Kelly and Patrick's destination South Tampa wedding combined a monochromatic black and white color palette, timeless flowers and greenery, and the staples for every amazing wedding – plenty of drinks, delicious food, and great music.
“Our wedding theme was timeless, with the colors being black, white, and gold, with a pop of green with Pat’s custom green suit. I was drawn to black and gold because I was trying to avoid the Pinterest effect, meaning I didn’t want our wedding to look like an outdated Pinterest board in five years,” the bride explained. “An open bar, great music, and even better food were the most important elements to us. We were not going to ask our closest friends and family to travel cross country to pay for their own drinks, have a bad meal, and listen to boring music.”
Given their demanding careers and limited free time, the Ohio couple knew they needed a seasoned wedding planner with connections in the Tampa area to help them plan their 45-guest celebration. They relied on Marry Me Tampa Bay to provide a complete list of reputable professionals from which to choose.
“With us living out-of-state, it was important to us to find someone who had extensive wedding planning experience working in the Tampa area and someone who would be our advocate,” Kelly shared. “We found our wedding planner Tammy on Marry Me Tampa Bay, and she was truly a dream maker!”
Kelly sought a wedding planner with a detailed and organized approach who would also make the planning process comfortable and enjoyable. Tammy with Special Moments Event Planning checked all their boxes and then some!
“Pat and I are both type-A, organized people, and we immediately knew Tammy from Special Moments Event Planning was the planner for us when she showed up to our first chat with a clipboard and a long list of questions. Outside of her clipboard, Tammy’s honesty and down-to-earth personality are what gave us comfort and reassurance that we found our advocate. My priority for the day was to show up on time and leave the details to the experts,” the bride beamed. “Tammy made us feel included in the process without overwhelming us with minor decisions. She asked for our vision and went to work with her team to make it happen. We can’t say enough good things about Tammy and her team; they deserve all the credit!”
While planning their intimate celebration, the couple made distinctively personal choices that set their celebration apart, including a unique dinner selection as an inside joke for the father of the bride.
“We stayed true to ourselves and that was our guiding filter with our decisions. We also made sure not to take the day too seriously,” Kelly articulated. “As a perfect example, my dad said he didn’t care what we did on the day as long as he walked me down the aisle with my mom, and he didn’t have a Big Mac for dinner. While the first was a non-negotiable, I wasn’t going to leave the Big Mac comment alone. With the help of my wedding planner, my dad was served a Big Mac on a silver platter, and we were able to capture his reaction in our wedding pictures and video. He was eventually served his filet and sea bass!”
The self-proclaimed '90s girl' wanted to ensure her wedding entertainment was top-notch and selected a DJ who could keep the music energetic and fresh.
“We looked for someone who had great reviews and wouldn’t limit themselves to the typical wedding songs like the Electric Slide. We chose Grant Hemond & Associates for their reviews, and our DJ, James, exceeded all expectations. It only took a short phone call with us for him to create a memorable party atmosphere. He played amazing remixes that included the queen herself (Beyonce), Spice Girls, and 90’s boy bands. It was every 90’s girl’s dream come true,” the bride raved.
Kelly and Pat shared several intimate and emotional moments together throughout the course of their big day, but it was the moments leading up to and during the ceremony that truly stood out for them both.
“The most memorable moment for me was when I cried walking down the aisle. I would have bet the house that Pat would have been the one to cry when I walked down the aisle but it turns out it was me who sobbed like a baby,” the bride recalled. “For Pat, his favorite moment was when we did our first look because we were able to have a few moments of uninterrupted time together.”
What was your wedding hair and makeup inspiration?
I had natural glam makeup with my hair up in a pony. I wanted to look and feel like my best self on the day.
I decided to go with Femme Akoi Beauty Studio because my friend, Sarah, used them on her wedding day, and she looked beautiful. Out of everything that goes into a wedding day, I worried the most about my hair and makeup. Femme Akoi made all my worries go away.
The Proposal:
My friends, Abbey and Jen, tricked me into doing a boozy brunch at Abbey’s house while Pat and our friend, Josh, set up our house for the proposal. I got home from brunch to hear my favorite song by Zach Brown Band playing and rose petals leading me to Pat, who was standing in our living room with our dog, Maggie, dressed for the occasion. I don’t remember what he said, but I know I said yes.
Where did you host your bachelorette party?
Fort Lauderdale. I originally chose New Orleans, but the flights and hotel were more expensive than expected, so I changed the location. I knew having my friends travel cross country twice for me, once for the bachelorette and the other for the wedding was no small ask. My maid of honor, Abbey, organized an amazing weekend, and I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.
How would you describe your theme/design inspiration?
Our wedding theme was timeless, with the colors being black, white, and gold, with a pop of green with Pat’s custom green suit. I was drawn to black and gold because I was trying to avoid the Pinterest effect, meaning I didn’t want our wedding to look like an outdated Pinterest board in five years.
What did you look for in a wedding planner?
With us living out of state, it was important to us to find someone who had extensive wedding planning experience working in the Tampa area and someone who would be our advocate. We found our wedding planner Tammy on Marry Me Tampa Bay, and she was truly a dream maker!
Pat and I are both type-A, organized people, and we immediately knew Tammy from Special Moments Event Planning was the planner for us when she showed up to our first chat with a clipboard and a long list of questions.
Outside of her clipboard, Tammy’s honesty and down-to-earth personality are what gave us comfort and reassurance that we found our advocate. My priority for the day was to show up on time and leave the details to the experts.
Tammy made us feel included in the process without overwhelming us with minor decisions. She asked for our vision and went to work with her team to make it happen. We can’t say enough good things about Tammy and her team; they deserve all the credit!
“With us living out-of-state, it was important to us to find someone who had extensive wedding planning experience working in the Tampa area and someone who would be our advocate. Tammy from Special Moments Event Planning, honesty and down-to-earth personality are what gave us comfort and reassurance that we found our advocate. My priority for the day was to show up on time and leave the details to the experts. She asked for our vision and went to work with her team to make it happen.”
-The Bride
What did you look for in a wedding DJ?
We looked for someone who had great reviews and wouldn’t limit themselves to the typical wedding songs like the Electric Slide. We chose Grant Hemond & Associates for their reviews, and our DJ, James, exceeded all expectations.
It only took a short phone call with us for him to create a memorable party atmosphere. He played amazing remixes that included the queen herself (Beyonce), Spice Girls, and 90’s boy bands. It was every 90’s girl’s dream come true.
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
Our florist far exceeded our expectations. To stay with the black-and-white aesthetic, one of our main flowers was a white Anemone with a black center. Scott called us a few days before the wedding to let us know the color projection of the flowers was not to his expectation. He even went as far as trying to overnight replacements from Holland! After showing us samples of the flowers he received, we knew the small detail would go unnoticed. For Scott to go so above and beyond that he would fly in flowers from across the globe just because there was a little bit of pink in them shows how much care and attention he put into our day.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Have an honest conversation with your partner about your priorities for the day, and don’t lose sight of those. It’s also important to be honest about what you’re willing and not willing to do or pay for. Pat and I both have high-demand jobs and knew planning all the details of our wedding wouldn’t work for us, so we decided to get a wedding planner.
