Michelle and Stephen’s elegant Ybor City wedding featured a monochromatic palette and lush greenery throughout. After exchanging sacred vows, the bride and groom dined and danced with their loved ones in a historic hotel ballroom.

“I wanted the decor to complement the venue spaces and feel clean and modern. I love plants, so I wanted to include a lot of greenery wherever possible. The trellis wall was actually inspired by the atrium at one of our favorite restaurants,” the bride detailed. “Our color palette consisted of neutrals, greenery, and touches of gold. For the wedding party, we chose all black because we felt this looked flattering and timeless.”

The Sarasota couple turned to Marry Me Tampa Bay for real wedding inspiration for their 145-guest January celebration. The plethora of images depicting the ceremony and reception spaces provided creative ideas for how each space could be decorated and personalized for each event.

“While planning, I used Marry Me Tampa Bay to view real weddings that happened at our same venues. It was so helpful to see reference photos and get inspiration from how other couples used the spaces!” Michelle shared.

The pair prioritized a faith-based ceremony and chose a venue that felt traditional yet grand enough to host their nuptials.

“Having a sacred, meaningful, and spiritual ceremony was the most important thing to us. We both wanted to get married in a church, and felt the architecture of St. Andrew’s inspired a sense of awe fitting for a wedding,” the bride detailed. “We spent a lot of time deciding on the music together. For the ceremony, we wanted to pick songs that were unique and not typically played at weddings. It was unique because we had two pastors, combining the depth of traditional liturgy with modern preaching.”

With their ceremony location secured, Michelle sought a reception venue with elegance befitting their cathedral vows, along with character and charm. Upon seeing the historic space at Hotal Haya and experiencing their delicious on-site cuisine, they knew they found the perfect location.

“I wanted the vibes of a downtown wedding, and Tampa is meaningful to me since I’ve spent most of my life living near the city. We wanted a modern venue with a large ballroom to accommodate our guests and give enough space to dance. Hotel Haya was our favorite venue in terms of aesthetics. Stephen and I loved the unique personality of the hotel and were especially drawn to the modern yet classy ballroom,” Michelle beamed. “Having food included with the venue also appealed to us, as it made planning easy. We had a fantastic experience with the staff. Everyone was so accommodating, the service was professional, and everyone raved about the food!”

Given their abbreviated planning period and impending wedding date, the couple relied on the seasoned team at Eventfull Weddings to help guide them through the planning process and to execute the wedding day from start to finish, allowing them to enjoy the experience free of stress and worry.

“We wanted to find a planner with great communication skills and the ability to understand our vision for the day. Karen Cerboni with EventFull Weddings was extremely organized, proactive, and creative. She made sure that vendors understood our vision, and she was great at problem-solving when issues arose,” the bride raved. “We had under seven months to plan, and I don’t think it would have been possible without her keeping us on track! Karen ensured every little detail was accounted for, and the wedding day could not have run more seamlessly.”

Thanks to referrals from their planning team, Michelle and Stephen’s vendor team worked together flawlessly. The creative artists at Adore Bridal Hair & Makeup beautified the bride with a glamorous look and large, glossy curls that glowed in photos and last all night long. Even through hours of partying on the dance floor, led by DJ Robert at Tampa Bay DJ Company, Michelle looked gorgeous from ceremony to send-off.

Seeing all of their closest friends and family surrounding them for their special day was a moment that has become a core memory for the bride and groom.

“For both of us, the most memorable moment was walking down the aisle. It was a little overwhelming but amazing to see everyone we know and love in one place to celebrate,” Michelle reminisced. “Our wedding would not have been possible without my parents and all of their help and support.”

The Proposal:
I love plants, and so Stephen has taken me to quite a few gardens for our dates. I’d never been to Bok Tower, so he planned a day for us to go. We weren’t there for very long when, at one point, I turned around to find him on one knee. He even coordinated with a photographer to capture it all, which I didn’t even notice since she hid her cameras in a baby stroller!

What did you look for in a wedding planner?
We wanted to find a planner with great communication skills and the ability to understand our vision for the day. Karen Cerboni with EventFull Weddings was extremely organized, proactive, and creative. She made sure that vendors understood our vision, and she was great at problem-solving when issues arose. We had under seven months to plan, and I don’t think it would have been possible without her keeping us on track! Karen ensured every little detail was accounted for, and the wedding day could not have run more seamlessly.

What was your wedding hair and makeup inspiration?
I wanted a more glam, full makeup look. My hair is extremely straight, so having a curled style felt more special to me since I couldn’t pull off that look on my own.

My planner recommended Adore Bridal Hair and Makeup, and they were very understanding and flexible to work with. I was a bit picky when it came to my makeup and hair, so I had a couple of trial runs to get it right. The end result turned out so well, and I was really pleased with how it came out in photos, too.

What did you look for in a wedding reception venue?
I wanted the vibes of a downtown wedding, and Tampa is meaningful to me since I’ve spent most of my life living near the city. We wanted a modern venue with a large ballroom to accommodate our guests and give enough space to dance. Hotel Haya was our favorite venue in terms of aesthetics. Stephen and I loved the unique personality of the hotel and were especially drawn to the modern yet classy ballroom. Having food included with the venue also appealed to us, as it made planning easy. We had a fantastic experience with the staff. Everyone was so accommodating, the service was professional, and everyone raved about the food!

What did you look for in a wedding DJ?
We spent a lot of time deciding on the music together. For the ceremony, we wanted to pick songs that were unique and not typically played at weddings. I wanted to go with a DJ who was recommended by someone we trust.

Our planner had worked with Tampa Bay DJ Company before and knew specifically that Robert was a good choice. We gave him a lot of songs for reference, and he did an amazing job of staying consistent with our vibe. The dancing never stopped, and we had a lot of people commenting on how great of a DJ he was!