Brooke and Jordan’s downtown St. Pete wedding was inspired by classic romance and tradition. Soft pink accents combined with subtle greenery and a white color palette created breathtaking visuals and glamours ambiance.
“Our theme was romantic and classic. The choices on florals, décor, and everything else just fell into place, and it was perfect,” the bride shared. “We chose were mostly white, eucalyptus green, and very soft pink. I have always loved the way eucalyptus looks in floral bouquets. I loved the way the colors came together on our wedding day.”
The Tampa couple originally planned a European destination wedding but once the pandemic began they decided to reconsider how to locally host a vacation-worthy wedding experience for their guests.
“We were initially planning a destination wedding in Italy but the pandemic hit. Once we started planning in St Petersburg it seemed perfect,” Brooke explained. “It felt far enough away that we could stay in hotels and make a mini-vacation weekend out of it but still very close so all of our family and friends could attend.”
While the bride began to visualize her local dream wedding day, she followed Marry Me Tampa Bay’s social accounts for inspiration.
“Marry Me Tampa Bay showed so many different options for the wedding planning process. I would scroll through Instagram and see things I hadn’t even thought about during the process yet and it was so helpful,” Brooke revealed. “It was nice to see visuals of the different options and have an idea of what to expect on your wedding day.”
Understanding the importance of having a reputable and highly reviewed wedding planner, Brooke was thrilled to go through the planning experience with an expert in the industry.
“I needed someone who could help me organize everything. There are so many things you never even think about beforehand. So many little details matter when planning the day, and it was so nice to have someone as organized and on top of it as Jillian. She is so productive and gets things done so efficiently it took all the stress out of wedding planning and made it fun. I was and still am amazed at how helpful Perfecting the Plan was,” the bride beamed. “My mom and I both loved all of Jillian’s help, and we rave about her to everyone. She has the perfect personality type for her job: sweet, helpful, organized, and will speak up when necessary and get things done. She had a calming presence on my wedding day; I know I never could have done it without her.”
Finding a venue that would create a destination wedding experience for their friends and family was a priority to Brooke and Jordan. The Birchwood’s central location in the heart of downtown St. Pete felt like a luxurious getaway that was easy for their 70 guests to travel to.
“We wanted to feel like we went away for the weekend for our wedding. We didn’t want to get married and feel like we were in the same places we frequent on a regular weekend. St Petersburg was perfect. It was the perfect distance away and had such a different vibe than Tampa, so it felt like a vacation for us,” Brooke detailed. “The Birchwood was amazing. The ballroom was large enough to fit my wedding easily, with plenty of extra space for people to not feel so crowded during the pandemic. We met Heather at the Birchwood and immediately knew it was the perfect place to get married. She was phenomenal in communicating with us through the entire process and easy to get a hold of and thought of everything. Everything seemed seamless, and I am sure that is because Heather and our planner, Jillian, handled everything so well.”
The grand ballroom overlooking the waterfront off Straub Park served as an idyllic ceremony backdrop. While the reception’s romantic ambiance was a curation of soft pink linens, gold flatware, and Chiavari chair rentals from Gabro Event Services . A stunning statement cake from The Artistic Whisk was a unique process in the making, offering takeaway tastings to help create the semi-iced masterpiece.
“The cake was something I had never thought about beforehand, and I knew it would be one of my hardest decisions because I didn’t have anything in mind. I wanted something that tasted good but also fit well with our theme. I had no idea what that would be going into it, but the decision-making process was easy with The Artistic Whisk,” Brooke revealed. “Our wedding planner recommended The Artistic Whisk, and then I started to see her work on Marry Me Tampa Bay and in other wedding posts on Instagram. This was something Jordan, and I really enjoyed during the planning process. We met for a design meeting, and since I had no idea what I wanted they quickly helped me find what would be perfect for our day and our amount of guests. We took the cake and champagne home and tested each together to make our choice. We chose chocolate peanut butter and chocolate chip cannoli. The whole process was so fun.”
As the bride looked back on the magical moments of their wedding day, it was the ceremony that was most memorable.
“The ceremony itself was very important. The words used and the promises we made to each other really mattered to us. I remember feeling nervous beforehand, but it ended up being perfect. All of our friends and families were there, our pastor was very calming and did a phenomenal job, and Jordan and I will never forget it,” Brooke reminisced. “I will always remember my nieces and nephews walking down the aisle at the wedding; it was adorable, and they had the most fun on the dance floor.”
What was your wedding day beauty inspiration?
My wedding day beauty inspiration was mostly natural. I don’t wear a lot of make-up on a normal day, so I wanted a natural look on my wedding day. I wanted to feel made up and beautiful, but I still wanted to feel like myself.
I have been to a few of my friends’ weddings who used Femme Akoi, and I have loved my hair and makeup each time. Everyone in the bridal parties looked beautiful. They have an easy contact system to get in touch with them, and they were excellent about listening to what I wanted and envisioned.
