Sam and Jack’s waterfront St. Petersburg wedding featured an outdoor waterfront ceremony followed by a classic meets industrial reception set against the brick walls of a historic building.
“We love the area and specifically St Petersburg. We are there almost every weekend with our pups and love the beaches, breweries, and restaurants,” the bride shared. “We joke and say that our theme was ‘golden retriever’ since we had so many dog touches at our wedding. Even though our dogs weren’t at the wedding, we wanted to have them incorporated with table numbers, the cake topper, and koozies. Other than that, we tried to stick to a simple theme and color. We picked neutral colors of gold, greenery, and white.”
The Tampa couple turned to Marry Me Tampa Bay for sourcing professional and reputable wedding vendors for their March celebration.
“We found a lot of our vendors through Marry Me Tampa Bay, including our DJ and caterer,” Sam shared. “And we previously used our photographer, a Marry Me Tampa Bay preferred vendor, for our engagement photos, so choosing her was a no-brainer.”
The bride and groom favored a bright and natural photography style, and they searched for someone who would complement their personalities so that they could enjoy the entire wedding day together.
“We wanted someone who we knew would be a blast to hang out with during the day and make taking photos easy and fun. Picking Kéra Photography was an easy choice. It felt like we were just hanging out with a close friend the whole day,” Sam beamed. “We previously used her for our engagement photos. She made the entire process a blast, and the pictures turned out amazing. Her style was exactly what we wanted – bright and airy.”
The couple framed their waterfront backdrop with a pipe and drape ceremony arch that billowed in the Florida breeze, and added touches of warmth with wooden farm tables and cross-back chairs by Gabro Event Services.
Guest experience was a top priority for Sam and Jack, who chose a wedding caterer that has been a staple in Tampa Bay for nearly 100 years.
“We wanted food that would be a hit with everyone. My husband loves hors d’oeuvres, so those were some of our favorite things to taste and pick out together,” the bride shared. “Our original venue required Olympia Catering. We were so glad that they were so accommodating with our venue change due to COVID. Darren was amazing to work with and made the entire process so much fun, especially our tasting.”
The party-focused pair envisioned a packed dance floor, surrounded by their 100 closest friends and family, so they relied on an upbeat DJ to create the ideal reception entertainment experience.
“We wanted our wedding to be a big party with good music, dancing, food, and drinks! We wanted a DJ who would work with us on the music that we wanted, and someone who would keep the partying and dancing going all night,” the bride raved. “Chris certainly did that; our guests were all sore from dancing for days after! Graingertainment‘s reputation spoke for itself, and we picked our DJ based on reviews on Marry Me Tampa Bay and our conversation with him.”
During a day that can often feel like a whirlwind, the bride and groom devoted a few moments alone to exchange private vows, which Sam attributes as her most treasured memory of the day.
“Our most memorable moment was our pre-ceremony vows,” the bride recalled. “We snuck away after our first look to say our personal vows privately to each other. It was such a special time during the day where it felt like it was just the two of us before all of the wedding craziness began.”
What were your hair and makeup inspiration?
I wanted to match hair and makeup to the dress that I chose which was very simple but still elegant. I went with a relatively natural look.
I found Femme Akoi Beauty Studio through Marry Me Tampa Bay. The girls were wonderful to work with! Ayla specifically helped create the look that I was going for and was so fun to hang out with on the wedding day.
The Proposal:
Jack arranged a date night for us in St Petersburg. We headed down to grab a drink with our dogs at our favorite brewery, Green Bench. Afterward, he suggested we walk around Vinoy Park with the dogs before our reservation, where he popped the question out by the water. Later he surprised us with our families meeting us for dinner to celebrate!
What did you look for in a wedding photographer?
We wanted someone who would be a blast to hang out with during the day and make taking photos easy and fun.
Picking Kéra Photography was an easy choice. It felt like we were just hanging out with a close friend the whole day. We previously used her for our engagement photos, and she made the entire process a blast. The pictures turned out amazing. Her style was exactly what we wanted – bright and airy.
Where did you host your bachelorette party?
Our plan was to go to Nashville, however, the city was shut down due to COVID. We ended up getting a place on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale which was a great girls’ trip!
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
All of our vendors exceeded expectations. They were all wonderful and so easy to work with, especially with their flexibility with constant changes due to COVID.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
We decided to do a mini-moon at the Don CeSar due to travel restrictions. It was the perfect way to unwind and relax for a few days after the wedding.
What was your menu inspiration?
We wanted food that would be a hit with everyone. My husband loves hors d’oeuvres, so those were some of our favorite things to taste and pick out together.
Our original venue required Olympia Catering. We were so glad that they were so accommodating with our venue change due to COVID. Darren was amazing to work with, and made the entire process so much fun, especially our tasting.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
We joke and say that our theme was “golden retriever” since we had so many dog touches at our wedding. Other than that, we tried to stick to a simple theme and color, gold, greenery, and white.
What did you look for in a wedding DJ?
We wanted our wedding to be a big party with our closest friends and family with good music, dancing, food, and drinks! We wanted a DJ who would work with us on the music that we wanted, and someone who would keep the partying and dancing going all night.
Chris certainly did that, our guests were all sore from dancing for days after. Graingertainment‘s reputation spoke for itself, and we picked him based on reviews on Marry Me Tampa Bay and our conversation with him.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Everyone will tell you that the wedding flies by, but we couldn’t believe how quickly it did. Take in every minute. Take moments to just spend with your partner, but also enjoy the people that came to celebrate you!
Ceremony Venue: Lassing Park
Reception Venue: Morean Center for Clay
Photographer: Kera Photography *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pro
Planner: Events With Angelina
Florist: Something Borrowed Blooms
Caterer: Olympia Catering *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pro
Bartender: Seaboard Mobile Bar
Rentals: (Reception chairs, tables, dance floor, farm table, tent, chairs, outdoor pipe and drape arch) Gabro Event Services *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pro
Cake: Publix
DJ: Graingertainment *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pro
Officiant: Pastor Chris Thomas – Sensational Ceremonies
Invitations: Shutterfly
Transportation: Olympus Limo
Dress: Anne Barge
Shoe Designer: Badgley Mischka
Bridesmaid Dress Shop: Revelry
Hair & Makeup: Femme Akoi Beauty Studio *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pro
Rehearsal Dinner: 400 Beach Restaurant
Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
*Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pros are highly respected by our local wedding community and have been personally vetted by our editor.
