Melanie and Todd's Tampa Bay wedding featured a combination of endearing sentiment and an enthralling style. Leaning into lush and luxurious touches, the urban reception showcased a stunning eight-foot floral chandelier draped with white roses, and 28-feet of floral arches stretched across the feasting tables.
“Originally our theme was inspired by The Secret Garden with the lush springtime roses and soaring floral gates, however, once my bridal gown was chosen we redirected the theme to an all-white winter wedding with hints of dusty rose peeking through,” the bride explained. “Our final design was inspired by the glitter of shimming white and silver of the winter's snow and white roses to encapsulate our classic style as a couple. We wanted a classic and romantic winter wedding so we selected white, silver, black, and a hint of dusty rose wish with lush florals.”
To find local and highly reputable wedding vendors for their January nuptials, the couple researched Marry Me Tampa Bay's preferred venues and vendors to create her ideal wedding.
“The first search I did was research for a wedding in Tampa on the internet, and Marry Me Tampa Bay came up! I spent hours on the site looking for vendors and reading the blogs for ideas and services. We are excited to say that we found many of our vendors through Marry Me Tampa Bay!” the bride beamed. “It’s a great resource for local vendors. We were very specific in what we were looking for so we sourced many resources throughout Florida to achieve the desired outcome. My initial garden theme came from a Marry Me Tampa Bay wedding.”
Working in the special events industry, Melanie understood the importance of hiring an experienced planner and prioritized finding the right fit. MDP Events' stellar reputation and portfolio of past weddings sealed the deal for the Tampa bride.
“Being a professional planner myself, it was important to find someone like-minded. Organization was key and kindness was the cherry on top,” the bride explained. “I interviewed several candidates for this important position and found that Lauren of MDP Events was flexible, kind, and organized.”
Wanting to center the celebration around their commitment to each other, Melanie and Todd selected Harborside Chapel to guide them in creating a meaningful wedding ceremony. The romantic chapel's traditional vaulted ceilings and wooden pews were matched with a modern white aesthetic featuring an abundance of natural light.
“We wanted to be married in an intimate chapel setting. We wanted our ceremony to reflect the very serious nature of our commitment to one another. We wanted something intimate that could present our bridal party and our string trio as well as our guests safely and beautifully,” the bride shared. “We fell in love with Harborside Chapel the minute we set foot inside. The Chapel is isolated from their main campus and has a beautiful wooded backdrop. Once inside, the neutral setting is flooded with natural light. It is classic and modern, just the way we hoped. Its elegant design, natural light, and neutral colors were a perfect backdrop for our classic theme. Amos, our Pastor, was warm, open, and presided over our wedding with ease and sincerity. They have every couple take marriage mentoring classes leading up to the big day and pair each engaged couple with a married couple from their main church for several weeks beforehand.”
With the bride and groom both having a performance background, music played an important role in their nuptials.
“We hand-selected each and every song that was played at the ceremony and had it arranged specifically for us using our trio. We had popular jazz songs and contemporary songs representing different moments of our lives at our ceremony,” the bride detailed. “We included my classical music background by blending a quartet during the ceremony and Todd's love of the Greatest Showman tunes. I walked down the aisle to an original composition from a personal friend, Sean Moran, that included Canon in D and A Whole New World from Aladdin as that is one of the songs we like to sing together.”
Ensuring their guest experience would be top-tier, the couple selected Amici's Catered Cuisine to create a mouthwatering dinner and Grant Hemond & Associates to create a dance floor energy that would keep all 75 of their guests entertained.
For a wedding day glow that would leave her feeling gorgeous, the bride put in a lot of time into researching different hair and makeup vendors and selected Femme Akoi to create a relaxed yet polished look. Stylist Maddy worked in the monarch length veil and custom bridal tiara exactly how Melanie had envisioned.
Reminiscing on their special day, the wedding processional created a lasting memory that will be cherished forever.
“For us both, we thought walking down the aisle was the most impactful memory of our wedding day. It was a very special moment that we both will hold on to. We had an amazing day and the overall feeling was exactly as I imagined,” the bride gushed.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
Originally our theme was inspired by The Secret Garden with the lush springtime roses and soaring floral gates, however, once my bridal gown was chosen we redirected the theme to an all-white winter wedding with hints of dusty rose peeking through.
