Seaside Celebration in the Heart of Clearwater Beach

In early February, we had the rare opportunity to host a small wedding at the Belle Harbor condo resort high above the hustle and bustle of beach activity along Clearwater's North Mandalay Avenue. 


Clients, Jen and Tim, were fortunate to have a relative reside there, and were love-struck with its Mediterranean villa charm. While there were challenges in transforming the interior into a workable reception area, the end-result was stunning and well worth the hours of furniture moving and last-minute revisions.

Tampa residents, Tim and Jen were one of our "short-term" planning clients this past winter. We barely had two months to get to know them.

What we found was a couple devoted to the idea of elegant simplicity. Highly organized and vocal about her sense of style, Jen was our partner in decor. It took us jsut one site visit to work out the exact location for wedding-related activities. Both Jen and myself left feeling a sense of direction how things would be transformed the day of the wedding.

There were few vendor details to coordinate as they had only the photographers, the officiant, and live music duo on their roster. 

 

Perched above the intercoastal waterway, Belle Harbor resembles a classic Mediterranean style seaside villlage. It's floor to ceiling windows with sweeping vistas provided all of the decor needed for this intimate evening gathering. It was decided that there would be a "family-only" ceremony about an hour and a half prior to the start of the main reception. It was held on a small outdoor plaza next to the main club room. We placed the mahogany folding chairs there first and then returned them to the guest tables indoors.

Once the ceremony ended, Photographers Scott and April of Life's Highlights, whisked the couple and family members across the street to the beach for formal pictures. Arriving guests were directed downstairs to a covered outdoor patio area for hand-passed hors d'oeuvres and cocktails.

As the evening dusk set in, the warmth of the fireplace and  lounge furnishings kept everyone comfortable until the main reception started upstairs.  

A creative spirit, Jen, infused a "bit o' the beach" throughout the reception. The tasteful touches of starfish and nautical wood elements complimented the grandeur of the reception room. The day prior, family members had moved over-sized couches and tables to make way for rented guest tables and chairs. A huge marble bar at one end of the room was the popular gathering spot.

We utilized many of the in-house furnishings for the entry table, buffet, cake/dessert table and "staging areas." Because of space limitations, the buffet was placed in the main entry.

The bride and her mom arranged fresh white hydrangea stems in fish bowl centerpieces. The color of the napkins was only decided the day prior when I brought a sample of the ivory and sage green for her to "test" on a mock table set-up.

We scattered sea shells around the center with blush votive candles. Each guest received a rafia-wrapped marmelade favor jar.

 A delicious candy and cookie assortment awaited guests after dinner. A simple wedding cake from their favorite Davis Island cafe, Bailey's was added to sweets table.

The evening's entertainment was provided by the Caladesi Steel Band who played from one location during the entire reception. The balcony overlooking the pool area/social hour, adjoined the main dining room and gave guests a small area to dance.

Many thanks to Jen and Tim for allowing us to be a

part of their special day.

Kudos to Life's Highlights for sharing many of the images above.

On-site styling: Bradley Dempsey, event coordinator,

 Catering By Robert / Event Concepts . FL 

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



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

.

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