Melanie Eubanks
Founder and Creative Director
727-823-3432
Hometown: Albertville, AL
Services provided: Floral Design and Production, Select Décor Rentals, Wedding Planning & Management (from Month of/ Day of Coordination to Full Planning)
Areas you service: Tampa Bay Area, Open to Traveling
Describe your ideal client: Our ideal client is anyone who wants their day to be special! We have a diverse team and each has their own idea of their “ideal client” but we always love to see people excited for their wedding day!
What inspired you to start your business? Growing up in Alabama, my parent’s loved to host family and friends with dinner parties, holiday get-togethers, and festive celebrations. I grew up to love planning, decorating, and entertaining. One day, after helping my niece plan her wedding and continuing with this new second job, I decided to make my passion my main career. Thus, Lemon Drops was born! My husband and I started the business in the garage of our home but have grown and expanded into the brick and mortar storefront our clients know today.
What makes your business stand out from others in your category? Our Wedding Planning Department works personally with our Wedding Florists to provide a one stop experience; they're only a few steps away if they ever need each other to discuss details or ask questions. Nothing leaves the shop without both departments being happy with the results!
Favorite gift to receive from another vendor: Me and the team will never say no to snacks!
Favorite place to meet with other vendors: Our storefront is our go to since we can potentially show off rentals, flowers, and the dogs!
What's something vendors would be surprised to know about you? We are the in house florist for The Vinoy Resort & Golf Club here in St. Pete!
Fun facts: I have two dogs, Bleu and Goldie, that often visit the office and our clients!
Additional info: We love making new connections with vendors and working as a team!
Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Vendor
John Elice
Wedding Consultant, Floral Designer
727-800-6736
Hometown: Saint Petersburg, Florida
Services provided: At Bruce Wayne Florals, we specialize in weddings, parties, corporate events, and holiday floral design. We also service the Tampa Bay Area with daily flower deliveries and can assist in global deliveries as well. We also offer a curated collection of gifts and home décor.
Areas Serviced: The Tampa Bay Area, Including The Beaches.
Describe your ideal client: Although we are good at adapting to client’s needs and working with a variety of clients if I had to describe our ideal client, the following would be a great place to start. The client will have selected their wedding date and secured a venue. They would have a general idea in mind of the design aesthetic of their wedding and be open to design suggestions. The client will have set a flexible floral budget and understand wants vs. must-haves in order to achieve their budget. Finally, I think the ideal client would feel a connection with us and trust that we will be able to give them what they want, utilizing our talent to achieve the wedding flowers they envision. Also, it never hurts, for larger events, that the client enlists the help of a stellar wedding planner.
Favorite place to meet with other vendors: We especially love meeting with vendors in our studio. This gives us an opportunity to make a more intimate connection, and it allows us to show vendors the different hard goods we have available
Favorite gift to receive from another vendor: Coffee always works, but the best and most rewarding gift is of course a “thank you”. Referrals are always nice, too.
What Is Something Vendors Would Be Surprised To Know About You? I am an extremely shy guy! EXTREMELY
Additional info: We also help clients with parties, corporate events, and holiday floral design. We house a vast array of hard goods, which we rent to clients as well as other vendors in our area. We have a small retail location where we sell a limited assortment of gift and décor items. We also service the Tampa Bay Area with daily flower deliveries for every occasion.
Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Vendor
Jill Heaton
Owner and Head Designer/Florist
Jill Heaton Event Décor
860 – 543 – 4632
Hometown: Winter Haven, Florida
Services provided: Full Service All Inclusive Florist for Weddings and Events. We offer complete customization, which also includes custom arches, candles, and all types of vessels for centerpieces.
Areas Serviced: Tampa, St. Pete, Clearwater, Sarasota, Fort Myers, Naples, Hillsborough County, Pinellas County, Orlando, Brevard County, Broward Dade and Palm Beach County.
What inspired you to start your business? My own wedding 34 years ago started me in the path of my business. When I was a new mom living in Northern Minnesota, I wanted to be self-employed to be a stay-at-home mom. There weren't many balloon designers/florists in the area 34 years ago, so that is when I started to learn the trade and move forward with opening a retail store in Minnesota and, during winter months, a second location in Connecticut (my home state).
What makes your business stand out from others in your category? The way we do business, there is only one wedding on any given day. We do not multibook. We try to use everything USA-made and be versatile. We are not a drop-and-go florist. We make it a full experience when meeting with us in our studio. We sit and chat about all things flowers. I like to get to know the couple better while having some sweet treats from local bake shops, among other small gifts we give to our booking brides. We want our brides/clients to feel welcomed and appreciate how much we cater to our brides. We also work over Zoom and phone calls and travel to Connecticut, Minnesota, and Virginia for larger-scale weddings and events. When we book a bride, we also gift our brides when we hand off their bridal bouquet with something special from us. We are very transparent and will help out just about with anything we can.
