Lane and Jacob
Hyde House Public Studio
“We wanted our wedding to feel classic but fun. We incorporated classic colors like black, white, and green, with modern pops like our disco ball installation that shone across the reception, glitter cherries on a vintage-style cake, and a marquee sign like bottle service at a club for our grand entrance. Our colors were black and white, with green coming from the florals, and we loved having room to play. The checkerboard dance floor, florals, and place settings stayed within our palette while allowing us to mix textures and finishes instead of solid black or white only.” -The Bride
FEATURING
Lane and Jacob’s modern Tampa wedding was a high-energy 120-person March celebration, with many of whom traveled in for a full weekend of events. Hosted at a modern South Tampa venue, the design paired crisp black-and-white styling with lush greenery, sculptural florals, and layered texture through tabletop details and a champagne display. The celebration quickly shifted into party mode, with a bold grand entrance to a dance floor that stayed full well into the night. The day felt less like a formal production and more like a night out with their favorite people, built around music, movement, and shared energy.
“The most important design element was the disco ball installation. I wanted it to be disco balls galore with dense greenery around them and pin lights making the room sparkle,” the bride beamed. My planner and I met on-site with the staging company to visualize the space and develop an installation plan that would achieve the impact we wanted. We ended up doing two separate installations, one over the dance floor and another, smaller one above the sweetheart table, and racked up a total of 18 disco balls with greenery from the florist team. The way it lit up the reception area was incredible!”
The Photography
Dewitt for Love Photography
“It was really important that our photographer’s style matched what we were looking for aesthetically (filters, film, black and white, static vs. dynamic), and that they could provide good coverage.
We loved that Dewitt for Love Photography did a mix of film and digital photography, traditional portraits, and more editorial shots, and that they had two people shooting at once so we could get all-day coverage from all angles. They made us and our guests feel comfortable and confident throughout the day, were on point with the timeline, and had quick delivery.”
The Proposal
“Plan A went south real quick when a huge thunderstorm rolled in that day. In lieu of plan B, Jacob dropped to one knee at Ulele, and we ran around in the rain with our photographer and their umbrella in tow!”
The Bach Party and Honeymoon
“I hosted my bachelorette party in Scottsdale, AZ! I had never been, and it looked super cute and girly, plus it was warmer weather since my bach was over the winter.
We went to St. Lucia for our honeymoon. Funny enough, we were supposed to go to Paris and Barcelona. We had this whole trip planned for over 10 months, then one month before the wedding, we both looked at each other and were like, you know what, let’s go relax on a beach instead!”
Wedding Planning Research
“I used Marry Me Tampa Bay a lot during the beginning of our planning process: looking at other couples for inspo, scouting out possible venues, and getting an idea of the different vendors out there!”
The Details
“We live in Tampa, right near Hyde Park, but almost 90% of our guests traveled from out of state, as we are both from St. Louis, MO, and have family and friends all across the U.S. We loved the convenience of having our venue so close to home, so we could be more hands-on with vendors, on-site planning, etc., but it still felt like a destination vacation for our guests.
We are a younger couple who love to go out and dance with our friends, so it was super important to us to bring that energy into our wedding and avoid anything too stuffy or stale. From Jacob surprising the guests by playing the NFL theme song as his aisle walk down song, to our incredible DJ playing all of our favorite songs, and us being able to dance around under the disco balls, it truly felt like the day was for us to enjoy, not just the guests.
What made our wedding special is that all of these elements were so perfectly executed that the overall result was jaw-dropping!”
The Design
“We wanted our wedding to feel classic but fun! We incorporated classic colors like black, white, and green, with modern fun pops like our disco ball installation that shone across the reception, the glitter cherries on a vintage-style cake, and a marquee sign like bottle service at a club for the grand entrance! We didn’t want to reinvent the wheel, but we really wanted to avoid any stuffy or stale energy throughout the day, and I think that really shone through in our final designs!
We really wanted something simple and classic, but with a lot of room to play. For example, the checkerboard dance floor, the florals, the place settings, we were still within our color scheme, but had so much fun playing around with different textures and finishes of things, not just plain solid black or white only. Also, I loved that my parents’ wedding colors were just black and white!
The most important design element was the disco ball installation. I wanted it to be disco balls galore with dense greenery around them and pin lights making the room sparkle. My planner and I met on-site with the staging company to visualize the space and develop an installation plan that would achieve the impact we wanted. We ended up doing two separate installations, one over the dance floor and another, smaller one above the sweetheart table, and racked up a total of 18 disco balls with greenery from the florist team. The way it lit up the reception area was incredible!”
The Rentals
“We rented place settings and our champagne etagere seating chart from Kate Ryan Event Rentals. While we kept things simple with the colors, they had a great selection, and we were able to get black and white without it being plain.”
Most Memorable Moments
“My top three: the first look and private vows with my soon-to-be husband—immediate tears, so many emotions, and amazing photos—which was such a great way to release some of the tension of the day and made us so much more comfortable going into the ceremony.
The grand entrance with the marquee sign, sparkles, and Gimme Gimme Gimme blasting through the speakers was such a vibe and a great way to start the party. Ending the night with my new husband dancing to Murder On The Dance Floor in the middle of a dance circle was the perfect final moment.”
The Photobooth
Gala Photobooth
“This was one of the first vendors I booked when we got engaged! I knew professional photos from the day would take a little bit, so it was important that we had some photo booth pics to take home and look at that night! The Gala Photobooth was a non-negotiable for me because their pictures always look so glam and flawless!”
The DJ
Grant Hemond & Associates
“We are people who really love going out to dance at bars/clubs, so we wanted our DJ, Grant Hemond & Associates, to bring that same energy to our reception! It was important that they could follow our list of dos and don’ts for songs, but also find other songs and remixes that complemented our list.
This is probably one of the most complimented parts of our wedding! The dance floor was poppin, and everyone, young and old, kept saying how incredible the DJ was! From our favorite songs to high-energy remixes of the classics, the DJ nailed it!”
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
Genuinely all of them! First, our amazing planner, Taylor Falcon, was seamless. Dewitt for Love absolutely killed the photos. They totally got our vision and delivered the most perfect photoset of traditional and editorial/fun photos! From the disco balls, to the flowers, to the tablescapes, to the DJ, it was all incredible!
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
When planning your wedding, think about your absolute must-haves and the things that will make the biggest overall impact, and prioritize those things/vendors! There will be plenty of other areas where you can cut back on to make way for the important stuff.
