Located in the heart of Midtown Tampa, Aloft/Element Midtown brings a new cosmopolitan flair to the city’s hottest new destination district. Centrally located between Westshore and Downtown, this new central neighborhood has added contemporary energy to Tampa. The dual-branded property creates a unique opportunity for couples to showcase their individual personalities in one location. With that concept in mind, Tampa wedding planner Staci Mandikas of UNIQUE Weddings + Events designed a stylized wedding for today’s modern couple.
“The theme for this stylized shoot was ‘Opposites Attract.’ After touring the new Aloft/Element Hotel, I quickly realized that it was a ‘two brands under one roof’ concept. The Element is more natural, organic, and spa-like. The color scheme combines light shades of blues and greens with neutral tones and natural wood. All of the furniture is minimalist style and has clean lines. On the other hand, the Aloft is urban, high style, and whimsical. The color scheme combines blacks, silvers, and rich pops of color, such as royal blue, magenta, and mustard yellow. All of the furniture is unique and has lots of angles. The juxtaposition of these two polar opposite styles inspired me to imagine a couple that is just as contrasted but is brought together by love,” Staci explained.
To complement the calming Element design, the ceremony and cocktail hour incorporated a classic color palette of ivory, grey, beige, blush, and soft green. Tampa wedding florist Monarch Events & Design showcased ethereal and organic floral pieces that flanked the ceremony aisle. The pampas grass and dried palm fronds added a boho touch to classic pale pink roses to embrace the modern, minimalist style. Ghost chairs provided by A Chair Affair brought the ceremony together and created a focal point on the lovely couple, all while Breezin’ Entertainment set the romantic ambiance with a live musician.
The hotel itself provides endless opportunities for unique and creative photo backdrops that were beautifully captured by Tampa wedding photography and videography team, Bonnie Newman Creative. From the cascading staircase to the rooftop lounge area, the couple dazzled in their attire provided by Truly Forever Bridal and Sacino’s. The bride stunned with a classic updo and makeup by Adore Bridal Services, while her 5-carat ring provided by International Diamond Center sparkled brightly. Not to be missed, the adoptable puppy brought in on behalf of the Tampa Humane Society, FairyTale Pet Care was actually adopted during the shoot by one hotel’s wedding staff.
For the reception, a clear translation of the edgier Aloft part of the hotel was filled with black and silver and pops of mustard yellow, magenta, and royal blue. Spark Wedding Events set the scene with special effects such as smoke, fireless sparkers, uplighting, pin spotting. and a trendy neon sign that elevated the look of the design.
“The bride, Whitney, is representative of the Element part of the hotel, sophisticated, elegant, and graceful, while the groom, Ethan, is representative of the Aloft part of the hotel, funky, edgy, and fun. Since marriage is filled with compromise, the wedding planning process is the first introduction to that compromise. This couple decided to ‘give’ the design of the ceremony and cocktail hour to the bride to display her style, while the groom took on the design of the reception to embrace his style,” the wedding planner and designer shared.
Looking back on the styled shoot, it’s hard for Staci to choose one favorite element. With so many details and design concepts, every aspect of the day was so unique. One of our favorite pieces was the custom cake designed by The Artistic Whisk.
“Since I consider my own style as a combination of different aesthetics (preppy with a bit of edge), I found my favorite elements in each of the different designs. The ceremony floral arrangements were so airy and organic; I was in love the second that I saw them! I also was obsessed with the groom’s gold brooch boutonniere. This simple touch (literally $7 from Amazon!) looked so sophisticated and was such a unique take on a standard boutonniere. In the reception, there were so many things that I loved, the velvet mustard yellow napkins were a risk, but I am so glad that I did it. For table runners, we laid cut sheet metal. This is something that has been in my mind for years, and I was so glad that we finally got to do it. And, I must pay homage to the cake! I sent the cake designer a ton of images of the Aloft lobby, and The Artistic Whisk took it and ran with it. My jaw dropped when I saw it in person, and I could not believe they translated the design of the lobby so perfectly without ever seeing it in person.”
How would you describe your theme?
