Linzy and Michael dreamed of a Tarpon Springs wedding that embraced the groom’s Greek heritage in a timeless, classic way without being too stuffy. The bride and groom's vision came to life with a wintery blue and silver color palette infused with Greek culture, making it an experience for their guests.
While planning their classic celebration, the Tampa couple visited Marry Me Tampa Bay for its real, local wedding features.
“We used Marry Me Tampa Bay during the wedding planning process for inspiration. It is helpful to see weddings from real people and not just from a magazine. It makes it more realistic!” the bride shared. “Seeing different colors together and the way that people incorporated different types of flowers made it really easy to put it on my Pinterest board and look back on for future reference.”
The most important wedding day elements to the high school sweethearts were the culture, food, atmosphere, and photography.
“Michael is Greek, so we always dreamed of getting married in Tarpon Springs. We wanted a true Greek wedding that wouldn't be completely overwhelming to someone who wasn't Greek,” the bride explained. “We wanted our atmosphere to be filled with love first, but second we just wanted to have fun. We didn't want a stuffy wedding; we wanted something that everyone who was in attendance would talk about for years to come.”
MORE: GREEK WEDDING INSPIRATION
The couple wanted to be focused on enjoying their wedding day and not worrying about it, so they hired Tampa Bay wedding planners Parties A' La Carte.
“I have been dreaming of this day since I was a little girl, and the girls at PALC made all of our wedding dreams come true. Everything just became easy when we hired them. From all of the planning to the day of was a breeze,” Linzy gushed. “Our one mistake from our whole wedding was not hiring them from the beginning of the planning process!
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Having delicious food was a priority to the couple, who changed their menu a few times during the planning process.
“We wanted good food; that was something Michael was dead set on. We went from a buffet, to stations, to finally getting a sit-down dinner with a duet of chicken and filet,” the bride explained. “Amici's Catered Cuisine is a well-known name around the area. The head chef was amazing. They also had a Greek captain, which made communicating with the other Greek employees very easy! They were very easy to work with, especially with the amount of tastings and times we changed the menu around. The food was delicious, and we were very happy!”
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From their traditional Greek Orthodox ceremony to dancing the night away, Linzy and Michael's wedding day was a long dream finally realized.
“The ceremony was one of the most memorable moments because it was when Michael and I became husband and wife. A Greek Orthodox wedding is very beautiful because it incorporates so many details and is so traditional. It allows the man and the woman to get married to become the ‘King and Queen' of their household, and there really is no other ceremony like it,” the bride reminisced. “The whole wedding is really memorable though because it was the day that we have been waiting for nine years. We truly grew up together from being together since we were 14, so it was a day we have been dreaming of for so many years.”
What was your inspiration for your wedding paper goods?
We wanted something that tied in the entire theme and colors. The invitations went with the napkins that went with the seating chart. Everything was cohesive and beautiful. My wedding planner, Parties A' La Carte, helped so much with the decision for the cocktail napkins and the seating chart, and they both ended up to be so stunning.
I want to learn more about Stationery and Invitations from URBANcoast
URBANCoast was recommended by my planner, and I see why! They were very easy to work with; their work is fantastic, and we were so happy with the napkins and seating chart!
What was your wedding makeup inspiration?
My exact wedding makeup inspiration actually came from an Instagram influencer. Her makeup was natural, yet done up. It was very timeless and something that I wouldn't be kicking myself in 20 years as to why I chose to do that.
I want to learn more about hair & makeup from Femme Akoi.
I had several makeup trials because I didn't want to be too done up and not look like myself, and Femme Akoi was very accommodating for my requests. All of the girls that had their makeup done looked beautiful.
What did you look for in a wedding planner?
We were looking for someone who would be able to allow both of our families to truly enjoy our day and be able to handle anything that came up prior to the wedding.
I want to learn more about planning from Parties A La Carte.
We hired Parties A' La Carte because Jessica and her team are truly angels. I am indecisive, but I had ideas of what I wanted but didn't know how to portray it. I have been dreaming of this day since I was a little girl, and the girls at PALC made all of our wedding dreams come true. Everything just became easy when we hired them. From all of the planning to the day of was a breeze. Our one mistake from our whole wedding was not hiring them from the beginning of the planning process!
The Proposal:
Michael works for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and they typically have a lot of events that we have to attend. He told me that there was a brunch at my favorite restaurant, Island Way. We just got our English Bulldog puppy, so we had to drop him off with my sister for the day, and she was “fishing” with our childhood friend, who plays an important part later.
We went to drop off our puppy, Callahan, at a park overlooking the Belleair Causeway Bridge, and as we were walking Michael began to reminisce on the eight years we had been together. We get to the dock area, and he got down on one knee and proposed! Our childhood friend popped out of the bushes with her camera and captured the whole thing! Later that night, all of our families and friends were at Island Way to celebrate our engagement!
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
We didn't necessarily have a set theme before we met with our wedding planners, Parties A La Carte, who then put my exact theme into words, romantic lush lux. I had so many pictures on my Pinterest boards, and the PALC really made my dream come to life.
What were your colors?
Navy, silver, and white. We wanted something that was timeless and beautiful so that years down the road we wouldn't look back at our pictures and say, “What were we thinking?” These are also my favorite colors.
What was your wedding menu inspiration?
Michael is very simple and only asked that we had good food and drinks at our wedding and for it to not be during college football. We wanted good food; that was something Michael was dead set on. This was something that changed a lot over the course of wedding planning. We went from a buffet, to stations, to finally getting a sit-down dinner with a duet of chicken and filet. We also wanted to incorporate all of the food that both of us loved.
I Want to Learn More about Catering from Amici's Catered Cuisine
Amici's Catered Cuisine is a well-known name around the area. The head chef was amazing. They also had a Greek captain, which made communicating with the other Greek employees very easy! They were very easy to work with, especially with the amount of tastings and times we changed the menu around. The food was delicious, and we were very happy!
What did you look for in a wedding DJ?
We wanted a DJ who would be able to cater to all ages and make sure everyone was out on the dance floor. It was also a Greek wedding, so we needed lots of Greek songs to dance to. We wanted our wedding to be very fun, and it was definitely achieved on the dance floor!
I want to learn more about DJ/Lighting services from Grant Hemond & Associates.
Grant Hemond & Associates were fantastic. Our DJ was so wonderful with playing the music that we requested, which was a good mix of dance music, as well as Greek songs. There was not one person sitting in the seats when the Greek songs came on! It was truly incredible to watch my family, who has never done a Greek dance before, learning the new dances from Michael's family and friends.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Do not rush the wedding planning process, I truly feel it is better to take at least a year to plan. You want your day to be perfect, so take the time and don't rush into it! Use the Parties A' La Carte team, because they make your life and your wedding so much better, and just enjoy every second of your wedding day! It goes by so fast and before you know it, it has already been a year!
Ceremony Venue: St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral
Reception Venue: Spanos-Pappas Community Center
Photographer: K&K Photography
Planner: Parties A La Carte *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Florist: Bruce Wayne Florals
Caterer: Amici's Catered Cuisine *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Chairs: A Chair Affair *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Draping: Gabro Event Services *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Cake: Publix
DJ and Lighting: Grant Hemond & Associates *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Officiant: Father Sampson of St. Nicholas
Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas
Dress Designer: Essense of Australia
Bridesmaid Dress Shop and Designer: Bill Levkoff
Hair: The Hair Room
Makeup: Femme Akoi *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Day of Paper Goods: URBANCoast *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
