Brooke and Rhyse
St. John Vianney Catholic Church & The Don CeSar
“My inspiration for our design was three words: timeless, elegant, and traditional. Rhyse and I tend to be more traditional than trendy, so we wanted to do the formal aspects that our parents did at their weddings. Our colors were primarily ivory and gold. Being a black tie event, our groomsmen and bridesmaids were in black.” -The Bride
FEATURING
Brooke and Rhyse’s luxurious St. Pete Beach wedding combined classic white flora with romantic candlelight and glimmering gold accents. The bride and groom exchanged vows in a traditional cathedral ceremony before hosting their closest friends and family in a dreamy ballroom atmosphere.
“We truly focused on the guest experience and tried to make sure our guests were fully taken care of upon arrival to our wedding weekend. It’s so special to be surrounded by family and friends who have been along for our journey as a couple, so we really wanted to make them know how special they are,” the bride beamed. “We focused a lot on our families and made them a huge part of our weekend. Although it was a busy time of year right after Christmas and before New Year’s, it was such a joyous time that our guests were in great spirits, and it made the weekend have a palpable vibe to it. We led by example as a couple and were the happiest we could be through it all, and that radiated throughout our guests.”
“The wedding day radiated beauty, elegance, and sophistication! Every detail of the design was meticulously curated, and we are so grateful to the team that brought together this day!” Jessica Ralph, wedding planner and owner of Parties A’ La Carte gushed. “The wedding design resulted from a collaborative effort involving the design and production team: MMD Events, the couple, and the PALC team. It epitomized timeless elegance and classic sophistication. The ballroom transformed into a stunning sea of ivory, white, gold, and champagne. These subtle hues were the perfect selection in achieving the desired aesthetic for the occasion. Some of our favorite elements were the escort chart, the exquisite bar details, and the glamorous sweetheart table
The Proposal
“In November, Rhyse planned an elaborate, surprise proposal in Atlantic Beach, FL at his family’s beach house. He had disguised it as a birthday celebration for his mom, which was totally believable. They had florals, catering, and even a photographer lined up to take family photos for the annual Christmas card.
Little did I know, this whole scheme was all for me. When we walked down to the beach to capture some pictures, Rhyse got down on one knee and popped the question with the original engagement ring that his father proposed to his mother with. I immediately said yes! The next surprise was that when I looked up at the balcony of the house, my entire immediate family was there to celebrate! We spent the evening in a tent under the stars with both of our two families gathering as one and celebrating our new chapter together.”
Most Memorable Moment
“Of all the things we planned and thought out, one of my favorite moments was the car ride after the ceremony from the church back to the hotel. It was just Rhyse and I, able to steal a few moments to soak in the beautiful sacrament. It started to drizzle on the car ride, and it was just the most beautiful, romantic car moment just the two of us. Then the rain stopped and was perfect to take pictures!
Another favorite moment was when we arrived into the cocktail hour. We walked down the stairs into the courtyard at The Don Cesar to all our friends and family cheering for us, and I get chills thinking about that moment. We had a live painter at our wedding, and this was the moment we decided to have her capture, which she did an unbelievable job at! We now have this timeless piece of art hung in our living room as a reminder of the best day of our lives so far!”
The Bach Party & Honeymoon
“When my husband proposed, one of the first questions I asked him was, “OMG so we get to go on a honeymoon just the two of us?!” This seems like a silly question but we love spending time with our families which means most of our vacations were spent around time with our families.
Our honeymoon was one of the best weeks ever just spent relaxing on the beach in Anguilla. We chose Anguilla because we wanted to choose a location neither of us has been before so we could create memories together. Getting married during the holiday season was amazing, but we were ready to just relax and kick back enjoying being newlyweds. We spent the week at the Aurora Anguilla and truly couldn’t recommend it enough if you’re a couple looking for ultimate relaxation with crystal clear water with white sand beaches.
I chose Charleston, SC for my bachelorette. Rhyse took me to Charleston for my 24th birthday, and I fell in love with the city. Once it was time to start thinking about a bachelorette destination, I knew I wanted to go back to Charleston. It is a city that has so much to offer from coastal catamaran rides to culinary experiences to nightlife. It checked all those boxes and we had a blast!
The Venue
The Don CeSar
“Growing up in St. Petersburg around the beach, there was always the allure of the beautiful Pink Palace on St. Pete Beach. When we started looking at venues, we wanted to pick a hotel that could accommodate our style as well as our out of town guests looking for a vacation. After touring The Don Cesar, the vision was becoming real as I thought about having our ceremony at our family church and celebrating the reception just a short drive to The Don Cesar. Their beautiful views, wonderful staff, and history really sealed the deal for us. We can’t wait to show our children the place that holds such a special place in our hearts.
The staff at The Don Cesar was so on top of the service. Plated dinner was a breeze.”
The Design
“My inspiration for our design was three words: timeless, elegant, and traditional. Rhyse and I tend to be more traditional than trendy, so we wanted to do the formal aspects that our parents did at their weddings.
Our colors were primarily ivory and gold. Being a black tie event, our groomsmen and bridesmaids were in black. Other than guests and bridal party in black, everything else was beautiful tones of white. When we walked into our reception, it truly felt like we walked into a dreamy cloud.”
The Planning
“Planning an out of town wedding is not the easiest thing to do. When looking for a planner, we wanted someone who was on top of all aspects with our wedding. This included giving us advice on timing, vendor relationships within the community, and overall very organized. We had our initial introductory meeting with Parties A’ La Carte, specifically with Jessica Ralph.
Wow! From that first meeting I knew Jessica was a straight shooter and who I wanted in my corner throughout my wedding planning process. This was the best decision we could have made. It’s cliché, but she made our dreams a reality. At times when my vision was too vague, she knew how to narrow that in and bring it to life. Her right hand woman, Macie, was so easy to communicate with and keep us organized through it all. I don’t miss wedding planning, but I do miss getting to talk to these two on a regular basis!!”
The Entertainment
Tampa Bay DJ Company
“After explaining to our wedding planner the type of music we liked, lots of hip hop, new covers of oldies, rap, she suggested Tampa Bay DJ Company.
We had our call with DJ Cory Baron, and he was the man for the job. He was all about curating our evening, and that’s exactly what we did. We added the live instruments to make it a live fusion. This really brought the energy to the evening.”
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations and how?
All of our vendors exceeded our expectations. Jessica, Macie, and the Parties A’ La Carte team were truly remarkable. The MMD team is full of creative geniuses who made our reception truly unbelievable. We had to pinch ourselves when we walked into our reception because it looked too perfect to be true! The staff at the Don Cesar was so on top of the service. Plated dinner was a breeze and all of our guests couldn’t stop saying enough great things about our vendors.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Have fun with the wedding planning! Hopefully, you’ll only have to do this once, so enjoy it. It’s going to be a lot of managing expectations from family members on both sides, but remember the most important piece is that you and your spouse are happy. If you’re happy, everyone else around you will see that and be happy. Pick your priorities, but don’t get too hung up on the small things. Things will go wrong, but just be able to adapt and roll with the punches.
