Lisa and Kevin’s St. Pete wedding featured an intimate beach ceremony with tropical lush floral arrangements and a natural watercolor palette inspired by their wedding venue. For a personal touch, the bride and groom incorporated details that gave a nod to the couple’s new last name together.
“Being by the water we decided to go with neutral beach-inspired colors of golds, creams, greens, and little pops of teals/blues,” the bride shared. “With our last name being Behr, we had our cake topper be two bears dressed as a bride and groom that we found on Etsy. Also, I made wax seals with a bear imprint for the invitations, as well as have our wedding hashtags on our personal M&M favors we gave out.”
The New York natives, who are now Safety Harbor residents, wanted to convey a Florida feel for their big day and consulted Marry Me Tampa Bay for guidance on local vendors and decor.
“We followed Marry Me Tampa Bay on Instagram to get ideas and see what trends we liked or didn’t like,” Lisa remarked, who appreciated the ease of utilizing social media for their wedding planning.
With most of their 80 guests traveling from out-of-town, Lisa and Kevin looked for a St. Pete wedding venue with excellent food, an intimate feel, and that was pet friendly for their Frenchie, Monte.
“Melissa and the team at Isla Del Sol Yacht and Country Club were amazing with everything and so accommodating!” the bride raved. “We specifically choose them since they are right on the water with beautiful views of the bay, pet-friendly, and have an intimate/private feel especially since you will be the only wedding happening at the venue that day. Since many of our guests had to travel far for the wedding, we weren’t sure if we would have 60 or 120. At Isla, their ballroom can actually be made into a smaller space if you don’t have that many guests, and we liked that we had that as an option just in case. I liked that outside there is a walkway to the gazebo where the ceremony takes place. So even though your guests will be seated on the sand, you don’t have to walk in high heels in the sand if you choose to wear them.
The couple’s dog, Monte, is the ham of the family and has been with Lisa and Kevin for their entire relationship, so it was only natural to include him in the wedding festivities.
“FairyTail Pet Care was one of the best decisions we made for the wedding! They took care of everything that dealt with Monte including picking him up/dropping him off, practicing walking down the aisle, and making sure he felt comfortable being at the venue. They were right to the side during the ceremony in case he started to act up, which luckily he was able to stand up there with us the whole time,” Lisa explained. “We also decided last minute to add their video package which we don’t regret at all. We never wanted to have videographers for the whole day, but the 3-4 minute video in Monte’s point of view is amazing to have and a great way to remember the day! (We dare any pet parents to watch any of FairyTail’s videos on YouTube and not want to hire them!)”
It was important to the bride and groom that the wedding cake not only capture the beautiful design they had envisioned but that it also tasted delicious.
“The most important aspect about the cake for us was making sure it tasted great. The Artistic Whisk uses high-quality ingredients and everything tastes so fresh. During the tasting, it was extremely difficult to narrow it down to just two flavors since they all were amazing, but we chose chocolate chip cannoli and red velvet,” the bride beamed. “Having a smaller wedding, we didn’t need a gigantic cake but we loved the illusion of one. We came across a similar style cake on Pinterest with clean lines and the gold cube-like spacers between the tiers. Jovana sketched it all out during the tasting and made it come to life for the wedding! Everything was fantastic, and we highly recommend The Artistic Whisk!”
Looking back, Lisa shared that her favorite moments of her wedding day were centered around the guests at the reception.
“Just being with all our friends and family who traveled so far for us was so wonderful! Some of our guests’ dance moves were also unforgettable!” the bride reminisced.
The Proposal:
It was a late Sunday afternoon when we decided to go to the seafood festival at John’s Pass to grab some dinner. We have gone to this festival in previous years and have always loved all the seafood options and seeing what the local vendors have to sell. When we finished eating dinner Kev suggested we walk down to the beach before heading back home. We walked along the beach, and it was starting to get a little chilly as the sun was setting. Before I knew it he was on one knee asking me to be his wife!
Why did you incorporate your dog in your wedding day?
Monte, our dog, had to be there; it was a must-have for our wedding day! He has been with us our entire relationship and is part of the family. It wouldn’t have felt right without him being there, and he loves having all the attention which neither myself nor Kevin likes having!
