Samantha and JT’s historic downtown Tampa wedding began with a traditional Catholic church ceremony and ended at a unique reception venue that was once a Federal Reserve bank. The elegant color palette of rose quartz and champagne-gold popped against the classic black and white design that elevated the enchanting evening.
“We would describe our theme as traditional meets modern with a romantic flair. The traditional inspiration can be found in aspects of the day like the Catholic church ceremony and the classic black tuxedos the groomsmen wore. Modern touches can be found in the bridesmaid dresses which were all unique to each girl and gold high-rise centerpieces on some of the tables. The romantic flair came from the floral arrangements and the pink hue found in the bridesmaid dresses,” the bride detailed. “Our colors were black, white, and rose quartz. We love the timeless look of a monochromatic style but wanted to add a personal touch to the day and that is where the rose quartz came in. The coordinator at The Vault, Morgan, suggested we do the champagne tablecloths, and we decided on gold utensils as well as a golden “B” monogrammed cake.”
The Tampa bride and groom chose a winter wedding date for their celebration and turned to Marry Me Tampa Bay to research the area’s most respected wedding vendors and venues.
“I first did my research on Marry Me Tampa Bay as I really didn’t know anyone in the area when I first got engaged. It was a great resource for someone who is new or unfamiliar with the area. I knew if I got married at home in NJ I could ask family and friends for suggestions on vendors, but Marry Me Tampa Bay filled that space for me here, and I really appreciated that,” Samantha revealed. “The most significant find on Marry Me Tampa Bay was our venue, The Vault.”
Since nearly 90% of their guests would be visiting Florida for the elegant event the couple prioritized finding a venue that was convenient to their ceremony site and provide an atmosphere of culture and class beyond s traditional ballroom. The Vault’s historic neo-classical architecture along with the second-floor mezzanine was the exact style of sophistication the bride dreamt of.
“We wanted somewhere that had enough space for everyone to dance and that felt true to our personalities. Finding The Vault and realizing how close it was to the church, just made sense. It was a beautiful, unique venue with plenty of space for all of our guests. We loved how it had the second floor, and we had not seen a venue comparable to the way The Vault was set up. It has its own beauty in the architecture, especially the large windows, but allows plenty of room to make an event truly personal,” the bride beamed. “Their service was incredible, and the staff was so friendly and made us feel so at ease. They made the planning process stress-free and met with us in person beforehand to discuss the layouts we had in mind. The tasting was incredible!”
After finding the perfect lace overlay ballgown for her wedding dress, Samantha ensured her bridesmaids would feel as radiant as she did in their rose quartz-colored gowns. Bella Bridesmaids Tampa’s nationwide locations made it easy for each girl to choose a style that they felt gorgeous in, allowing each bridal party member to try on different selections of chiffon, tulle, and silk.
“I wanted everyone to feel beautiful and comfortable in what they were wearing and to feel like they were wearing something that felt in line with their personal style. It was also important to me that everyone wore a different dress. I chose twenty different dresses of various styles in two different fabrics for my bridesmaids to decide on. I loved the silk and the chiffon equally and thought it would an element of dimension,” the bride explained. “All of my bridesmaids lived in different places from New Jersey, New York, and Georgia to Florida. Bella Bridesmaids has locations all over the United States so my bridesmaids were able to go to their local store to try on all of the dresses and be fitted. Having all of the dresses on a portal with a voting feature made choosing dresses seamless. We uploaded twenty dresses to the portal where the bridesmaids could vote and choose their dresses from.”
One of the venue’s most alluring features is its 1920’s bank vault, which Samantha and JT transformed into a photo booth lounge. With a mixture of high-quality photos and unique props, guests loved the interactive experience.
“We thought it would be fun to have a memento to remember the day by, and we felt it was unique to put the photo booth inside the actual bank vault as we wanted to use that space. The photobooth was important because it allowed a space for everyone to take their own photos, including crazy ones,” Samantha shared. “We loved Gala Photobooth’s photo quality and thought their Havana Nights prop package was a lot of fun. They were a dream to work with, and we even got copies of the photos online! Those were so fun to look back on and we will treasure them forever.”
As Samantha remembered all of the elements that made up her one-of-a-kind day, it was the finer details that truly made the moments memorable. To honor both sides of their families, multiple décor and design elements were included throughout the ceremony and reception.
“Having all of our family and friends in the city we love was the most important to us. We included our family members in the church readings which made it very personal to both of us. The floral arrangements were special to me because we included tulips which were my Granny’s favorite flower. We were very close so having an element to represent her felt very personal to me. The boutonnieres were white tulips which was another great reminder of my Granny. We had a photo of J.T.’s grandfather and a photo of my Granny in the church pews,” the bride reminisced.
