Brooke and Bryan’s South Tampa garden wedding combined elegant elements with natural flora for an elevated, yet classic look.
The bride envisioned a soft and romantic wedding with a focus on natural greenery, accented by pastel colors and gold decor.
“Our wedding design was light and airy, with lots of greenery, light florals, simple details, and pops of dusty blue with gold accents throughout,” Brooke shared. “Our main color was dusty blue. It went well with our light and airy look and really is such a beautiful color.”
The Seminole couple sought a beautiful outdoor wedding venue that could comfortably host both the ceremony and reception for their 200 guests.
“Comfort was huge for me and believe it or not that was so hard to find. I liked the idea of being able to have all my own vendors, instead of having to go with the venue’s vendors and being able to hold the ceremony and reception at the same beautiful location,” the bride explained. “I had a good experience with the Tampa Garden Club from the very beginning. I got to tour the venue pretty much right after I called and fell in love with the location and everything about it.”
To create a romantic ambiance, the bride and groom relied on Gabro Event Services for their rentals and decor.
“We pretty much had our whole wedding done by Gabro Event Services,” the bride remarked. “We rented our chairs (for ceremony and reception), gold beaded glass chargers, all linens including napkins, all draping, and cocktail tables. Gabro pulled through and did an amazing job with the setup and quality of our rentals. I was extremely happy with them.”
Food was one of the top priorities for Brooke and Bryan’s wedding, and they wanted their guests to enjoy a variety of cuisines throughout the evening.
“Our menu was inspired by our own tastes. We love fun foods, so we were able to incorporate chicken and waffles, fried mac n’ cheese, crab cakes, and tuna poké into our hors d’oeuvres. Our main meal was to give a variety,” the bride shared. “We hired Lynn’s Catering of Tampa right after we went for a tasting. It was such a personal experience, and Lynn really went above and beyond for us during the tasting. We could tell she was so proud of her food and you can taste that. She was so sweet through the whole process and just so personable.”
Looking back on their wedding day, the couple shared one of their most memorable moments included a candid event that happened during the ceremony.
“Our most memorable moment was probably me walking down the aisle with my screaming daughter. In the words of my husband, ‘it didn’t take away from the moment at all and actually intensified the emotion in the fact that this is our life, screaming child and all,’” the bride reminisced. “Second to that would be reading our personal vows to each other on opposite sides of a pillar prior to the ceremony in the company of each other, the photographer, and videographer.”
What was your wedding beauty inspiration?
I wanted a makeup look that didn’t change the integrity of the way I actually look. I wanted to pop in makeup, but not dramatic.
I hired Femme Akoi when I came across their Instagram tagged in a post I saw regarding a wedding. I started stalking their page and was absolutely in awe of the amazing work from all their artists. I loved how they specialize in weddings, so their whole M.O. is dealing with weddings, and I knew their timeline skills and professionalism were going to be top-notch.
The Proposal:
I was under the impression we were doing an early gift exchange the week leading up to Christmas. I opened my gift which was a coffee mug that reads “Does this ring make me look engaged?” and obviously I was super confused. When I looked up Bryan was on his knee holding out a box with the most beautiful ring I have ever seen in my life. All took place in the comfort of our home, my favorite place in the world.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
Light and airy. Lots of greenery, light florals, simple details, and pops of dusty blue with gold accents throughout.
What were your colors?
Our main color was dusty blue. It went well with our light and airy look we were going for and really is such a beautiful color.
What did you look for in a wedding venue?
I wanted somewhere I could comfortably fit 200 or so guests. Comfort was huge for me and believe it or not that was so hard to find. I liked the idea of being able to have all my own vendors, instead of having to go with the venue’s vendors and to hold the ceremony and reception at the same beautiful location.
I had a good experience with the Tampa Garden Club from the very beginning. I got to tour the venue pretty much right after I called and fell in love with the location and everything about it. I even experienced a transition in staff members for the private events coordinator and that was seamless and not an issue at all.
How did your rentals enhance your event?
We pretty much had our whole wedding done by Gabro Event Services. We rented our chairs (for ceremony and reception), gold beaded glass chargers, all linens including napkins, all draping, and cocktail tables. Gabro pulled through and did an amazing job with the setup and quality of our rentals. I was extremely happy with them.
What was your wedding menu inspiration?
Our menu was inspired by our own tastes. We love fun foods, so we were able to incorporate chicken and waffles, fried mac n’ cheese, crab cakes, and tuna poké into our hors d’oeuvres. Our main meal was to give a variety. We love beef tenderloin and pasta is almost always liked. We offered a few different options for toppings on pasta (chicken, shrimp, artichokes, broccoli) and a couple of different sauces (Alfredo, marinara, and scampi sauce) to give people more of an option.
We hired Lynn’s Catering of Tampa right after we went for a tasting. It was such a personal experience and Lynn really went above and beyond for us during the tasting. We could tell she was so proud of her food and you can taste that. She was so sweet through the whole process and just so personable.
Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
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