Kayla and Roman
“Our wedding design could be best described as a bit eclectic with a vintage/retro feeling. We chose this because we wanted our wedding day to feel joyful, unfussy, and true to us.” -The Bride
FEATURING
Kayla and Roman’s eclectic, vintage-inspired downtown St. Petersburg wedding was a joyful, unfussy March celebration in greens and oranges, with pops of pink, yellow, and ivory in the florals. The local bride and groom gathered 94 guests at a hidden-gem venue known for its natural wood, natural light, and lush courtyard landscaping, filling the day with personal touches from a baseball home plate guestbook to a late-night pizza surprise.
“Roman and I cherish our families and loved ones. We wanted our wedding to reflect that and to create a day where we could celebrate this important moment with all of those close to us and where they would be able to enjoy themselves,” the bride shared. “This meant great food and drinks, a fantastic DJ, and some fun options of things to do that reflected our personalities: cornhole, a giant custom crossword puzzle, and a temporary tattoo station with customized tattoos. We also incorporated our love of baseball into our guestbook by having guests sign a wooden home plate, and we had custom cocktail napkins, drink stirrers, and photo props to showcase our sweet/crazy dog, Lea. We had pizza as our late-night snack, and I surprised Roman with Denver Broncos paper plates and napkins for it since he is a die-hard fan.”
Researching Wedding Vendors
“We found the majority of our vendors through our fantastic wedding planner, Katy Martin with Coastal Coordinating. Katy talked to us to get a feel for what we wanted for our wedding day and our budget and then provided a list of referrals based on who could be a good fit for us.
Marry Me Tampa Bay was a great resource for looking at real weddings and getting an idea of how different designs and themes looked as we worked to determine what felt best for us. Once we decided on our venue, it was hugely helpful to look at past weddings Marry Me Tampa Bay featured at The Poynter Institute so we could see what the space looked like for actual weddings and how each couple made it their own. It also helped us get even more excited for our day!”
The Bach Party & Honeymoon
“My sister and Matron of Honor planned the perfect bachelorette party for me in St. Pete. We had the best day, starting with hot glass items at Zen Glass Studio, then a Pedal Pub to different breweries and bars, and finishing with dinner at Oak & Stone! My sister built the day around things I loved: a Red Hot Chili Peppers theme, a fun art activity, and lots of craft beer. We chose St. Pete because I didn’t want to do a full trip that would impact anyone’s personal financial and PTO budgets. Prior to our wedding, my mom, sister, and I also went on a trip to Asheville together to celebrate me getting married, and it was a fun excuse to take a special trip together!
We decided to go on a mini-moon to Boston! It is our goal to visit every MLB stadium, so this was the perfect opportunity to check a classic stadium off the list, and we were able to attend the home opener at Fenway. We are planning a first anniversary trip as a fuller honeymoon and will start planning that soon.”
The Hair and Makeup
Femme Akoi Beauty Studio
“My wedding day beauty inspiration was pretty classic; I wanted a natural and soft look for my makeup. My hair is naturally curly, so I wanted an updo so I could keep the natural texture of my hair without having to worry about it becoming extra unruly throughout the course of the day.
I chose Femme Akoi Beauty Studio since both my sister and cousin used them for their weddings and had great experiences. Femme Akoi works hard to make sure their brides have the look they want and that they feel happy and comfortable.”
The Experience
“I am lucky to have my immediate family live locally to us, but Roman’s family lives out of state, and in different states to boot, so having them all at our wedding was so important and special to us!
Another important element of our wedding day was honoring and incorporating my loved ones who have passed. My father died when I was young, and having a seat reserved for him at our ceremony and having a medallion featuring his picture on my bouquet, the same medallion my sister used at her wedding, were very important details.
We also had a memory table in our reception space featuring my dad and grandparents. My grandma was my favorite person and extremely special to me, so I made her ricotta cookies as part of our dessert table as a special nod to her.”
The Proposal
“Roman proposed directly outside of the stadium before a Rays game on May 10th. This was at Steinbrenner Field due to the Trop being under repair last season after Hurricane Milton. I am a huge baseball and Rays fan, and Roman’s proposal could not have been more perfect!
