Lindsey and Dustin’s whimsical downtown St. Pete wedding featured a garden ceremony, lounge with vintage furniture, and bold color palette that complemented their outdoor wedding venue.
“We wanted to match our wedding design to the beautiful gardens of our venue so we kept décor to a minimum. We love the look of natural gardens with wildflowers, large plants, and tree coverage because it feels romantic and cozy. We wanted to emphasize all of the colors and textures of nature in our design,” the bride beamed. “We tried to match the colors to the garden flowers and plants, as well as sunset colors to be natural. Our main colors were peach, fuchsia, light pink, purple, blue, green, yellow…lots of color!”
The Charlotte, North Carolina couple chose St. Petersburg because of the proximity to their families and friends and the beautiful Florida weather. To help plan her destination wedding, Lindsey looked to Marry Me Tampa Bay as a local resource.
“We used Marry Me Tampa Bay during our vendor search and for tips and inspiration. It helped us get perspectives from other Florida weddings and assisted in making design decisions,” the bride shared.
The bride and groom hired a wedding planner so that they could relax the day of and not have to worry about anything.
“We were looking for a wedding planner who was easy to talk to and understood the style we were going for. We hired Kelly Kennedy Weddings and Events because she was recommended by someone we knew, had great experience, and after the first meeting, we felt it would be a good fit,” the bride explained. “Kelly listened to our concerns and offered helpful feedback and design input that was exactly what we had in mind. She seemed like she would be able to handle everything on the day of, and she exceeded our expectations!”
The couple limited their guest list to 42 and personalized their wedding with their song choice and ceremony ritual.
“The most important elements in our wedding were the venue, food, pictures, video, and the small guest count so we were able to speak to everyone and enjoy our night,” the bride revealed. “Dustin let me put a Jonas Brothers song in our ceremony which was so fun and sweet of him! We also had a wine box ceremony during the ceremony because we love wine and wanted to have something special to celebrate with on our anniversaries.”
When it came to hiring a wedding DJ, professionalism and personalization were major factors.
“We wanted a wedding DJ who would customize the playlist and DJ style to our personalities. We hired Grant Hemond & Associates because they had a number of DJs with different styles so we knew they would have one to fit our needs,” Lindsey explained. “They had wonderful reviews, and our DJ was perfect for us. He played everything we asked him to and was very kind and helpful leading up to and on our wedding day. Our DJ was able to include all of our silly song requests and play songs that were perfectly tailored to our personalities.”
Looking back, some of Lindsey’s favorite moments included seeing her groom for the first time and exchanging their vows together.
“Our first look before the ceremony was very memorable because we got to be alone together before anyone else saw us. It helped calm our nerves before the ceremony,” the bride reminisced. “Walking down the aisle with all of our parents with us was quite special, and I am glad we made the decision to have both our moms and our dads walk out with us. Hearing each other’s vows for the first time was extremely emotional and was one of our favorite parts of the day. I am so happy we kept our vows secret from each other until the ceremony.”
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
We wanted to match our wedding design to the beautiful gardens of our venue so we kept décor to a minimum. We love the look of natural gardens with wildflowers, large plants, and tree coverage because it feels romantic and cozy. We love all of the colors and textures of nature and wanted to emphasize that in our design.
What were your colors?
Our main colors were peach, fuchsia, light pink, purple, blue, green, yellow…lots of color! We tried to match the colors to the garden flowers and plants, as well as sunset colors. We wanted the colors to be natural.
The Proposal:
Dustin had spoken to my parents about proposing a couple of months before the proposal, and I had no idea. On my birthday, we were getting ready to go out to dinner with some friends, and he just casually said “Hey Lindsey, I have something I need to ask you.” I figured it was about which shirt he should wear or something silly. When I turned around, he was down on one knee holding a ring, and I could not believe it! It was a complete shock and definitely the best birthday I’ve ever had. It was so special to get to experience this sweet moment just us two alone in our home, it is a moment we will never forget!
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
We went to Barcelona, Spain and Rome, Italy. Dustin had never been out of the country so we wanted to go to as many beautiful places with delicious food and comfortable weather as possible, while not jumping around too much.
We love the gothic style architecture in Barcelona and were able to explore the city on foot and find something interesting around every corner! We went hiking on Montserrat, took a train to Girona and saw some Game of Thrones filming locations, and ate all the tapas we could!
Rome has a great history and was right in the middle of two places we really wanted to visit: Amalfi Coast and Tuscany. From Rome, we were able to take short trips to both places, and they did not disappoint! We found our new favorite wine in Tuscany, explored Pompeii, and had limoncello on the beach in Positano.
What did you look for in a wedding planner?
We were looking for a wedding planner who was easy to talk to and understood the style we were going for. We really wanted assistance on the day of the wedding so we were looking for someone who could handle that and stay calm.
We hired Kelly Kennedy Weddings and Events because she was recommended by someone we knew, had great experience, and after the first meeting, we felt it would be a good fit. She listened to our concerns and offered helpful feedback and design input that was exactly what we had in mind. She seemed like she would be able to handle everything on the day of, and she exceeded our expectations! Kelly was amazing, and our wedding would not have been half as good if she weren’t involved! She literally helped with everything even when she didn’t have to. She thought of every little detail and prepared everything for us.
What did you look for in a wedding DJ?
We wanted a wedding DJ who would customize the playlist and DJ style to our personalities. We hired Grant Hemond & Associates because they had a number of DJs with different styles so we knew they would have one to fit our needs. They had wonderful reviews, and our DJ was perfect for us. He played everything we asked him to, was very kind and helpful leading up to and on our wedding day, listened to our requests, and provided plenty of helpful suggestions and extra services like uplighting. Our DJ was able to include all of our silly song requests and play songs that were perfectly tailored to our personalities.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
If you plan on having an outdoor wedding, make sure you have a backup plan in case of bad weather! It is nice to find a venue that has a nice indoor space as well as outdoor space. Some venues have specific rules that must be followed regarding décor (like candles outdoors or types of chairs) or menu/catering options, so look into those things before booking a venue if they are important to you.
One of my favorite things we did after the wedding was getting our flowers preserved and pressed! The flowers need to be sent out the day after the wedding to get preserved or pressed so plan ahead! It is awesome to have these flowers decorating our home.
The most important thing is making sure you do what is best for you and your future spouse! This is your day so do whatever you can to enjoy it! Don’t let little issues or setbacks keep you from enjoying this special day.
Ceremony and Reception Venue: Sunken Gardens
Photographer: Ashley Izquierdo Photography
Videographer: Contessa Films
Planner: Kelly Kennedy Weddings and Events *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Florist: Lemon Drops
Caterer: Milan Catering
Rentals: The Copper Acorn, Fiesta Solutions
Cake: Publix
DJ: Grant Hemond & Associates *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Officiant: A Personal Wedding Officiant
Invitations: Minted
Dress Shop and Designer: Tie The Knot Boutique, Enzoani
Hair & Makeup: Reign Beauty Collective
Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
*Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pros are highly respected by our local wedding community and have been personally vetted by our editor.
