Nadine and Dave's intimate South Tampa wedding was originally planned as a larger scale destination wedding, but when the couple decided to move to Florida during the pandemic, they changed course and hosted a luxe celebration for 17 of their closest family and friends.
The Texas couple chose Tampa for its convenient and sentimental locale and selected a trendy wedding venue that combined modern and classic styling. The bride opted for a sophisticated palette of soft grey and deep blue to play off of the traditional décor and neutral flowers.
“I didn’t have a particular theme or specific design inspiration. I just sought out the things I thought were beautiful. Originally I planned slate blue, but my Maid of Honor was sweet enough to try on the bridesmaid dresses for the rest of the bridal party, and she found an even more beautiful navy dress. I knew when I saw her in it that all the ladies would look perfect in it, so navy and grey became the colors,” the bride explained. “I looked on Pinterest for inspiration and found I really liked the idea of navy pants and a grey jacket for the groom and his groomsmen rather than a tux or traditional matching suit. It all just kind of came together with the flowers I love and allowed me to discover some new ones; I have always loved hydrangeas and now anemones too!”
Nadine turned to the plethora of real weddings found on Marry Me Tampa Bay to envision how her wedding day would come together.
“I was able to look at several pictures of real weddings at my venue to help make a lot of style and setup decisions,” the bride revealed. “It really helped to pull it all together and picture how some of the choices would turn out, such as the staircase florals, balloon drop, reception setup, and the ceremony room setup when we switched to the conservatory from the atrium when our guest count went down.”
The couple researched many wedding photographers and entrusted Carrie Wildes Photography after being impressed by her warm approach and responsive communication, along with her stellar testimonials.
“I looked at several different options. I picked Carrie Wildes not just for her beautiful work, but also her reviews were great, and I loved how she connected with me from the start. She texted me and proactively sent video examples of her work, and I knew she’d be fun and easy to work with versus some of the emails and processes of other options. Also, her packages and the fact that the cost goes toward gallery credit is amazing,” Nadine raved. “We had a blast doing our engagement session and sincerely loved having her there! It felt as if she was a guest, and with a much smaller wedding than planned you really notice everyone there, and Carrie brought a great presence.”
After perusing Pinterest to find bridal beauty inspiration, Nadine turned to the beauty experts at Michele Renee The Studio to create the perfect coifs for the wedding.
“I wanted something simple and elegant with a little flair. Our hair team was awesome. The hairstyling far exceeded my expectations. It turns out she did my sister-in-law's hair at her wedding forever ago! That made it even more special,” Nadine gushed.
Nadine recalls that her scaled-down wedding was small in size but not lacking in style or sentiment, and it was the outpouring of love and support from her most special guests who attended that made her wedding so special.
“At the end of the day we were just really excited to marry each other and there really wasn’t anything that could be more important than that,” the bride beamed. “That really was our true north when we had to make a lot of changes and tough decisions due to COVID.”
The bride assured that her entire celebration was incredibly special, with too many memorable moments to choose a favorite.
“My favorite moments were hearing Dave’s personal vows, our father/daughter dance, all of the speeches, and our grand exit. The ceremony itself was so memorable, with my brother officiating, and the special moment Dave and I had together right after the ceremony,” Nadine reminisced. “Really it was all memorable and perfect. It was amazing to have such a personal and intimate ceremony and reception.”
What was your wedding hair inspiration?
I wanted something simple and elegant with a little flair. Our hair team was awesome. The hairstyling far exceeded my expectations. It turns out Michele Renee The Studio did my sister-in-law's hair at her wedding forever ago! That made it even more special.
What were your colors?
Navy and grey. Originally I planned slate blue but my Maid of Honor was sweet enough to try on the bridesmaid dresses for the rest of the bridal party, and she found an even more beautiful navy dress. I knew when I saw her in it that all the ladies would look perfect in it, so navy and grey became the colors. I looked on Pinterest for inspiration and I really liked the idea of navy pants and a grey jacket for the groom and his groomsmen rather than a tux or traditional matching suit. It all just kind of came together with the flowers I love and allowed me to discover some new ones; I have always loved hydrangeas and now anemones too!
The Proposal:
Dave surprised me on a quiet morning at home with letters he stuck up on a display that read “Marry me.” It was perfect and exactly what I wanted. We celebrated that night in the Fort Worth stockyards with dinner with friends at a Cole Swindell concert.
What did you look for in a wedding photographer?
I looked at several different options. I picked Carrie Wildes Photography not just for her beautiful work, but also her reviews were great, and I loved how she connected with me from the start. She texted me and proactively sent video examples of her work, and I knew she’d be fun and easy to work with versus some of the emails and processes of other options. Also, her packages and the fact that the cost goes toward gallery credit is amazing. We happened to see wedding pictures on her site of someone I knew from the Junior League of Tampa. When I reached out, she had glowing feedback and said she still uses Carrie and her team for family pictures. I loved the idea of someone we could have an ongoing and special relationship with. We had a blast doing our engagement session and sincerely loved having her there! It felt just as if she was a guest, and with a much smaller wedding than planned you really notice everyone there, and Carrie brought a great presence.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
I didn’t have a particular theme or specific design inspiration. I just sought out the things I thought were beautiful. I was really fortunate to get to work with a florist who was able to really help me work through my vision and far exceed my expectations of bringing it to life.
The fact that the venue is such a gorgeous space to begin with and the team there are total pros. They made it both easy and exciting to really think of every little detail and made great recommendations on vendors for everything from a balloon drop to our exit car that all aligned really well with the look and feel we wanted and little touches I didn’t even know I wanted.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
We haven’t taken it yet but can’t wait for the adventure!
What advice would you give to other couples who have been affected by COVID?
Focus on each other and make the time as special as possible for you both. Look for the bright spots and trust that no matter what impact COVID has, it will be beyond the happiest day of your life. Also, don’t waste time waiting and thinking all the details are what matter – get married already!
Ceremony and Reception Venue: Oxford Exchange
Photographer: Carrie Wildes Photography *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pro
Videographer: Resurgent Fire Films
Planner: One Fine Day
Florist: Carmen's Flowers
Balloon Drop: Your Total Entertainment Events
Cake: Elise’s Pieces
Band: Matt Winter Band
Invitations: Minted
Dress Shop: The White Magnolia Bridal Collection
Tuxes: The Black Tux
Bridesmaid Dress Shop: Nordstrom
Hair: Michele Renee The Studio *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pro
Makeup: Jackie Caba
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.
