Kathryn and Tyler’s Thonotosassa estate wedding combined natural wood accents and flora with striking black details and sparkling gold elements perfectly suited for their New Year’s Eve celebration. Following their traditional Cathedral nuptials, friends and family dined in an Italian rustic barn and danced under a canopy of string lights.
“As our fabulous wedding planner described it, our wedding vibe was organic, romantic, and minimal,” the bride beamed. “We went with a typical black and gold theme in honor of New Year’s Eve! We had a lot of greenery with pops of white flowers.”
The couple reveled in their engagement with a two-and-a-half-year planning process, which allowed them plenty of time to research their big day.
“We have been following Marry Me Tampa Bay since the engagement and have gotten a lot of inspo through their site and their social media,” Kathryn shared.
The Tampa bride and groom sought a wedding venue with unique character and charm that could easily accommodate their 200 guests.
“We looked for a venue that could hold our massive families. It was also enticing to have a venue that was different from the many weddings we had the pleasure of being guests at in the years leading up to our own. We had our eyes and hearts set on Mision Lago Estate before the venue was even complete. It checked all the boxes for us,” Kathryn raved. “It is an enchanting property with so many beautiful touches that make the place feel so special. We especially loved the style it holds and the fact that it made you feel like you were in another country entirely! The entire Mision Lago staff was amazing and had all hands on deck to pull off our special holiday wedding.”
Kathryn envisioned a reception space filled with natural greenery from long garlands down feasting tables to towering arrangements perched atop gold stands. From their first meeting with the florist and design team at FH Events they knew they could make her dream a reality.
“We were looking for a company that could bring our vision to life. We were looking for lots of hanging greenery with pops of big open white roses. FH Events took what we asked for and ran with it. We absolutely loved the way our florals turned out!” the bride beamed. “We chose FH after speaking with several other vendors because after our very first meeting we felt confident that they would be able to execute the job. They were fantastic to work with and always very responsive and receptive to all of our ideas!”
The couple opted for a champagne tower pour instead of a traditional wedding cake cutting photo, which created a unique experience for their guests.
“Kathryn isn’t much of a sweets person, and she wanted to replace the big cake cutting with a champagne tower,” Tyler explained. “We had a 200 glass champagne tower and had an exciting experience as we continuously opened and poured champagne till they were all full. It was for sure a highlight of the night!”
There were many memorable moments that stood out for the pair, but one of the unforgettable events was their intimate last dance at the end of the evening.
“The entire day was extremely memorable but some of our favorite parts of the day were our first dance, the champagne tower, the NYE countdown with a fog machine and CO2 jets/guns, and our private last dance,” Kathryn recalled. “We strongly recommend a private last dance; it was a very touching moment to have to ourselves after such an amazing night with all the emotions sinking in!”
What was your wedding hair inspiration?
My wedding hair inspo was a low loose updo with some curled pieces left out front.
After my trial with Jess at Femme Akoi Beauty Studio, we added in some pearl touches that really pulled together the classic and timeless look I was going for!
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
As our fabulous wedding planner described it, our wedding vibe was organic, romantic, and minimal.
What were your colors and why did you choose them?
We went with a typical black and gold theme in honor of New Year’s Eve! We had a lot of greenery with pops of white flowers.
What did you look for in a wedding venue?
We looked for a venue that could hold our massive families. It was also enticing to have a venue that was different from the many weddings we had the pleasure of being guests at in the years leading up to our own.
We had our eyes and hearts set on Mision Lago Estate before the venue was even complete. It checked all the boxes for us. It is an enchanting property with so many beautiful touches that make the place feel so special. We especially loved the style it holds and the fact that it made you feel like you were in another country entirely!
The entire Mision Lago staff was amazing and had all hands on deck to pull off our special holiday wedding. We can’t say enough great things about everyone at Mision Lago, and we will definitely not be strangers to the people and property.
What did you look for in a wedding floral and rental company?
We were looking for a company that could bring our vision to life. We were looking for lots of hanging greenery with pops of big open white roses. FH Events took what we asked for and ran with it. We absolutely loved the way our florals turned out!
We chose FH after speaking with several other vendors because after our very first meeting we felt confident that they would be able to execute the job. They were fantastic to work with and always very responsive and receptive to all of our ideas!
What did you look for in a wedding DJ?
We wanted a DJ that could keep the party going into the New Year!
We had heard Eric Harding from Grant Hemond & Associates deejay at a previous wedding we had gone to and thoroughly enjoyed it, so we reached out and he was available for our big day!
Eric was super easy to communicate with and played all the songs we wanted and more, keeping the energy up all the way through to our incredible NYE countdown!
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
All of our vendors exceeded our expectations! We couldn’t have imagined a more perfect day filled with so much love!
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
Since I was finishing up my year of dental school in Boston, we decided to put off the big honeymoon until after graduation. We went on a “mini-moon” right after the wedding in Savannah, GA and had an amazing few days soaking in being newlyweds! We are headed to Mexico for a week-long tropical honeymoon and we couldn’t be more excited!
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Enjoy the engagement! We had a longer than usual engagement (2.5 years) which allowed us to really enjoy being engaged before jumping into wedding planning!
Also, try not to sweat the little things leading up to the big day. Some things are out of our control and in the grand scheme won’t make a huge difference. Soak in every single moment because, as every couple will tell you, the day flies by!
