Carla and Matthew's traditional Tampa Bay wedding featured a romantic, pastel color palette and two iconic wedding venues.
“I did not have a theme per se, but since I was a girl I always imagined my wedding as very traditional, romantic and whimsical with some vintage flair and definitely glamorous,” the bride shared. “I knew I wanted a soft palette, blush pinks, champagne, silver, gold, ivory and lots of lace! I based everything around that. I tried really hard for everything to match that theme,”from my champagne and soft pink wedding invitations with a small pearl on them, to the pearls that my bridesmaids wore and my gorgeous pink, champagne, and ivory flowers and linens.”
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Carla began planning for her big day as a member of our Marry Me Tampa Bay Bride-to-Be Facebook group.
“It definitely was a huge help to have a community of like minded people providing us with suggestions and recommendations for all of our wedding vendors in the Facebook group. Marry Me Tampa Bay shared on the group the information about a wedding show at The Don CeSar Hotel, which we attended, and after that event we had half of our vendors picked! Thank you so much Marry Me Tampa Bay!” the bride gushed.
Marrying in one of the most historic Tampa churches, the couple knew their reception venue had to be just as iconic. Searching for a beautiful St. Pete Beach wedding venue that could fulfill her foodie desires and a stunning atmosphere, the couple chose The Don CeSar Hotel.
“After seeing the Grand Ballroom for the first time I knew I had found the perfect place for our wedding reception. After we had our menu tasting, all I thought was, ‘OMG this is even better than I could have ever imagined!' The food was fabulous! So many incredible choices that definitely satisfied and impressed our foodie selves!” the bride beamed. “I also loved the incredibly sweet, cordial, respectful, patient and helpful staff. From day one everyone made the process so easy for us, from helping us with the menu options, the room block, even providing us with an outstanding on-site wedding coordinator, and even dealing with my 1,000,000 emails a week. The service was EXTRAORDINARY! I cannot express enough how amazing everyone at the hotel was.”
Searching for a St. Pete wedding photographer who could capture their wedding day with artistic flair and talent, the couple hired Marc Edwards Photographs.
“After having seen a million and two wedding portfolios online, Marc Edwards Photographs portfolio stood out to me from the rest. Marc's images were classic but artsy, and he seemed to capture genuine moments that did not seem fake or extremely posed. His images just reflected happy and real smiles, and I knew that his style was definitely what we needed for our wedding,” Carla explained. “I personally loved Marc from his very first email to me. We talked about craft beer, wines and photography packages, and he seemed so genuine, cool, and down-to-earth that I just knew right away I had found the best photographer for us. I mean, talent, charisma and funny? Win, win win! His service was by far the best we could have ever hoped for. From the first meeting at our engagement shoot he made us feel like we were hanging out and being photographed by a long-lost friend.”
MORE: MARC EDWARDS PHOTOGRAPHS WEDDINGS
Keeping budget and selection in mind when it came to finding beautiful rental linens, the bride looked no further than Tampa Bay wedding rental company Kate Ryan Linens and Rentals.
“I had a very specific vintage glam vision in mind, but with a champagne taste and a Prosecco budget my options were limited. I was looking for great quality at a good price, so I did a lot of research. I went to two other places that had a nice selection but besides having ridiculously high prices, they just handed me this big book with samples to look over, and the customer service ended there,” Carla explained. “With Kate Ryan Linens, she definitely went above and beyond to make my vision come to life. The owner, Kristin, really took the time to listen to me explain my entire vision for the day. She brought a few different choices (all beautiful!) set up the table, set up the chiavari chairs around it, and even put dinnerware, napkins, and plate charges so I would have a better vision of how everything would look like the day of the wedding. I am a very visual person and even though I could imagine it in my head, just seeing it in her office was exactly what I needed.”
MORE: KATE RYAN EVENT RENTALS WEDDINGS
Looking back on her wedding day, the bride shared with us some of her most memorable moments from her wedding day.
“Having my mother help me get ready was really special, she kept it together all day and even managed to come up with the courage to say a toast for us. Her voice cracked a little when mentioning my dad, but she did not cry! She is the strongest woman I know. Also, having my cousin walk me down the aisle. My cousin flew all the way from Italy to be here for me and to walk me down the aisle after I lost my dad right before the wedding. Matt and I's first dance was also really special, we chose I won't give up by Jason Mraz, and it was definitely the perfect song for us; part of the lyrics say ‘Even if the skies get rough, I'm giving you all my love, I'm still looking up…' and that could not have been a most perfect fit for our entire relationship and wedding planning experience. After losing my father, Hurricane Irma, and many other complications, we still made it through. We still gave and continue giving each our all our love, no matter what; we wont give up on each other,” the bride reminisced. “Matt says the most memorable moment for him has to be watching me walk down the aisle with the BIGGEST smile he had ever seen. He thought I was probably going to be down and be crying because of my dad not being there with me, but I was smiling, and he says that he will never forget that.”
