Kelly and Allen
The Resort at Longboat Beach Club
“The overall idea was a vibrant and elegant destination dinner party with subtle tropical nods, layers of beautiful textures and patterns, and pops of color. We chose a mixture of peachy pinks, punchy greens, and mauves to create a layered design. We love hosting at our home and wanted our guests to have that same feeling at the wedding.” -The Bride
FEATURING
Kelly and Allen’s lux Longboat Key destination wedding was a chic celebration filled with soft shades of cream, blush, and sage green. The Texas couple exchanged vows surrounded by their 109 closest friends and family in an outdoor Florida destination ceremony on the pristine lawn, then dined and danced at an elegant January al fresco reception.
“Our wedding was unique because of how much time we were able to spend with our guests. This was super important to us, which is why we hosted a Friday welcome party and a Sunday brunch. Often, when you go to weddings, you are not able to spend a lot of time with the bride/groom. It was also important to us that our guests knew how truly grateful we were that they made the trip. We stocked guests’ hotel rooms with welcome boxes and wrote handwritten cards that served as our place settings. Guests loved it! We have truly special memories from that weekend with all of our guests,” the bride revealed. “The most memorable moment was seeing Allen watch me walk down the aisle,” the bride reminisced. “We did a first look so we could spend the majority of the day together and have portraits done before the ceremony. I didn’t think my walk down the aisle would be as special, but it absolutely was!”
The Proposal
“Allen completely surprised me with the proposal! We were traveling to my family’s lake house in New Jersey for what I thought was a relaxing weekend. Not only was my family able to be there, but Allen surprised me with his entire family and our closest friends! It was such a memorable weekend.”
Finding Wedding Vendors
“We looked at Marry Me Tampa Bay when we were narrowing down venue options. It was extremely helpful to hear from other couples.”
The Bach Party & Honeymoon
“I hosted my bachelorette at our home in Dallas! My alma mater, Pitt, was playing in Dallas that weekend. My friends and I had a phenomenal time having a big, college-like sleepover, tailgating for the game, and eating out. My sister/MOH even surprised us with a bouncy house for the backyard and a team of masseuses! Allen was in Cabo for his bachelor party at the same time. We thought it worked really well having our weekends simultaneously!
We honeymooned in Dubai and then spent a week in the Maldives at two separate resorts. It was so special to honeymoon right after the wedding. Everyone we met was so excited for us, and we got to really soak up our marital bliss! We had friends who did a similar trip a few years before, and it’s been on our list ever since.”
The Inspiration
“The overall idea was a vibrant and elegant destination dinner party with subtle tropical nods, layers of beautiful textures and patterns, and pops of color. We love hosting at our home and wanted our guests to have that same feeling at the wedding. We were focused on making our guests feel comfortable with details like champagne at the ceremony, pashminas to keep warm, and flip-flops to dance the night away!
We chose a mixture of peachy pinks, punchy greens, and mauves to create a layered design. Our wedding theme and design came from our wedding planner. We are both extremely detail-oriented, so we wanted our wedding weekend to feel purposeful through the design and scheduling of events. Nothing was left to chance, and we have our planning team to thank for that!”
The Venue
The Resort At Longboat Key Club
“While we love Dallas, we wanted to choose a vacation spot for our friends and family to enjoy the long weekend. The first trip we ever made as a couple was to Florida. We’ve made many trips to Florida over the years and knew it would be a special place for us to get married.
We were looking for a venue that was a one-stop shop. One of our main goals was to make travel and logistics easy for our guests. My mom was the one to suggest The Resort at Longboat Key Club. She had stayed there before and loved the resort and the area.
We were really impressed with The Resort at Longboat Key Club because of the extensive and experienced nature of their wedding planning department. Gwen Paseka won us over at our tour of Longboat Key Club, and we knew we would be in great hands. When we toured, the staff was so friendly and helpful. We knew our guests would enjoy their weekend.”
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
I was focused on having a stellar photographer, and Allen was focused on having exceptional food. Yelena at Lily Bella Florals is truly a special florist. When we saw our first mockup, my mom and I actually teared up because of how beautiful it was. She did an amazing job capturing our vision for florals.
What advice would you give to other Sarasota couples?
Be ready for the weather! We were incredibly lucky to have good weather on our wedding day. However, the Wednesday before, the forecast was not looking great. We felt so comfortable knowing we had a great backup plan and a phenomenal team that could manage the switch.