The Proposal:
Jordan proposed in Croatia. We were on a trip with his family, and we had just finished a hike up a mountainside and stopped to eat at this amazing restaurant that overlooks the water. It was a beautiful day, and we were sitting outside eating lunch. He asked his mom to take a picture of us, and he turned and got down on one knee. I was not expecting it at all, and he completely surprised me!!! It will always be one of my favorite days.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
Romantic and classic. The choices on florals, décor and everything else just fell into place, and it was perfect.
What were your colors?
Mostly white, eucalyptus green, and very soft pink. I have always loved the way eucalyptus looks in floral bouquets. I loved the way the colors came together on our wedding day.
What did you look for in a wedding venue?
We wanted to feel like we went away for the weekend for our wedding. We didn’t want to get married and feel like we were in the same places we frequent on a regular weekend. St Petersburg was perfect. It was the perfect distance away and had such a different vibe than Tampa, so it felt like a vacation for us.
We wanted to feel like we went away for the weekend for our wedding. We didn’t want to get married and feel like we were in the same places we frequent on a regular weekend. St Petersburg was perfect. It was the perfect distance away and had such a different vibe than Tampa, so it felt like a vacation for us. The Birchwood was amazing. The ballroom was large enough to fit my wedding easily, with plenty of extra space for people to not feel so crowded during the pandemic. We met Heather at the Birchwood and immediately knew it was the perfect place to get married. She was phenomenal in communicating with us through the entire process and easy to get a hold of and thought of everything. Everything seemed seamless, and I am sure that is because Heather and our planner, Jillian, handled everything so well.
“We wanted to feel like we went away for the weekend for our wedding. We didn’t want to get married and feel like we were in the same places we frequent on a regular weekend. The Birchwood was amazing. The ballroom was large enough to fit my wedding easily, with plenty of extra space for people to not feel so crowded during the pandemic. Everything seemed seamless, and I am sure that is because Heather at The Birchwood and our planner, Jillian, handled everything so well.”
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
Since we got married during COVID, we went away for a few days to Sarasota to stay on the beach. We have our honeymoon planned and paid for in Italy and Greece but we are still waiting to go!
Where did you host your bachelorette party?
We went to Hotel Zamora on St. Pete Beach for the bachelorette party because it was close enough for everyone and wouldn’t require much travel during COVID. We just had a little weekend getaway that my best friend Kelly planned perfectly!
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
Every one of our vendors surprised me. I wouldn’t have changed anything from the planning process with each of them to the final products provided.
Our florist was amazing. I remember walking out to our wedding ceremony and just being completely overwhelmed by the florals. The florals really transformed the space.
Our pastor was phenomenal during the ceremony. He made us feel so comfortable and spoke very well.
Our planner, Jillian with Perfecting, the plan thought of every single detail and was outstanding.
We love our wedding video.
What did you look for in a wedding planner?
I needed someone who could help me organize everything. There are so many things you never even think about beforehand. So many little details matter when planning the day, and it was so nice to have someone as organized and on top of it as Jillian.
She is so productive and gets things done so efficiently it took all the stress out of wedding planning and made it fun. I was and still am amazed at how helpful Perfecting the Plan was. My mom and I both loved all of Jillian’s help, and we rave about her to everyone. She has the perfect personality type for her job: sweet, helpful, organized, and will speak up when necessary and get things done. She had a calming presence on my wedding day; I know I never could have done it without her.
How did your rentals enhance the ambiance of your event?
We rented napkins and gold silverware from them to add some detail to the table settings. My favorite thing was the gold Chiavari chairs from Gabro Event Services. I felt like it really elevated the space. I was on the fence about renting chairs, but our planner said it does make a big difference, and she was right!
What was your wedding cake inspiration?
The cake was something I had never thought about beforehand, and I knew it would be one of my hardest decisions because I didn’t have anything in mind. I wanted something that tasted good but also fit well with our theme. I had no idea what that would be going into it, but the decision-making process was easy with The Artistic Whisk.
Our wedding planner recommended The Artistic Whisk, and then I started to see her work on Marry Me Tampa Bay and in other wedding posts on Instagram. This was something Jordan and I really enjoyed during the planning process. It was very creative during the pandemic how they were still able to allow cake tasting. We met her for a design meeting, and since I had no idea what I wanted she quickly helped me find what would be perfect for our day and our amount of guests. She gave flavor options, and we chose our top choices. She then placed six slices in a very cute marble box, and Jillian gave us a bottle of champagne to celebrate. We took the cake and champagne home and tested each together to make our choice. We chose chocolate peanut butter and chocolate chip cannoli. The whole process was so fun.
“I wanted something that tasted good but also fit well with our theme. I had no idea what that would be going into it, but the decision-making process was easy with The Artistic Whisk. The whole process was so fun. This was something Jordan and I really enjoyed. We chose chocolate peanut butter and chocolate chip cannoli.”
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
The advice I would give to anyone and everyone planning a wedding is to hire Jillian Bartosiak with Perfecting the Plan. You don’t know how much you need a wedding planner, and I cannot stress enough how much better the planning process will be!
Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
*Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pros are highly respected by our local wedding community and have been personally vetted by our editor.
