Clearwater Beach Destination Wedding | Clearwater Beach Wedding Venue Sandpearl Resort
It was always Henrietta and Adrian’s dream to host a beach wedding, and the Canadian couple’s wish came true during their destination Clearwater Beach wedding.
“We had been debating other sunny destinations, but the more we read, the more we fell in love with the baby powder white sands and spectacular sunsets, and we knew we had to do it in Clearwater Beach!” the bride gushed “Having a wedding in the sand, accompanied by a steel drum band, followed by a reception next to the beach that had us dancing all night on a boardwalk, was a mission accomplished!”
With the couple thousands of miles away and just 11 weeks to plan their wedding, Henrietta and Adrian knew they needed the help of a Clearwater Beach wedding planner.
“We thought it would make things considerably easier to have a planner in Florida to give us local advice and keep us on track. With such a short timeline, we were quite nervous, but Tammy of Special Moments was confident and reassuring, which saved us from a lot of freaking out,” the bride said. “I can never applaud them enough. They did for us in 11 weeks what some brides budget 11 months for, and I doubt anyone could tell how quickly everything was thrown together.”
MORE: SPECIAL MOMENTS WEDDINGS
Since the bride loves to dance, Henrietta searched for a Clearwater Beach wedding DJ who had high energy and could keep the guests on their feet throughout the night.
“We wanted a DJ who was knowledgeable and experienced enough to give us a little bit of everything without sounding like an iPod on shuffle,” the bride explained. “Bill at Delite Entertainment was one of the first DJs we talked to who really got that balance right. He took the direction from our song list and filled it out wonderfully. The playlist was spot on and our guests had an amazing time. We danced and partied non-stop, all night long!”
Looking back, one of the bride’s most memorable moments came during the ceremony.
“I’ll never forget walking down the aisle and seeing Adrian staring back at me. He actually teared up!” Henrietta reminisced.
Why did you hire a wedding planner?
Given that we were a destination couple who’s never visited the area, and we only had about three months to get everything together, we thought it would make things considerably easier to have a planner in Florida to give us local advice and keep us on track.
After reviewing our options, Special Moments just seemed like the best fit. Their experience and credentials were impressive, but most importantly, from our first conversation, Tammy helped put us at ease. With such a short timeline, we were quite nervous, but she was confident and reassuring, which saved us from a lot of freaking out. I can never applaud Special Moments enough. They did for us in 11 weeks what some brides budget 11 months for, and I doubt anyone could tell how quickly everything was thrown together. Heck, we have vendors we didn’t book until a week before the wedding, and Tammy didn’t skip a beat.
The Proposal:
It was a gloomy April day and we were celebrating our fourth anniversary. We had a nice Italian dinner, and we went to the waterfront at Olympic Village in Vancouver for a walk. Adrian lead me to a secluded bench overlooking Science World, my favorite view in Vancouver, and gave me a present – a book that he wrote and illustrated.
He asked me to read it right then and there. At the end of the book, Adrian had made a hidden compartment in the remaining pages with a small flap hiding the contents. As I opened it, there was the ring inside the small compartment. He took the ring out, got down on his knee and asked me to marry him. I said, ‘Yes!”
How would you describe your theme?
Beachy, rustic and elegant. The theme of the wedding more came from a combination of all the things that my husband and I like and had been wanting for our wedding, rather than simply picking a theme or style.
What were your colors?
Rather than choose a specific color, we went with a pastel floral palette that included a variety of colors. The only color that stood out a little more was the pastel teal (one of my favorite colors!), which we used for all the guy’s ties.
Why did you hire specialty lighting?
We’ve always wanted an outdoor reception with lots of lights! Once we got the outdoor venue, we were in love with the idea of dancing under strings of bistro lights.
Nature Coast Entertainment provided the overhead bistro lights that we loved so much. They did a great job and looked so amazing!
What did you look for in a DJ?
I love to dance, so we were definitely looking for a DJ who was upbeat, high energy and had the DJ chops to really keep things going all night long. At the same time, we needed him to be friendly and have a professional demeanor when it called for it to able to handle MC duties properly.
Bill at Delite Entertainment was one of the first DJs we talked to who really got that balance right. He was friendly, funny and personable. We really felt like he was really listening and trying to get to know us and what we wanted. He also seemed knowledgeable in a number of genres and could really deliver. The playlist was spot on and our guests had an amazing time. We danced and partied non-stop, all night long!
How did you find a majority of your vendors?
We did use Marry Me Tampa Bay quite a bit! Especially when we were deciding on a venue, since we couldn’t actually visit the venues beforehand; it was invaluable to have so many real weddings for reference. We could see how other brides used the space or how the venues looked aside from the official photos.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay Brides?
Definitely consider Clearwater Beach as a backdrop!
Ceremony and Reception Venue: Sandpearl Resort
Photographer: Sunglow Photography
Videographer: Made with Love Films
Planner: Special Moments *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Caterer: Sandpearl Resort
Florist: Iza’s Flowers
Chivari Chairs Rentals: Signature Event Rentals
Cake: Chantilly Cakes
DJ: Delite Entertainment
Steel drummers- Caladesi Steel Band
Lighting: Nature Coast Entertainment *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Officiant: Reverend David Cole, A Beautiful Ceremony
Invitations: Vistaprint
Hair & Makeup: KyleLynn Weddings