I thought we were going to the game with just us, but directly after he proposed, our family and close friends kept popping out of different areas where they were hiding, and it was so special. Directly after the game, my sister and brother-in-law threw us a surprise engagement party at Coppertail, one of our favorite breweries. It was such a perfect day!”
The Most Memorable Moments
“One big one was our first look, where we exchanged our private vows to each other. That was such a special moment for us, where we had time alone to share our excitement for the day and for our future together.
Another special moment was when we were hidden away upstairs at The Poynter Institute for a few minutes directly before our grand entrance down the stairs into the reception space. We got to peek down at everyone walking into the reception space and soak in all the happiness and excitement together.
The very end of the night was also especially memorable, as it got late and we were able to just enjoy goofing around on the dance floor with our closest friends and family.”
The Florals
Monarch Events and Design
“Since our venue was so naturally beautiful, we wanted the florals to complement the space without overpowering it. We wanted the arrangements to have a modern and organic look. We chose Monarch Events and Design since we could tell that Jean King truly understood our vision and that we could trust her to create the most beautiful designs.
Jean is the absolute sweetest person and has the talent and experience to match. She was so patient with my questions during the planning process and made sure everything was perfect! I am in love with how our florals turned out. They captured the natural and joyful feeling of our wedding day!”
The Planning
Coastal Coordinating
“Experience and being a good person are the two biggest things we looked for in a wedding planner. Experience, since you don’t know what you don’t know, and having never planned a wedding before, having a planner who had it down was huge and helped reduce stress. Being a good person may sound silly, but you spend a lot of time working with your wedding planner, and they play a big part in your wedding day, so having someone who is truly a kind, caring, good-hearted person makes the experience so much better.
Choosing Coastal Coordinating was a no-brainer for us, since my sister got married and used Katy Martin with Coastal Coordinating as her planner. Katy and her whole team are truly fantastic and fit the bill for what we were looking for. They are extremely experienced and are also wonderful people.
I am a person who is prone to anxiety and who can admittedly get stressed easily. On our wedding day, my mom joked that she didn’t know who I was since I was completely calm and stress-free. I have Katy and her team to thank for that; they took care of every single thing on our wedding day, so we had nothing to worry about and could enjoy every moment of our day. Mel with Coastal Coordinating was also hugely helpful with designing the beautiful print materials for our reception! We can’t thank Coastal Coordinating enough!”
The Venue
The Poynter Institute
“We wanted a wedding venue that felt like us. My late grandmother used to joke that ‘when Kayla gets married, it will be in the woods with pizza,’ and that described my ideal wedding so well. A big part of our early planning process was accepting that though a backyard or brewery wedding would fit us well, it just wasn’t feasible for the number of guests we wanted and our budget, and it wouldn’t allow for the most enjoyable experience for our friends and family. I then opened my mind to all types of venues and feel so lucky we learned about The Poynter Institute.
Once we toured The Poynter Institute, we couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else. It is absolutely stunning in the best way: understated and focused on natural elements like wood, natural lighting, and the gorgeous landscaping in the courtyard. It is the best-kept secret as a wedding venue in the Tampa Bay area! In addition to being the most beautiful space, it is also very budget-friendly and flexible, since you are able to work with any licensed and insured vendors. This allowed us to have a wedding that felt like us.
Nicole Henderson with The Poynter Institute was a dream to work with! She was so easygoing and responsive, and she went above and beyond. She even helped us find a quiet space at the venue for our lovingly high-maintenance rescue dog to stay comfortably during the wedding, so we didn’t have to worry about her being left for a long period at the hotel!”
From The Planner
“Kayla and Roman’s wedding was truly special because of the deep trust they placed in our team. What I loved most was seeing Kayla so calm and present throughout the day; it’s always our goal to handle every detail so our couples can simply enjoy the moment.
Their wedding stood out because of the personal connection we felt, especially having worked with Kayla’s sister previously. It was a beautiful celebration filled with so much heart and intentional design. They chose everything that was unique and most important and special to them and made it their own. It was truly unique, wonderful, and everything they ever wanted. Their pure glow in their face was something that made my day even more special.”
