Ashton and Josh
Urban Stillhouse
“We definitely lean towards a moodier, more alternative aesthetic, so finding a venue that matched our vision was a challenge. I always knew I wanted to get married in the fall, with pumpkins in the decor and a black wedding dress. The moment we toured our venue, I could instantly visualize everything. It had the perfect ‘Game of Thrones’ meets ‘Beauty and the Beast’ vibe we wanted. Since we got married in November, we leaned into the fall color scheme with purple, orange, and greens. My dress was black and taupe, my bridesmaids wore wine-purple, and Josh and his groomsmen matched with grey suits and wine-colored ties and vests.” -The Bride
FEATURING
Ashton and Josh’s moody, fall downtown St. Pete wedding was the perfect blend of romance and edge, embracing a rich color palette with purples, oranges, and greens. The bride was stunning in a black and taupe gown, perfectly capturing their unique vision.
“We definitely lean towards a moodier, more alternative aesthetic, so finding a venue that matched our vision was a challenge. I always knew I wanted to get married in the fall, with pumpkins in the decor and a black wedding dress. The moment we toured our venue, I could instantly visualize everything. It had the perfect ‘Game of Thrones’ meets ‘Beauty and the Beast’ vibe we wanted,” the bride detailed. “Since we got married in November, we leaned into the fall color scheme with purples, oranges, and greens. My dress was black and taupe, my bridesmaids wore wine-purple, and Josh and his groomsmen matched with grey suits and wine-colored ties and vests.”
Ashton and Josh chose St. Petersburg for their destination wedding because of its deep connection to their love story.
“We currently live in Orlando; however, we met while attending a concert in Tampa, which is why our dream venue was extra special to us,” the bride revealed.
In front of a grand stone fireplace adorned with romantic candles and florals, the pair exchanged vows surrounded by 95 of their closest friends and family. The venue, also a distillery, set the perfect moody backdrop for their fall-inspired decor, featuring pumpkins and a unique twist on the traditional guestbook.
“To capture our passion for music, my mom cleaned up one of my old guitars for our guests to sign instead of a traditional guestbook, which is now hanging on our living room wall, and we get to see it every day!” the bride beamed.
The couple chose Lifelong Photography Studio to capture the day because of their reputation and skill that perfectly suited the venue’s atmosphere.
“We wanted a photographer who could really understand our style. Especially since our venue was so dark, we wanted to find someone who could work with darker, more complicated lighting, and Lifelong Photography Studio did a great job of capturing our night,” Ashton raved. “We did an engagement shoot with Gabrielle, which was great because we were able to further figure out what our style was together and create a more personal connection with her prior to the wedding. Our photos turned out beautifully, and many truly look like they came straight out of a magazine!”
To take the stress off of planning, the couple hired B Eventful, and owner, Ashley Johnson, provided not only exceptional organization but also a calming presence throughout the day.
“I was feeling very overwhelmed with the wedding planning process and needed someone who could help ground me and reassure me that everything would be fine. Ashley, our lead coordinator, was incredible at getting us organized around the two-month mark and brought such a calming, reassuring presence on the day of,” the bride gushed. “B Eventful was amazing, and Ashley, in particular, was our rock! On the day of the wedding, I was going through a whirlwind of emotions, and while she was there as our coordinator, she also felt like a friend. From the moment we arrived at the venue at 11 a.m. to our departure at 10:30 p.m., our coordinators were always smiling and full of enthusiasm. You can truly tell that they love what they do. I’m sure they have many weddings happening behind the scenes, but they made us feel like we were their top priority and remained genuinely excited for us throughout the entire process.”
Hair and makeup were equally thoughtful, with Femme Akoi Beauty Studio capturing the bride’s vision of a vintage and romantic style. Inspired by icons like Priscilla Presley and Lana Del Rey, as well as historical figures from The Tudors and Reign, the bride opted for a half-up, half-down curly hairstyle and wore a tiara instead of a veil.
“I love a vintage/romantic look, so my whole style for the day was inspired by several eras and icons,” Ashton revealed. “Femme Akoi Beauty Studio really captured what I was going for.”
The couple took special care to make their wedding uniquely theirs, blending their love for music and history with nontraditional elements.
Being a couple of (not so) former emo kids, we had to incorporate our music and style into the wedding. We worked with an amazing DJ who took the time to get to know us and seamlessly blended together a playlist that included everything from A Day to Remember to Chappell Roan,” the bride revealed. “We’re both big bourbon fans too, so with our venue also being a distillery, our entire wedding could not have felt more perfect or more ‘us’!”
Out of all the wonderful memories of the day, two moments stood out for the bride.
