Gentry and Rob's downtown Tampa wedding included two celebrations; an intimate 30-guest affair followed by a citrus-colored “Florida” themed wedding for 100.
“For the backyard celebration, we wanted ‘simple and southern' as we wanted to make the focus of the day the vows we were making, our promises to each other, and the love of our family and friends who had supported us to this point,” the bride explained. “For our November sequel wedding, the theme was Florida! Rob and I are both born and raised Floridians and went to the University of Florida so we wanted to weave that heritage throughout our day. My girls wore Lilly, his guys wore Gator ties, and our florals all incorporated citrus and pinks, yellows, and oranges to celebrate our beautiful state!”
Because of COVID, the St. Pete couple had to make changes to their original wedding plans, but still kept their initial date.
“In the months leading up to the wedding, there was so much unknown about COVID and exactly what it would mean for our wedding. Rob and I began to discuss that our ‘big' wedding day might not be possible in May, and we both felt passionate about keeping our original wedding date and finding a way to move forward with a wedding,” the bride revealed. “About a month prior we got the news that we would need to postpone our original wedding. Thankfully, our cousin Emily (one of my BFF's from college and the reason we met!) is a planner extraordinaire and offered her home to us to host an intimate, backyard wedding. Emily and Jess from Coastal Coordinating worked together to make our wedding the absolute day of our dreams, and we did it in less than 30 days!”
Gentry is a local blogger and an avid-member of our Marry Me Tampa Bay wed-to-be Facebook group. Six months later she hosted a “sequel wedding” with the help of the planning team from Coastal Coordinating.
“We used Marry Me Tampa Bay often in our search for vendors. We are most thankful that it helped us to find the team at Coastal Coordinating, they really made our dreams come true! When we started the wedding planning process I was very overwhelmed. I called a local planner (not Coastal) and had a terrible experience. She basically told me that my vision was impossible unless I was willing to spend 5x my budget. I was in tears! The next day I had a call with Coastal Coordinating, and it was a completely different and wonderful experience,” the bride raved. “The team assured me that we could work together to bring my vision to life, and do it within budget! Jess, our coordinator, was available 24/7 for questions/ideas/calls and helped us every single step of the way. She truly made wedding planning and our wedding day(s) as stress-free as possible! Rob and I couldn't get over how wonderful the team was and how thankful we were to have found them!”
To complement the bride's natural beauty, she turned to the hair and makeup artists at Adore Bridal to create a classic look.
“It was really important to me to look like myself on my wedding day, just a really glam version. I love that Adore Bridal also believes in that philosophy too! Their style is classic, timeless, and chic which was exactly what I was looking for!” the bride beamed. “You spend so much time with your hair and makeup team, and I wanted to make sure we clicked. The Adore team was really so much fun to be with! They brought music that kept us pumped all morning, were so kind and friendly, and just felt like an extension of my bridal party.”
From the University of Florida Gator references to the Lilly Pulitzer print dresses, the couple ensured that their wedding celebrations were truly a reflection of their personalities. One of the big aspects was planning their wedding day menu with Amici's Catered Cuisine.
“Food was one of the things Rob and I were most passionate about when planning our wedding. We didn't need anything fancy; we just wanted food that tasted great and made our guests feel welcome and well fed. Amici's totally delivered on that!” the bride commended. “We went with a bit of a southern comfort theme to our food. We surprised our guests with a ‘midnight snack' of truffle fries and mini-milkshakes! The food was definitely a highlight of the night, and the Amici's staff couldn't have been more accommodating or wonderful to work with!”
Looking back on their two wedding celebrations, the couple reflects that sharing their vows with one another and adding surprises throughout the event for their guests were the most memorable.
“When you get married during a global pandemic, what isn't unique? I think the biggest surprise was about two months after our first wedding we found out we were expecting a baby! This made for a lot of jokes at our second wedding,” Gentry revealed. “After all the changes to our first wedding day, it was pure joy to get to walk down the aisle to Rob; he looked so darn handsome! At our second wedding, we loved getting to do things to surprise our guests, like the video Rob made of all the Gator guests (about 90% of the crowd) from our college days. It was so fun! In lieu of Rob's mother/son dance (we lost his mom about 15 years ago), he played an unforgettable video of him and her dancing to Winnie the Pooh; there wasn't a dry eye in the house.”
Our team wishes Gentry and Rob a very special Congratulations as they welcomed their daughter Eliza Ann on March 4th.