—Katy Martin, Coastal Coordinating
The Inspiration
“Our wedding design could be best described as a bit eclectic with a vintage/retro feeling, which is how you can describe Roman and me as well. We chose this because we wanted our wedding day to feel joyful, unfussy, and true to us.
Our colors were greens and oranges, since those are colors we love and feel true to us. We added complementary colors, such as pinks, yellows, and ivory, through our florals.
Every wedding is unique since it’s truly about the couple getting married and all their loved ones there to celebrate, but for us, it was all the personal touches we tied in through small details and having such a relaxed, loving, and joyful feeling to the entire day.”
From The Florist
“Kayla and Roman’s wedding was stunning, and it was so fun working with them! The colors for the flowers were so perfect and included orange, green, and peach, with pops of yellow, white, and cream. The flowers included dahlias, roses, tulips, ranunculus, calla lilies, and hanging amaranthus, as well as some other fun flowers. What we loved most about this wedding were the colors and the modern organic style and how all the flowers complemented the space so beautifully! It was such a joyful day, and we are so thankful we got to be part of it!”
—Jean King, Monarch Events and Design
The Catering
Olympia Catering & Events
“Our wedding menu inspiration was about bridging the gap between our initial wants of something less conventional and a bit more relaxed or funky, such as a family-style meal or food trucks, and something that would be practical for a large group of people and budget-friendly. This allowed us to land on doing two stations: one being a carving station with a beef tenderloin, mashed potatoes, and vegetables to serve as a crowd-pleasing safe choice, and the second to be a bit more fun and a reflection of us, which was a Pad Thai station. In addition to our dinner selection, we tried to do the same with our cocktail hour and dessert choices: a mix of things we knew our guests would love, along with a few options that are true to us.
We chose Olympia Catering & Events due to their experience and the quality of their food and service. We left our tasting feeling 100% confident in our choice. Darren is so experienced and knowledgeable, and we knew we could trust him completely. I own that my family has high standards for food and that we had high expectations, and Olympia Catering & Events exceeded them by a mile! Our guests are still telling us how great our food and drinks were, and the Pad Thai station was an especially big hit!
Their service absolutely knocked it out of the park as well. Marlene was our lead server, and she was truly fantastic in making sure everything ran smoothly, but also in specifically taking care of my husband and me. I am a bride who absolutely got to enjoy all of the food, and it’s thanks to Marlene’s service!”
From The Venue
“One of the best features of our venue is that every couple is able to bring their own personality into the space; Kayla and Roman’s wedding is a beautiful representation of just that. They really took our Great Hall to a new height of elegance. It was a pleasure to be a part of their special day, and we hope that they made memories here at Poynter to last a lifetime.”
—Nicole Henderson, Event Coordinator, The Poynter Institute
The DJ
Grant Hemond & Associates
“We wanted a wedding DJ who would help create a fun atmosphere and keep people dancing and enjoying themselves! We chose Grant Hemond & Associates since they came highly recommended by our planner and also because they were very responsive and easy to work with.
We had Jason Tally as our DJ, and he was phenomenal! He is such a positive person and went above and beyond in making sure our guests and I had a blast!”
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
“We feel very lucky that all of our vendors exceeded our expectations. Out of vendors not already mentioned, our photo and video team, Rad Red Creative, and our officiant, Pastor Rich Tiemann with Sensational Ceremonies, were truly exceptional.
Choosing Rad Red Creative for our photography and videography was one of the very best decisions we made! They are the dream combination of being super experienced, unbelievably talented, and fun people to spend your wedding day with. Using them made being photographed and recorded all day feel so natural. They are truly amazing, and their work can’t be beat. We are in love with our pictures and videos!
We are so happy we had Pastor Rich with Sensational Ceremonies as our officiant. When going through different ceremony options, Pastor Rich graciously created one that was absolutely perfect for us, and it helped make our ceremony extra special. We are so thankful to him.”
What advice would you give to other St. Petersburg couples?
“Use a wedding planner if your budget allows, and if not, hire an experienced day-of coordinator. Our planner, Katy Martin, and the Coastal Coordinating team allowed us and our families to enjoy every moment of our wedding day without having to worry about or handle anything.
Also, don’t settle on a venue. There are so many options in the Tampa Bay area, and there will be one that is perfect for you!”
