Rachel and Tomo’s downtown St. Pete wedding was inspired by the bride and groom’s personalities, featuring a mix of old English and Japanese details with a dark maroon and cream color palette. The couple currently lives in Akita City, Japan and chose to marry in St. Pete where the bride’s mother and grandmother both live.

“We chose St. Petersburg so that my grandmother, who is 93, was able to come to the wedding and walk me down the aisle alongside my mother,” the bride shared. “Our wedding had a lovely old English floral and literature main theme, as well as highlights from Japan. I’ve always had a passion for reading and English authors, such as Jane Austen, Evelyn Waugh, and EM Forster. My husband loves nature and antique aesthetics. Everything was unique and came together to really make something special.”

Planning the wedding from afar, the couple sought out St. Pete wedding vendors who were open and flexible and could coordinate the details without meeting the couple in-person.

“Planning my wedding entirely from Japan and not being able to meet any of my vendors in-person or even view our venue, I was understandably quite nervous about how everything would come together on our big day,” Rachel explained. “I chose Cotton & Magnolia as my florist because, from the beginning, Elaina was so wonderful and easy to get in contact with. She was always open to working with my ideas and could take everything I was thinking and make it more beautiful and organized than I could have dreamed of. She also took our budget into serious consideration and worked with me to create the best possible experience.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT COTTON & MAGNOLIA | EMAIL 

Seeking a St. Pete wedding hair and makeup team who could fit within their budget, work on-location and keep to the aesthetic that the bride was looking for, she hired Femme Akoi.

“My beauty was definitely vintage inspired: big pinup curls and a dark lip, very glamorous,” the bride gushed. “I was initially drawn to Femme Akoi because of the name and its Japanese origin. After viewing their lovely website and portfolio, I knew they were the team for me. Our stylist, Jessica, was absolutely amazing! She knew exactly the look I wanted and worked with me to achieve it. She was so much fun and all of my bridal party loved working with her.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT FEMME AKOI | EMAIL 

Reminiscing on their wedding day, it was all of the little details and the people who attended their celebration that they remember the most.

“The most important elements of our wedding were simply bringing all of what we loved together, regardless of tradition or expectation, and having a wonderful time celebrating our love with the people that we love. My husband and I agree that our favorite moments were seeing each other for the first time, in all our wedding finery, and being able to say our original vows to one another and exchange rings. We were filled with so much emotion and love, because both were such intimate and long-awaited moments, and we felt honored to be able to share both with our family and friends,” the bride reminisced.

What did you look for in a wedding florist?
In a wedding florist, I looked for someone who was open and flexible. I planned the entire wedding from Japan, so it was a challenge to coordinate with all of my vendors.

I chose Cotton & Magnolia as my florist because, from the beginning, Elaina was so wonderful and easy to get in contact with. She was always open to working with my ideas and could take everything I was thinking and make it more beautiful and organized than I could have dreamed of. She also took our budget into serious consideration and worked with me to create the best possible experience.

The Proposal:
The proposal was very simple and sweet. We were watching The Notebook one night after work, and he simply turned to me and said “Will you marry me?” I was so surprised and thought it was a joke at first, but he was totally serious. Of course I said “Yes, I’ll marry you,” and about a month later we chose an engagement ring together (a beautiful ring that’s over 100 years old and from England!) and shared the big news with all our friends and family.

What were your hair and makeup inspiration?
For hair and makeup, I was simply looking for a team whose aesthetic I liked, who fit our budget and was willing to work on-location. My beauty was definitely vintage inspired: big pinup curls and a dark lip, very glamorous.

I was initially drawn to Femme Akoi because of the name and its Japanese origin. After viewing their lovely website and portfolio, I knew they were the team for me. Our stylist Jessica was absolutely amazing! She knew exactly the look I wanted and worked with me to achieve it. She was so much fun and all of my bridal party loved working with her. Christine, the owner, was also incredibly kind and easy to contact. She set up and scheduled everything perfectly and made my life so much easier.

How did you incorporate your personalities?
To incorporate both our personalities, there was an integral mix of both old English and Japanese pieces, as well as our own creative additions as a couple. Most importantly we simply included things that we each loved into the day.

What was your wedding theme?
Our wedding had a lovely old English floral and literature main theme, as well as highlights from Japan and things we love, such as Mexican food and confetti cake. I’ve always had a passion for reading and English authors, such as Jane Austen, Evelyn Waugh, and EM Forster. My husband loves nature and antique aesthetics. We thought it was the perfect medium to bring all of what we loved together.

What were your colors?
We never had any official wedding colors. Everything was a mix of what we saw and liked the best. We had gorgeous dark maroon and cream floral arrangements, gold satin table clothes, lavender bridesmaid dresses, grey groomsmen suits, and a lovely arrangement of rainbow colored glasses. Everything was unique and came together to really make something special.

What advice would you give to other couples getting married in Tampa Bay?
Our advice would just be to do what you love regardless of traditions or expectations, and don’t be afraid to include what you love even if it doesn’t seem to go together. This is your day and should be about what’s important to you and celebrating with those you love.