Maky and Miles' destination South Tampa wedding combined boho details such as warm florals and pampas grass with romantic elements for their February wedding, resulting in a memorable celebration for their 75 closest friends and family.
“Miles has a very traditional romantic style. He loves to dress up and be fancy. I am usually more of an outsider, and I wanted to incorporate my bohemian side but not have fringe everywhere. I tried meshing both of our personalities. Our style was bohemian romance. We wanted the bohemian yet romantic look to a wedding and to incorporate old school with new school designs. I designed everything with a vision for a romantic night with bohemian touches,” the bride explained. “We chose shades of ivory, sage, mauve, dusty blue, and light rust.”
Having an extra year to plan due to COVID, the bride and groom devoted time and attention to all of their wedding details to add a personal touch to their guests' experience.
“Our wedding was a 3-year process, and I am glad it was because I changed my mind so much about what it would be like, but we both always wanted to throw the best Valentine's day date for everyone! If you were to ask our guests what made our wedding unique, it was our love that was put into every detail. From the rug underneath us which incorporated the jewel tones of love and trust to our vows and unity, to our first song which was a romantic Spanish song Besame Mucho, every detail had a meaning behind it, including the colors, design of the cake, selection of menu, floral designs, jewelry I was wearing, and more,” the bride revealed.
The Philadelphia couple formerly lived in the Tampa area, so they wanted to support local, small businesses while planning their wedding, and selecting a seasoned photography and videography team to capture their day was an important decision for the pair.
“Our top criteria were uniqueness, small business, and talent. We wanted to have a friendship with our photo/video team and to feel comfortable on the day of the event. I wanted to support a small business. I always think that they have the bigger hidden talent,”Maky explained. “Will from Iyrus Weddings was great from day one. He was personable and made us feel like we were long-time friends. That, plus his amazing talent gave us the ‘Hell yeah, we are hiring him!' feeling! Iryus' service was out of this world. They accommodated all our needs and wants and communicated constantly. They were professional yet made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera.”
As self-proclaimed foodies,Maky and Miles focused on creating a customized menu that was as unique as it was delicious, from the memorable courses to the stylish place settings. They turned to a third-generation, family-owned caterer with 100+ years of history in Tampa Bay to craft a memorable meal for their intimate group of guests.
“Delicious food was our priority of course! We love to travel and are huge foodies. So our food was so important, and we wanted to have amazing dishes for our guests,” the bride shared. “We liked the extensiveness of food options from Olympia Catering. They offered so many options; we even customized our plates down to the forks and knives. They were so accommodating with our choices and our changes all the time.”
The design-focused couple relied on stylish rental decor to create a warm and welcoming space that felt homey and comfortable through the use of softly draped walls, elegant sofas and bars, and wood cross-back chairs to add to the boho vibe.
“Kate Ryan Event Rentals provided our draping, lounge area, seating and tables, and bar tops. They made our wedding look intimate and romantic. We wanted something small and wanted our guests to feel like we were inviting them to our home for a romantic night, and not just any other venue,” the bride articulated.
Looking back, the most enduring moment occurred during the nuptials, whereMaky and Miles incorporated several personal touches.
“Our ceremony was by far the most memorable part of the day. We didn’t even see each other, and we just cried. The music that went with it was so touching while going down the aisle. We did a non-traditional ceremony where we wrote our vows on handmade booklets created by Miles' grandmother. Our unity ceremony was one of kind, where we handmade our ‘lazo' which is a Spanish tradition. It is normally a rosary but we actually made a huge necklace of gemstones symbolizing love, unity, loyalty, passion, and trust. We still have it in our home and it is a reminder of our commitment to one another,” the bride reminisced.
The Proposal:
It was a rainy New Year's Eve early in the day. We had traveled from Florida to Philadelphia (our favorite city to visit back then, and where we later called home). We were at the terminal, and it was pouring outside.
Miles was applying to PA schools in the area and wanted to check them out. He convinced me to go across the city on foot in the rain with an umbrella only to go see the Drexel campus. While we were walking we came across Love Park (where we took a photo under the love statue one year ago). so I wanted to retake another picture and asked someone there to take a photo of us.
At that moment I was smiling at the camera when I hear the family saying, “Oh my God!” I looked at Miles and saw him on one knee, and the rest is history.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
Our style was bohemian romance. We wanted the bohemian yet romantic look to a wedding, and to incorporate old school with new school designs. I actually came up with the whole concept. I designed everything with a vision for a romantic night with bohemian touches. I wanted it to be a Valentine's Day date for everyone.
What were your colors?
We chose shades of ivory, sage, mauve, dusty blue, and light rust. It actually took a while for me to decide, and a couch from urban outfitters is what inspired us. It had a beautiful pattern with all those colors and I took a picture and said this is the color theme.
“Kate Ryan Event Rentals provided our draping, lounge area, seating and tables, and bar tops. They made our wedding look intimate and romantic. We wanted something small and wanted our guests to feel like we were inviting them to our home for a romantic night, and not just any other venue.”
What did you look for in a wedding photo/ video team?
Our top criteria were uniqueness, small business, and talent. We wanted to have a friendship with our photo/video team and to feel comfortable on the day of the event.
I wanted to support a small business. I always think that they have the bigger hidden talent. Will from Iyrus Weddings was great from day one. He was personable and made us feel like we were long-time friends. That, plus his amazing talent, gave us the ‘Hell yeah, we are hiring him!' feeling. Their service was out of this world. They accommodated all our needs and wants. They communicated constantly. They were professional yet made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera.
What did you look for in a wedding catering company?
Delicious food was our priority of course! We love to travel and are huge foodies. So our food was so important, and we wanted to have amazing dishes for our guests.
We liked the extensiveness of food options from Olympia Catering. They offered so many options for any type of catering. We even customized our plates down to the forks and knives. They were so accommodating with our choices and our changes all the time.
“We liked the extensiveness of food options from Olympia Catering. They offered so many options for any type of catering. We even customized our plates down to the forks and knives. They were so accommodating with our choices and our changes all the time. “
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
I cannot say enough about our baker; she made my cake a reality and until now still crave that pistachio cake.
Iyrus Weddings were just amazing! They listened to what you want from your wedding and go over your video and make you feel like royalty the day of.
We had a last-minute change to our venue due to our old venue not being open for COVID. Our new venue was so understanding, and I made them change all their furniture around and they did just for me to have the best looking lounges in the venue!
Our florist was great! She made my floral dreams come true!
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
We actually took our honeymoon before getting married because of COVID. We went toBocas del Toro, Panama andCartagena, Colombia. We chose those places because food, music, dancing, and romantic moments are what make our relationship special. We love different cultures and go to places the majority of people rather not. It was a great mix of my adventurous personality and Miles' laid-back and relaxed style.
Where did you host your bachelorette party?
I had it in an AirBnb in Tampa two days before the wedding, due to COVID. I was actually pregnant with our first child and wanted to stay local and enjoy the city of Tampa before heading back to Philadelphia. We got to enjoy a great time with my closest friends.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Stop and look around on this magical day. Take a moment to breathe it and take it all in. It goes by so fast, and it is such a blur and a memory at the same time. We spent part of our wedding thanking our vendors and even went back to the kitchen to thank our chef and servers. Be grateful for them because without them your dream wedding wouldn’t come true!
