Rachel and Billy - A Rustic Natural Wedding in Nocatee Florida

Rachel and Billy met while both working for the US Department of Defense, and struck up a conversation while playing "Phase 1" card game at an airfield; by the end of the afternoon, they had arranged their first dinner date just 2 days later, and the rest is history!  A few years later, Billy had planned a special proposal for July 4th at the National Mall during the fireworks show, but only a day before, while tubing down a river during a trip to Texas, Billy was injured while heroically saved a little boy from drowning.  Due to his injury, they missed their flight home and the fireworks proposal was a bust - or so he thought!  Upon noticing fireworks as their flight landed, Billy popped the question right there at the airport (fitting considering they met at an airfield).   Billy's commitment to Rachel has always been steadfast, and while planning their wedding in Nocatee, Florida, they were sure to include many special details that gave a nod to their relationship and history.  An olive-branch, in honor of Rachel's Italian heritage, inspired the natural, greenery-focused event styling.  Billy incorporated lots of wood elements, including hand-made pocket knives and the stunning ceremony arch while he created himself (a nod to the bride's late father, who was a woodworking craftsman).  The ceremony was officiated by the bride's minister Grandfather, and even included a unity planting ceremony.  Guests played lawn games (even Phase 1) following the garden ceremony, and then enjoyed an Italian dinner courtesy of Carrabba's (where the bride's family would enjoy family dinner once a week; a special memory she treasured when remembering her Father).  Instead of a father-daughter dance, the bride and her brother choreographed an amazing, fun routine that brought everyone to their feet!   After dancing and capturing memories in the photo booth, guests sent off the bride and groom through a tunnel of sparklers, and departed that evening with keepsake bottles of infused olive oil to forever remember the celebration.

The amazing team of vendors who made this beautiful wedding a reality include:

• Venue: Crosswater Hall at Nocatee

• Photography: Mariano Hotto Wedding Photographer

• Florist: Florist Fire

• DJ: MBC Entertainment

• Rentals: Luxe Party Rentals

• Videography: Rodrigo Rizzi

• Catering: Carrabba’s

• Cake: Publix

• Makeup: Makeup by Christina Burns

• Linens: Connie Duglin Linen

Christine & Jared - A Boho Beachfront Wedding

When they began planning the couple knew they wanted a beachfront wedding, with natural and earthy elements incorporated throughout. Both Florida natives, the couple met in Gainesville while attending the University of Florida. Their love of spending time together at the beach or on their boat, and ultimately getting engaged on a balcony overlooking the ocean at The Grand Plaza Hotel, inspired their choice for a beach location. To create a relaxed, boho environment at the Tradewinds Resort, blue and green sea glass colors were accented with neutral hues found in driftwood and white shells. The most special and unique pieces were the cake toppers which once belonged to the groom’s great great great uncle.

Elegantly styled in colors inspired by the beach, the couple look stunning against the water at sunset.

The bride wore a strapless, lace, mermaid style gown perfect for a beachfront affair.

Soft yet glamorous makeup in neutral colors complimented the bride’s attire.

The bride carried a bouquet of blue, green, and white hydrangea accented with greenery and starfish elements.

Starfish details were also found throughout other floral arrangements like boutonnieres, and as escort card displays at the reception.

To keep her hair tidy in any breezes coming in off the water the bride wore a style featuring a beautiful low updo.

Bridesmaids popped next to the bride in their strapless azure gowns.

Program fans were offered to guests as a fun way to keep cool.

A vintage dresser was converted into a “shoe valet” for guests to kick off their shoes and grab a pair of flip flops for the beachfront ceremony.

Fedoras were offered to guests at the shoe valet, along with brushes to dust the sand off before heading to the reception.

Along the ceremony aisle, lanterns and driftwood sat beside guest chairs.

The stunning couple looking elated as they are received by loved ones after the ceremony.

