The Vinoy (St. Pete) Wedding – Breanne & Quinn

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Breanne and Quinn met each other when Breanne was only 4 years old and Quinn’s mom was her pre-kindergarten teacher. Although the two grew up together, they waited until they became adults before officially starting to date. They knew immediately that their connection was strong which led to Quinn asking Breanne for her hand in marriage exactly one year after starting their relationship. Pro Move: Quinn proposed at the same location that he asked Breanne to be his girlfriend!

The couple decided to have a traditional wedding and held their ceremony at St. Mary’s Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in St. Petersburg, Florida. Since the church already had stunning features, Event Design added a few small flower arrangements to some of the aisle pews (which were later donated!) 

Looking back, Breanne thinks that the ceremony was the best part of her wedding day. She remembers walking down the aisle with her dad by her side and seeing Quinn standing at the alter with a big smile on his face and thinking “this is perfection”. 

When selecting reception venues, Breanne had her heart set at The Vinoy. After seeing her sister get married at this location a few years prior (which we also helped design, btw!) Breanne fell in love with the atmosphere of the hotel. Even though her family was local to the St. Pete area, The Vinoy made her feel like she was having a destination wedding.

The couple envisioned a romantic and classic style wedding. They wanted to avoid using anything trendy so they were able to look back on it and still love the timeless decor. In order to achieve that look, Event Design used white flowers with simple touches of greenery and gold accents through vaseware, table numbers, and chiavari chairs. We also placed a greenery hedge wall behind the sweetheart table with white flower accents across the top and an LED sign of the couple’s last name secured to the middle.

If Breanne could offer one piece of advice to any couple planning their wedding it’s to not procrastinate. It’s never too early to start planning and your wedding day will sneak up on you before you know it! She said that hiring Event Design made her process even easier due to constant communication. Breanne said that she was extremely picky with her flower design and the Event Design team was able to create exactly what she envisioned and carried it through to her wedding day!

Ceremony Venue: St. Mary Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church | Reception Venue: The Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club | Chairs, Flowers, and Decor: Event Design | Photography: Matlock and Kelly Photography | Videography: Kemari Lyn Films | Dresses: BHLDN | Hair & Makeup: Femme Akoi Beauty Studio | Suits: Men’s Wearhouse | Invitations: Jerry and Julep | Band: Taylor Fletcher Music | Cake: Cakes Plus Tampa

Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay Wedding – Katie & Zach

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Katie and Zach met their senior year of high school at a scholarship weekend for Boston College. Katie’s older brother, Ben, hosted Zach during the five day program where Katie found herself spending every possible moment coming up with excuses to tag along. After an immediate connect the couple decided to make their relationship official before parting ways at the end of the event. Although they both were eager to go home and tell their loved ones their news, they knew that they were going to have a challenge due to the distance between them. Even though this hurdle could have made any other teenage couple break up, the couple decided to make the most of it by Katie flying to Boston to attend Zach’s prom and Zach meeting her ENTIRE family after only one month!

The couple continued to date all throughout college and eventually decided to tie the knot in Tampa to be closer to Katie’s parents’ home. Since guests were coming in from all across the country, Katie and Zach decided to throw a big party immediately following the rehearsal dinner the night before. This allowed the attendees an additional opportunity to reconnect with old friends and make some new ones!

Following the traditional theme of their wedding day, Katie and her bridesmaids decided to get ready at her parents’ house while Zach and his groomsmen got dressed at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. The two traveled separately to Sacred Heart Catholic Church where they chose to see each other for the first time during an hour long Catholic Ceremony at 11:00 AM. Similar to Katie’s parents’ wedding, Event Design dressed up the church pews with white satin bows and designed Katie’s bouquet completely out of gardenias (which is what her mother had as well!)

After exchanging vows, the couple shuttled guests from Sacred Heart Catholic Church to the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay for the cocktail hour. During this time Katie and Zach were able to take photographs with each other and their families. Although they ended up missing the majority of their cocktail hour, the couple had the opportunity to be alone together and reflect on the morning’s events.

After the all of the sentimental moments, Katie and Zach were ready to party! The reception took place in the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay’s ballroom. Upon entering the space, all 400 of the couple’s guests were blown away by centerpieces in varying heights as well as the one on the couple’s head/family table that was made of only white roses. Along with the custom made arrangements, the tables were finished off with Event Design’s lace overlays, gold chargers, table numbers, and chiavari chairs!

Immediately following their meal, the couple had their first dance on a cherry rose dance floor with a GOBO projection of their initials displayed across. Eventually the day became even livelier when the wedding party did the classic New Orleans Umbrella Dance and Katie was able to throw away her complimentary toss bouquet (because how could she give up her real one?!)

