Catering By Robert . Event Concepts : St. Pete Beach Community Center

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Hawaiian Styled Wedding at the St. Pete Beach Community Center

Lucy and DJ

By far, one of our most communicative wedding couples EVER! I looked forward to the Wednesday phone calls where DJ and Lucy would share progress in their planning process or just ask me timely questions about incorporating décor ideas for their wedding.

Select Photos by Essentia Photography

This experience got me thinking about how we as wedding pros adapt to our clients' various methods of communication. Ever since I have "opened the doors" various means that include texting and Facebook messaging.

Lucy and DJ worked as a team in planning their wedding. They had had previous experience hosting social events which made their wedding a natural collaboration.

But a wedding was a bit different and they looked to us for advice.

Creating a Hawaiin themed event was the natural choice since DJ was born there and the couple made annual trips there. Of course, the proposal was made there as well.

Lucy's mom, Lisa Jo, was a huge resource for acquiring special features and florals. The day of the wedding, she had everything perfectly arranged for us to access and finish placing.

Those beautiful memories of Hawaii inspired Lucy and DJ to create a pallet of details that ranged from hard to find Plumeria scattered on the guest tables to tropical features such as "messages in a bottle" and beachy signage that directed guests throughout the celebration.

Their choice of the St. Pete Beach Community Center was the perfect waterside location with views of Boca Ciega Bay. They booked room blocks at The Sirata Beach Resort. One of the most alluring benefits of hosting a ceremony and reception at SPBCC is its close proximity to many, many beachfront hotels and resorts in the area. Ultimately their "first look" photos were in a very tropical setting along the Gulf. Getting ready was comfortable in the resort's accommodations.

I believe the familiar Hawaiian features of the entire event made Lucy and DJ feel much more at ease.

My daughter, Christy, was a big help in guiding the couple through the design process as she had spent nearly four months living in Hawaii during my son-in-law's deployment there. A specialty drink, The Blue Hawaiian, some styling of the guest tables, and some additional props, were her ideas to get guests in the mood for this unique tropical scenario.

DJ and Lucy chose a range of blue hues, along with a pewter grey. These were found in bridal party attire, reception napkins and accent fabrics which ranged from light blue to dusty wedgewood blue.

We mixed in an assortment of silk palm leaves to line the ceremony aisle and underscore various display tables. Centerpieces were our glass cylinders filled with fresh white orchid stems. Other vivid, tropical colors dotted the décor.

Here are more images of Lucy and DJ's unforgettable tropical wedding day.

Our white pergola arbor was simply decorated with large silk palm leaves.

Fans for cooling off.

The "party" and dancing was of huge importance to Lucy and DJ and they enjoyed every minute of it.

Event Planning . Catering . Design . Coordinating: Catering by Robert /Event Concepts . FL

Fav0rs from Spice and Tea Exchange, John's Pass

Essentia Photography

DeLite Entertainment

Cake by Chantilly Cakes

Fresh Foliage by A-1 Foliage

Centerpiece Orchids and Leis by Thai-Riffic Orchids, Gulfport

Personal Wedding Flowers: Hamilton Florist

Plummerias: ABC Nursery, Largo

Thursday, February 1, 2018

Having it All in St. Petersburg Beach

Amanda and Zack
With Photography By Melissa Lauren Images
Reception at the St. Pete Beach Community Center

Amanda and Zack's celebration has to be one the best examples of what I consider a "perfect wedding." I measure its success based on their willingness to think "outside" the box and follow through on almost all of their ideas and my suggestions as their planner. Their other wedding vendors included some that I suggested and others that they found on their own.

From relaxing first look pictures to immense personalizations that included a special tribute to a favorite grandfather, Amanda and Zack created special day they will remember for many years to come.

Their wedding day began like most couples' with the girls getting ready at an AirBNB with finishing touches at the church. Their ceremony was held at Christ United Methodist in St. Petersburg.

Amanda and Zack rented a limo bus for the first part of the day transporting the bridal party from the vacation rental to the church and to then reception at the St. Pete Beach Community Center. They spent a relaxing time with two photographers from Melissa Lauren Images, participating in "first look" photos together along with parents and bridal party members.

The traditional ceremony was held in the timeless sanctuary of the church. The pews were laced with small bouquets of wedding flowers that were utilized later at the reception.

A guest in "spirit" was Buppa, Zack's grandfather. A special figurine of him appeared throughout the day.

Guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d'oeuvres on the upper terrace of the community center overlooking the beautiful waters of Boca Ciega Bay. Utilizing indoors and out, we placed color-coordinated sign in and gift tables, and bar.

Early in her planning process, Amanda had chosen a pale palette of dusty gray, spa blue, and blush as her color scheme. She added darker hues of blue and pink in her flowers.

Amanda and Zack also "branded" their celebration with a clever A-Z banner that we included on the gift table.

2 Birds Events provided all of the beautiful flowers. Besides providing extra stems of white orchids for the guest table centerpieces (in varying heights of glass cylinders), they gave us some extras which we used inside our variety of chrome vases.

Amanda gave us "carte blanche" with adding some whimsical accents to some important tables. I fell in love with a pale multi-colored ribbon banner I found at Target. It was used on the sign-in, sweetheart, and place card tables.

Because the couple and their wedding party had a huge amount of pre-ceremony pictures taken, they were able to arrive earlier to the reception site for more casual poses along the waterfront. With everyone arriving in the limo bus together, no time was wasted in their cocktail hour timeline.

After 45 minutes of cocktail hour, guests were ushered into the main ballroom where they found their place cards on a table right inside the door.

Using a base color of white, we accented the guest tables and spandex-covered chairs in spa blue with a touch of silver/gray.

Table Numbers included childhood pictures of the bride and groom. Favors were tasty cookies in a thank you bag. A "pink champagne" was poured to match the wedding colors.

Because Amanda and Zack really wanted sunset pictures on the Gulf, they arranged for themselves, the photographers, and videographers, to drive a short distance to Upham Beach right after they finished dinner.