Venue: Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach

Photography: Jessica Charles Photography

Coordination: Simply Divine Events

Floral Design: Us!

Rentals and Lighting: Us!

Design: Us!

Venue: Davis Island Garden Club
Clergy: Sensational Ceremonies, Rev. Rick Lackore
Cake: K’s Custom Cakes
Desserts: Hands On Sweets
Catering: Good Food Catering
Photography: Linda Agosto, Carrie Wildes Photography
Band: Cnergy
Hair/Make-up: Collective Creations
Floral Design: Us!
Rentals and Lighting: Us!
Coordination and Design: Us!

The Holidays are a time of being surrounded by loved ones, excitement of the festivities, and an unexplainable feeling of joy. The warmth of a fire, the laughter of children playing and the food that brings the family together are all things we look forward to during this special time of year. What better way to incorporate everything we love about the holidays into your Big Day!  Many couples will be getting engaged this holiday season and potentially getting hitched in next year’s holiday season!  Check out some warm and inviting chic ideas here.

Set the tone of the wedding by applying warm amber LED uplighting to create the effect of a cozy fire. You and your guests will feel relaxed and right at home amongst each other.

 

 

Centerpieces will be the focal point of the tables which you can use to showcase the holiday theme. You can be as creative as you’d like with this; integrating pinecones, cranberries or mistletoe.

One of my favorite looks of the season right now is the glamour and romance of lace! The intricate texture of lace is best paired as an overlay to a rich satin linen.

 

Among the many time honored traditions in a wedding, one of the biggest traditions are the bouquet of flowers the bride carries as she walks down the aisle. Bouquets are a warm expression of innocence and can be used to make a major statement piece.

Friends and Family will be amazed at the details you’ve thoughtfully put together for everyone to enjoy. Create a color palette of red, white, champagne, blush or gold, maybe even have the Dj play a few Christmas Songs! I encourage you to try at least one of these tips and get creative for your big day!

For this out-of-town bride, contrast was the name of the game!  A native texan, the “Yellow Rose of Texas” stole the show and Kenzie Shores beautiful photography shows off the beauty of the contract between yellow and white – with some fun pink thrown for a gentle nod to the beauty of the Vinoy’s exterior. Love love love!

Venue: The Vinoy

Photography: Kenzie Shores Photography

Floral: Us!

Lighting: Us!

Entertainment: Phase5

Counted as one of Tampa Bay’s most in-demand event bands, Phase5 knows how to take your event from a party to an experiential event! With a huge set list available and a willingness to prepare pretty much anything your heart desires, Phase5 knows the meaning of a customized experience. Josh Walther is the “man with the plan” and is an absolute joy to work with!  Oh, and did we mention they are super talented?

Name: Josh Walther

Business Name: inspire entertainment | phase5 band

Hails from: Josh (Pensacola, FL) Inspire|phase5 (Tampa)

How long have you served the Tampa Bay Market? 7 years

How long have you been in Business?  7 years

What attracted you to the profession? ?I have been playing music my whole life.  I loved the idea of getting to pair my artistic ability with the structure of the wedding|event business.

What is your most memorable wedding and why? ?Each wedding is memorable and significant in different ways.  Last year phase5 had the chance to play for a wedding at TPC Sawgrass in Jacksonville.  It was a thrill to be playing in the same venue where the PGA Golf tour is played.  The venue is beautiful.  The staff was exceptional and the crowd was amazing! Also, they have the best tiny skillet baked chocolate chip cookies on earth.

Would you say that you have an area of expertise or specialty? ?I love working with clients to plan a memorable night of music!

If you could offer one piece of advice to every bride, what would it be?  I think the best weddings are those where the bride and groom are thoughtful of their guests when choosing music for the reception.

Why do you love working with Event Design?  One of the very first weddings that we played several years ago was with Event Design at the Sandpearl!  The organization and attention to detail provided by the team made for a beautiful and stress-free night. We are still thankful for their expertise and guidance when we were so new to the industry.

She’s a bartender with a degree in fashion.  He is a rockstar from the UK.  When Erica and Mark selected the Powel Crosley estate for their spring-time wedding, Erica knew just the theme: the Roaring 20’s Prohibition Era.

Her exquisite 20’s inspired lace gown was complimented beautiful by her one-of-a-kind brooch bouquet assembled by her mother.