The theme for this stylized shoot was ‘Opposites Attract.’ After touring the new Aloft Element Hotel, I quickly realized that it was a ‘two brands under one roof’ concept. The Element part of the hotel is more natural, organic, and spa-like. The color scheme combines light shades of blues and greens with neutral tones and natural wood. All of the furniture is minimalist style and has clean lines. On the other hand, the Aloft part of the hotel is urban, high style, and whimsical. The color scheme combines blacks, silvers, and rich pops of color, such as royal blue, magenta, and mustard yellow. All of the furniture is unique and has lots of angles.
The juxtaposition of these two polar opposite styles inspired me to imagine a couple that is just as contrasted but is brought together by love. The bride, Whitney, is representative of the Element part of the hotel, sophisticated, elegant, and graceful, while the groom, Ethan, is representative of the Aloft part of the hotel, funky, edgy, and fun.
Since marriage is filled with compromise, the wedding planning process is the first introduction to that compromise. This couple decided to ‘give’ the design of the ceremony and cocktail hour to the bride to display her style, while the groom would take on the design of the reception to embrace his style.
What were your colors?
We kept the ceremony and cocktail hour reminiscent of the Element part of the hotel, by incorporating ivory, grey, beige, blush, and soft green. We also included clear plexi to embrace a modern, minimalist style. For the reception, a clear translation of the Aloft part of the hotel was filled with black and silver and pops of mustard yellow, magenta, and royal blue.
What were your favorite elements of this shoot?
Since I consider my own style a combination of different aesthetics (preppy with a bit of edge), I found my favorite elements in each of the different designs. The ceremony floral arrangements were so airy and organic; I was in love, the second that I saw them! I also was obsessed with the groom’s gold brooch boutonniere. This simple touch (literally $7 from Amazon!) looked so sophisticated and was such a unique take on a standard boutonniere.
In the reception, there were so many things that I loved; the velvet mustard yellow napkins were a risk, but I am so glad that I did it. For table runners we laid cut sheet metal. This is something that has been in my mind for years, and I was so glad that we finally got to do it.
And I must pay homage to the cake! I sent the cake designer a ton of images of the Aloft lobby, and The Artistic Whisk took it and ran with it. My jaw dropped when I saw it in person, and I could not believe they translated the design of the lobby, so perfectly without ever seeing it in person.
The gorgeous jewelry that the jeweler so graciously provided really added a refined touch and elevated the look of the shoot. The reception gown was everything! The model really worked it, and you could tell that she really embraced that Aloft style.
The reception design would’ve been nothing without the lighting and special effects! The haze and laser lights really transformed the ballroom into the latest, trendiest nightclub. It was such a party!
To help couples better understand Tampa Bay wedding pricing, how much would you estimate this wedding would cost for 150 guests? Venue, Catering & Bar: $15,000-$25,000 | Photography & Videography: $6,000-$10,000 (dependent on the amount of hours) | Flowers: $5,000-$7,000 | Invitations & Stationery: $1,500 – $2500 (includes invitations, programs, escort cards, placecards and menus) | Furniture & Equipment Rentals: $3,000- $5,000 | Tabletop Rentals: $2,500 | Draping: $1,500-$2,000 | Linens: $2,500 | Bride’s Attire: $3,500 – $4,500 | Groom’s Attire: $300 – $500 | DJ, Lighting & Special Effects: $3,000-$5,000 | Musician: $500 – $1,000 | Cake: $1,500-$2,500
Venue: Aloft/Element Midtown Tampa *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Venue
Photographer/Videographer: Bonnie Newman Creative *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Designer and Planner: UNIQUE Weddings + Events *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Floral and Decor: Monarch Events & Design *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Draping: Gabro Event Services
Musician: Breezin’ Entertainment *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Lighting, Music and Special Effects: Spark Wedding Events *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Rentals (Furniture and Equipment): A Chair Affair *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Tabletop Rentals: Treasury Event Rentals
Linens: Over the Top Rental Linens *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Stationery: WeddingInvy
Cake: The Artistic Whisk *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Wedding Dress: Truly Forever Bridal *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Tuxedo Rental: Sacino’s
Hair and Makeup: Adore Bridal Services *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Jewelry Accessories: International Diamond Center *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Pet Sitter: Fairytail Pet Care *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Models: Noah and Ali