The couple were married beneath a natural wood ceremony arch adorned with neutral flowers, lanterns, and chiffon drapery.

Nautical details and lanterns decorated the escort card display table.

Starfish escort cards sat perched in delicate wood boxes.

The reception was held in the event pavilion, fully draped with chiffon drapery from the ceiling and along the walls and completed with uplighting throughout in blue hues.

Burlap table runners on blue linens were set along feasting tables adorned with centerpieces of driftwood and accented with succulents, shells, soft candle light, and lanterns.

The cake toppers that sat atop this adorable polka dotted cake have a very unique story: Years ago a cargo ship laden with cupie dolls sank off of the Florida Keys. For years beach goers found arms, legs, and heads of the dolls. But when a pair were found in perfect condition they were gifted to the groom’s great great great uncle, who was a lighthouse keeper in Key West, and his wife. The dolls made their first appearance on a family wedding cake in 1921, and since have adorned the tops of wedding cakes throughout the groom’s entire extended family, ultimately ending up on his own.

The incredible team that made it all possible include:

Venue & Catering: Tradewinds Resort St. Pete Beach

Hair & Makeup: Destiny and Light

DJ: Grant Hemond & Associates

Cake: Publix Greenwise

Linens: Connie Duglin Linens

Florist: Braun’s Fine Flowers

Photography: Lifelong Photography Studio

Jessica & Cody - A Chic Black and White Tropical Garden Wedding

Jessica and Cody met and grew up in a small town in Ohio. Together they moved their life to Florida, which had a major impact on their style inspiration, ultimately choosing a waterfront Tampa Bay venue. They envisioned a memorable event for themselves and their guests, with a simple and elegant design using a classic color palette of black and white, and a focus on lots of greenery rather than flowers. But the most important detail may have been the ring bearer, bedecked in a black and white tux (who happened to be the couple’s own English bulldog, Cheetah!)

Tampa Bay and a stunning sunset provided the perfect backdrop for this Florida inspired soiree.

The bride kept it simple and chic in a satin sheath dress adorned with delicate beading along the neckline and back.

Soft curls and glamorous makeup completed the look for this garden wedding.

The guest of honor at the ceremony was the couple’s dog, Cheetah!

The gentlemen looked dapper in their classic black suits.

Adding a bowtie is an instant and classic way to elevate a suit.

How adorable is Cheetah adorned in his matching black and white tux?!

Chic white flowers and large fronds of greenery popped against the black bridesmaids dresses.

A personal touch of DIY fern frond embroidery hoops, were suspended at the ceremony gazebo.

Cheetah was escorted down the aisle by our great friends at Fairy Tail Pet Care, who provide couples with the option to have their furry family members be a part of their big day!

The bride looked stunning walking down the aisle beneath oak trees and bistro lights.

The couple got married amongst friends and family (and Cheetah!) with DIY touches around them, creating a truly unique and sentimental ceremony.

Is there a more perfect way to get married than along the water at sunset?!

Delicate laser cut seating chart cards were hung by miniature clothes pins against a carved wood backdrop.

The bride’s Hawaiian heritage inspired tropical foliage and delicate orchids amongst soft candlelight throughout.

A simple and elegant three tiered cake completed the decor, adorned with delicate white orchids and more greenery.

A caramel and chocolate popcorn mix (yum!) was set at each place setting as a thank you favor, and late night snack, for guests.

All of the personal details came together to create this chic and elegant garden affair.

The fantastic group of vendors who made this day possible include:

Venue: Davis Islands Garden Club

Photography: Andy Marten Photography

Officiant: It’s Official

Linens: Connie Duglin Linens

Entertainment: Sound by Sideshow

Cake: Publix Greenwise

Hair & Makeup: Femme Akoi

Pet Care: Fairy Tail Pet Care

Catering: Delectables Fine Catering

Will You Regret NOT Having A Destination Wedding?

