Kathleen and Crosby's elegant yet edgy downtown St. Pete wedding combined formal, classic elements with fun and off-beat details that truly spoke to the couple's personalities. The bride and groom were inspired by their wedding venue's historic yet modern charm which helped them dictate their color palette and wedding style.
“The main theme of our wedding was formal, classic, and elegant with some edge. We wanted to be able to look back at our photos and have a timeless event!” the bride shared. “For colors, we wanted to let the venue shine, so we went for basics, black, white, grey, greenery, and a very small hint of baby pink on the rooftop.”
MORE: MODERN WEDDING INSPIRATION
The pair reside in South Florida and envisioned a destination wedding that was close enough to make their planning process easier, while also offering a location that provided guests with convenient access to culture, dining, and activities. Though not just any venue would do, the Palm Beach Gardens couple dreamed of a non-traditional space with natural appeal that would not require a lot of additional decor. Upon discovering Station House in downtown St. Pete, Kathleen and Crosby immediately knew it was the one.
“Once we visited Station House we knew this space would be perfect for our wedding! It was a classic venue with some history, but had been updated with art and modern touches that brought the space to life! The multiple levels and spaces with the rooftop overlooking the city just felt like us!” the bride beamed. “I cannot say enough good things about the venue and Emily! They handled the event so well, Crosby and I were able to sit back and enjoy our wedding trusting everything was in good hands!”
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To reflect their unique wedding vibe, the couple decided to rewrite the rules in regards to their wedding day timeline and give their guests a one-of-a-kind experience.
“Besides the venue, what really made our wedding unique is that we completely changed up the traditional order of events for our wedding. We thought back on the weddings we had been to and all the feedback we had heard had to do with the timing of food and drinks,” Kathleen recalled. “For our wedding, we welcomed guests with a cocktail, then had our ceremony on the rooftop (lasting about 20 minutes); we skipped cocktail hour and went straight into dinner in a separate space where we did toasts and cake cutting, then we headed back up to the rooftop for first dances and then partying!”
The celebration was a priority for the newlyweds, and they sought a DJ who would ensure everyone had a great time, as well as someone who was experienced with the unique layout of their venue. The couple chose Grant Hemond & Associates after reading their glowing reviews and recommendations.
“Our DJ was so very professional. Leading up to the event we had a phone call to go over the whole event and get to know us. He hit the nail on the head with the music selection! He played all the music we wanted to hear before we could even request it!” the bride raved. “He did a great job in selecting music that transcended all the varying age groups and had everyone up and dancing! Added bonus, our DJ brought party lights that lit up the rooftop like a club!”
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With their guests' experience at the forefront during the planning process, Kathleen shared her most vivid memories of the day had a lot to do with the special group of people who were part of their celebration as well as recalling the blasts of surprise confetti canons during the ceremony!
“Waking down the aisle with my dad and getting to see everyone’s faces, plus our first kiss with the confetti falling felt like an outward expression of what I was feeling,” Kathleen reminisced.
What did you look for in a wedding venue?
When we first started talking about and planning our wedding, we both agreed we didn’t want a ballroom venue. We wanted to find something with personality, maybe even a “non-traditional” space. One of our hopes was this would help us to be able to keep our decoration budget down!
Once we visited Station House we knew this space would be perfect for our wedding! It was a classic venue with some history, but had been updated with art and modern touches that brought the space to life! The multiple levels and spaces with the rooftop overlooking the city just felt like us!
I cannot say enough good things about the venue and Emily! We opted to have the restaurant on-site cater the wedding, which had delicious food, and it being on-site meant one less vendor I had to coordinate with. Emily was just the best! Planning a destination wedding can be difficult, but she handled it with ease. We made many trips to visit her and the venue, and she always maintained flexibility and availability for meetings or phone calls. She was able to make many recommendations for vendors and how to use the space. She was so easy going and supportive. She felt like more of a friend helping me plan the wedding than an event coordinator. We also opted to hire her for our day of coordinator. In the weeks leading up to the wedding everyone kept warning me, “Don’t worry, something will go wrong, just take it in stride and go with the flow”. Not at Station House! The only thing that didn't go to plan was our wedding cake was bigger than we had ordered! I'm sure there was some crisis that was adverted, but Emily and that staff at the Station House handled the event so well, Crosby and I were able to sit back and enjoy our wedding trusting everything was in good hands!
The Proposal:
Crosby took me to Hawaii for my birthday. The first night he took me on a private helicopter ride and toward the end of the ride, as we watched the sunset from the sky, he proposed!
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
The main “theme” of our wedding was formal, classic, and elegant with some edge. We wanted to be able to look back at our photos and have a timeless event! The venue allowed for this: a classic place, with a little bit of funk!
What were your colors?
We wanted to let the venue shine, so we went for basics: black, white, grey, greenery, and a very small hint of baby pink on the rooftop.
What did you look for in a wedding DJ?
Our main thing was finding a DJ who could keep the party going! We had been to a couple of weddings where unfortunately we learned just how fast a DJ can ruin a wedding vibe.
I liked that Grant Hemond & Associates was familiar with working at our venue because it is such a unique space; it was sure to have some unique obstacles (like separate dinner and reception spaces.) They were able to provide music and a microphone for the ceremony, music and a microphone for the dinner space, uplighting, and of course DJ reception service. Added bonus, our DJ brought party lights that lit up the rooftop like a club! Our DJ was so very professional. Leading up to the event we had a phone call to go over the whole event and get to know us. He hit the nail on the head with the music selection! He played all the music we wanted to hear before we could even request it! He did a great job in selecting music that transcended all the varying age groups, and had everyone up and dancing!
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Don’t be afraid to do things differently and think outside of the box! Finding vendors you connect with will make your wedding that much more enjoyable. Those are the things that made our wedding “ours” and memorable!
Ceremony and Reception Venue: Station House *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Venue
Photographer: Caroline Allen Photography
Florist: 2Birds
Caterer: Ichicorro Ane
Rentals: Coast to Coast Event Rentals
Cake: Publix
DJ: Grant Hemond & Associates *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pro
Officiant: Rev. Michael DeArruda
Invitations: Minted
Dress Shop and Designer: Bridal Couture of the Palm Beaches – Morilee
Hair & Makeup: Allure Artistry
Custom Neon Sign: Weon Light