Describe your ideal client: My ideal client is someone who loves fresh florals. Someone who enjoys seeing quality flowers everywhere at their wedding. And one that lets us free design after seeing inspirational photos and has a budget we can work with.
Favorite place to meet with other vendors: Either our boutique studio in Winter Haven, a coffee shop, or a great place for lunch.
Favorite gift to receive from another vendor: Reese's peanut butter cups and dark chocolate are my guilty pleasure and hazelnut iced coffee from Mcdonald's, no cream.
What is something vendors would be surprised to know about you? I was a dancer until I was 21 and always thought I would be a performer. I wanted to be a dancer for the first half of my life. I still tap when I am able to. I always thought I would end up on the stage, as I was a dancer until my early 20s. But back then, short young girls were not considered ballerinas or tap dancers in the world of musical theatre.
Additional info: We cater to each and every bride by promising one wedding on any given date. If it's a large wedding, it is one wedding for the entire week. We really want our brides to feel extra special knowing that they are our sole focus. We love chatting with the brides, even when they have a planner. We want to hear about their vision. We customize proposals for each bride. Everything we do is digital to make it easy in today's technology. I look forward to working with each one of you fabulous vendors.
Fun facts: Love coffee, dark chocolate, Star Wars trilogies, musical theatre, and boxer dogs.
Amy Reaka
Wedding Floral Consultant + Designer
Marigold Flower Co.
813 – 518 – 5551
Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Services Provided: We create custom proposals and design both event and wedding florals as well as offer delivery, setup, and flip/teardown of our florals upon request!
Areas Serviced: Tampa bay, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Dunedin, Plant City, Dade City, and surrounding areas
What inspired you to start your business? We wanted to create a “boutique” wedding floral business that specializes in weddings/events.
What makes your business stand out from others in your category? I think one of the most important parts of a business is the relationship you have with your client! All of our consultants really care about each of our brides and capturing their vision as best as possible, all while creating a fun, friendly, and stress-free environment!
Describe your ideal client: Someone who is fun and loves flowers! Especially organic and whimsical!
Favorite place to meet with other vendors: We love to meet in-house or at coffee shops!
Favorite gift to receive from another vendor: We would never say no to coffee and snacks!
What is something vendors would be surprised to know about you? Our parent company Carrollwood Florist has been in business for over 30 years! We get the benefit of having constant access to their full flower cooler as well as great relationships with a variety of suppliers outside of Florida!
Additional info: We can't wait to work with you!
Fun facts: Shockingly, I know how to ride a unicycle! We are foodies at heart, and if we weren't working with flowers, we'd be taste-testing Tampa!
Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Vendor
Corona Sabine, Grace Flowers, Darby Charles, Mabel Diaz
Floral Design and Event Team
Beneva Weddings & Events
941 – 308 – 5161
Hometown: Sarasota, Florida
Services Provided: Custom floral designs for your weddings and special events; Elopement, Partial Service, Full Service, Rentals, and More!
Areas Serviced: Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice, Boca Grande, Tampa Bay, St. Pete, and the Clearwater Area.
What makes your business stand out from others in your category? Our Team! We are a team of talented and creative individuals who value every detail of the design process. Our consultant will walk you from conception to execution while encouraging and inspiring design choices that reflect your unique story.
Describe your ideal client: We believe our ideal client shares a fun, creative, colorful, collaborative vibe just like us!! Our clients know they can trust us with their vision because here at Beneva, we believe in sharing our emotions; we want to be a part of your special day in meaningful ways. Let's collaborate to deliver a unique floral experience that captures your individuality.
Favorite place to meet with other vendors: Either in our consult room or a fun restaurant near by!!
Favorite gift to receive from another vendor: Client referrals.
What is something vendors would be surprised to know about you? We are a one-stop shop for most couples.
Fun facts: Every member of our team is from a different state, some of us are bilingual, and we are experts in managing Florida's tropical weather.
Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Vendor
Services provided: Wedding and Event Floral Design
Areas Serviced: Greater Tampa Bay
What inspired you to start your business? When I was a little girl, I always loved pulling pictures of beautiful bouquets out of Martha Stewart Weddings magazines. When it came time for me to get married, I naturally wanted to do my own wedding flowers. I started by doing my friends’ weddings and then their bridesmaids’ weddings, and 23 years later what started as a hobby is a full-time business.