Our final design was inspired by the glitter of shimming white and silver of the winter's snow and white roses to encapsulate our classic style as a couple.
What were your colors?
We wanted a classic and romantic winter wedding so we selected white, silver, black, and a hint of dusty rose wish with lush florals.
What were your wedding hair and makeup inspiration?
To continue with our romantic and classic style the inspiration was whimsical and flowing. We all went with long soft curls and I had pearls and rhinestones in my hair to complement the look.
When I say I spent hours researching vendors, I was not exaggerating. I spoke with many artists and companies, checked out their social media accounts for real-life examples of their recent work, and researched the type of products they used.
Femme Akoi Beauty Studio had many artists and all of their artists created makeup and hair that looks wonderfully together. As a bride on a schedule, I wanted to be able to find a makeup artist that could not only do both but do them equally as well. Maddy did just that!
The Proposal:
We are/were both professional performers, and during COVID we were asked to perform live for the GLSEN Foundation as part of Tampa Bay’s Got Talent. We performed Love Is An Open Door from Disney’s Broadway hit musical, Frozen. I was worried that the final line of the song “Will you marry me?” will be misleading to my friends and family watching, and we both agreed to change it to something else.
Todd had other plans. He tucked the ring box in the chair behind us, and we started the live performance with the final line approaching. Then to my surprise, Todd knelt down on one knee, and as the final phrase goes, the question was popped and the rest is love!
What did you look for in a wedding ceremony location?
We wanted to be married in an intimate chapel setting. We wanted our ceremony to reflect the very serious nature of our commitment to one another. We wanted something intimate that could present our bridal party and our string trio as well as our guests safely and beautifully.
We fell in love with Harborside Chapel the minute we set foot inside. The Chapel is isolated from their main campus and has a beautiful wooded backdrop. Once inside, the neutral setting is flooded with natural light. It is classic and modern, just the way we hoped. Its elegant design, natural light, and neutral colors were a perfect backdrop for our classic theme. Amos, our Pastor, was warm, open, and presided over our wedding with ease and sincerity. They have every couple take marriage mentoring classes leading up to the big day and pair each engaged couple with a married couple from their main church for several weeks beforehand.
Where did you host your bachelorette party?
My maid of honor threw my bachelorette party at the Aloft Tampa downtown. This had plenty of space for us to meet, begin the celebrations, and end our night in a safe location that is central to the many places we visited. Our theme was Bach and Boozy, wigging out before the wedding.
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
We wanted to go to an all-inclusive and secluded resort to feel pampered for a honeymoon. We chose the Sandals Resort and Spa in Grenada! They have a private honeymoon suite with a private outdoor pool and whirlpool overlooking the ocean, the tropical mountains, and some of the best butlers!
What did you look for in a wedding planner?
Being a professional planner myself, it was important to find someone like-minded. Organization was key and kindness was the cherry on top.
I interviewed several candidates for this important position and found that Lauren of MDP Events was flexible, kind, and organized.
What did you look for in a catering company?
We wanted our guests to have a great overall experience and knew how important of an impression catering services could be, so we chose Amici Catered Cuisine. We wanted excellent service, great options, and custom selections.
What did you look for in a wedding DJ?
We wanted a DJ who was fun and who had the same style as Todd and me. We interviewed several companies and DJs and asked for clips of them introducing a couple so we could hear their voices and that, along with conversations and reviews helped us narrow down our selection.
Grant Hemond & Associates is a well-known company used all over Tampa Bay. Their reviews are pristine, and they have many packages to choose from. Aside from personality and vibe, it was important to us to find a company that could provide excellent options and many DJs in the case ours fell ill or could not make our wedding.
Which vendors really exceeded your expectations? Our photographers delivered both the engagement and wedding looks we were after. We loved her moody and airy photo styles and it was captured perfectly. Alex, who did our videography, exceeded our expectations with a highlight reel that was even better than the examples discussed. We are truly grateful for all of our vendors, and these two made us beyond happy.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Always do your research and always read the fine print. There are so many resources and vendors out there; do your due diligence and ask for references. Be kind to your vendors and be flexible when you can. Take your time being engaged. Remember, this day is to celebrate you as a couple making a lifelong commitment and that day should be a reflection of the two of you.