The Proposal:
One of my absolute favorite days! I was working with the Pink Palm for a blog series, and at the end of my photoshoot, Sara Katherine, the owner of the store, said someone had left an outfit for me. She brought out a Lilly Pulitzer that I had literally been hunting down for years! I was so surprised and knew that Rob had found it for me. I went to try it on, and when I came out, Rob was sitting there! I was in shock and still didn't register what was happening! As he started to propose and got down on one knee, the tears started flowing, and I could only nod! It was the best and easiest “Yes” of my life! Afterward, he surprised me with an engagement party with our family and friends. It was truly a day I will never forget!
Years ago I actually had a dream of getting engaged in a Lilly store, but didn't tell a soul because I thought that would never happen! And then God brought me a man who literally made my dreams come true!
What did you look for in a wedding planner?
We wanted someone who was kind and easy to work with, who understood our vision, who was organized and knew the industry, and someone who would be fine with our 10,000 questions! When we started the wedding planning process I was very overwhelmed. I called a local planner and had a terrible experience. She basically told me that my vision was impossible unless I was willing to spend 5x my budget. I was in tears!
The next day I had a call with Coastal Coordinating, and it was a completely different and wonderful experience. The team there assured me that we could work together to bring my vision to life and do it within budget! They had great connections in the industry and were able to introduce me to new vendors that hadn't even crossed my radar yet. Jess, our coordinator, was available 24/7 for questions/ideas/calls and helped us every single step of the way. She truly made wedding planning and our wedding day(s) as stress-free as possible! Rob and I couldn't get over how wonderful the team was and how thankful we were to have found them! Whatever you have to do, hire a wedding planner! It will truly allow you to relax and enjoy the process and your wedding day!
What did you look for in a wedding hair and makeup artist?
It was really important to me to look like “myself” on my wedding day, just a really glam version.
I love that Adore Bridal also believes in that philosophy too! Their style is classic, timeless, and chic which was exactly what I was looking for! Plus, you spend so much time with your hair and makeup team I wanted to make sure we clicked, and the Adore team was really so much fun to be with! They brought music that kept us pumped all morning, were so kind and friendly, and just felt like an extension of my bridal party! I'm actually sad I don't get to see the team again now that the wedding is over!
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
For our November sequel wedding, the theme was Florida! Rob and I are both born and raised Floridians and went to the University of Florida (Go Gators!), so we wanted to weave that heritage throughout our day. My girls wore Lilly, his guys wore Gator ties, and our florals all incorporated citrus and pinks, yellows, and oranges to celebrate our beautiful state!
What were your colors?
For our sequel, we went for bright pink, orange, yellow, and gold (a nod to my love for Lilly Pulitzer and the great state of Florida).
What did you look for in a wedding caterer?
Food was one of the things Rob and I were most passionate about when planning our wedding. We didn't need anything fancey; we just wanted food that tasted great and made our guests feel welcome and well-fed. Amici's Catered Cuisine totally delivered on that!
We went with a bit of a southern comfort theme to our food. Some of our favorites were the Truffle Mac and Cheese Bites, The Chicken and Waffles with Fire Roasted Marshmallows, and the Watermelon, Feta and Basil Skewers. For dinner, we loved both the Chicken Marsala and the Chicken Alfredo. We surprised our guests with a “midnight snack” of truffle fries and mini milkshakes! The food was definitely a highlight of the night and the Amici's staff couldn't have been more accommodating or wonderful to work with!
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
If you have a vision, don't settle! While it may take some creativity to bring it to life, you can truly get the day of your dreams in your budget! Also, whatever you have to do, hire a wedding planner! It will truly allow you to relax and enjoy the process and your wedding day!
Microwedding Venue: Friend's Backyard
Ceremony and Reception Venue: Tampa River Center
Photographer: Katie Hauburger Photography
Videographer: LoveView Weddings
Wedding Planner: Coastal Coordinating *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Florist: Mary Nell Chadsey Floral Designs
Caterer: Amici's Catered Cuisine *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Microwedding Rentals: Kate Ryan Event Rentals *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Cake: Chantilly Cakes
DJ: Y Entertainment
Officiant: Allan Smith
Invitations: Zola
Dress: Watters Too
Shoe Designer: Palm Beach Sandals
Bridesmaid Dress Shop and Designer: The Pink Palm – Lilly Pulitzer
Hair & Makeup: Adore Bridal *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
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.
