Modern Tropical St. Pete Beach Destination Wedding | The Don CeSar

Roseann and Paul's destination St. Pete Beach wedding was a magical celebration of how their love story began. The New York City bride and groom brought to life a modern take on tropical elegance with a color palette of white, gold, and blush.

“Our theme was a mixture of modern and tropical. I like clean lines and design, but I also didn’t want the room to feel cold, so I was conscious not to go overly modern,” the bride explained. “The tropical part I definitely wanted to incorporate given we were doing a destination wedding! It definitely is a different feel than us New Yorkers are used to seeing all the time, so I knew our guests would appreciate that.”

MORE: TROPICAL WEDDING INSPIRATION

Finding a sentimental St. Pete Beach wedding venue with plenty of room for their 160 guests was important to Roseann and Paul, which is why they chose The Don CeSar.

“We selected The Don because it was where Paul and I stayed on our first trip together. Paul flew down to meet me, and we absolutely fell in love with the hotel and area. Our relationship got serious after that trip, and since then we have made multiple trips back to the Don! It became our special place, so it made sense to get married there,” the bride gushed. “Beth Clark at The Don provided excellent service throughout the entire planning process. We truly cannot say enough great things about her. She made the whole planning process so enjoyable and assisted happily with the million requests we had. From all the details of the wedding itself to the room block and everything in between, Beth responded to every single request promptly, and always with a ‘Yes!'”

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Enlisting the help of Parties A' La Carte, the destination bride brought her vision of a modern-tropical wedding to life with decor rentals of king classroom tables from A Chair Affair and ghost chairs from Kate Ryan Linens & Event Rentals.

“Jessica and the team from Parties A' La Carte was by far the best decision I could have made. I could tell they were very organized and their personalities were definitely a team I could see myself enjoying working with. They were incredible!” the bride beamed. “The number of hours they dedicated to our wedding was mind-blowing. Any time of the day or night we needed something, they were there. I would have truly been lost without them.”

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A vision of anthuriums and gold details came to mind to decorate the stunning Don ballroom and with the creativity of St. Pete wedding florist Bruce Wayne Florals, Roseann ’s dream quickly came to fruition.

“The florals were the toughest part of the wedding planning. I thought when we first started this process that I would just be able to find some photos from a wedding I liked and copy exactly what they did. However, that was definitely not possible given my taste turned out to blend of a few different décor styles,” the bride explained. “I really liked how Bruce Wayne Florals’ proposal properly captured the flowers and style I was going for. They took the time to include many pictures in the proposal and explain in detail their design plan. Lastly, they offered a mockup which was a must for us. Between their competitive pricing and the ability to provide insight into their vision, the choice was easy!”

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Pulling off the celebration of their dreams, Roseann and Paul cherished finding little ways to incorporate their personalities throughout their big day.

“I think what made our wedding unique were all of the personal touches we incorporated. Since we had a beach wedding, we gave out tote bags with our initials that everyone used as beach bags. We also ensured our guests would get the true Florida experience with an outdoor ceremony and a cocktail hour that provided the most picturesque view of the sunset imaginable,” the bride reminisced. “Every little aspect we thought out because we wanted our guests to have a truly unforgettable experience! From our rooftop welcome reception to our Sunday brunch, the whole weekend was a dream come true!”

What was your wedding invitation inspiration?
Given our wedding was going to be a formal, elegant event, I knew the invite needed to convey that. However, it was still a destination wedding so we felt we needed some design elements that acknowledged that as well. We wanted the invite to look clean and modern, so sticking with pure white, grey, and gold made sense to us. We have our home decorated in a similar manner, so that fit our style well! To keep the invite itself formal looking, we opted to have the tropical element just on the envelope liner.

We just love the look of letterpress, and felt it was the right printing choice for the style we were trying to achieve. When I communicated with Alicia, the owner, she was extremely helpful and responsive. She was also able to meet our deadline, and I loved that they print in-house! A&P Designs created beautiful gold palm foil envelope liners. For the invite and RSVP card, we selected letterpress using both gold foil and grey font.

What did you look for in a wedding venue?
We really wanted something near the water that our guests would enjoy. We also wanted a venue that offered both indoor and outdoor options. In particular, it was important for us to find a ballroom that could accommodate 160 guests and be aesthetically pleasing. With the Don CeSar's grand ballroom just undergoing a renovation, the choice was a no-brainer!

We selected The Don CeSar, because it was where Paul and I stayed on our first trip together. Neither of us had been to St. Pete Beach before, but I was going for work and figured I would stay the weekend to check out the area. Paul flew down to meet me, and we absolutely fell in love with the hotel and area. Our relationship got serious after that trip and since then we have made multiple trips back to the Don! It became our special place, so it made sense to get married there. Plus, we were so happy to share it with all the special people in our lives.

Beth Clark at The Don provided excellent service throughout the entire planning process. We truly cannot say enough great things about her. She made the whole planning so enjoyable and assisted happily with the million requests we had. From all the details of the wedding itself to the room block, and everything in between, Beth responded to every single request promptly and always with a “Yes!”

What did you look for in a wedding planner?
I hired Parties A' La Carte, after interviewing a good amount of planners in the area.