The Proposal:
Matthew started by sending me photos of engagement rings. I had already plastered my Instagram and Facebook with photos of pear shaped yellow diamonds I love (subtle hints LOL), so one day at work he texted me three or four pictures of pear shaped canary diamonds and said, “If you had to pick one, which one would you pick?” I said the second one is perfection! (Not imagining I would ever get it). That same night Matthew proposed at our condo in Harbour Island with the most perfect canary diamond I have ever seen in my life. It was a very intimate and romantic proposal. He knew I was not into big flashy proposals or anything that involved a big group of people. After all, it's about me and him, so it was just PERFECT! Matthew got down on one knee; I was so shocked, especially because we had only been together for two months! I was really not expecting it! But you know what, I did not feel scared or worried. I knew I loved him on our first date, and he says he felt the same, and he knew I was going to be his wife from that very first time we hung out. He actually moved in with me after three dates; we traveled together after 10 days, and we have not spent more than a day apart since then!
What did you look for in a wedding photographer?
Talent, fair prices, good personality, easy to get ahold of, and someone who was able to take traditional wedding photos, but with an artistic flair that was not “cookie cutter.”
I want to learn more about Marc Edwards Photographs.
After having seen a million and two wedding portfolios online, Marc Edwards Photographs portfolio stood out to me from the rest. His images were classic but artsy, and he seemed to capture genuine moments that did not seem fake or extremely posed. His images just reflected happy and real smiles, and I knew that his style was definitely what we needed for our wedding. I personally loved Marc from his very first email to me. We talked about craft beer, wines and photography packages, and he seemed so genuine, cool, and down-to-earth that I just knew right away I had found the best photographer for us. I mean, talent, charisma and funny? Win, win win! His service was by far the best we could have ever hoped for. From the first meeting at our engagement shoot he made us feel like we were hanging out and being photographed by a long-lost friend. We just had so much fun with him! He coached us with our poses, and even helped me decide between outfits for my engagement shoot! On our wedding day he was punctual and had some great ideas for us on how to pose and where to go. He knew the Don CeSar very well, which made it easy for us to know what places were the best to be photographed at. Marc got along well with all our family members and our guests; he was always fun and not bossy or intrusive. He even went above and beyond for us and gifted us our very first picture frame with one of his favorite photos from our wedding THAT SAME NIGHT! I do not know how he pulled off that but we were shocked and so grateful. What I also loved about Marc was that he was always easy to get ahold of. Every time I texted Marc he was there, with a reassuring text or email and with words that always put my heart to rest. He was seriously an angel. A very talented and creative angel during this entire process. Our engagement shoot photos could not have turned out better, and our wedding photos look like something out of a magazine, so we were really happy that God put Marc in out path, that's for sure.
What did you look for in a wedding venue?
I am a big foodie, so I was looking for a beautiful and comfortable space that would serve the most amazing food in Tampa Bay, and The Don CeSar was it!
I want to learn more about weddings at The Don CeSar.
I knew the Don CeSar had that classic, romantic and vintage feel that I wanted for our wedding, plus we knew the food there was amazing, so it was honestly an easy choice. After seeing the Grand Ballroom for the first time I knew I had found the perfect place for our wedding reception. After we had our menu tasting, all I thought was, “OMG this is even better than I could have ever imagined!” The food was fabulous! So scrumptious and delicious! So many incredible choices that definitely satisfied and impressed our foodie selves! I also loved the incredibly sweet, cordial, respectful, patient and helpful staff. From day one everyone made the process so easy for us, from helping us with the menu options, the room block, even providing us with an outstanding on-site wedding coordinator, and even dealing with my 1,000,000 emails a week. The service was EXTRAORDINARY! I cannot express enough how amazing everyone at the hotel was. I did not have the easiest wedding planning experience because of outside factors: my dad tragically and unexpectedly passed away only a couple of months before my wedding, so the Don CeSar staff reached out to me, expressed their condolences, and offered us to move our wedding date without any penalties, that was incredible of them. To make things even harder for us, we had to deal with Hurricane Irma threatening to ruin and cancel our September wedding. The Don had to close for about five days during the storm, and guess what, they reopened one day before our big day. It was such a stressful and hard time for us, but the service provided by the Don was A+. They calmed us down, reassured us everything was going to be alright, played different scenarios, and at the end, they delivered the most amazing food I have ever eaten in my life, the most incredible service I could have asked for, and just a really dreamy, fabulous, perfect wedding reception. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a one-stop wedding venue with fantastic staff, gorgeous reception rooms and without a doubt the most delicious food any guest will ever eat at a wedding. Our guests are still raving about how amazing the food at our wedding was and how helpful the staff was, and we owe it all to the Don CeSar and their staff.