FairyTail Pet Care was one of the best decisions we made for the wedding! They took care of everything that dealt with Monte including picking him up/dropping him off, practicing walking down the aisle, and making sure he felt comfortable being at the venue. They were right to the side during the ceremony in case he started to act up, which luckily he was able to stand up there with us the whole time. We also decided last minute to add their video package which we don’t regret at all. We never wanted to have videographers for the whole day, but the 3-4 minute video in Monte’s point of view is amazing to have and a great way to remember the day! (We dare any pet parents to watch any of FairyTails videos on YouTube and not want to hire them!)
What did you look for in a wedding venue?
We were looking for a venue that was on the water, pet-friendly (a must-have), somewhat private and known for good food.
Melissa and the team at Isla Del Sol Yacht and Country Club were amazing with everything and so accommodating! We specifically choose them since they are right on the water with beautiful views of the bay, pet-friendly, and have an intimate/private feel especially since you will be the only wedding happening at the venue that day. The first time at Isla it was actually a cloudy rainy day (our wedding day ended up being cloudy and super windy but no rain), and I still loved the upscale look and feel on the inside. There are many options inside just in case it rained and couldn’t have the ceremony outside, which was nice since many other venues would put you in some forgotten about conference room for the ceremony if this were to happen. Also, since many of our guests had to travel far for the wedding, we weren’t sure if we would have 60 or 120 guests. At Isla, their ballroom can actually be made into a smaller space if you don’t have that many guests and we liked that we had that as an option just in case. Lastly, I personally liked that outside there is a walkway to the gazebo where the ceremony takes place. So even though your guests will be seated on the sand, you don’t have to walk in high heels in the sand if you choose to wear them.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
There wasn’t much of a theme, more so inspirational words such as “classic, simple, elegant, sophisticated.” Furthermore, being in Florida we wanted tropical undertones, which our florist helped us achieve!
What were your colors?
Being by the water we decided to go with neutral beach-inspired colors of golds, creams, greens, and little pops of teals/blues.
What did you look for in a wedding DJ?
We were looking for a DJ who would keep our guests on the dance floor, and Doug with Grant Hemond & Associates did just that! We loved that he had years of experience and did exactly what we asked for. Very professional and easy to work with!
What was your wedding cake design inspiration?
The most important aspect about the cake for us was making sure it tasted great. The Artistic Whisk uses high-quality ingredients and everything tastes so fresh. During the tasting, it was extremely difficult to narrow it down to just two flavors since they all were amazing, but we chose chocolate chip cannoli and red velvet. Having a smaller wedding, we didn’t need a gigantic cake but we loved the illusion of one. We came across a similar style cake on Pinterest with clean lines and the gold cube-like spacers between the tiers. Jovana sketched it all out during the tasting and made it come to life for the wedding! Everything was fantastic and we highly recommend The Artistic Whisk! They made our cake exactly the way we envisioned it, and everyone loved how it tasted!
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
You can’t please everyone, so make decisions that will be best for you and your future spouse. Also, try enlisting all the help you can get and know you will stress over small ridiculous details that only you and a handful of people will remember. All that stress and hard work will pay off and no one will ever know that you forgot the sand for the sand ceremony. (Whoops!) Just don’t forget to include your pet and enjoy every minute!
Ceremony, Reception Venue, and Caterer: Isla Del Sol Yacht and Country Club *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Venue
Photographer: K&K Photography
Planner and Rentals: Once Upon A Fiesta Inc.
Pet Planner: FairyTail Pet Care *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pro
Florist: Jason’s Creations
Cake: The Artistic Whisk *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pro
DJ: Grant Hemond & Associates, Inc. – Doug *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pro
Officiant: Stress-Free Weddings
Invitations: Minted
Transportation: Jolley Trolley
Dress: Martina Liana
Bridesmaid Dress Shop: David’s Bridal
Hair & Makeup: Lasting Luxe
Men’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse
Mirror Photobooth: Cocos Sound/DJ Max Events
Harpist for Ceremony: Total Entertainment By Matt Winter