Guests arrived at the estate and were greeted by an authentic vintage car… just a little something to “set the mood”, one might say.  Their ceremony, which took place waterside on the estate’s beautiful property, featured white hydrangeas and feather plumes for some whimsy, of course.  At the alter, large floral pieces featuring hydrangea, various roses and hanging amaranthis framed our couple as they exchanged their vows.

After the ceremony, guests (who, incidentally, arrived in period-inspired threads themselves!) enjoyed the sounds of big band music, delicious appetizers and non-alocoholic beverages – this is the prohibition, after all!  But that’s not all – even the client’s vendors were asked to arrive in their 20’s inspired best to commit to the overall illusion!

The reception, held in the estate’s main room, was reminiscent of the period – highlighting the property’s architectural beauty and cloaking the room in blush pink satin, champagne/antique golds, large floral centerpieces and mercury glass.

After dinner, guests were moved to the estate’s patio before the “big reveal”: our team transformed the space previously used for dinner into a speakeasy where guests celebrated the end of this event’s “prohibition”!  Meanwhile, the most beautiful dessert room we have ever seen (or smelled, for that matter) retained the opulence and color scheme held through dinner to give guests the contrast between “high society” and “basement speakeasy”.

We absolutely L-O-V-E-D designing this event and thank each and every vendor for their involvement in making this fantastic event a reality!

Venue: Powel Crosley Estate
Photography: Your Story By Us
Event Design: Us!
Chair, Drape and Lighting Rentals: Us!
Coordination: Us!
Floral: Redman Steele
Catering: Good Food Catering
Sweets/Cake: Laurie Cinelli – A Piece of Cake
Band: Z-Street Band
DJ: Ben – Grant Hemond and Associates

Jason Mize’s work brings with it a style … there are some great vintage elements in his work… and has the outstanding ability to look where others may not look.  What our client’s love most about Jason is his demeanor – he is calm, cool and collected; he is warm and kind; he is assertive and specific…. all outstanding traits of a wedding photographer and they are equally responsible for keeping your day on time!

Name: Jason Mize

Business Name: Jason Mize Photography

Hails from: Georgia

How long have you served the Tampa Bay Market??Lived here 18 years

How long have you been a photographer?  4ish years

What attracted you to the profession? My wedding!  When we got our photos back, I was able to relive our wedding day – I never realized how photography could do that!  Combined with my passion for all things art, my newfound career was born!

What is your most memorable wedding and why? Probably a more recent wedding up in the Jacksonville area, there wasn’t a huge budget, but all of their friends and family helped with setting up and pulling the whole thing together. The couple was young and so in love! It was a glorious day up until the bride started walking down the aisle. It started raining, and they just went with it, it was a Jesus filled ceremony. And it rained off and on the rest of the night. This was the first time that a client didn’t let anything get in the way of the day, we took photos in the rain, and it was amazing! I’ll remember that wedding for a LONG time!

Would you say that you have an area of expertise or specialty? I feel that I’m a story teller. I love to document my clients day as it unfolds, but also add the way that I see it through my lens. It’s one of the biggest days of someone life, and I love that I can add my art to it!

If you could offer one piece of advice to every bride, what would it be? Don’t get caught up in what everyone else is doing, make the wedding about you and your personality. And realize the reason why you are getting married, its about the ceremony. Don’t rush through it, the vows that you’re sharing are supposed to last a lifetime.

As far a photography, I would advise brides to pick someone’s style that fits your personality.?Also, make sure that their work is consistent, and timeless. You want to make sure that you’re still going to love the photos 40 years from now!

Why do you love working with Event Design? Event Design is such an amazing group to work with! I’ve known the team for a long time and their personal investment with each client (and vendors!) makes the event flow even more smoothly!  Their professionalism is unmatched.  Working with their client’s is always fantastic because I know the day will be epic!

New York Sophistication.  Southern Charm and simplicity.  One might think: “Never the twain shall meet!”, but at Event Design we yelled “Yes, Please!”

MaryAnn and Chris approached us looking for assistance in pulling together their Davis Island Garden Club Event.  Wanting to leverage the natural beauty of the property for their exclusively-outdoor ceremony and reception, they sought the bold compliments of Coral, Navy and White for their fall affair.  To achieve this North-meets-South juxtaposition, we paired white linens with satin navy blue runners to offer a bold, clean line on the table.  Rustic lanterns compliments the natural surroundings and offered the “backyard home-style wedding” the couple was looking for.  Hydrangeas, coral and peach standard and garden roses offered more natural elements to the tablescape and were delicately complimented by seeded eucalyptus for a pale green finish that didn’t compete with their overall scheme.  The table was finished with a coral satin napkin set with an off-the-table overhang offering a modern, relaxed aesthetic.

