Tessa and James’ rustic Tampa Bay barn wedding featured a soft southern color palette of blush pink and navy.
“We both knew that we wanted to be outside and in the country. I love barn weddings,” the bride gushed. “The rest of it all just kind of came together once I found the right barn. We tried to go with spring colors since we were having a spring wedding, but I wanted a color I could find flowers in that didn’t look fake, which led me to blush pink.”
The groom’s family is in the plant nursery business, so naturally they ensured that their elegant table decor greenery and bouquets would be abundant with gorgeous flowers. Centering around southern hospitality, the couple showcased their love for sweets with a cookie bar for the guests to enjoy, even including their grandmother’s recipe.
Looking back, the bride’s most cherished memories was also one that she was most excited for, the wedding ceremony.
“The one thing that was the most important to me was our wedding vows. I wanted my vows to be sweet and lighthearted, but also serious and loving as they were promises that I was making to my husband. I wanted everyone to feel the love that I felt during those 20 minutes. That was the moment that I felt like everything about that day was real and I was marrying my best friend,” Tessa reminisced.
The Proposal:
It was a typical Friday, I was spending my day off with my best friend helping her work on some wedding plans for her upcoming day. Since her fiancé worked with Jay, we had made plans to meet up for dinner when they got off of work. Shortly after they got off, her fiancé called her saying he had locked his keys in the truck and that they were in Jay’s pasture, a very special place where we had many date nights watching the sunset. They even went as far as having an “argument” to make this believable enough so that I had no suspicions. When we got to the pasture we grabbed the keys and walked out to where they were waiting on top of the hill. I walked to the other side of one of the trucks and found Jay on one knee with the exact ring I had always had my heart set on and a pallet sign that said “Will you marry me?”
How would you describe your theme?
We both knew that we wanted to be outside and in the country. I love barn weddings. The rest of it all just kind of came together once I found the right barn.
What were your colors?
We tried to go with spring colors since we were having a spring wedding, but I wanted a color I could find flowers in that didn’t look fake, which led me to blush pink. I didn’t want the groomsmen to have too much pink on them, so I also threw in the navy since that was the color they wore.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Enjoy your day. This will be the only one like it. Don’t get caught up in the materialistic stuff that goes along with weddings, but focus on the real reason why you’re getting married. Nothing will go perfect and as planned, so don’t expect it to. Your guests won’t notice or care about the mess ups if you don’t notice or care about them.
