Love From a Different Angle

Working with a talented photographer with an eye for different angles, was an exciting experience for us during Glennis and John's December 2011 wedding at the much photographed Davis Islands Garden Club.

The garden club is a Tampa landmark - its channel-side location is unrivaled among venues that allow outside catering, alcohol, and virtual all-day access.

 Eva Photo Studio here in Tampa, created some very unique images that paired the bride and groom's personalities with the venue's. Eva's candid approach demonstrates that when you take the time to get to know your clients you can transcend above and beyond the location.

We are excited to share many of Eva's images in our blog today.

Glennis and John's love story was of a personal interest to me from a perspective that many wedding planners don't see. Both met while working at my neighborhood Publix on Van Dyke Road in Lutz. I remembered Glennis as the helpful pharmacy assistant who took care of my mom's prescriptions several years prior. John was also a familiar soul who was a smiling face from encounters restocking merchandise or checking me out at one of the registers.
Our first face-to-face meeting was truly a renunion of sorts!

Both moved away to college together and Glennis stayed behind to enter Pharmacy School; John into more responsibilities for Publix here. But that did not change the fact that I knew these two as individuals prior to their engagement. This made the celebration even more special indeed.
Because Glennis was in Gainesville, and John, still in Tampa, this was considered a destination wedding of sorts. We were able to do planning meetings and open houses on the weekends. And lots was accomplished via email.

Pre-ceremony pictures were a BIG DEAL for Eva who encouraged the bride and her entourage to stop by a completely different location (University of Tampa) for their girly, girl pics. Everything was orchestrated perfectly as Eva's partner photographed the groom and his guys over at the venue simultaneously.

We installed a variety of large and small white, hot pink, and purple Chinese lanterns in the tree branches over-hanging the path to the ceremony area.

The cermony, while important, it was simple and short. The couple decided their reception components were the focus of their wedding day.

Since their wedding was just before Christmas, Glennis and John decided to use mini ornaments as place card holders. At their final meeting, I reminded them of another client who did this without weight to hold them down outdoors. John filled each with sand and made certain all cards were in alphabetical order.

Photo courtesy of DeLite Entertainment and Photography

We were able to feature the couple's sampe guest table at our October open house which featured our floor length white cloth with an upgraded eggplant organza overlay, silver charger plate, ivory tri-folded napkins and our in-house trio of glass cylinders filled with florist-arranged

purple orchid stems by Northside Florist. Northside brought a three-person team to submerge the orchids and were cleaned up and out in less than an hour.

The end result was slightly different with a longer napkin fold that created more texture, and a more darkish pink orchid for contrast inside the cylinders. This turned out perfectly as the interior uplighting was mostly hot pink.

Our fabric sail and curtain accents created a notable backdrop along the side picture windows of the garden club. Chuck Amstone of  Solid Gold Entertainment provided room uplighting for the reception. We also covered the bookcases in the front entry.

Highlight of the fun was Chuck's photo booth and dj services. Photo booths are supposed to be independent entertainment elements, but Chuck and his Solid Gold team, integrated upbeat music with characterizations portrayed in his candid photo opps.

We can't say enough about Chuck. From checking in with Kent Billiter, our event coordinator, to his continued monitoring of timelines, he was definitely about teamwork in making certain everything was just right for Glennis and John.

Ort popular paella was the centerpiece of the dinner buffet along with a French Onion Soup station with "torched" Swiss cheese on top. Above, production supervisor, Chris Hazel, prepares to serve this delicious first course to the 100+ guests in attendance.

 One of the newer decor options at Davis Islands Garden Club are the crystal curtains along the back window. Eva captured a shimmering reflection between the outdoor patio and indoor reception.

Two different looks by day and night: the place card table with our tall silver candle holder created two very different appearances.

Glennis and John splurged a bit on their wedding cake from Cakes Plus. The ivory quilted fondant cake featured their monogram in the center along with gum paste flowers on top.

The couple's platinum, purple and white color scheme was carried out on all of the auxiliary tables such as the gift and cake tables. This a complimentary service of Catering By Robert for all events. When ever possible, we add small custom elements such as the votive lamp holders from our huge inventory of tabletop decor.

The "Tebow" pose was one of Eva's favorite shots for Glennis and the groomsmen.

This is absolutely one of the most breath-taking bride photos I have seen taken at Davis Islands. The beauty of the outdoors shines through the lens of Eva's came

Best Wishes, Glennis and John!

VENDORS

Photography: Eva Photo Studio

Event planning, design and catering: Catering By Robert / Event Concepts . FL, Kent Billiter, event designer

DJ, Lighting, and Photo Booth: Solid Gold Entertainment

Wedding Flowers and Orchids Inside Centerpieces: Northside Florist

Wedding Cake: Cakes Plus

Venue: Davis Islands Garden Club