“Josh and I (mostly me) were really nervous about our first dance. After the ceremony, the venue had a private bar where we could escape for a few minutes to decompress and share a drink together. During that time, we practiced our dance one last time, singing softly to ‘If I’m James Dean, You’re Audrey Hepburn’ by Sleeping With Sirens. It was such a sweet moment for us,” the bride reminisced. “Aside from that, our dance floor was truly the best! Everyone heard something they liked, and we got so many compliments on our very mixed playlist. With some fellow emo kids in attendance, we even had a couple of ‘mosh pits’ form, which was hilarious and absolutely unforgettable!”
The Proposal:
Under the guise of an early birthday trip, Josh took me to Salem in November, which was a city I had always talked about visiting one day. He proposed to me on the second day at the coastal park, Salem Willows, and had one of his friends in disguise to capture the moment. His friend even had flown in on our same exact flight and I hadn’t even noticed!
What did you look for in a wedding photographer?
We wanted a photographer who could really understand our style. Especially since our venue was so dark, we wanted to find someone who could work with darker, more complicated lighting, and Lifelong Photography Studio did a great job of capturing our night.
We did an engagement shoot with Gabrielle, which was great because we were able to further figure out what our style was together and create a more personal connection with her prior to the wedding. Our photos turned out beautifully, and many truly look like they came straight out of a magazine!
What was your wedding day hair and makeup inspiration?
I love a vintage/romantic look, so my whole style for the day was inspired by several eras and icons. Femme Akoi Beauty Studio really captured what I was going for.
What did you look for in a wedding planner?
“I was feeling very overwhelmed with the wedding planning process and needed someone who could help ground me and reassure me that everything would be fine. Ashley, our lead coordinator, was incredible at getting us organized around the two-month mark and brought such a calming, reassuring presence on the day of.
B Eventful was amazing, and Ashley, in particular, was our rock! On the day of the wedding, I was going through a whirlwind of emotions, and while she was there as our coordinator, she also felt like a friend. From the moment we arrived at the venue at 11 a.m. to our departure at 10:30 p.m., our coordinators were always smiling and full of enthusiasm. You can truly tell that they love what they do. I’m sure they have many weddings happening behind the scenes, but they made us feel like we were their top priority and remained genuinely excited for us throughout the entire process.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
We will be taking a European river cruise at the end of fall as a combination honeymoon and first wedding anniversary trip. Originally, we had talked about exploring Germany, but after some research, we discovered that a river cruise would be a more cost-effective way to not only experience Germany but also visit a few other countries along the way!
Where did you host your bachelor and bachelorette parties?
My girls and I went to New Orleans, a place I had already visited a few times and absolutely loved. I wanted to pick a destination that had amazing nightlife, along with rich history and a touch of spookiness, and New Orleans was the perfect choice. Meanwhile, Josh, who loves the beach and had never been to the Keys before, rented a house in Key Largo with his groomsmen for their getaway.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
We definitely lean towards a moodier, more alternative aesthetic, so finding a venue that matched our vision was a challenge. I always knew I wanted to get married in the fall, with pumpkins in the decor and a black wedding dress. The moment we toured our venue, I could instantly visualize everything. It had the perfect ‘Game of Thrones’ meets ‘Beauty and the Beast’ vibe we wanted.
What were your colors?
Since we got married in November, we leaned into the fall color scheme with purples, oranges, and greens. My dress was black and taupe, my bridesmaids wore wine-purple, and Josh and his groomsmen matched with grey suits and wine-colored ties and vests.
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
The team at The Urban Stillhouse is truly beyond words! Bri and Jordan, their in-house event managers, are incredible to work with. They made us feel like our wedding was the single most important event in the world. Their attention to detail and genuine “protectiveness” over the weddings they host at the restaurant made us feel incredibly well taken care of. They embraced our more alternative wedding aesthetics with enthusiasm, even going so far as to personally source some of the white pumpkins for us. It was an experience filled with care, passion, and unforgettable memories.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Planning a wedding can truly feel like carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, so it’s important to take care of yourselves throughout the process and allow yourselves to step away when needed to recharge (I really can’t stress this enough!). We made it a point to schedule date nights to go over things together—whether that meant going out or enjoying a frozen pizza and a bottle of wine at home—just to ensure we were both involved and aware of everything happening.
Along those same lines, we also made time to go out and do things together, intentionally setting aside moments to simply enjoy each other’s company without thinking about wedding planning for a few hours. Personally, one of my go-to distractions when I was feeling overwhelmed was switching gears to plan my bachelorette trip, especially since we were going to my absolute favorite city, New Orleans.