Let me tell you a little story about my recent 10 year wedding vow renewal. Yes, I (Christi Winsor) have been married for over a decade! We decided to commemorate our anniversary by renewing our vows in a beautiful international destination that is near and dear to me personally. This is 10 years after our local Tampa wedding, and out of our original 100 guests we had about 7 of those same people present for our vow renewal, plus another 10 very close friends we made over those last ten years (this goes to show how close you really are to some of those original guests you ‘have to invite’). Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely LOVED my wedding! It was the BEST day of my life and I had a blast with everyone who was there to celebrate with us. But once I spent 3 days in paradise with this small group of my closest friends and family, enjoying their company for sightseeing and excursions, our incredible vow renewal event, and casual breakfasts and poolside hangs, I realized “Wow, this is INCREDIBLE! Every wedding should be more like this!” (And I’ve plan local weddings for 10 years!! That’s really saying something!!)

Whether you’ve considered a destination wedding or you’ve always thought you’d marry locally, you MUST read this article and ask yourself these questions before you have serious wedding remorse!

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Do you have a modest wedding budget?

The National average wedding costs around $33.400 for only 136 guests - or about $245 per person! (And Florida tends to come in closer to $40,000; higher than the National average). If you aren’t prepared to spend this kind of money, or if your anticipated guest count for your local wedding tends to be very high, you should seriously consider a destination wedding. After all, guest count is the single biggest factor in your wedding budget and overspending! Destination weddings tend to cost less than local weddings due to a smaller head count, a more favorable currency rate, or both! (sometimes up to 1/3 the price - ask us for more info!)

Do you long for a unique guest experience that your friends and family will remember over all other weddings?

This is a time where every couple wants their wedding to be unique and different, but if you’re getting married locally and inviting a lot of local people within your social network, chances are your guests have attended a wedding at your venue before, seen your band perform at another wedding already, or even eaten those same cupcakes before your big day. If you want to provide your guests a unique and memorable experience that will make every other home-town wedding pale in comparison, then you should give a destination wedding some thought. There are plenty of options to suit your desired travel distance and event style (i.e. not every destination wedding is on a beach! HELLO!)

Are you worried the day will go by too quickly, without enough quality time with the ones you love most?

This is a big motivator! A wedding day goes by crazy fast (ask anyone who has been recently married); you’re lucky to spend about 4 hours with your guests during your reception, maybe up to 8 hours with those extra special people who are in your wedding party and shadowing you before the festivities. Ideally you should plan to spend a little time with everyone who attends your wedding, and that’s already hard enough to do with an average count of 136 guests let alone more than that number (let’s see, if we divide them into pairs and have 3.5 hours of reception time after the formal dances finish, that means you need to greet almost 20 couples per hour in order to have face time with everyone… Sound like fun? No?!? Wait, you mean you want to dance and socialize and enjoy yourself instead of feeling like you’re running for office? Well there is another option…) Cue the Destination Wedding! A typical destination wedding spans a weekend instead of a single evening (sometimes even 3-4 days depending on the location). Often an all-inclusive resort will offer your lodging and wedding venue all on site. This gives you ample time with your guests, both before and after the actual wedding. And since the guest count for a destination wedding is often a smaller group of your truly closest friends and family, you have even more quality time with that tight knit group of people. It’s win-win!

Do you love to travel?

If the answer is Yes, then a destination wedding should really be at the top of your list! This gives you the opportunity to gift yourself a unique wedding travel experience along with your friends and family. Be it a favorite vacation spot you’ve visited before, or somewhere new and exciting you’ve always wanted to see, imagine how special it would be to share that distinct ‘local’ flavor and culture as part of your wedding day experience. And even if your answer was No, but you answered Yes to the other 3 questions above, you shouldn’t rule out the idea of a destination wedding. Some locations are as close as a 2 hour plane ride away; that’s less than most drives across the state! It may be worth expanding your venue search if it means getting everything else you’ve ever wanted.

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Photo Credit: Lifelong Photography Studios