Lauren and Jon's waterfront St. Petersburg wedding transported their guests to a tropical paradise filled with exotic greenery, island-inspired music, and breathtaking views of the Gulf.
“We wanted a mix of both modern tropical and Old Florida. I told my wedding planner I wanted a ‘fancy tiki bar' vibe. We went more Old Florida with the cocktail hour and more classic clean tropical for the reception,” the bride shared. “Our colors were white and gold with tropical greenery. With such gorgeous views from the ceremony and reception space, we didn’t want to choose anything that would distract too much from the natural beauty of the venue.”
The bride followed Marry Me Tampa Bay throughout the planning process for ideas and vendor recommendations, which led to finding her venue, photographer, videographer, and photo booth.
“The interactive stories showed so many options for vendors and ideas, and being sent direct links based on Instagram story answers was so helpful. There is lots of information offered without it being too cluttered or ‘spammy' feeling,” the bride articulated. “We found our venue, Isla Del Sol, Lifelong Photography Studio, Shannon Kelly Films, and Gala Photobooth through Marry Me Tampa Bay.”
The local St. Pete couple sought a wedding venue that offered stunning scenery and a convenient location for their 160 guests. Upon touring Isla Del Sol Yacht and County Club and seeing the boardwalk ceremony space and newly renovated ballroom, the bride and groom knew it was the perfect setting for their February wedding.
“We really wanted somewhere with a water view, but without actually being on the beach. We also needed somewhere that could hold 130-160 comfortably. Being somewhere in a fun downtown area or beach was also a must. When we first met Melissa at Isla Del Sol, we knew it was the place!” Lauren gushed. “After touring the entire venue, we were in love with it all and knew it was perfect for us. Melissa answered questions so promptly and was such an incredible resource throughout the entire wedding planning process. She made everything so relaxed and exciting at the same time! The service the day of was phenomenal. The head server was so incredibly kind, the bartenders were amazing, and we’ve heard multiple comments about how nice and accommodating the servers were the night of the wedding.”
Lauren relied heavily on the venue's list of preferred vendors and Marry Me Tampa Bay, knowing the team of seasoned professionals would work together seamlessly to execute the day flawlessly. The team at Coastal Coordinating ensured the celebration ran smoothly from start to finish while Lifelong Photography Studio artfully captured the beautiful day.
“We wanted a photographer who took photos that were light and airy and stayed pretty true to color. We also really wanted somebody who was familiar with the venue and knew the best times and places for photos,” the bride explained. “We loved the style of editing Lifelong Photography Studios does on their photos and how nothing is too over-filtered. Gabrielle was very familiar with our venue and that gave us great piece of mind!”
To relive the day, the couple selected Shannon Kelly Films to embody their personalities and wedding day emotions through stunning cinematography.
“We wanted a videographer who could make a video that would capture more than just posing and have a more creative flare to it. When we scrolled through Shannon Kelly Films’ videos, we could see how each and every video was so tailored to each couple and their personalities. From the music to the specific shots and speeches she incorporated in each video, we really knew she’d be able to make a great video for us!” the bride raved. “After talking to her on the phone, I felt like we were best friends, and she was going to be such a fun addition to our big day!”
The pair incorporated personalized details throughout the celebration to bring their tropical Florida vision to life. Guests enjoyed a unique tiki bar setting for the cocktail hour prior to the more formal reception. Elegant greenery and gold accents on the statement champagne wall and chic chairs from A Chair Affair set the tone for the evening, while music from Grant Hemond & Associates kept everyone on the dance floor throughout the night.
“One thing I did differently was a postcard guest book to tie in the old Florida theme, which we really enjoyed doing! We also didn’t want just our names on our koozies for wedding favors, so we had a fake ‘Hank’s Tiki Bar' logo with our dog Hank's face put on them. For cocktail hour, we wanted a guitarist to play tiki bar-type music to set the feel, and everyone really enjoyed it!” Lauren beamed. “Aside from some of the little details, we did want to keep a lot of things very classic.”
Guests preserved special memories of the evening courtesy of The Gala Photobooth, which offered keepsake digital images and prints for friends and family to take home, as well as extra copies for a unique and interactive guestbook alternative for the bride and groom.
Looking back, Lauren and Jon savored two surprise memories from the day involving a boat and a man's best friend.
“One of our favorite moments was when one of the club members let us on his sailboat during sunset to take a few photos. It was such a cool experience and unexpected!” Lauren reminisced. “I also surprised Jon with our dog during photos after the ceremony. He is our favorite thing on this planet, but we decided it would be too chaotic to have him come to the wedding. It was such a special moment for both of us.”
The Proposal:
I grew up going to a family home in Waynesville, North Carolina, a few times a year. Jon and I went up there in September, and he told me his mom wanted a photo to put in her scrapbooks. After we set up a makeshift stand for our phone to take a self-timer photo, he popped the question with the mountains in the background. It was awesome!
What did you look for in a wedding videographer?
We wanted a videographer who could make a video that would capture more than just posing and have a more creative flare to it.
When we scrolled through Shannon Kelly Films’ videos, we could see how each and every video was so tailored to each couple and their personalities. From the music to the specific shots and speeches she incorporated in each video, we really knew she’d be able to make a great video for us!
After talking to her on the phone, I felt like we were best friends, and she was going to be such a fun addition to our big day!
Where did you host your bachelorette party?
Rosemary Beach, Florida. I have always wanted to go and none of my bridesmaids had been before either. It ended up being the perfect spot to find a nice affordable rental house we could hang out at all together, and they also had a big selection of beachy bars and restaurants to hop around to. It was a great time!
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
Cocobay Resort in Antigua. I saw it on Instagram one day, and it looked incredible. We wanted somewhere private, all-inclusive, and tropical; preferably somewhere we’d never been before. It checked all of the boxes, and it was such an incredible week! We always joke and say the honeymoon was our favorite part of the wedding.
What did you look for in a wedding venue?
We really wanted somewhere with a water view, but without actually being on the beach. We also needed somewhere that could hold 130-160 comfortably. Being somewhere in a fun downtown area or beach was also a must.
When we first met Melissa at Isla Del Sol Yacht and Country Club, we knew it was the place! After touring the entire venue, we were in love with it all and knew it was perfect for us. Melissa answered questions so promptly and was such an incredible resource throughout the entire wedding planning process. She made everything so relaxed and exciting at the same time! The service the day of was phenomenal. The head server was so incredibly kind, the bartenders were amazing, and we’ve heard multiple comments about how nice and accommodating the servers were the night of the wedding.
What did you look for in a wedding photographer?
We wanted a photographer who took photos that were light and airy and stayed pretty true to color. We also really wanted somebody who was familiar with the venue and knew the best times and places for photos.
We loved the style of editing Lifelong Photography Studios does on their photos and how nothing is too over-filtered. Gabrielle was very familiar with our venue and that gave us great piece of mind!
What did you look for in a wedding planner?
We initially weren’t going to use a wedding planner; however, our venue created a partnership with Coastal Coordinating.
It was really nice having an extra set of hands on-site to help keep the day running smoothly.
How did your rentals enhance the ambiance of your event?
We used A Chair Affair for our chairs, as well as the champagne wall. We really loved having the gold chiavari chairs to tie in all of the gold aspects throughout the room. The champagne wall was perfect for when guests first walked into the reception space from the ceremony. We added some florals, which made it sort of a statement piece as guests arrived while also being functional!
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
We wanted a mix of both modern tropical and Old Florida. I told my wedding planner I wanted a “fancy tiki bar” vibe. We went more Old Florida with the cocktail hour and more classic clean tropical for the reception.
What were your colors?
Our colors were white and gold with tropical greenery. With such gorgeous views from the ceremony and reception space, we didn’t want to choose anything that would distract too much from the natural beauty of the venue.
What did you look for in a wedding DJ?
We wanted a DJ who was familiar with the venue and who was easy to work with, and who knew what they were doing.
Joseph at Grant Hemond & Associates did exactly that! We spoke the week before the wedding to go over all the song choices we had and still needed, and he kept things so easy and stress-free! He actually ended up DJing another friend’s wedding just a few weeks prior to ours, and my maid-of-honor just booked him for her wedding next year as well!
How did the photo booth add to the ambiance of your wedding?
We wanted to have a photo booth so our wedding guests could take home photos as a favor, but we also ended up having a second copy printed so it could be put into a guest book along with signatures and notes from our friends and family. It's the perfect keepsake from our wedding!
We really liked how many options The Gala Photobooth had for backdrops, props, and add-ons. They were really responsive and so easy to work with!
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations?
Melissa at Isla Del Sol Yacht Club deserves all of the compliments in the world! She truly never missed a beat and made our entire wedding experience beyond amazing. Every step of the process was so easy and she never made any request or question seem like a hassle. Shannon Kelly Films was also so great! She got a sneak peek video clip back to us while we were on our honeymoon, which was such a special surprise. She helped keep things moving along through the entire planning process and was just such a great person to work with before, during, and after the wedding.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Not stress the small stuff; if something throws you through a loop during planning, know at the end of the day your wedding is going to be one of the greatest days of your life. Find the joy in planning and celebrating because time flies! Utilize preferred vendor lists from your venue; it really made our planning so much easier.
