Tiffany and Mike's Clearwater Beach destination wedding combined tropical flora and a pineapple motif against the famous backdrop of one of America's most beautiful beaches.
“Our wedding inspiration was tropical and simple; we didn't want to take any attention off the beautiful surroundings,” the bride shared. “The colors of our wedding were purple and tan. I have always loved purple and knew all my ladies would look lovely in it, and we wanted the boys to be comfortable under the Florida sun, so we went with tan for the suits.”
The Ohio couple loves to sail, so a location with waterfront views was a must, plus convenient on-site accommodations and amenities were ideal for their 75 guests.
“We wanted something in the Clearwater/St. Pete area, because it was located near the starting point of a sailing race that was part of our engagement story. We wanted something with the Gulf in the background, and ideally, a hotel so that we could all go straight from partying to snoozing,” Tiffany revealed. “We got married on the Sky Terrace which is on the 16th floor of theHyatt Regency Clearwater Beach, and our reception was in the Belleair Ballroom.The service was incredible!I cannot say enough good things about Kayla. She knew what questions to ask even before I thought of them, and we felt incredibly prepared long before our event date which made the day of experience even easier. From our initial video consult to our tasting, to the day of, we felt like we were the only clients she had. She was responsive when I did have questions, and she was there to take care of things even before they happened. She truly made our wedding day carefree and if there were any hiccups, I did not notice them at all.”
The bride and groom hosted a joint bachelor/bachelorette party the week leading up to their celebration. The quality time with friends during the pandemic made their wedding even more special.
“Our wedding was unique to us. We had our ‘bachelorette/bachelor' party earlier that week and rented a house all together in Clearwater. Since we are all friends together, it felt amazing (especially in a pandemic) to be able to have a trip like that. We all got tested, got down there, and stayed in our own little bubble, just building up the excitement to the weekend ahead of us,” Tiffany recalled. “I think us carrying that energy into the wedding weekend made our vibe especially energetic.”
Continuing with the vacation-like pre-wedding festivities, the couple treated their out-of-town guests to a unique experience by hosting theirrehearsal dinner on a yacht.
“The Yacht Starship was so accommodating and put our entire party on their upper floor, so it really felt like we had the ship to ourselves. The food was delicious, the views were amazing, and the dancing after dinner was the perfect way to kick off the wedding weekend!” the bride beamed.
The pair sought a seasoned photographer with expertise in managing a rambunctious wedding party and familiarity with the Hyatt Regency so that they wouldn't have to worry about getting those special shots and could instead enjoy the day.
“We wanted to work with a photographer who knew the wedding venue well and had the gusto required to keep us on track since our group can be a spirited bunch! After speaking to Michael at Limelight Photography we loved his personality, andwe felt confident in their experience. He made recommendations for vendors and offered us advice.I would get married all over again just to work with Dafne again. She kept us all on track for our photo timeline and was patient and lovely the whole time.She had the cutest ideas for photos, an excellent shot list, and a schedule to achieve it without me having to think about it.Dafne captured every tender moment that I didn't have the chance to see myself. Having those memories forever is something I'm truly grateful for,” Tiffany raved.
Tiffany and Mike prioritized their guests' experience during the planning process, relying on The Artistic Whisk to create a wedding cake that was as delicious as it was beautiful, as well as Grant Hemond & Associates to keep the dance floor packed all night long.
“We put most of our attention into the reception, we love to host and entertain, so it was important to us that the food filled folks up, the drinks were tasty, and the music got everyone moving,” the bride revealed.
Looking back, one of Tiffany's favorite moments was walking down the aisle and seeing her soon-to-be husband's reaction.
“I'll never forget getting to see Mike at the end of that aisle. We have been dating for nine years, so you think you've seen every face your partner has in that amount of time, but when I got to see him standing up there with all our friends and family around, I was so incredibly happy. I don't know if there is a word for that feeling,” the bride gushed.
What did you look for in a wedding venue?
We wanted something in the Clearwater/St. Pete area, because it was located near the starting point of a sailing race that was part of our engagement story. We wanted something with the Gulf in the background, and ideally a hotel so that we could all go straight from partying to snoozing.
