Catering By Robert . Event Concepts : Garden "Glamming" It Up!

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Garden "Glamming" It Up!

Stephanie and Ahmet

March 2013

Tampa Garden Center

Photos by Debra Kasputin

Stephanie was one of those special brides you just never regretted holding her hand every minute of the time we had to plan her spring wedding. Despite a late start in selecting a location and making décor decisions, Stephanie was always true to her goal of setting aside two solid months prior to her wedding for comprehensive planning.

Stephanie and her fiance, Ahmet, have a construction business that takes them away from their home in Tampa Bay months at a time.

The couple's sole goal was to make certain Ahmet's daughter could be included in their special celebration. And the weekend of March 15-17, 2013, was that weekend. Nothing else mattered besides the availability of a venue that could accommodate up to 200 guests they might expect to attend.

Early on, Stephanie started planning her wedding décor around a unique litho design. It encompassed not only her wedding colors but some of Ahmet's Turkish heritage.

At first, Stephanie was sold on a private mansion to host the wedding and reception, but as her guest count numbers grew, she felt more comfortable with the Tampa Garden Club. It had the garden feel for the outdoor wedding with the comfortable indoor option of the conservatory and main ballroom for the reception.

She also found that accommodations were plentiful nearby for the 90+ out of town guests expected to attend.

Within two months prior to the wedding, we went through a whirl-wind of meetings with vendors that produced immediate decisions from Stephanie.

Her colors of eggplant purple, silver and tropical shades of fushia and bright orange were translated in to a beautiful collage of color for her ceremony pergola (ours), personal flowers, and guest table centerpieces provided by Carmen's Flowers.

The couple ended up hosting 110 family members and friends for their celebration. Two large feasting tables accommodated most of their close family. Stephanie opted for a variation of guest table centerpieces that stretched her fresh floral budget. Some tables had elaborate high and low fresh florals, others were our complimentary glass cylinders with simple flower stems and floating candles. Long mirrors topped with varying heights of pillar candles and small votive flower heads lined the 24-person feasting tables.

To further enhance the fresh garden feel, we hired A1 Foliage for tropical palm trees dotting the floor to ceiling draped walls from Xydex Event Services. Entertainment services from DeLite Entertainment provided purple LED uplighting. Rental silver chiavalri chairs utilized outdoors and inside were from First Class Rentals.

Getting ready was mostly at the garden center with playful time for groom and groomsmen to explore the setting. The bride and her mom spent much more serious time putting every detail into place.

When it came time for the ceremony to begin, our own Kent Billiter was there to direct and cue bridal party members.

Much emotion was placed on the elements of the ceremony itself. For Stephanie, it was including her new "step daughter" into the celebration by surprising her with a special locket.

With so much indoor and outdoor garden space, it wasn't hard for Photographer Debra Kasputin to capture a bountiful amount of colorful details.

FOOD AND FLAIR

The couple decided on a customized menu that encompassed Ahmet's Turkish heritage and her family's passion for flavorful cuisine. The selection ranged from a Greek Mediterranean station to an Asian action station and a local Latin flair with traditional Paella. Hand-passed appetizers reflected the buffet items to be served later.

All station presentations coordinated perfectly with the over-all reception color scheme.

Enjoy the remainder of the images!

Guess who provided the high top table arrangements? US! From our high energy collection of unique vessels and silk florals: we can spark uniqueness for every special event.