A Beach House Setting for Weddings

The Sunset Beach House on Treasure Island, has become one of the most popular destination wedding rentals on the West Coast of Florida. Its spacious sandy, back yard facing the beach and Gulf easily accommodates up to 150 wedding guests at rented tables and chairs. Combine that with overnight accommodations for up to 18 people, the Sunset Beach House is a perfect wedding weekend getaway.

We had the pleasure of hosting Robin and Chris's wedding there this past spring. This being a second marriage for both, they already had a house-full of children between them. So the Sunset Beach House had the perfect accommodations with three small apartment units, main house, and loft efficiency.

The couple sought us out because they felt we could offer them a one-stop-shop of services they would need for their celebration. They began their journey by meeting most of our vendors at open houses we hosted after they booked. Both Robin and Chris had busy work schedules in their hometown of Inverness, so streamlining these efforts into combined meetings on trip to Tampa were a big help.

They clicked immediately with Eladio and Rick of DeLite Entertainment for their dj and photography needs; hired Carmen for their flowers; tested Sweet Tweets Cakery's samplings at an open house and secured their services, and found Vicki of Beachangels Notary at our April open house, just the person they needed to marry them.

Catering By Robert / Event Concepts . FL took care of everything else via its Destination Wedding Event Services Package. This package not only included a full dinner buffet with hors d'oeuvres, but also all chair and table rentals, ceremony arbor and decor, open bar service (client furnishes own alcohol), full coordination, planning, linens, chair covers, and much, much more.

 

Robin and Chris accessed the beach house in mid-afternoon on Friday, several hours before our scheduled rehearsal on the beach. Vicki joined us and we spotted the best direction for the focus of the ceremony for the next day (so that the sun was not blinding the guests).

The Friday evening hours gave Chris some testing time for installing twinkle lighting around the large oak tree in the center of the celebration area. The next day, we arrived to set up decor, tables, chairs in both the ceremony and reception areas. Instead of a regular dance floor, Robin and Chris decided to keep the sand at their feet.

Although we often utilize the reception chairs for the ceremony first, the couple decided that their short ceremony would pose no problem for everyone to stand. We set up a simple decorated bamboo arch and an aisle lined with shepherd's hooks and turquoise Chinese lanterns.

 

Robin had chosen a peach-coral color with the turquoise accents for the guest tables. She utilized our tall glass cylinder vases with fresh stems of orange orchids provided by Carmen. Gold chargers with coral napkins and white chair covers and turquoise chair ties completed the look. Each table was named after the couple's favorite local beaches.

 

 

At the sign in table, guests found votive candle holders with their names on them and their assigned tables. Guests also were able to do thumbprint entries onto a large tree sign in poster.

  

 A single table under a covered porch served the hors d'oeuvres first and then wedding cake and candy station later.  The bride's sister matched the candies with the turquoise, silver, and Robin Blue wedding colors.

 

 

 
The weather was perfect for the event. But the space definately can accommodate a good sized tent to protect from rain if necessary.

Robin and Chris worked with Eladio and Rick on a surprise FIRST DANCE that included a pre-choreographed dance moves set to popular hit music. This really set the fun tone for the rest of the evening.



We positioned the buffet along the boardwalk in front of the efficiency apartments utilizing one of the unit's kitchens as our prep area and water source. The bar was located near the sweetheart table on the southside of the property. The large oak tree provided an excellent focal point for the bride and groom's table.

 

 

Events outdoors on the beach must end by 10 p.m. But good timing among us and our vendors gave Robin and Chris and their guests plenty of time to enjoy a great buffet meal, sunset pictures, and of course lots of dancing.

A three day wedding weekend complete with overnight accommodations is $4300 plus tax at the Sunset Beach House.

Because of its popularity, it books up fast. Valet service is highly suggested. There is a lot of on-street parking available but it should be left to the professionals to find. Having guests find their own spaces may delay in the start of the event. We recommend Courtesy Valet (www.courtesyvalet.net) for this service.

 

 

 

For more information on the Sunset Beach House, visit the web site at wwww.mysunsetbeach.com

 

Many thanks to Richard Harris of DeLite Entertainment to sharing many of the photos above. Also kudos to everyone involved in this event, especially Robin and Chris and their wonderful families.

Planning, Decor, Coordination, and Catering:
Catering By Robert / Event Concepts. FL
Bradley Dempsey, Event Designer

Entertainment and Photography: DeLite Entertainment
Wedding and Reception Flowers: Carmen's Flowers
Officiant: Vicki of Beachangels Notary
Wedding Cake and Cupcakes: Sweet Tweets Cakery
Venue: Sunset Beach House, Treasure Island, FL

 

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