Floral, Chairs, Uplighting, & Decor: Event Design | Ceremony Venue: Sacred Heart Catholic Church | Reception Venue: Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay | Photography: Your Story By Us | Videography: Life’s Highlights | Makeup: Michele Renee The Studio | Cake: Hands On Sweets | Wedding Dress: Cici’s Bridal | DJ: Eric w/ Grant Hemmond and Associates

Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Wedding – Rebecca & Jason

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Rebecca’s best friend (who later became her Maid of Honor) met Jason during basic training for the army. She immediately realized the similarities between the two and formally introduced them after graduation. After many years of dating, Jason decided to pop the question in the most intimate setting he could imagine – on their patio while listening to their favorite song WITH his grandmother’s ring!

While planning their wedding the couple decided that the surrounding scenery was one of the most significant parts of their day. They decided to get married at the Hyatt Regency on Clearwater Beach so that they could have views of the water during their entire celebration. Praying for good weather (and thank goodness it was perfect!), the couple decided to hold their ceremony on the hotel’s outdoor terrace. To not take away from the beautiful view, Event Design provided a drapery archway as well as chair florals to make the space appear more wedding like.

After exchanging vows and taking pictures, the couple moved their celebration to the Hyatt Regency’s indoor ballroom to hold the reception. Rebecca and Jason wanted to create a very timeless and romantic atmosphere through the use of chiavari chairs, specialty linen, and meaningful centerpieces. Before their delicious meals were served, Rebecca decided to switch into a comfy white jumpsuit so she was able to bust out her favorite dance moves later on!

Rebecca and Jason’s most cherished memory of their wedding day was being able to celebrate it with their family and friends. The couple were originally planning on getting married in April of 2020 but due to COVID they had to go through two postponements.

Following their wedding, Rebecca says that her favorite reason as to why she hired Event Design was because of how easy we were to work with. She said that we were able to “read her mind” when it came to the decor and everything turned out exactly how she envisioned. If she could give one piece of advice to any couple planning their wedding she would recommend not sweating about the little things and enjoying yourself because it goes by quickly!

Floral, Chairs, & Decor: Event Design | Venue: Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa | Photography: Alexis Kline Photography

Why You Need a Wedding Planner (and Why Your Venue Coordinator Isn’t the Same)

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Venue: The Vault | Photography: Carrie Wildes Photography

Let’s talk about your day to day life. Generally speaking, you typically wake up, go to work, commute home to make dinner and try to relax for a few precious hours before starting it all over again the next day. Now let’s throw planning your wedding into the mix. Doing simple tasks such as finding the perfect venue, reaching out to vendors for pricing, AND figuring out how to execute it all while keeping your head on straight. Seems like a lot, right?

One of the biggest suggestions that Event Design can recommend to any newly engaged couple (or ones who have come to realize that they’re in over their heads) is to hire a wedding planner! These professionals are experts when it comes to figuring out the nitty gritty and are there on your wedding day to make sure everything runs to plan. You may be rolling your eyes and thinking to yourself “but my venue already includes someone to be there day of” which is probably true, but are they really wedding planners? Nine out of ten times the answer is no. Though these individuals are experts at their job, assisting you with your wedding isn’t their sole priority.

Still unsure if you should really take the plunge of investing in a planner rather than doing it yourself? Our good friend, Lauren, from MDP Events has been a planner for over ten years and has broken down four reasons why you NEED a planner and four reasons why the person you’re working with at your venue is NOT one!

Wedding Planning Process

Wedding Planners are with you throughout the entire process and are able to assist the couple with staying within their budget. They are able to offer advice, design guidance, and referrals with vendors who they work with frequently.

Wedding Planners Understand the Vision

After countless hours of communication between both you and your fiancé, planners have a knack for knowing your ideal vision. This allows them to make sure that the day looks not only cohesive and seamless, but exactly what you envisioned.

Wedding Planners Provide Constant Support

Planners are there to support the couple every step of the way. They have the ability to properly organize everything by creating timelines as well as scheduling vendor deliveries.

Wedding Planners Take Care of Personal Items

Wedding Planners are there to set up and tear down all of the couple’s personal items including photographs, escort cards, and custom details that will enhance the atmosphere of the space.

Venue Coordinators are Catering Sales Managers

Unlike Wedding Planners, the Venue Coordinator is an employee of the hotel/venue. They aren’t hired directly by the couple for all of their wants and needs. This means that if something were to happen elsewhere on the property, the Coordinator could be pulled away from your wedding to handle a different situation.

Venue Coordinators Have Other Responsibilities

Along with being responsible for the venue’s day to day actions, Venue Coordinators have to worry about other events happening on the same day, run and manage AV (if it’s provided), room blocks for other upcoming events, and so much more!

Venue Coordinators Don’t Stay for the Entire Time

Most likely after the food is served and the cake is cut, Venue Coordinators leave for the day while the remainder of the wedding finishes up. Of course, the venue’s banquet staff will be there for any dire situation but you will no longer have the ability to speak to the person that you’ve been working with for months prior.

Venue Coordinators Handle More Than Just What Meets the Eye

Venue Coordinators assist with room layout, providing helpful information about the venue including in-house items, recommended vendors, processing invoices, and occasionally managing catering needs. This job title takes care of the mechanics of running the venue’s operations smoothly and your wedding is not necessarily their prime focus.

