Gina and Danny’s destination Clearwater Beach wedding featured a romantic, laid-back beach atmosphere for their rooftop ceremony and ballroom reception.

“It made the most sense to focus on the beach because that’s our favorite place to be, and we wanted our guests to relax and feel like they were on vacation,” the bride shared. “Our colors were blush pink, dusty blue, and gold. We thought those colors matched with the sandy beach, clear blue water, and soft pink sunset.”

MORE: CLEARWATER BEACH WEDDINGS

The bride and groom chose the Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach after taking a Clearwater Beach vacation and falling in love with the gorgeous Gulf of Mexico sunsets.

“We wanted a venue that our guests would enjoy since they were flying all the way to Florida. We wanted a venue with a view of the Gulf, stellar reviews for customer service, and a wedding menu that was both unique and delicious. The Hyatt Regency provided all of this and more,” Gina gushed. “The sky terrace was perfect because it has breathtaking 360 degree views of the gulf and the bay. The wedding buffet we ended up with was exceptional; I wished I had worn a more spacious wedding dress during dinner.”

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The couple wanted to have a big role in planning their special day, but also have the time to enjoy their wedding, so they hired Clearwater Beach wedding planner Special Moments Event Planning.

“Since it was a destination wedding, we were struggling with how we were going to acquire all the materials needed for the decorations, have the time to assemble them, and what we should do with the decorations afterward. Luckily we hired the right planner who provided us with decoration items, worked with us to choose our decoration set up, and also resolved our last-minute issues,” the bride shared. “Tammy at Special Moments was a godsend. She is so patient and so thoughtful. From the first phone call we had, she was on board and helped us brainstorm how to decorate our ceremony and reception, gave us suggestions on vendors we still needed to hire, and was crucial in maintaining our sanity. The day of the wedding, she had thought ahead on every detail so everything turned out flawless. She was so instrumental in making our special day just perfect.”

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Gina and Danny and self-proclaimed foodies and wanted a wedding cake that looked as good as it tasted.

“We hired A Piece of Cake because during our tasting my husband ate all of the cake and scraped all of the ganache out of the bowl. If he could have licked the bowl without any judgment, I think he would have!” the bride joked “Working with the owner, Laurie, was effortless. She listened to all our ideas, made suggestions when we needed them, and we ended up with the perfect cake with no issues at all.”

Looking back on their wedding day, the reminisced that one of her favorite memories was also an emotional one for the couple.

“Our of most memorable moments were our first look and our first dance. Not only because Danny cried for both, but it also felt like it was the most intimate moments of our big day,” Gina shared.

How did you incorporate you and your spouse’s personalities into the wedding?
We both are a little goofy at times, so we tried to incorporate fun details into the wedding. The groom and the groomsman wore socks with mermaids and flamingoes on them. Our recessional song was I’m Only Me When I’m with You by Taylor Swift. We also put together gift bags for the children who attended our wedding filled with silly items such as an oversized bubble wand, a bouncy ball that lit up, and moldable sand to keep them entertained.

What did you look for in a wedding venue?
We knew it had to be on the beach, and we wanted a view of the water for our ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception locations. We also wanted a venue that our guests would enjoy since they were flying all the way into Florida. We hoped they would make a mini-vacation out of it. We looked at several locations in the St. Pete and Clearwater area, Naples, and Sanibel/Captiva Island.

We wanted a venue with a view of the gulf, stellar reviews for customer service, and a wedding menu that was both unique and delicious. The Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach provided all of this and more. The sky terrace was perfect because it has breathtaking 360 degree views of the gulf and the bay. The staff at Hyatt also impressed us the most with how accommodating and friendly they were. The wedding buffet we ended up with was exceptional; I wished I had worn a more spacious wedding dress during dinner.

How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
Romantic laid-back beach theme. It made the most sense to focus on the beach because that’s our favorite place to be, and we also wanted our guests to relax and feel like they were on vacation.

What were your colors?
Blush pink, dusty blue, and gold. We chose those colors because we wanted to tie them in with our romantic beach theme. We thought those colors matched with the sandy beach, clear blue water, and soft pink sunset.

The Proposal:
We had just finished moving all of my furniture and moving boxes into our future apartment together. We were both sweaty, dusty, and tired from staying up most of the night before to finish packing. Danny suggested that we take a break on the couch for a little. We sat down, and Danny started talking about how excited he was that we were taking steps to move in together and how the past year had been one of the best years in his life. Then, he pulled out the ring and proposed! Needless to say I was not expecting to be proposed to at that moment, but I still think it was perfect for us.

What did you look for in a wedding planner?
We were both very hands on with planning and had hired most of our vendors, but we needed someone to handle our last-minute details and our decorations. Since it was a destination wedding, we were struggling with how we were going to acquire all the materials needed for the decorations, have the time to assemble them, and what we should do with the decorations afterward. Luckily we hired the right planner who provided us with decoration items, worked with us to choose our decoration set up, and also resolved our last-minute issues.

Tammy at Special Moments Event Planning was a godsend. She is so patient and so thoughtful. From the first phone call we had, she was on board and helped us brainstorm how to decorate our ceremony and reception, gave us suggestions on vendors we still needed to hire, and was crucial in maintaining our sanity. The day of the wedding, she had thought ahead on every detail so everything turned out flawless. She was so instrumental in making our special day just perfect.

Why did you choose to have a photo booth at your wedding?
It was always a fun activity at other weddings we attended. It also creates a nice keepsake for guests.

ShutterBooth had great reviews, provided us with a nice backdrop and also gave us an album with copies of all the guests’ photobooth pictures.

What did you look for in a wedding DJ?
We didn’t have many requirements when picking a DJ. We mainly wanted a wedding DJ who was professional, had all of their equipment, knew how to keep the wedding on time, and could keep the guests dancing and happy.

Grant Hemond & Associates was highly recommended to us multiple times. They were very professional from the first phone call. The day of the wedding they had everything set up on time. We also had some special requests. My brother played the guitar and sang the processional as I walked down the aisle and my father and uncle sang a special song during the reception. They set it all up perfectly, and the special songs went off without a hitch. We were very happy with them. Our guests said our DJ had the most official sounding PA voice they’d ever heard, and one of our guests had the biggest crush on our DJ because of how great he was at DJ-ing!

What was your wedding cake design inspiration?
Since my husband and I are big fans of food, the most important aspect we looked for in a wedding cake bakery was how good the actual cake tasted.

We hired A Piece of Cake because during our tasting my husband ate all of the cake and scraped all of the ganache out of the bowl. If he could have licked the bowl without any judgment, I think he would have. Working with A Piece of Cake was effortless, the owner Laurie listened to all our ideas, made suggestions when we needed them, and we ended up with the perfect cake with no issues at all.

What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
My practical advice would be if you’re having a destination wedding, it’s really helpful to have a local wedding planner because they will have all the inside information and contacts in the area. On a more encouraging note, try not to get overwhelmed with the little details, at the end of the day being married to the love of your life will be the most meaningful and memorable part.

Ceremony and Reception Venue: Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Venue
Photographer: Limelight Photography
Planner/Coordinator: Special Moments Event Planning *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Florist: The Bride’s Bouquet
Cake: A Piece of Cake
DJ: Grant Hemond & Associates *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Officiant: Gina’s Brother in Law
Invitations: Handmade by Bride and Groom and friends
Dress Shop and Designer: David’s Bridal
Bridesmaid Dress Shop and Designer: Azazie
Hair & Makeup: Wedding Story
Photo booth: ShutterBooth *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro