Hannah and Taylor
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
“Taylor and I are both Floridians and lovers of the outdoors. We chose a vintage Florida theme with the slogan ‘Wild About You’ to capture our love for old Florida charm and nature. Steel drums, bright tropical flowers, and vintage table decor brought everything to life. We wanted our day to feel fun and vibrant, so we went with classic Florida colors: blues, greens, and pinks.” -The Bride
FEATURING
Hannah and Taylor’s vibrant Sarasota wedding combined Florida’s natural charm with a bright color palette and playful, personal touches, creating an unforgettable day filled with joyful moments and a relaxed, fun atmosphere.
“Taylor and I are both Floridians and lovers of the outdoors. We chose a vintage Florida theme with the slogan ‘Wild About You’ to capture our love for old Florida charm and nature. Steel drums, bright tropical flowers, and vintage table decor brought everything to life. We wanted our day to feel fun and vibrant, so we went with classic Florida colors: blues, greens, and pinks,” the bride beamed. “I am a visual person, so I loved getting inspiration from photos of other weddings on Marry Me Tampa Bay’s website.”
The Naples couple chose Sarasota for their 130-guest wedding, appreciating its convenient location and the perfect combination of natural elements each had envisioned.
“Sarasota was the perfect place for our families to come together, and we loved that our venue had the oak trees I wanted for the ceremony and the waterfront view Taylor was looking for,” Hannah shared. “We’ve been to so many weddings in the past few years that there wasn’t much we hadn’t already seen. To make ours unique, we walked down the aisle to the sound of steel drums and used vintage Florida postcards as name cards, each carefully selected to match the guests’ personalities and interests. Instead of just having my dad walk me down the aisle, I requested a wider aisle so my dad, mom, and stepmom could all walk with me. They each mean so much to me, and I wanted to honor them all.”
The bride and groom embraced playful elements and opted for a more relaxed, less formal vibe while still including all the details they felt were most important.
“While planning the wedding, I kept reminding myself, ‘F is for fun, not formal.’ I wanted to create playful moments to ensure we focused on enjoying the night rather than taking everything too seriously. We skipped some traditional wedding elements like programs, bouquet toss, and speeches, instead focusing on having a great time to allow for a more relaxed schedule. With both of us having goofy personalities, I wanted to avoid getting caught up in the pressure of creating a perfect, formal event,” the bride revealed. “We also decided to take all our photos before the ceremony, allowing us to fully enjoy cocktail hour at sunset with our guests, accompanied by an amazing steel drum band. As a gardening enthusiast, I went all out with the flowers, maybe even a bit over budget! My husband, a fishing lover, had a tarpon-themed groom’s cake, and during our first dance, he spun me out and ‘reeled’ me back in.”
Hannah and Taylor selected K&K Photography for their exceptional editing skills, ensuring the moments and memories of their wedding day were perfectly captured.
“I wanted photos that felt bright and dreamy and a photographer who would go with the flow and have fun with us. After all, the photos are the one thing that lasts beyond the wedding day,” the bride stressed. “I loved working with K&K Photography. Their editing is consistent across all their photographers, so no matter who you choose, the photos turn out perfectly. We chose Courtney, and she was incredibly sweet and accommodating.”
“Hannah and her bridesmaids had some of my favorite bridal party moments and photos! They were fun and fun-loving and beautiful all at the same time,” Kelly Morfopoulous, Studio Manager of K&K Photography, added. “Hannah and Taylor chose bold, bright, tropical florals that guided their wedding style and made it stand apart from so many others. Their style choices suited their personalities perfectly.”
The bride’s love for sweets and desire to incorporate personal touches led her to choose unique cake pops from Sweetly Dipped Confections, which added a playful and memorable element to the wedding day.
“I have a huge sweet tooth and always hate waiting for dessert, so I wanted cake pops available for guests to grab anytime,” the bride confessed. “They were also the perfect way to include our dog. We chose a yellow lab design, and everyone was obsessed! Sweetly Dipped Confections did an amazing job and even made adorable bride and groom pops! We had half of the pops wrapped to double as favors. Brandi was so sweet and easy to work with. Her miniature designs blew me away!”
Sometimes, the most memorable moments are the unplanned ones, filled with spontaneous joy and laughter that make the day unforgettable, and this was certainly true for the bride.
“I kept joking that the wedding weekend felt like a girls’ weekend where I just happened to get married. My friends brought so much joy to the entire event. The most memorable moments were the ones we didn’t plan, like struggling to get the rings out, spontaneous dance floor fun, and almost forgetting to sign the wedding license because we were having such a great time!” the bride reminisced.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
We stayed a week at Copal Tree Lodge in Belize. We chose Belize because it is easy to get to from Florida, and it was a perfect blend of relaxing and jungle adventure. The lodge is located in the jungle, with monkeys and toucans right outside your room. We fly-fished and snorkeled. They also have a rum distillery and farm to explore.
Where did you host your bachelorette party?
My bachelorette party was in Austin, TX. My friends are spread out so I wanted a destination that was easy and affordable for everyone to fly into.
The Proposal:
I love to take the boat out and picnic on an island. Taylor planned just that for our proposal. He made pancakes and bacon, our dog joined, and he even had a friend boat out a photographer.
What did you look for in a wedding photographer?
I wanted photos that felt bright and dreamy and a photographer who would go with the flow and have fun with us. After all, the photos are the one thing that lasts beyond the wedding day.
I loved working with K&K Photography. Their editing is consistent across all their photographers, so no matter who you choose, the photos turn out perfectly. We chose Courtney, and she was incredibly sweet and accommodating.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
Taylor and I are both Floridians and lovers of the outdoors. We chose a vintage Florida theme with the slogan ‘Wild About You’ to capture our love for old Florida charm and nature. Steel drums, bright tropical flowers, and vintage table decor brought everything to life.
Why did you choose to incorporate cake-pops as a dessert at your wedding?
I have a huge sweet tooth and always hate waiting for dessert, so I wanted cake pops available for guests to grab anytime. They were also the perfect way to include our dog. We chose a yellow lab design, and everyone was obsessed!
Sweetly Dipped Confections did an amazing job and even made adorable bride and groom pops! We had half of the pops wrapped to double as favors. Brandi was so sweet and easy to work with. Her miniature designs blew me away!
What advice would you give to other Sarasota couples?
A week before the wedding, let go of all of the expectations you spent so much energy creating. What is done is done, you can’t control anything after that, so let go and just have fun.
