Nautical Tampa Wedding | Yacht Starship Wedding
Lauren and Saimon's downtown Tampa wedding reception featured a navy, gold and pink color palette and nautical theme.
“The venue was our most important thing, and we loved the Yacht StarShip,” the bride gushed. “We were looking for something unique and affordable and the Yacht StarShip was awesome because we cruised around Tampa Bay, saw a beautiful sunset, enjoyed a great dinner and danced the night away. The experience was awesome, and the service was 5-star.”
MORE: YACHT STARSHIP WEDDDINGS
The St. Petersburg couple frequently visited downtown Tampa while they dated and knew that their guests would enjoy it.
“We have memories of coming down to Tampa from Gainesville and spending time in the area for various events,” Lauren shared. “With beautiful views of the bay, and family coming from all over the country, we thought it was perfect for the wedding!”
To document their wedding day, the bride and groom hired Tampa wedding photographer Limelight Photography.
“We hired Limelight because they promised to get our photos back to us quickly, and their picture quality was better than any other photographers that we could find,” the bride gushed. “I loved that they captured so many of our special moments, but for most of the day, we didn't even notice that they were there. One of the photographers even spoke Portuguese for our Brazilian guests.”
MORE: LIMELIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY WEDDDINGS
Since the pair met at the University of Florida, incorporating their alma mater into their wedding was a priority.
“We had a gator nurse and a gator dentist on our groom's cake. We gave Chef Marie of Hands on Sweets digital pictures of the gators we wanted on the groom's cake, and she was actually able to modify the images so the gators were looking at each other. She called the week of the wedding to just check in and make sure she had all of the details perfect!” Lauren beamed.
The Proposal:
My father came to St. Petersburg to have dinner with us after a business trip in the area. Saimon was acting strange on the drive over to Clearwater. He was very quiet, and kept asking me if I was tired. When we parked, Saimon suggested we go to the beach, so that my dad could see it.
When we got to the beach, Saimon asked me to come into the sandy area. Then he got down on one knee, and put a beautifully decorated white cloth on the sand that said, “Lauren, will you marry me?” I was super surprised, and of course, said, “Yes!”
How would you describe your theme?
We chose a nautical theme since we were having the wedding on the Yacht StarShip.
What were your colors?
Navy, gold and pink. We chose them because it went with the nautical theme, and we wanted a burst of color with the navy.
What did you look for in a wedding photographer?
We found Limelight Photography on all of the wedding websites, and almost all of the reviews were excellent. We hired Limelight because they promised to get our photos back to us quickly, and their picture quality was better than any other photographers that we could find.
Their service was excellent. I loved that they captured so many of our special moments, but for most of the day, we didn't even notice that they were there. I liked that there were so many candid pictures of our family and friends, and that everything was not posed. Limelight did an absolutely fantastic job capturing all of the moments we wanted, and the pictures were phenomenal. One of the photographers even spoke Portuguese for our Brazilian guests.
What did you look for in a wedding venue?
We were looking for something unique and affordable.
The Yacht StarShip was awesome because we cruised around Tampa Bay, saw a beautiful sunset, enjoyed a great dinner and danced the night away. We loved the views! The experience was awesome, and the service was 5-star. The venue was our most important thing, and we loved the Yacht StarShip.
What did you look for in a wedding bakery?
We wanted a special cake with the Florida gators on it. Hands on Sweets got very high reviews. The cakes were so delicious when we went to the tasting, and all of their examples and pictures of cakes were very impressive. Chef Marie was always more than willing to go out of her way to make the finished product exactly what we wanted. We gave her digital pictures of the gators we wanted on the groom's cake, and she was actually able to modify the images so the gators were looking at each other. She called the week of the wedding to just check in and make sure she had all of the details perfect.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Do your research about the vendors. I would look at the vendors with the most amount of great ratings.
Don't skimp on photography; it's how you will remember this day for the rest of your life.
Ceremony Venue: St. Paul's Catholic Church
Reception Venue: Yacht StarShip *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Venue
Photographer: Limelight Photography *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pro
Florist: Brides N' Blooms
Caterer: Yacht StarShip
Cake: Hands on Sweets
Officiant: Father Bob Romaine
Invitations: Vistaprint
Transportation: Crown Royal Limos
Dress Shop: David's Bridal
Bridesmaid Dress Shop and Designer: Dessy – Alfred Sung
Hair & Makeup: Destiny and Light Hair and Makeup
