Veronica and Eric’s downtown Tampa wedding combined timeless style and a monochromatic color palette with cheerful accents of yellow in honor of summer wildflowers, a favorite song, and the couple’s aptly-named dog, Sunny.

“I love black tie weddings; they take me back a little in time. If I could, I would have tried to thrown a Great Gabsy style wedding, but instead we decided to do black-tie optional, to give our guests the option to dress up to the nines if they wanted to. I mostly wanted to see my dad in a tuxedo, and I did, and I’m so happy to have those photos of me and him,” the bride beamed. “While engaged, we spent the summer in Colorado, during which time we fell in love with the wildflowers, so I decided I wanted a formal, classic, elegant wedding. We chose black and white, with a pop of yellow and greenery. I have slowly gravitated towards the color yellow during our time together, and I am also a big Coldplay fan. The song Yellow, our last dance song, will forever be one of my favorites.”

Recognizing the importance of working with a skilled event planner, the local bride turned to Staci Mandikas of UNIQUE Weddings + Events for her years of expertise and familiarity with their venue. Staci ensured that the entire day came together as envisioned so that Veronica and Eric could be fully present to enjoy their October celebration.

“We looked for someone who can get the job done and who had done multiple weddings at our venue because we knew that they would be aware of all their restrictions,” Veronica detailed. “We hired Staci from UNIQUE Weddings + Events because of her experience and also her knowledge of our venue.”

“The couple began their wedding planning with a UNIQUE inspiration of the moon, disco balls, cow print and a color palette of yellow, white, and black. They wanted to have a wedding that was bold, elegant and fun!” Staci explained. “While planning, the couple made a temporary relocation to Colorado and found so much inspiration in the rolling hills of wild flowers and organic plant life, so we altered the wedding flowers to have more of a wildflower, natural vibe, which created such an interesting contrast against the striking design of black and white. The white and black moon-style ceremony structure, sitting on a bed of wildflowers was so UNIQUE! I love that as the couple was being married, the guests could see the Tampa skyline through the opening in the moon structure.”

The pair prioritized the reception experience for their 115-guests, From the decor to the music, the atmosphere came together beautifully to create a magical setting.

“The music and the dance floor were very important to us. Whenever we go to a wedding, we spend the majority of the night there and that is what we did at our own wedding too,” Veronica revealed. “I wanted something grand over the dance floor, which became a challenge but my wedding planner was able to figure something out at the end that turned out perfect; disco balls and a black and white checkered floor.”

“Once the party really kicked off, the couple had us bring them their blown up cows to the dance floor. While definitely one of the most interesting wedding accessories we’ve ever been provided, they were such a big hit. The photos were amazing!” the wedding planned beamed. “The cluster of disco balls mounted over the black and white dance floor was the perfect way to define the dancing area. It really turned the neutral Tampa River Center into a true party destination. That dance floor was full all night long!”

The couple sought a photographer with a creative vision and unique portfolio that stood out from the crowd. They felt a true connection with Regina Rached of Regina as the Photographer and appreciated her unconventional approach and specialty services.

“We wanted to find someone with a creative edge and different than what we were seeing on social media. Regina as the Photographer was so fun and comfortable to work with, and she has a quirky style of photography that my husband and I really appreciated,” Veronica raved. “We found her on instagram and love that she offers still images and GIFs.”

A few key moment stood out most to Veronica, including her first look and last dance with the groom, which both became core memories.

“There were two truly memorable moments of our wedding day. One was our private first look and the reading of our vows surrounded by only our immediate family. This was so special and gave us this moment of intimacy that we really wanted to experience on this day,” the bride reminisced. “The other moment was at the end of the night; the last song before everyone left the venue was Yellow. The dance floor cleared, and it was just my husband and I dancing and singing, and the DJ changed the lighting to yellow. I remember looking out as my husband spun me around and saw everyone singing along under the sparkle of the disco ball with the yellow hue of the room. It was magic.”

The Proposal: 
I knew a proposal was coming but I just did not know when or where. It was a casual Saturday. We started it off with a workout and brunch. We have a spot where we take our dog, Sunny, called Picnic Island dog beach. We decided to take her there for sunset and were supposed to meet up with Eric’s brother and sister-in-law but they canceled at the last minute. So it was just us there and I was so happy because the day had just been perfect, and to top it off, Sunny was so well behaved just running and enjoying herself in the water.

As we reminisced about the day and the many other times we would come to this spot, Eric commanded me to take off my hat and sunglasses. I was confused and then he could not speak so I was even more confused. Then he pulled out the ring from his backpack, and I remember seeing this shining blue light in the box. I was so taken aback. It was so perfect, it was us. 

What did you look for in a wedding photographer?
We wanted to find someone with a creative edge and different than what we were seeing on social media. Regina as the Photographer was so fun and comfortable to work with, and she has a quirky style of photography that my husband and I really appreciated. We found her on instagram and love that she offers still images and GIFs.

What did you look for in a wedding planner? 
We looked for someone who can get the job done and who had done multiple weddings at our venue because we knew that they would be aware of all their restrictions. We hired Staci from UNIQUE Weddings + Events because of her experience and also her knowledge of our venue.