Anya and Josh's South Tampa wedding combined timeless flora and décor with a classic color combo for a sophisticated soiree in the heart of the city.
“We wanted our theme to be classic, modern, and timeless, something we could look at 20 years from now and still be in love with the style elements of choice,” the bride shared. “We have always loved our venue's timeless aesthetic and wanted to play into that. We chose black, white, and soft champagne. I felt like it was a color palette that was very clean, modern, and easy to work with when we were making our design choices.”
The bride and groom incorporated unique details throughout their wedding as a nod to their personalities and relationship.
“We put our own personal spin on traditional elements of the wedding.My culture is very important to me especially as I get older. I wanted to incorporate Russian elements into the wedding,” Anya revealed. “I used Russian fur hats as our photo booth supplies. When I had my meeting with the cake designer, she quickly recognized that the cake style was a ‘Russian cake design.' Josh has been obsessed with Star Wars ever since he was younger, so it was important to incorporate lightsabers, Darth Vader, and other character masks for our guests to have fun with! He even wore Star Wars socks with his black and white tux. We incorporated more up-to-date songs that we loved for major moments of the entire night. We took the time to focus on the small details that showcased who we are.”
With the couple being local, they received lots of wedding pro recommendations, which the bride cross-referenced with Marry Me Tampa Bay.
“I pulled a lot of vendors from Marry Me Tampa Bay originally to see who we had a connection with and who understood what we were looking for,”Anya explained.
The pair prioritized finding a seasoned South Tampa wedding photography team with a broad scope of work that fit the fresh style they favored.
“We looked for work that looked very romantic and whimsical, light and not over-filtered images. Lifelong Photography Studio had a very large portfolio for us to feel confident that they would deliver the style we wanted. I loved the feel of their photos,” Anya gushed. “Their style of photography felt very fresh, romantic, and not overdone. Gabrielle has a very creative eye and made us feel very comfortable and confident in front of the camera.”
The South Tampa couple envisioned a vibrant atmosphere with great food and music for their 85 guests. They relied on the experts at Grant Hemond & Associates to get everyone on the dance floor and create the party vibe for their reception.
“We wanted someone who understood the vibe we wanted to capture for our wedding day, FUN! Our goal was to have everyone out on the dance floor and appease all different age groups with our music choices. After our initial introduction with Eric, we knew we were in excellent hands. He was incredible! We still have guests telling us they never wanted to leave at the end of the night because it was so much fun!” the bride raved. “We hired Grant Hemond & Associates because they came highly recommended by so many different websites I did research through. Eric was one of the DJs I kept on coming across on the reviews. I was so excited when he was available on our wedding date. He was incredibly personable and asked a lot of great questions to get to know us a week prior to the wedding. He made a lot of great suggestions for songs we were struggling with for certain parts of the wedding. We shared with him that our goal was to have everyone dancing, and he delivered exactly that. We were blown away!”
Looking back, the overwhelming emotion that Anya experienced during the nuptials is what she credits as the most unforgettable part of the day.
“Everything about our wedding day was absolutely magical. There isn’t a single element of the wedding that we would change. The ceremony was the most memorable moment. I will never forget walking around the corner right before walking down the aisle. Josh took my breath away. The amount of love and incredible energy I felt in that room is something I can’t even describe,” the bride reminisced. “Our officiant did such a beautiful job on the ceremony. He has been a dear friend of the families for a very long time. It was such a privilege to have someone so dear to our hearts marry us.”
Where did you host your bachelorette party?
My bachelorette party was in Scottsdale, AZ. I chose this location because a lot of the girls live in various parts of the country and this was an easy place for us to get direct flights to. There was so much for us to do. It is such a fun city and will forever hold a special place in my heart!
The Proposal:
Josh planned for us to go on a hike at the Hillsborough County State Park. It was such a beautiful day. He had a private area where we had a moment reflecting how much love we have for each other and where he sees our future.
He got down on one knee and I don’t remember anything else! It was very romantic and just the two of us which is exactly how I have always pictured it. Later that night we were celebrated by our dear friends at a rooftop bar in South Tampa.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico at an all-inclusive adults-only resort called Le Blanc. After planning the wedding we wanted to go somewhere that was easy to travel to, somewhere we could unpack our things and not have to worry about planning our next move.
Our all-inclusive resort was amazing, our butler made all of our reservations, spa services, workout classes, and our excursions. They had seven different cuisine restaurants on-site that were all top-notch. We never had to eat at the same place twice. The food was truly incredible. The only thing we had to do was show up, it was amazing to detach and let someone else handle the planning and logistics.
What did you look for in a wedding photographer?
We looked for work that looked very romantic and whimsical, light and not over-filtered images.
Lifelong Photography Studio had a very large portfolio for us to feel confident that they would deliver the style we wanted. I loved the feel of their photos. Their style of photography felt very fresh, romantic, and not overdone. Gabrielle has a very creative eye and made us feel very comfortable and confident in front of the camera.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
We wanted our theme to be classic, modern, and timeless, something we could look at 20 years from now and still be in love with the style elements of choice. We have always loved our venue's timeless aesthetic and wanted to play into that.
What were your colors?
We choseblack, white, and soft champagne. I felt like it was a color palette that was very clean, modern, and easy to work with when we were making our design choices.
What did you look for in a wedding DJ?
We wanted someone who understood the vibe we wanted to capture for our wedding day, FUN! Our goal was to have everyone out on the dance floor and appease all different age groups with our music choices.
We hired Grant Hemond & Associates because they came highly recommended by so many different websites I did research through.Eric was one of the DJs I kept on coming across on the reviews. I was so excited when he was available on our wedding date.After our initial introduction with Eric, we knew we were in excellent hands. He was incredible. We still have guests telling us they never wanted to leave at the end of the night because it was so much fun.
He was incredibly personable and asked a lot of great questions to get to know us a week prior to the wedding. He made a lot of great suggestions for songs we were struggling with for certain parts of the wedding. We shared with him that our goal was to have everyone dancing and he delivered exactly that. We were blown away!
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
My florist, DJ, and wedding planner exceeded all of our expectations.
I had a very specific vision for what I wanted the flowers to look like. Our florist looked through several different versions of my mood boards and probably purchased every candle that was available in Tampa Bay. She absolutely killed it!
DJ Eric was incredibly personable and asked a lot of great questions to get to know us a week prior to the wedding. He made a lot of great suggestions for songs we were struggling with for certain parts of the wedding. We shared with him that our goal was to have everyone dancing and he delivered exactly that. We were blown away!
Our wedding planner was amazing to work with from our rehearsal to the day of the wedding. Josh and I are infamous for hardly ever being on time, but we were on time and even ahead of schedule. The planning team made sure we had everything we needed before we even knew we needed it: lipstick, emergency bustle tying, signature cocktails and hor d'oeuvres during cocktail hour while we were taking pictures throughout the venue.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Interview multiple vendors and only hire the ones with who you have a connection. These people will be there on one of the most special and important days of your life. It’s imperative to have the people you trust and who are dependable to be there.
I really enjoyed choosing and thinking through the details of the wedding and putting small touches that reflected our personalities. People say don’t get caught up in the small details, but looking back these are some of my favorite things about the day and things that guests seemed to really enjoy.
