Dawn and Rick celebrated their nuptials with a tropical-inspired downtown St. Pete wedding complete with creative touches that evoked the laid-back vibe of paradise. The vibrant pops of color that adorned the springtime wedding perfectly complemented the lively ambiance of downtown within the eccentric and elegant Dali Museum.
“The theme was tropical and Spanish, with a nod to gin and tonics. This brought together where we live, our love of Spain and Hawaii, and our favorite drink,” the bride shared. “One day, we were having a gin and tonic and saw a cut pink/red grapefruit next to the green bottle of Tanqueray 10. I teased Rick and said those would make great wedding colors. We took a picture and used it as our inspiration, along with my favorite color, fuchsia. The bridesmaids were in grapefruit and the maid of honor in fuchsia. These colors and green were throughout the design.”
Despite initially considering a destination wedding in Hawaii, the St. Petersburg couple ultimately decided to stay local for their April celebration. To ensure everything was perfect, they turned to Marry Me Tampa Bay’s local resources and reviews, which helped them find their wedding planner, hair and makeup artist, and cake baker.
“I used Marry Me Tampa Bay early on, and it helped me find Staci at UNIQUE Weddings & Events, Femme Akoi, and The Artistic Whisk,” Dawn explained. “It was often the first step to look at vendors and early ideas. Then I would go to their social media and websites to investigate more. It was a great resource to narrow down the many choices in the area.”
With a keen eye for design, Staci Mandikas, the owner of UNIQUE Weddings & Events, orchestrated a stunning Dali Museum wedding that incorporated the Spanish themes from the museum exhibits and reflected the personalities of the couple. The intimate 50-guest wedding ceremony commenced in the main stairway, surrounded by the wedding party, while the reception offered breathtaking views of downtown at night that included chic rentals from A Chair Affair.
“I wanted someone who could take my thoughts and make them into reality. I could tell from Staci’s background and pictures from other weddings that UNIQUE Weddings & Events could do this. In our phone consultation, she asked really good questions and gave ideas that made sense from that. It only got better once we officially started the process,” Dawn detailed. “I also liked that she had done a wedding at the Dali Museum before. Staci is an excellent designer. She kept us on track throughout the year of planning and kept everything flowing the month of and, most importantly, the day of. I couldn’t be happier with the services.”
The dessert table and cake from The Artistic Whisk were a highlight of the night, and guests couldn’t get enough of the delectable treats. The elegant two-tier cake featured subtle white colors and exquisite marble detailing at the bottom, topped with a beautiful arrangement of flowers.
“I wanted a dessert table. We chose The Artistic Whisk because their cakes are delicious and not too sweet, and they could put together a fun dessert table,” the bride beamed. “Their services were great. I wish we got a bigger cake because I only had the first bite, and then it was gone!”
Femme Akoi Beauty Studio crafted a breathtaking glam look that made the bride radiant and confident in her stunning Madeline Gardner wedding dress. The couple successfully incorporated their unique personalities into their wedding by rewriting and singing vows, performing a wine ceremony, toasting with custom glasses under a personalized neon sign, and adding a pop of color with fuchsia shoes.
“It was our goal to make the entire night reflect us as a couple, and we were able to do this in many ways. As part of our vows, we rewrote lines from John Prine’s In Spite of Ourselves and sang it. Rick sang, and I laughed-sang through my part,” the bride joked. “At the reception, we toasted with a gin and tonic in our custom glasses under our custom-made The Gin to my Tonic neon sign, designed by Staci of Unique Weddings and Events. And we did a wine ceremony. We locked a bottle of Spanish wine into a wine box along with everyone’s well wishes. We are looking forward to reading these while enjoying our wine on our first anniversary.”
Looking back on the magic of their wedding day, the blushing bride cherished the unforgettable beauty of their ceremony above all else.
“The entire day was incredible, but the ceremony itself was great,” Dawn reminisced. “It took place on the stairs in the Dali Museum, and between our vows and our song, it completely represented us and our relationship.”
The Proposal:
We were supposed to go to Lisbon and Barcelona for my 50th birthday but had to cancel due to the pandemic, so we spent my birthday and Christmas in Key West. On my birthday, we took the ferry to have dinner at Latitudes. After dinner, we were standing by the water before taking the ferry back, and Rick asked me. We had been together for several years but never really talked about getting married, so I was completely surprised! The ring he got was wonderful! He found a ring set with a Hawaiian design to represent me and a Canadian diamond to represent him. Just like the wedding itself, it describes us together.
What was your wedding hair and makeup inspiration?
I had a tough time with this one and just knew I wanted my hair up. I had my trial appointment with Femme Akoi, and my stylist/makeup artist was able to help me figure it out.
What did you look for in a wedding planner?
I wanted someone who could take my thoughts and make them into reality. I could tell from Staci’s background and pictures from other weddings that UNIQUE Weddings & Events could do this. In our phone consultation, she asked really good questions and gave ideas that made sense from that. It only got better once we officially started the process
I also liked that she had done a wedding at the Dali Museum before. Staci is an excellent designer. She kept us on track throughout the year of planning and kept everything flowing the month of and, most importantly, the day of. I couldn’t be happy with the services.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
We just went to Barcelona and Paris over Christmas and counted Paris as our honeymoon. We had never been there before and wanted to explore this romantic city (but unfortunately, I got food poisoning in Barcelona and still didn’t feel well in Paris, so we are talking about a redo honeymoon).
Where did you host your bachelorette party?
Chicago. It’s where I grew up and near where all my wedding party lives. We used that weekend to get their dresses and have some fun in the city.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
The theme was tropical and Spanish, with a nod to gin and tonics. This brought together where we live, our love of Spain and Hawaii, and our favorite drink.
What were your colors?
Citrus colors and fuchsia. The bridesmaids were in grapefruit and the maid of honor in fuchsia. These colors and green were throughout the design. One day we were having a gin and tonic and saw a cut pink/red grapefruit next to the green bottle of Tanqueray 10. I teased Rick and said those would make great wedding colors. We took a picture and used it as our inspiration, along with my favorite color, fuchsia.
What did you look for in a wedding cake bakery?
I wanted a dessert table. We chose The Artistic Whisk because their cakes are delicious and not too sweet, and they could put together a fun dessert table.
Their services were great. I wish we got a bigger cake because I only had the first bite, and then it was gone!
What made your wedding unique?
Being the age we are and neither ever married before, we wanted to make the wedding a representation of us. We love kitchen dance parties, having friends over for dinner, and we laugh a lot, so we incorporated many of these things to make it unique, including wearing Dali masks for some of our pictures!
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
Staci at UNIQUE Weddings and Events! All of our vendors were great, but she definitely exceeded my expectations by providing such great and professional service. Our wedding would not have been such a great reflection of us without her eye and experience.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Plan early. If you can hire a wedding planner/designer, do so. And do what will make you happy.
