Kara and Michael's destination Bradenton Beach wedding, intertwined white florals, summer hues, and organic accents elegantly capturing the bride and groom's shared love for the beach.
“Growing up, Mike's parents had a vacation home in Sarasota, which we visited frequently. And the beach is my happy place, so we booked a vaca down to Siesta Key early on in our relationship and fell in love with it, and we continued going every year. Anna Maria Island is known to be an amazing venue for a destination wedding…and we were sold!” the couple raved. “Our wedding was unique because we were able to completely make it our own, from start to finish. We didn't want to do a typical beachy theme with seashells, starfish, and turquoise dresses. Instead, we wanted a summery color palette using classy natural elements, such as sea glass, eucalyptus greenery, and candles. I chose the color sea glass, which is a pale green because green is a calming and relaxing color.”
The Wisconsin couple selected Bradenton for their destination Florida wedding and turned to Marry Me Tampa Bay for local guidance and discovered Gulf Beach Weddings, known for planning nearly 10,000 Florida celebrations.
“Marry Me Tampa Bay came up during an online search, which is how we stumbled upon Gulf Beach Weddings. While it seemed like it was going to be super difficult planning a wedding so far away, it was fairly simple thanks to resources like Marry Me Tampa Bay and Gulf Beach Weddings. Everything turned out exactly as we wanted!” Kara gushed.
From their initial interaction with Gulf Beach Weddings, the bride and groom were confident they had discovered the planner capable of overseeing every aspect of their wedding, from significant arrangements to the finer details.
“We wanted someone who could provide everything! We live in the Midwest, so when planning a wedding from across the country, it was important to have someone who could provide everything: the coordinator, arbor, chairs, beach permits, officiant, marriage license, etc. After the initial call, we got a really good vibe, and they were very helpful,” the bride beamed. “They laid out the timeline and were extremely thorough, so we trusted our gut and booked them! They also provided recommendations for reception venues on Anna Maria Island.”
The June wedding unfolded on the sandy shores, framed by the scenic Gulf Coast waters. Underneath an arbor adorned with white florals, the bride and groom exchanged vows in the presence of 50 of their nearest and dearest family and friends. Kara and Michael enlisted a trolley service to shuttle guests throughout the day, including transportation from the beach to the reception.
The newlyweds took great pride in their ability to personalize every aspect of the wedding. They opted to craft their own vows, incorporated their four children to serve as the wedding party, and the groom, a radio personality, expertly tailored songs to fit every part of the ceremony.
“The vows were the most important element of our wedding,” the bride revealed. “We ordered cute, leatherbound vow books off Etsy, and the morning of our wedding, we took a walk down to the beach and sat on opposite ends of a bench and transposed the vows we had been writing into our books.”
Though Kara and Michael each held onto different favorite memories from the wedding, together, they formed a single cherished event to remember forever.
“Michael's favorite memory was seeing me walking towards him on the beach during the ceremony. We chose not to do a first look, and when the officiant turned him around, he was stunned! For me, it was how invested Michael was in planning the wedding. He was so excited!” the bride reminisced. “Also, having my two boys walk me down the aisle and the presence of all of our family to celebrate our special day.”
What did you look for in a wedding planning company?
We wanted someone who could provide everything! We live in the Midwest, so when planning a wedding from across the country, it was important to have someone who could provide everything: the coordinator, arbor, chairs, beach permits, officiant, marriage license, etc. After the initial call, we got a really good vibe, and they were very helpful.
Gulf Beach Weddings laid out the timeline and were extremely thorough, so we trusted our gut and booked them! They also provided recommendations for reception venues on Anna Maria Island.
The Proposal:
I'll start by saying Kara never saw it coming. I had been planning it for months while designing the most stunning engagement ring. The plan was to have Kara's daughter, Maya, commandeer her that evening for a fake photoshoot for school entitled, “Who most inspires me.” I found a place in downtown Milwaukee right off the water, which had a perfect view of the skyline for the proposal, which was attached to a really nice restaurant (Harbor House) where a reservation for six was waiting.
I had her two sons, Alek and Liam, and my daughter, Krista, meet me down there to help set up the proposal. There were these really large rocks off the water, and I had purchased rose petals and candles and the kids helped me make a giant heart. I got word that Maya and Kara arrived at the restaurant, and she walked Kara around to the back, where she saw the rest of the kids standing there and was like, “What is going on here?”
Out in the distance, she saw me standing on the rock, surrounded by candles, and the kids walked her over, playing our song, Love Someone, by Lukas Graham. I hired a photographer who was secretly lurking in the background taking pics. Once she reached me, I took her hand, she stepped on the rock facing me, I said a few words and got down on one knee while our kids looked on.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
Siesta Key! We are fans, and it's close by. After we sent everyone home, we stayed an extra week to celebrate our marriage.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
We didn't want to do a typical beachy theme with seashells, starfish, and turquoise dresses. Instead, we wanted a summery color palette using classy natural elements, such as sea glass, eucalyptus greenery, and candles. I chose the color sea glass, which is a pale green because green is a calming and relaxing color.
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
The cake and mini desserts we ordered were fabulous! Both beautiful and delicious, everyone loved them. The flowers were everything Kara wanted and expected. She had originally wanted a bouquet with peonies but was told it wouldn't be possible. However, the day before the wedding Kara got a call from the florist saying she was able to surprise her with the peonies she had really wanted. We were in constant communication with our musician leading up to the wedding, and he assured us his playlist would be perfect for our day. And it was!
Our photographer was our first choice. It was hot that day, but he was patient. He was funny, had us relaxed, and had a really great artistic eye. The hair and makeup artists came to our VRBO and made all the ladies look gorgeous. We booked a wedding trolley to transport our guests from their VRBOs to the beach, to the reception, and then home. Jen Mallard, our events coordinator at Bridge Street Bistro, was amazing. Before our wedding, we flew down to meet Jen and see the venue we chose, and she was just a pleasure to work with. Everything she had promised leading up to our wedding day happened, and we were very pleased! The day of the wedding Jen noticed that our place settings would look even more beautiful with a menu, so she took it upon herself to create them and added them to each setting.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Book a coordinator! Finding the right person/people to plan everything for you will help alleviate unnecessary stress on your wedding day. Also write your own vows, it's a nice little personalized touch.
