Erin and Justin’s luxurious Sarasota beach wedding combined soft blue and white hues with classic coastal elements indicative of Florida’s “isle style,” creating a memorable resort weekend.
“We love it living on the gulf coast of Florida and couldn’t have found a more beautiful location for our wedding. Our inspiration for the wedding was classic and timeless white and blues with southern and Florida touches,” the bride explained. “I wanted the wedding design to complement the natural backdrop of our venue.”
The Pennsylvania high school sweethearts had relocated to Sarasota for medical school and fell in love with the area for their wedding. They wanted their guests to experience the locale’s renowned coastline and lush landscape along with resort accommodations.
“When looking for a wedding venue the two most important factors were having a waterfront ceremony location and a large lawn that could be used for a tented reception. Because most of our guests were from out of town, it was also important for our venue to be in close proximity to the airport and have a lot of nearby accommodations,” the bride shared. “I changed our venue three times before settling on the Longboat Key Club, and we couldn’t have been happier. I always wanted to get married in front of the ocean but not on the sand, so the grass lawn at our venue provided the perfect location. The staff, especially Ayla, went above and beyond to make our day perfect. She even had soft pretzels and beers sent to the guys the morning of the wedding and chocolate-covered strawberries and champagne waiting in our room after the wedding.”
The couple prioritized their 75 guests’ experience by hosting an April weekend filled with festivities so that they could enjoy everyone’s company following the pandemic.
“The most important elements of the wedding for us were great food and amazing music. It was the first time since we moved away four years ago that we had both of our families and all of our friends together, so we wanted the entire weekend to feel like one giant party!” the bride revealed. “We had a welcome party the day before at a local beer garden for all of our guests in lieu of a traditional rehearsal dinner, an after-party following the wedding, and a beach day the day after. We truly never wanted the weekend to end.”
Despite the whirlwind of activities throughout the celebration, Erin and Justin made sure to steal away for some alone time where they could savor their wedding day experience.
“My biggest piece of advice to couples planning their wedding is to find time during the day to just be together and take it all in. I was hesitant about doing a first look but it really helped calm my nerves prior to walking down the aisle, and it was nice to have that time together with no pressure,” the bride suggested. “After the ceremony, while our guests were being shuttled to the reception, our photographer wanted to take some photos of us in front of our ceremony arch. We stood there together for a few minutes just looking out at the beach and enjoying our first few moments as husband and wife. It was one of my favorite parts of the day.”
The Proposal:
After 10 years of dating, Justin finally popped the question on our favorite beach at sunset. He even flew down both his sister and my best friend to surprise me. We had a two-year engagement which allowed for honestly a very stress-free planning experience (except for planning around COVID!)
What did you look for in a wedding venue?
When looking for a wedding venue the two most important factors were having a waterfront ceremony location and a large lawn that could be used for a tented reception. Because most of our guests were from out of town, it was also important for our venue to be in close proximity to the airport and have a lot of nearby accommodations.
I changed our venue three times before settling on the Longboat Key Club and we couldn’t have been happier. I always wanted to get married in front of the ocean but not on the sand, so the grass lawn at our venue provided the perfect location. The staff, especially Ayla, went above and beyond to make our day perfect. She even had soft pretzels and beers sent to the guys the morning of the wedding and chocolate-covered strawberries and champagne waiting in our room after the wedding.
Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We spent our honeymoon in Bora Bora and had the most amazing trip. We had to postpone it to two months after our wedding due to COVID restrictions but it was absolutely worth the wait.
Which vendors exceeded your expectations?
Our wedding planning team was amazing. From helping us navigate the process of finding vendors to creating an overall design and making sure our day ran seamlessly, we couldn’t have done it without them. Even if you don’t have a full-service planner, make sure you have at least a day of coordinator to make your day as stress-free as possible.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
My biggest piece of advice to couples planning their wedding is to find time during the day to just be together and take it all in. I was hesitant about doing a first look but it really helped calm my nerves prior to walking down the aisle and it was nice to have that time together with no pressure.
After the ceremony, while our guests were being shuttled to the reception, our photographer wanted to take some photos of us in front of our ceremony arch. We stood there together for a few minutes after just looking out at the beach and enjoying our first few moments as husband and wife. It was one of my favorite parts of the day.