Jessica and the team from Parties A'La Carte was by far the best decision I could have made! I could tell they were very organized and their personalities were definitely a team I could see myself enjoying working with. They were incredible! The number of hours they dedicated to our wedding was mind-blowing. Any time of the day or night we needed something, they were there. I would have truly been lost without them.”

The Proposal:
It was December 21, 2017. Paul and I had just moved into our first shared apartment in New York City the month before, and I had taken the day off from work to go Christmas shopping. As the evening approached, Paul asked if I could run a few errands for him prior to me coming home. Little did I know, he was already home and really his errands were a way of stalling me from coming home. When we got up to the apartment, I walked in and music started immediately playing. It didn’t register at first what was playing, so I thought it was Christmas music since I play it constantly at home during the month of December!

However, it wasn’t. It was “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran, which was a song that we both loved and became special to us. All of the apartment lights were shut off and candles lined the hallways, window sills, and counters. There were rose petals covering the floor; there must have been thousands of them. At that moment, I was paralyzed and literally felt like I couldn’t move. It was like a scene from a movie. There was a huge arrangement with dozens of roses, a bucket with champagne, and candle votives surrounding it in the shape of a heart. He danced with me for a bit, and then walked me up to our Christmas tree to show me an ornament; it was a round silver hanging one that had, “Will you marry me?” etched into it. He got down on one knee and proposed making me the happiest girl in the world!

What was your wedding theme?
Our theme was a mixture of modern and tropical. I like clean lines and design, but also didn’t want the room to feel cold, so I was conscious not to go overly modern. The tropical part I definitely wanted to incorporate, given we were doing a destination wedding! It definitely is a different feel than us New Yorkers are used to seeing all the time, so I knew our guests would appreciate that.

What were your colors?
White, gold, and blush. We love the clean and classy look of white and gold, and much of our home is actually done in the two colors! We also wanted the blush accents to pull in the hotel and thought the bridesmaid dresses would look beautiful against the bright pink exterior of the Don CeSar. My gown also had a blush pink underlay, so everything really came together beautifully!

What was your floral inspiration?
The florals were the toughest part of the wedding planning. I thought when we first started this process that I would just be able to find some photos from a wedding I liked, and copy exactly what they did. However, that was definitely not possible given my taste turned out to blend of a few different décor styles. I searched a ton on Pinterest and Instagram, but most of the pictures I found were too tropical for what we were going for, while others were too modern. I was also very attracted to a lot of romantic looking décor. To capture exactly what we were envisioning, we combined different elements from a variety of photos I found, as well as came up with some of our own ideas. We added anthuriums to add texture to the arrangements, and also help strike that balance between modern and tropical. To pull in our gold theme, we had some of the palms and greens painted in gold. This was done in a delicate manner so as not to overpower the florals, but still, perfectly pull in the rest of the décor. The final result was absolutely beautiful!

I got quotes from a few different florists and reviewed each thoroughly. I really liked how Bruce Wayne Florals‘ proposal properly captured the flowers and style I was going for. They took the time to include many pictures in the proposal and explain in detail their design plan. Lastly, they offered a mockup which was a must for us. Between their competitive pricing and the ability to provide insight into their vision, the choice was easy!

What did you look for in a wedding bakery?
I wanted my wedding cake to stick with our theme of tropical elegance and incorporate our colors, as well as our invite. The Artistic Whisk did a phenomenal job capturing our vision and even had real orchids coming down the side of the cake. It was perfect!

I specifically chose The Artistic Whisk, because of the pictures I had seen of their work. Aside from that, the customer service I received over the phone when calling to inquire was fantastic. The tasting then blew us away, and we knew they were definitely the right choice for us!

What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Interview multiple vendors and find ones that you and your partner are comfortable with. Some of these people, like a planner and photographer, will be with you on the most important day of your life. Select ones that go well with your personality and will help make the process as smooth as possible! We were very lucky in this regard and had a team of vendors that made our wedding go off without a hitch.

Beyond all of that, just enjoy the planning process! It is a special time in your lives so try your hardest not to turn it into something stressful. While you are of course working towards the big day, the leading up to it is filled with so many memorable occasions as well. Enjoy it all!

Ceremony and Reception Venue: The Don CeSar *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Venue
Rehearsal Dinner: Hotel Zamora *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Venue
Photographer: K&K Photography
Videographer: VHVideo.com
Planner: Parties A'La Carte *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Florist: Bruce Wayne Florals *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Flatware and King Classroom Table Rentals: A Chair Affair *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Linens, Ghost Chairs, Bar and Bar Shelving: Kate Ryan Event Rentals *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Cake: The Artistic Whisk *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Ceremony Music: Bella Musica Ensembles
Band: The Hit Factory Band
Cocktail Hour Music: Colt Clark
Officiant: Father Andy
Invitations: A&P Designs *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Day of Paper: URBANcoast *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Transportation: St. Petersburg Trolley /The Looper Group
Dress Shop and Designer: Bridal Reflections NYC, Galia Lahav
Bridesmaid Dress Designer: Show Me Your Mumu
Hair & Makeup: Style Hair and Makeup
Ice Sculpture/ Raw Bar Display: Arctic Ice
Photobooth: Hello Gorgeous Photo Booth