The Proposal:
We were in Key West during a hurricane! J.T. took me to a Smather’s Beach and proposed. Even though we were in the midst of a hurricane, it could not have been more beautiful.
What was your bridesmaid dress inspiration?
I wanted everyone to feel beautiful and comfortable in what they were wearing and to feel like they were wearing something that felt in line with their personal style. Who wants to spend money on a dress they hate? It was also important to me that everyone wore a different dress. I chose twenty different dresses of various styles in two different fabrics for my bridesmaids to decide on. I loved the silk and the chiffon equally and thought it would an element of dimension.
All of my bridesmaids lived in different places from New Jersey, New York, and Georgia to Florida. Bella Bridesmaids has locations all over the United States so my bridesmaids were able to go to their local store to try on all of the dresses and be fitted. Having all of the dresses on a portal with a voting feature made choosing dresses seamless. We uploaded twenty dresses to the portal where the bridesmaids could vote and choose their dresses from.
Where did you host your bachelorette party?
My sister actually planned my entire bachelorette party without telling me a thing. She and one of my best friends drove me down to Miami where we celebrated with my amazing friends! My sister and I love Miami so much! We went to some really awesome places like 1Hotel South Beach and PALACE for a drag queen show brunch.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
We wanted a Caribbean honeymoon and fell in love with the photos of the beaches in Jamaica.
What did you look for in a wedding venue?
We wanted something with close proximity to Sacred Heart Catholic Church and to a handful of hotels. We knew 90% of our guests would be traveling from out of state so that was a challenge from the beginning. We wanted somewhere that had enough space for everyone to dance and that felt true to our personalities.
Finding The Vault and realizing how close it was to the church, just made sense. It was a beautiful, unique venue with plenty of space for all of our guests. We loved how it had the second floor, and we had not seen a venue comparable to the way The Vault was set up. It has its own beauty in the architecture, especially the large windows, but allows plenty of room to make an event truly personal. Their service was incredible, and the staff was so friendly and made us feel so at ease. They made the planning process stress-free and met with us in person beforehand to discuss the layouts we had in mind. The tasting was incredible! During the wedding, they gifted us with a bottle of red wine at our table which was so thoughtful as red is our favorite.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
“We would describe our theme as traditional meets modern with a romantic flair. The traditional inspiration can be found in aspects of the day like the Catholic church ceremony and the classic black tuxedos the groomsmen wore. Modern touches can be found in the bridesmaid dresses which were all unique to each girl and gold high-rise centerpieces on some of the tables. The romantic flair came from the floral arrangements and the pink hue found in the bridesmaid dresses
What were your colors?
Our colors were black, white, and rose quartz. We love the timeless look of a monochromatic style but wanted to add a personal touch to the day and that is where the rose quartz came in. The coordinator at The Vault, Morgan, suggested we do the champagne tablecloths, and we decided on gold utensils as well as a golden “B” monogrammed cake. To further the look, we changed the floral arrangement centerpieces to be gold as well as the candlestick holders.
Why did you choose to incorporate a photo booth into your wedding day?
“We thought it would be fun to have a memento to remember the day by, and we felt it was unique to put the photo booth inside the actual bank vault as we wanted to use that space. “The photobooth was important because it allowed a space for everyone to take their own photos, including crazy ones.
We loved Gala Photobooth’s photo quality and thought their Havana Nights prop package was a lot of fun. They were a dream to work with, and we even got copies of the photos online! Those were so fun to look back on and we will treasure them forever.”
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations and how?
Our photographer was incredible to work with from before we even signed our contract. On the day of the wedding, she was incredibly patient through any chaos that arose and she made the stress of wedding photos easy.
Our videographers were amazing! When I tell you they made me cry, and I do not easily cry like that, I was wiping my eyes for the entire 7-minute video. When we watched the wedding video we were transported back to the day, it feels like they didn’t miss a thing.
We had the best harpist, and we suggest her to everyone. She was so easy to work with and beyond talented. When we found out the church would only allow us to play church-related music during the ceremony, she was so flexible with finding a solution.
We had the best DJ we could have ever asked for. It was the one thing that took us the longest to find in planning the wedding. The DJ truly makes or breaks the party and went above and beyond.
Our wedding planner was incredibly professional. She helped me through many stressful moments of my day, and she never showed a look of concern. Any challenge we had she took head-on without the slightest bit of doubt.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
February is a great month to get married! If you are expecting many out-of-town guests, people love to travel to Florida in the winter months. Make sure you enjoy every single second of your day and remember the day is supposed to only be about the two of you!