and having attended many events she's done and being thoroughly impressed! She was able to recommend a lot of the vendors we chose. I had been in a wedding that was shot by our photographer and honestly, you can't find a better photographer! I had always heard that Botanica International Design Studio was the “end all be all” in regards to florals and event design, so that was a no-brainer, and they did not disappoint.
What did you look for in a wedding DJ?
We focused on the guests' experience, keeping it fun and lively with lots of great music, drinks, and dancing. We wanted a DJ who would keep everyone on the dance floor!
Grant Hemond & Associates was a recommendation from our planner, as well as other friends who had used them before. Our DJ was great; he even let some guests get behind the table and have a little fun with the music!
