Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Ali and Joe at Belle Maison

 

Holding a destination wedding at a private rental home is the perfect way to enjoy a full week or weekend with family and friends. Hotels and resorts are natural destination choices. But if true privacy is what you seek, a residence with overnight accommodations that allows an on-site ceremony and reception is your perfect choice

Catering By Robert / Event Concepts.FL and its Florida Loves Weddings program, connects wedding couples with a variety of  West Coast Florida properties for events of 40 to 150. We are excited to offer exclusive planning, decor, and catering services at many of these locations. .


This past May, Ohio residents, Ali and Joe, decided on a destination wedding for just over 50 of their family members and friends. They chose Belle Maison, one of our newest properties in Indian Rocks Beach. The three-story mansion sits directly on the Gulf next to a short beach trail. Because it is situated in a residential neighborhood, Belle creates a secluded get-away far from the noise and congestion of the public beaches along the Pinellas Coast.

Mom, Cindy, spent over nine months working with us from her New Jersey home and made several trips to visit  here to help Ali make planning decisions. After many emails and phone calls, Ali's special wedding week began on the Saturday before her Wednesday wedding. Staying at the house (accommodates up to 12 guests), were her parents, various relatives and their families.

The rest of the bridal party and guests had nearby accommodations at the Holiday Inn Harborside and other vacation rentals less than a mile from the residence.

Indian Rocks Beach is one of the most ideal townships for hosting private home weddings because of its long stretch of eateries and bars all catering to locals and beach-goers walking or riding bikes everywhere they go.

Arriving several days early gave Ali, Joe, and their families time to unwind before the stresses of the wedding day set in. The backyard pool facing the beach was their first stop. We greeted them within an hour after they arrived making certain everything was to their liking. Since we had never met the bride or groom in person, it was great to spend a few minutes going over logistics four days before the wedding.



Rehearsal was done at the exact time of the wedding the day prior so we could "test" the direction of the setting sun (so it would not be blaring in the guests' eyes). One of our favorite officiants, Vicki of Beachangels Notary, attended and helped us organize the wedding party for their positions and walk down the sandy aisle. The rehearsal dinner was held at the Holiday Inn.


 
  




The spacious third floor master bedroom had plenty of room for all of the ladies to get ready. Above, Cindy helps Ali with the final details of putting on her gown. 
The artistry of Alicia of Jazzy Jewels, was secured for make-up and hair touches after Cindy met her and our other vendors at one of our open houses.




Ali even had a few private moments to spare in order to survey the wedding details
from the balcony three stories up.


Plans called for guests to arrive the hour before the wedding entering from the beach trail's boardwalk to the beach where the ceremony was to be held. It was the couple's wish to do a First Look photo session with destination photographer, Lisa Crawley, before their nuptials. That way, they were not rushed to have those special moments with family in front of the camera.



 



 

The ceremony was held at the 4 p.m. hour. DJ Eladio of DeLite Entertainment provided both the remote ceremony sound system and main system for the outdoor reception.


Ali and her dad made their way down the path to the beach, sans shoes.

Our Event Services package includes a choice of ceremony arches and aisleway decor. Ali chose a simple bamboo backdrop with flowing chiffon fabrics and hanging starfish from our shepherd's hooks.

 

 

The ceremony chairs were later moved by our staff and utilized around guest tables on the pool pation area for the reception. Existing outdoor lounge furniture and high top cocktail tables created a beachy social hour area in a sandy inset next to the ceremony setting.


Our staff hand-passed an assortment of delicious finger foods including the bride's favorite Coconut Shrimp. We utilized the double garage area for staging and food prep.



As guests enjoyed social hour with client-provided alcohol and our included bar service, Ali and Joe spent an hour of picture-taking with Lisa. The impressive spiral staircase was the focal point for many couple shots.

 


When it was time for the main reception to start, guests found their place cards attached to boxed favors which also served to keep the cards from blowing away in the sea breeze. The table was set at the side entrance to the pool / patio deck. 



We utilized the indoor bottom level for the food stations which included displayed salads, Shrimp Creole and Carved Beef Tenderloin with a rose peppercorn sauce.




While we can seat up to 75 in and around the patio area, 60 or less people is ideal for Belle Maison. This allows everyone, including the dj, to be located under cover of the balcony above in case of rain. Ali chose a six person head table set right at the edge of the pool. A wide part of the pool deck became the official dance floor.




A classic black, white, and gray palette flattered each guest table. Ali chose a trio of fragrant, fresh peonie and white hydrangea centerpieces created by Carmen's Flowers.




Everyone had a great view of the couple's
first dance across the pool.



Ali's mom, Cindy, tasted cake samples from Sweet Tweets during one of our open houses she was able to attend, and urged Ali to order a small cake for photo opps and an assortment of cupcakes for guests to savour.


Plenty of time to party. Plenty of time to indulge in sunset pictures.


Belle Maison is truly the Belle of the Beach.

For more information, availability, and pricing, please contact us at (813) 960-7092 / cateringbyrobert@aol.com.

Event Planning, Design, Catering - Catering By Robert / Event Concepts . FL, Ashley Allred Davis, event designer

Fresh Florals and Personal Wedding Flowers - Carmen's Flowers




Hair / Make-Up on Site - Jazzy Jewels

Cake / Cupcakes - Sweet Tweets Cakery

Additional Accommodations / Rehearsal Dinner - Holiday Inn Harborside, Indian Rocks Beach











1 comment:

  1. Hi Susan,
    My name is Jane and I'm with Dwellable.
    I was looking for blog posts about Indian Rocks Beach to share on our site and I came across your post...If you're open to it, shoot me an email at jane(at)dwellable(dot)com.
    Hope to hear from you :)
    Jane

    ReplyDelete