The sweet finish to the evening – the most incredibly dessert display we have ever seen created by famiily – rum balls, petit fours complete with monogram and an assortment of home-baked cookies were beautifully displayed and smelled even better than it looked.  We count it a “win” that managed to walk away without testing the baker’s recipes *smirk*!  And, of course, this entry wouldn’t be complete without a shout-out to the groom’s cake.  Chris’ professional hockey career inspired the couples super-fun hockey cake – sweet!

Venue: Davis Island Garden Club
Photography: Ashfall Mixed Media
Event Design: Us!
Floral: Us!

I can’t stress this enough: The biggest ticket items have to be done first.  This is usually venue/food and beverage, photography, and the bride’s dress.  If you do not take care of these bigger ticket items first, you may run out of budget before you get them done.

As a planner, part of the fun for me is taking a client’s wedding budget and working to beat their budget anywhere I can.   It’s a little game I play with myself to see how far I can stretch the dollar – or how much I can get included for the price (because remember: cost and value are not the same thing!)  It’s important to remember that your budget is flexible… well, kinda.  Anytime you save in one category, you can either choose not to spend that money at all, or allocate it together area all together.

Let’s say your budget allocates you $1,200 for DJ services – but you negotiate a rate with the DJ where all your needs are met for $1,000.  You have saved $200! Congrats! You now have the option to save that money, or allocate it to another area that needs it – such as floral or your wedding dress.

The converse is also true, however.  If you overspend in an area, it means you need to find the money elsewhere to cover the overage.  This is the hardest part of living on a wedding budget, but you have two choices:

1)     Reduce the budget in another area.  For example, if your budget allocated $1,200 for your wedding dress but you found your DREAM dress for $1,400, you are $200 over-budget.  You may make the decision to re-allocate the $200 to the dress budget and then decide not to have wedding favors as the trade-off.

2)    Earn more money.  Plenty of couples take on side-jobs or second jobs to help add a little padding to their wedding budget.  Yes, you’ll be busy.  But won’t it be worth it if it means you can plan without stressing over money?

Hands On Sweets is somewhat new to the Tampa scene when it comes to all things confection, but we are here to tell you that this is one vendor who provides a drop-dead-gorgeous presentation!  Professional, personable and committed to detail, Chef Marie provides our clients with a five-start customer experience and “woo”s clients by her immaculate presentation, beautiful truffles and down-right delicious cakes and confections.  She is every client’s dream: Organized, responsive, creative and uber talented!

Name: Chef Marie Martinez

Business Name: Hands on Sweets

Hails from: Puerto Rico

How long have you served the Tampa Bay Market? 1 ½ years

How long have you been a Pastry Chef/Baker? 3 years

What do you love most about the work you do? I love baking but I absolutely adore designing and decorating wedding cakes. It is a special day and I have the privilege of designing their dream cake. It is amazing how a relationship is built after all the sweet talk with the bride and groom. Having that final product finished and delivered is probably the best feeling in the world!

What was your most memorable cake? The most memorable cake has to be our own wedding cake since it was a challenge to make, deliver and still be on time to get married! It was a cake that Carlos and I designed and it was probably the most difficult cake to make.

Apart from that I think the first wedding cake I made back in Puerto Rico just because someone gave me the opportunity to start this journey.

What area, if any, would you say is your specialty? I would say our specialty is wedding cakes but it is difficult. Custom cakes are probably what I feel totally comfortable in doing and no matter the cake, it always gets me excited to make it. We tend to make simple, elegant and modern cakes that have an art deco feel to it.

If you could offer one piece of advice to every bride, what would it be? Book in advance, feel free to ask questions and keep it simple, elegant and tasty. After all it is probably the most important cake you will ever have.

Why do you love working with Event Design? The team at Event Design are among the most organized designers I have ever worked with!  They are a breeze to communicate with, clear in their needs and interests, and a cinch to work with!  When we work with Event Design, the event is truly collaborative – we are two partners working together to make the couples’ day magical.  Our clients have total peace of mind when they work with Event Design.  Amazing work every single time!