Danielle and Ryan's fall South Tampa wedding exemplified the phrase “when life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” While wildfires and COVID thwarted the couple's original plans for a destination wedding in Sonoma Valley, CA the bride and groom decided to host a winery-inspired celebration in the city they called home. By incorporating a saturated palette of wine-hued florals and intimate candlelight amidst historic brick walls, they channeled a California wine cellar vibe in their Florida setting.
“Whoever got married during this past year definitely did so under unique circumstances. Although it wasn’t our first choice, the result was so amazing that I don’t think you’d ever know that. My guests had so much fun! We received so many compliments on having a small wedding,” Danielle beamed. “Since we originally looked into wine country, that’s where a lot of the inspiration came in from, really rich, deep colors that would play off the landscape and keep in time with the season. We had shades of cabernet, gold, sage green, cream, and little pops of pale pink and navy.”
After making the difficult decision to change wedding venues from one coast to the other, Danielle reviewed the real weddings on Marry Me Tampa Bay to research local wedding pros.
“I used Marry Me Tampa Bay on my beginning searches to see where to start. It gave me local vendors that were easy to check out. I believe our makeup artist was from the site!” the bride shared.
The pair knew they needed a seasoned South Tampa wedding planner with solid connections to execute their wedding in fewer than three months.
“We wanted someone who exemplified organization, know-how, creativity, and a boss! My mother-in-law worked with Christi, of Winsor Event Studio, on a prior event/fundraiser. When we had to last-minute reschedule, she recommended we go with Christi. We couldn’t have asked for more!” Danielle raved. “So much went on behind the scenes that I didn’t know about (and some lovely surprises on the day of, like the signature drink she created that was named after our dog). If anything went wrong, we didn’t even know about it! Christi was so organized and put together with complete management of the day. It was a blessing!”
Inspired by their original Sonoma Valley wedding, the bride maintained her fall and moody color palette for the floral inspiration. With that style in mind, her florist was able to create the perfect arrangements for her romantic wedding.
“Botanica International Design Studio was so amazing! Choosing them may have been the second easiest decision we made, next to the menu!” Danielle gushed. “They were so insanely helpful, open to changes and tweaks to fit our budget, and their delivery/set up was great. When I walked into the seating area to change my shoes before dinner, my jaw dropped! I was speechless! I can not say enough good things about them.”
With the help of their wedding planner, the couple elevated their reception table with decorative elements including water goblets and place settings in shades of red and metallic gold. An intimate group of 55 friends and family enjoyed a plated three-course meal at long communal tables lit by flickering taper candles.
“The majority of the rentals came from Kate Ryan Event Rentals,” Danielle revealed. “We rented vintage glassware in shades of deep red along with gold-rimmed chargers and gold flatware with black handles to bring in the seasonal colors throughout our tablescape.”
Danielle recounts the special reception toasts as stand-out memories from the evening, along with a special room reveal that her wedding planning arranged so that the couple could view the event space for the first time and witness their wedding vision come to fruition.
“The entire night was memorable. The speeches were my favorites; there were a few tears and many laughs,” Danielle reminisced. “I also remember being so floored seeing my bouquet get delivered and then walking into the main dining room after the ceremony. Christi wouldn’t let me see anything during setup, so it was such a shock. I couldn’t hold in my excitement. Their vision was so perfect! The way it came together with the rentals and the colors… I wish I could keep it all forever!”
What was your wedding floral inspiration?
Since we were originally looking to marry in Sonoma Valley, I had a ton of fall colors and floral arrangements that would have fit with the location. Most of the wedding floral inspiration came from a ton of Pinterest finds. The options were endless; I printed a ton of pins out to give to the wedding planner and florist to give them a vibe.
Botanica International Design Studio nailed it. We were lucky enough that Botanica fell within our budget. They were so amazing! Choosing them may have been the second easiest decision we made, next to the menu! They were so insanely helpful, open to changes and tweaks to fit our budget, and their delivery/set up was great. I just remember being so floored seeing my bouquet get delivered and then walking into the main dining room after the ceremony. My planner wouldn’t let me see anything during setup, so it was such a shock, I couldn’t hold in my excitement. Their vision was so perfect! The way it came together with the rentals and the colors, I wish I could keep it all forever! My jaw dropped! I was speechless! I can not say enough good things about them.
What did you look for in a wedding planner?
We wanted someone who exemplified organization, know-how, creativity, and a boss!
My mother-in-law worked with Christi of Winsor Event Studio on a prior event/fundraiser. When we had to last-minute reschedule, she recommended we go with Christi. We couldn’t have asked for more! So much went on behind the scenes that I didn’t know about (and some lovely surprises on the day of, like the signature drink she created that was named after our dog) – if anything went wrong, we didn’t even know about it! Christi was so organized and put together, with complete management of the day. It was a blessing!
The Proposal:
On a mountain top on Zermatt Switzerland that overlooked the Matterhorn! It is too gorgeous to describe!
Where did you spend your honeymoon?
Hawaii. We wanted tropical but COVID took its toll, so a lot of places were still iffy on letting in Americans (or tourists in general). We spent a week on Oahu and a week on Maui. It was amazing, and because of COVID, it was empty with really no lines or craziness.
How would you describe your theme/wedding design inspiration?
Since we originally looked into wine country, that’s where a lot of the inspiration came in from, really rich, deep colors that would play off the landscape and keep in time with the season.
What were your colors?
We had shades of cabernet, gold, sage green, cream, and little pops of pale pink and navy.
How did our rentals enhance the ambiance of your event?
The majority of the rentals came from Kate Ryan Event Rentals. We rented vintage glassware in shades of deep red along with gold-rimmed chargers and gold flatware with black handles to bring in the moody colors throughout our tablescape and place settings.
What did you look for in a wedding DJ?
Someone who could go with our taste and keep people dancing, nothing tacky or crazy. Someone who understood what we needed.
We loved Jason from Grant Hemond & Associates right from the get-go; he was on our music level! Jason was so helpful and knew everything we wanted; we had no sound issues, and people were loving his playlist all night.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay couples?
Research, and don’t be afraid to say no or that you don’t like something. Enjoy and trust the process. Just because you can’t visualize every square inch does not mean it won’t be worth the wait/surprise!
Ceremony and Reception Venue and Caterer: The Oxford Exchange
Photographer: Regina as the Photographer
Planner: Winsor Event Studio – Christi Winsor *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pro
Florist: Botanica International Design Studio *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pro
Rentals: Kate Ryan Event Rentals *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pro
Cake & Desserts: Publix
DJ: Jason Tally, Grant Hemond & Associates *Preferred Marry Me Tampa Bay Wedding Pro
Officiant: Pastor Wes Morris
Invitations: Minted
Dress Shop and Designer: The Perfect Dress Sarasota | Essence of Australia
Shoe Designer: Badgley Mischka
Bridesmaid Dress Shop: David’s Bridal
Hair & Makeup: Beauty Brought Out
Rehearsal Dinner: American Social
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.