We had friends in Cleveland who got married at a Hyatt Regency and they had a wonderful experience. After talking to Kayla at the Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach, the programs sounded similar and Kayla was very energetic and reassuring about helping us plan the perfect day even being states away. The service was incredible!I cannot say enough good things about Kayla. She knew what questions to ask even before I thought of them, and we felt incredibly prepared long before our event date which made the day of experience even easier. From our initial video consult to our tasting, to the day of, we felt like we were the only clients she had. She was responsive when I did have questions, and she was there to take care of things even before they happened. She truly made our wedding day carefree and if there were any hiccups, I did not notice them at all.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
Our wedding inspiration was tropical and simple; we didn't want to take any attention off the beautiful surroundings.
What were your colors?
The colors of our wedding werepurple and tan. I have always loved purple and knew all my ladies would look lovely in it, and we wanted the boys to be comfortable under the Florida sun, so we went with tan for the suits.
“We wanted something with the Gulf in the background, and ideally a hotel so that we could all go straight from partying to snoozing.
The service at the Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach was incredible! Kayla knew what questions to ask even before I thought of them, and we felt incredibly prepared long before our event date which made the day of experience even easier.”
The Proposal:
We had just retired from the Everglades Challenge, a small boat race from St. Pete to Key Largo. I had gotten a bad cut on my ring finger of all places. We decided even if we couldn't complete the race, we were going to vacation in Key Largo, which we did.
Mike walked me out to the end of the pier to watch some boats that were finishing the race, and we got a couple of photos together taken by our friend, Todd. Then Mike told me, “One more pic,” and got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I will always have a scar from the cut I sustained that week, and even without my ring on, I'll always look at it and have that memory of the love of my life proposing to me on the water surrounded by sailors and fellow lovers of water and our families who came down “to support our race” (a.k.a. watch Mike pop the question since I was obviously the last to know that plan).
What did you look for in a wedding photographer?
We wanted to work with a photographer who knew the wedding venue well and had the gusto required to keep us on track since our group can be a spirited bunch!
After speaking to Michael at Limelight Photography, we loved his personality andfelt confident in their experience. He made recommendations for vendors and offered us advice.
After our initial consultation with Dafne, who would be our lead photographer, I was completely elated. She had the cutest ideas for photos, an excellent shot list. and schedule to achieve it without me having to think about it. I would get married all over again just to work with Dafne again. She kept us all on track for our photo timeline and was patient and lovely the whole time. She adapted as the four children we had in our wedding would often change the script, as kids do, and captured every tender moment that I didn't have the chance to see myself. Having those memories forever is something I'm truly grateful for.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
We wanted to go to Europe for our honeymoon, but due to continued COVID restrictions, we have not been able to justify traveling internationally yet. We both have parents who have immigrated from Europe, which is why we wanted to go there. We are hoping to make that trip soon! For now, our honeymoon has been settling into our new house, sailing, and enjoying life.
Where did you host your bachelorette party?
We rented a house and duplex in Clearwater for our joint bachelorette/bachelor party. We all have grown to be close friends over the years, so doing a joint event felt right for us. To cut down on any additional travel, we chose to do it near the wedding venue and just plan it the week before the wedding because then we would all be there already and could enjoy a break from our Ohio winter.
What did you look for in a wedding DJ?
We actually got a recommendation to use Grant Hemond & Associates from our photographer during our consult. We felt like since our photographer had a good idea of who we were (and shared our belief that a DJ can make or break a reception), we trusted his recommendation on selecting Grant Hemond!
We chose them because of how easy it was to work with them, and how it seemed like their style would work well with ours for entertaining.
What was your wedding cake inspiration?
We wanted to have a couple of flavors since I am more of a vanilla person, and Mike is definitely a chocolate guy. Neither of us are huge icing person, so we wanted to go with the semi-naked look for our cake and keep any additional details really simple.
After looking at The Artistic Whisk‘s website, we decided to do a tasting with them, and we absolutely loved the cake flavors and how accommodating they were about getting us samples, even with the pandemic closures going on. The flavors we ended up choosing were Lemon Creme and Chocolate Strawberry.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Select vendors that make you feel like they have your back. I know it probably cost us more than it could have, but picking the best of the best made for a stress-free day and the planning process leading up to it.
