Downtown St. Pete Wedding | The Birchwood Wedding
Carli and Mark's downtown St. Pete wedding featured a romantic and airy theme centered around their love for wine and a blush, champagne, greenery and blue color palette.
“We both really enjoy wine, so as guests entered the reception their place seating cards were floating on baby's breath that was laying in old wooden wine cases,” the bride shared. “In place of a guest book, we had four wine bottles out that each had a label for our 1, 5, 10, and 15 year anniversary. Guests wrote down their wedding advice and left us their messages in the bottles. We can't wait to open them!”
The South Tampa couple searched for a unique downtown St. Pete wedding venue with water views and great food.
“I loved the look of The Birchwood, the rooftop space for cocktail hour and the fact that we would be the only wedding there that weekend. They made the planning process as easy as possible, the food was incredible, and the hotel stay was wonderful for all of our guests,” Carli gushed. “We wanted the wedding to feel intimate; being a boutique hotel with only 18 rooms, our friends and family pretty much had the hotel to ourselves which was so much fun! Having the wedding at The Birchwood gave some great options for places for our guests to stay while being surrounded by great restaurants, museums, and shopping.”
Knowing that they would be spending a lot of time with their St. Petersburg wedding photographer on their special day, the couple looked for someone who would make them feel comfortable and relaxed.
“From the moment we saw Ailyn La Torre Photography‘s blog, we knew we adored her work. When we met her and saw how kind, fun and passionate she was, we absolutely knew she was a perfect fit for our wedding. Ailyn's service was incredible; she exceeded our expectations. Our photos were everything I wanted, and she was so fun and calming on our wedding day,” the bride explained. “Our guests kept commenting on how much they loved her! On the day of, she just meshed into our wedding party and made everyone feel so comfortable. She calmed me down when I needed it and was amazing with our guests. Our pictures were perfect!”
Looking back, one of Carli's most cherished memories involved a special member of her bridal party.
“The moment we said “I do” will always be the most memorable and important, but one memory that always sticks out is the bouquet toss. My Man of Honor, Chris, ended up catching the bouquet,” the bride reminisced. “When we did the garter toss, my brother actually ended up catching it. The DJ then had my brother put the garter on Chris. It was such a hilarious moment!”
The Proposal:
Mark and I met on the first night of school our freshman year, so asking me to marry him just steps from where we first met at the University of Tampa was so special. He planned an adorable picnic in the park and popped the question shortly after at Plant Park.
What did you look for in a wedding photographer?
We really wanted a photographer who would capture photos that were light, romantic and not too serious. We also wanted a photographer that would make us feel comfortable and would be fun to spend our wedding day with.
From the moment we saw Ailyn La Torre Photography‘s blog, we knew we adored her work. When we met her and saw how kind, fun and passionate she was, we absolutely knew she was a perfect fit for our wedding. Ailyn's service was incredible; she exceeded our expectations. Our photos were everything I wanted, and she was so fun and calming on our wedding day. Our guests kept commenting on how much they loved her! On the day of, she just meshed into our wedding party and made everyone feel so comfortable. She calmed me down when I needed it and was amazing with our guests. Our pictures were perfect! I can't say enough good things about Ailyn!
What did you look for in a wedding venue?
We wanted a unique venue, water views, and good food.
We found all of that at The Birchwood. I loved the look, the rooftop space for cocktail hour and the fact that we would be the only wedding there that weekend. Their service was incredible. They made planning process as easy as possible, the food was incredible, and the hotel stay was wonderful for all of our guests. We also wanted the wedding to feel intimate; being a boutique hotel with only 18 rooms, our friends and family pretty much had the hotel to ourselves which was so much fun! Having the wedding at The Birchwood gave some great options for places for our guests to stay while being surrounded by great restaurants, museums, and shopping.
What did you look for in a wedding linen rental company?
I wanted a good variety to choose from because going in for my consult, I was very unsure of what I wanted. I couldn't make a decision on what I really wanted, and a week before the wedding I actually decided that I wanted to change all of my linens! Connie Duglin Specialty Linen was so incredible and met with me a week before the wedding so that we could change everything. They really made my vision come to life and I was so thankful for her.
How would you describe your theme?
We wanted the wedding to look romantic and light.
What were your colors?
Blush, champagne and greenery with pops of navy blue. I wanted the wedding the look light and airy, but thought that the subtle addition of navy blue in the flowers and some decor would make a fun accent.
Ceremony/Reception Venue and Caterer: The Birchwood *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Venue
Photographer: Ailyn La Torre Photography
Videographer: John Reilly
Planner: Oh Hello Events
Florist: 2BirdsEvents
Linen Rentals: Connie Duglin Specialty Linen
Cake: Publix
DJ: DJ Ceron
Officiant: Adam Lazarus
Invitations: Minted
Dress Shop: CC's Boutique
Bridesmaid Dress Shop: Weddington Way
Hair: Anna Costa
Makeup: Michele Renee The Studio *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pro