Although at times Wedding Planners and Venue Coordinators have similar responsibilities, at the end of the day hiring your own planner will help ensure that everything will run accordingly to YOUR means. While a planner can be an investment, Event Design cannot stress enough how much easier having one will make your life in the long run!

Our Favorite Wedding Favors (and a few we hope to never see again!)

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Guest favors are such a big controversy in today’s wedding realm! Some couples think that they are a total waste of money while others believe that they’re the perfect heartfelt gesture to end the night. While we can completely understand both sides, we have some suggestions on favors that we absolutely love and ones that aren’t worth the effort!

Love These!

Chocolates

Any kind of candy is a great gift because these are most likely to be enjoyed either throughout the night or after everything is over! Plus, it’s always nice to finish off a delicious catered meal with something sweet!

Flip Flops

Coming from a girl, high heels HURT and can only be worn for so long! Giving your gals a comfy pair of shoes to switch into after the ceremony will help relieve their pain and encourage them to get on the dance floor faster!

Candles

Anything that can be used long term such as a candle or bottle opener will remind people of your wedding day for the years to come!

Photo Booths

Photo booths are popping up more and more at weddings! These stations can be fun to use throughout the reception as well as giving your guests pictures that they can keep with them later on!

Avoid These!

Honey

Sugary liquids such as honey or syrup are a big no no in our opinion! These items can be extremely messy and make all of your decor pieces sticky later on!

Koozies

Although it might be utilized during your reception, at the end of the night these are often left on the table and forgotten about. This is the one favor that we see given the most but also the ones that end up being trashed after your wedding is over!

Customized Napkins

These can look adorable at the bar for guests to grab when they get their drinks, but they are literally made to be thrown away!

At the end of the day, think of a wedding favor that will make you both happy. Typically, the couple appreciates the momento more than the guests, so it should be something that you would want to keep for a lifetime. (unless it’s food, then we encourage eating it immediately lol)

Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay Wedding – Kimber & Nick

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Kimber and Nick met at a bar in their hometown of Chicago, Illinois. They began dating and eventually took their first vacation at the Grand Hyatt in Tampa Bay. They immediately fell in love with the hotel and after Nick gave a heartfelt proposal a few years later they knew that they had to come back to Tampa, Florida to exchange their vows.

After much discussion Kimber and Nick decided that they wanted to go with a modern theme that included blue and white hues. They decided to focus a portion of their attention to the ceremony space by including drapery and hanging blue delphinium flowers from the top. They also had two large arrangements on either side of the aisle that accented the sweetheart table when it was placed between them after the ceremony was over.

For the remainder of the reception space, the couple decided to include soft touches such as uplights, lilies, and blue table runners. Looking back on her day, Kimber says she is happy she put so much attention to the details and was able to get exactly what she envisioned. Though she claims that marrying Nick was the best part of her wedding, we think that our help with executing the decor came in a close second ;)

If Kimber could give any piece of advice to couples who are planning their wedding she would recommend finding vendors who stay in contact with you throughout the whole process. With planning a destination wedding, she was extremely comfortable with the constant communication between everyone on the Event Design team. Kimber is thankful that we took the time to discuss her entire vision and provide a variety of different options in order to achieve her dream decor. “(Event Design) helped us create the most beautiful set up and make our design dream a reality! (They) handled everything and communicated with our other vendors to make the day go flawless!!”

Venue: Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay | Photographer: Carrie Wildes

Venue 650 Wedding – Caitlin & Brandon

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Caitlin came to Event Design with a dream of getting married outside of the Tampa/St. Petersburg area and instead moving closer to Orlando. After much discussion with her (then) fiancé, Brandon, they decided on renting out an old newspaper printing house in Winter Haven. Venue 650 gave them the industrial vibe that they both were envisioning while still allowing plenty of opportunity to dress up the space with drapery and candle lights!

As soon as they confirmed their date, they decided to reach out to Event Design to get the decor details sorted out. Both Caitlin and Brandon had a vision of a natural theme with greenery, white flowers, and gold accents. Being extremely organized, Caitlin already had prepared HUNDREDS of photographs and inspirational boards of exactly what she wanted. With being over a year out, everything seemed to be going according to plan but then… COVID hit.

Everything seemed to have come crashing down and while still dreaming of having a spring wedding, Caitlin and Brandon decided to privately tie the knot anyway and celebrate with their friends and family later on in the summer at Venue 650.

This wedding was extremely special to Event Design because we had the opportunity to not only help design the space, but to coordinate the big day as well! Venue 650 is every couple and decor company’s dream space while providing a blank slate to work from but still including timeless pieces such as exposed beams and white brick walls. Event Design’s elegant touches such as drapery and custom made farm sweetheart table helped enhance the atmosphere even more. All of the other decor aspects were finished off by including specialty linen, florals, centerpieces, chargers, and furniture to create a memorable atmosphere that the guests (including Caitlin and Brandon) are still talking about!

Venue: Venue 650 | Photography: J Canelas Photography | Videography: J&S Media | Decor/Furniture/Floral: Us! | Hair & Makeup: Femme Akoi