Romantically Rustic in Tampa Bay

Christina and Eric
November 24, 2012
Selected Photos by K and K Photography ***

Christina and her mom, Anne, were such special clients. Hailing from South Carolina, their southern charm set the tone for a very eloquent celebration at Karnes Stables last November.

Believe me when I say the approach from a seasoned southern family is much different than from a northerner trying to capture the same sense of style.

 

From their initial engagement pictures captured locally by  photographer, Jeff Kathrein, to every spectacular detail of the wedding itself, Christina and Anne were devoted to proper southern etiquette which included attention to guest comfort and convenience.

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Nice and Easy is how I describe the planning process in working with these two lovely ladies. Both always had groom, Eric's back, when it came to things like the comfortable surroundings of the "groom's room" the day of the wedding. While not every wedding planning project is perfect, the willingness of Anne to stay in touch with us whenever a question or issue manifested itself, made the day itself perfect.

 

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Casualness is awesomeness.  It means putting those in the pictures at ease so the results truly capture the true overall feeling of the celebration. We applaud Jeff for doing this with the couple during select private moments during their wedding. His organizational skills were paramount when it came to timing. Everything stayed according to schedule. 

 

 

Our florist colleague, Pam Verschuere, provided an array of fresh florals for the wedding and reception. Anne and Christina were very pleased with her eagerness to incorporate a natural, yet polished look to our abor and aisle way lanterns under the oaks.

 

  

 

Refreshing bottled waters awaited guests as they entered the ceremony area aligned with  moss-covered initials of the bride and groom.

 

Anne also ordered initialed hand-towels for the restroom!

 

 

Guests had no problem finding the smoker's area with signage provided by the family.

 

Behind the scenes, we were busy putting the finishing touches on the bar, located in the barn area for both the social hour and main reception. Cranberry, burnt orange, chocolate brown, deep purple, and rust were the main colors incorporated into the celebration environment.

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The farm's famed "white dresser" was set in the center entry area to the social hour complete with Pam's mason jar blooms, favor bin, and sign in album.

 

 

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A classical string trio was hired to play for the ceremony as the bride and her dad made their way to the wedding setting.   

 

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Immediately following the ceremony the bridal party made their way throughout the grounds for Jeff's hand-picked locations. Guests were directed by our staff to enjoy cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in the barn area. Other staff members transferred farm benches to awaiting wood guest tables in the Stable Lawn area. 

 

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Freshly made hand-passed hors d'oeuvres were offered to guests and bridal party members no matter their location. These included a special pork slider with a favorite bottled Carolina barbecue sauce provided by the family.

 

Guests found their way to the traditional long wood tables via vintage luggage tags hung on a burlap covered board with couple/individual names. The family pinned each on clothesline rope in alphabetical order.

 

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Anne and Christina provided framed table numbers so guests could easily find their placements. Our black lanterns and mason jar glasses were all a part of our basic event package. Pam incorporated burlap runners, smaller brown lanterns and wild greens down the centers of each table.

 

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The family was all about the food. So much so they added a huge chalk board with the complete  menu at the start of buffet.

 

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Sweet Tweets Cakery provided a simple two layer cake for formal purposes and an assortment of mini cupcakes for guests to enjoy.

 

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The cake was elevated up behind the sweetheart table in front center of the Stable Lawn. Vintage chairs provided by Karnes Stables and various table elements were incorporated from our inventory and selected personalized block elements from the family.

 

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Back inside the barn after dinner, the couple enjoyed their first dance. The partying continued until "shut down time" here with music being provided by our colleague, Eladio of DeLite Entertainment.

 

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As nighttime drew near, the café lights, lanterns and sunset provided a majestic ending to a day filled with emotion and tradition.

 

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Many thanks to our event partners, mom, Anne, and bride, Christina along with  

K and K Photography

Pam Vershuere Florist

DeLite Entertainment

Sweet Tweets Cakery

 

Event Planning, Design, Coordination, and Catering: Catering By Robert / Event Concepts . FL:

Susan J. Stalnaker, event designer

 

 

Romantically Rustic

Engagement pictures taken in Micacanopy near Ocala, FL

When Niki and Kipp decided on a December 2011 destination wedding here in the Tampa Bay Area, they wanted to bring a part of their Indiana, North Florida, and Atlanta life experiences with them.

It seemed natural to find a seaside location that could provide a "natural, rustic" backdrop for their wedding. They fell in love with Tampa Bay Watch in Tierra Verde just north of Ft. DeSoto Park. Since the venue is dedicated to the preservation of estuaries of Tampa Bay, Niki and Kipp knew they had found a place that matched their love of nature.

Ocala-based Erin Blakely Photography captured not only many sweet moments of the couple, but many breath-taking shots of the outdoors on an exceptionally warm, sunny afternoon Dec. 4, 2011.

Niki stayed constantly in touch with me from Atlanta through the eight-month planning process. She and Kipp made several scheduled trips here that also served as scouting sessions for a new job, specialized nursing program, and residence in Central Florida. They made every trip productive with meetings with us and other vendors.

The end result was a stress-free casusal approach to their wedding day. From their "pot luck" picnic rehearsal dinner at Ft. DeSoto to their full day of wedding activities, Niki and Kipp stayed true to their genuine personalities.

Here's a combination of Erin's pro pics, some Facebook entries, and my "snaps."

Niki and Kipp spent a great deal of time making certain their family and friends who attended felt welcomed and very much a part of the celebration. Niki made up welcome bags for each family with information on the area. Instead of a stuffy formal rehearsal dinner, the couple chose to have a cookout in one of the pavilions at Ft. DeSoto Park.

Because they wanted a natural feel to their ceremony, we designed a dark wood Chuppah draped in swaying chiffon fabrics with varying shades of fiber sticks latched to each front pole with rope. Designed By Bradley Dempsey.

The sprawling back lawn of Tampa Bay Watch provided a true sunset celebration for Niki and Kipp. Simple live guitar music played in the background. Since the ceremony itself was very short, the couple decided on simple white samsonite folding chairs.

Florist Carmen Gonzalez filled small glass bulbs with Niki's favorite multi-colored pastel daisies. They were hung with twine on shepherd's hooks along the main aisle.

A bonus for Niki and Kipp's decor was the in-house natural wood chairs. Guest tables were simply accessorized with cornflower blue runners and napkins.

The couple was able to find an Atlanta artisan who custom cut birch tree pieces for the centers of their tables. They acquired birch candleholders from another with the tallest having their initials carved on the side. Niki took the responsibility for glueing twine to several votive candle holders. We suggested that she scatter assorted potpourri in between. We alternated our glass cylinders with natural rock and flating candles with cylinders that held attendant bouquets.  

We had a lot fun designing the buffet. We dusted off some "woodsy" buckets we had had in storage for some time. We also were able to use our tall triangular topiaries. We brought in the hanging bulbs to accent the display.

  

We kept the cornflower blue as a base cloth (all in-house) for most of the accent tables. We utilized a burlap piece on the sign-in/gift table where many candid photos were intermingled among rustic elements the couple provided.

A simple sweetheart table was set right in front of the main picture window so everyone could view the beautiful sunset that became Niki and Kipp's backdrop

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We were delighted to find out that Tampa Bay Watch has added high top tables to its inventory. They were perfect for the cocktail hour on the deck.

 

Instead of traditional favors, this good-natured couple chose to make contributions to Niki's former hospital program unit for pediatrics. Pictures of one of her patients she nursed back to health was placed in front of each client.

ON A SIDE NOTE: this youngster was thrilled to be able to attend the wedding as Niki's guest!

 A combination of a tulle canopy and burlap graced the cake table. We had this wood cake plateau in our inventory. Camen draped daisies on the delicious cake designed by Sweetopia Bakery.

The calm waters of the Gulf of Mexico reflected the orange sheen of the sunset in the west. A picture perfect setting for Niki and Kipp on the TBW dock.

Photographer, Erin, continued to capture many beautiful moments for the bride and groom the following day. The "trash the dress" session on the beach was frolicky and sweet at the same time.

CREDITS

Event Planning, Design & Catering: Catering By Robert / Event Concepts . FL

Kent Billiter, designer

Photography: Erin Blakely Photography

Fresh Flowers: Carmen's Flowers, Tampa

DJ Services : Randy Markum, Celebrations of Tampa Bay

Wedding Cake: Sweetopia Bakery, Tampa