What did you look for in a wedding linen rental business?
I had a very specific vintage glam vision in mind, but with a champagne taste and a Prosecco budget my options were limited. I was looking for great quality at a good price, so I did a lot of research. I went to two other places that had a nice selection, but besides having ridiculously high prices, they just handed me this big book with samples to look over, and the customer service ended there.
I Want to Learn More about Decor from Kate Ryan Event Rentals
With Kate Ryan Linens, the owner, Kristin, definitely went above and beyond to make my vision come to life. She had a round table in her quaint little office with some chiavari chairs ready to be decorated any way I wanted. She asked me what colors I was looking for and really took the time to listen to me explain my entire vision for the day. Kristin brought a few different choices (all beautiful!) set up the table, set up the chiavari chairs around it, and even put dinnerware, napkins, and plate charges so I would have a better vision of how everything would look like the day of the wedding. I am a very visual person, and even though I could imagine it in my head, just seeing it in her office was exactly what I needed. She let me take a hundred photos, and even told me to record a video of the table with the different linens, because it would give me an even better idea of which colors I liked the most when comparing them. She is so sweet and attentive and was not pushy which I definitely appreciated, she did not try to up sell me into something more expensive or add anything extra. Plus, when I told her my father had passed away only a couple of weeks before our appointment, she gave me the biggest, warmest and truly heartfelt hug, and boy that also sealed the deal. I had been getting a lot of “My condolences, so… about the event…” Kate Ryan Linens felt very human in a cold world where sensitivity seems to be be lacking, especially in an industry where you are constantly stressed and you feel quite overwhelmed. I truly adore her and I would highly recommend her to every bride.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
I did not have a “theme” per se, but since I was a girl I always imagined my wedding as very traditional, romantic and whimsical with some vintage flair and definitely glamorous. I knew I wanted a soft palette, blush pinks, champagne, silver, gold, ivory and lots of lace! I based everything around that. I tried really hard for everything to match that “theme,” from my champagne and soft pink wedding invitations with a small pearl on them, to the pearls that my bridesmaids wore and my gorgeous pink, champagne, and ivory flowers and linens.
What were your colors?
Blush pink, champagne, ivory, and silver. I just loved everything romantic and traditional, and I felt those colors went perfectly with my sweet, romantic, and vintage feel.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Remember what's important in life. Things will go wrong, accidents may occur, and you cannot control what happens, but you can control how you react to it. You can either let it break you or help you get stronger as a couple by dealing with everything together, by having each other's back, by remembering that you are making a lifetime commitment to one another and that you need to be there for each other no matter what, for better or worse. It is more real than just a vow. It's a reality that you will be forced to live with. At the end of the day, only love is what matters. So love each other deeply, never go to bed angry, hold hands, rub each other, kiss each other in public (even if its gross for some people), and overuse the words “I love you” not just to your significant other, but say it to your family members and friends; you truly never know when it will be the last time you see them.
Ceremony Venue: Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Reception Venue and Caterer: Don CeSar (Grand Ballroom) *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Venue
Photographer: Marc Edwards Photographs *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Videographer: Randall Productions
Planner: Cheers! Events
Florist: FH Weddings
Linens: Kate Ryan Event Rentals *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Chiavari Chairs: Modern Day Events
Cake: The Cake Zone
DJ and “Hora Loca” Entertainment: Breezin' Entertainment
Officiant: Father Michael Reyes
Invitations: Invitation Galleria
Transportation: Luxor Limo and Price 4 Limo
Dress Designer: Pronovias
Bridesmaid Dress Shop and Designer: David's Bridal
Hair & Makeup: Irina Bilka
Macarons: BonBons Reposteria
Photobooth: RMark Media