What makes your business stand out from others in your category? We really love all things weddings! We spend lots of time with our couples, going through every detail of what they might need for their wedding day. We keep in touch throughout the planning process as ideas may change, and we execute those details beautifully on their wedding day. We are always prepared to go the extra mile to make your day more than you dreamed it would be.
What is something vendors would be surprised to know about you? I am a mother of 7 children, and I homeschool my youngest three. I am madly in love with my husband, and we have built a life that we love together. We are in the process of building a farm and homesteading on 37 acres with my sister and her family, and I can’t wait to grow a flower garden!
Additional info: Aside from weddings, my recent passion has been learning about homesteading and farm life. There’s something so rewarding in growing your own food, something so peaceful about the quietness of your own land, and something about being fulfilled and passionate about everything you are doing in life. I believe when you are fulfilled and happy, it really translates through your designs and work.
Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Vendor
Services provided: Floral and Decor
Areas Serviced: Greater Tampa Bay
What inspired you to start your business? The inspiration to start my own business came from the love of pretty things and serving others on one of the most important days of their lives.
What makes your business stand out from others in your category? We love everything weddings so we not only focus on flowers, but we also help with other aspects of the wedding design. In our design process, we create an overall design experience, helping with such things as linens, candle holders, and decor.
What is something vendors would be surprised to know about you? The one thing that couples would be surprised to know about me is I have a twin sister! Her name is Dean.
Additional info: I have over 16 years of experience in the wedding industry. I grew up on a farm in Southeastern Kentucky and am married to my high school sweetheart, Doug. I love to travel and have traveled extensively throughout North America and Southeast Asia. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and love living in sunny Florida, where I have called home since 1996.
Fun facts: One of my passions that is non-wedding related is interior decorating. I love choosing fabrics, pillows, decor, and decorating spaces for my friends and family.
Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Vendor
Zoe Gallina
Creative Director
Botanica International Design Studio
813-831-0965
Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Services provided: More than just flowers, we can create the entire event design, manage linens, lighting, rentals & drapery that allows for an elevated design experience.
Areas Serviced: Greater Tampa Bay
What makes your business stand out from others in your category? Our attention to detail and focus on the quality of the product we provide. We want each client to leave their experience with Botanica feeling as if they were completely taken care of. We return emails within 24 hours, are incredibly detailed oriented, and we pride ourselves on creating a custom detailed proposal and providing them to clients within a timely manner. We communicate throughout the process to ensure the process is as smooth as possible.
Additional info: We tailor our designs to our client’s desires and needs. While we often have clients who are drawn to more romantic and organic designs, we have trained floral and event designers who are able to adapt to accomplish any style and look.
Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Vendor
Services provided: Florals, lighting, draping, furniture, signage, custom fabrication
Areas Serviced: All of Florida
Describe your ideal client: A client that wants to create customized event and wedding experiences. We work with each client one-on-one, creating a custom design and vision for each space.
Favorite place to meet with other vendors: Our office
Favorite gift to receive from another vendor: Just a “Thank You” letting us know we made everyone happy!
What is something vendors would be surprised to know about you? How much inventory we have.
Additional info: Weddings | Corporate | Celebrations
Services provided: à la carte Wedding Florals, Full-Service Florals and Wedding Design Packages
Areas Serviced: The Greater Central Florida Area & Beyond
Describe your ideal client: We love clients who dream big and are ready to push the envelope and innovate in every way. With big expectations comes even bigger opportunities to create WOW moments.
What makes your business stand out from others in your category? At Bloom Shakalaka, we're more than a team. We are a bouquet of individuals with more than 30 years of combined floral experience who share a passion for flowers, ingenuity and people.
We recognize that logistics are the silent backbone of our creations, and are as critical as the blooms themselves. When you choose Bloom, you're entrusting us to guide your design choices with the same attention and care you'd prioritize.
Whether you’re sending us a full design breakdown, or you’re wanting us to weigh in on all things floral, our process is streamlined, intentional and innovative.
We use a cloud-based platform that allows us to loop in our whole crew, ensuring all of your logistics are seamless.
Favorite place to meet with other vendors: The Joinery!
Favorite gift to receive from another vendor: Their favorite things or anything from Born + Bread. We can be wooed by a good pastry!
What is something vendors would be surprised to know about you? We work with international floral designers!
Fun Facts: We love a great playlist, local bakeries and coffee shops!
Additional info: While we offer à la carte and full service florals, if you are in need of event design, Bloom Shakalaka offers a design package for you and your clients!
