Mexican Inspired Wedding at the Clearwater Community Center

Elizabeth and Michael

There is nothing more colorful than a wedding celebration with a Mexican theme. The oranges, bright greens, and varying shades of pink and yellow, capture the spirit of the day - especially if it is held on May 5th.

This was a destination wedding for Elizabeth and Michael from Chicago. Elizabeth and her family had ties to the Clearwater for many years, visiting for vacation, Most recently her parents retired to the area which made the wedding plans much simpler. 

The reception was held at the Clearwater Community Center with the ceremony not far away at the Chapel by the Sea. Elizabeth was very concerned about the possibilities of rain, so the church was an ideal location.

Getting ready occurred at a nearby vacation rental where the close distance provided less stress for the bridal party. 

The church wedding fulfilled the
"formal" aspect of the wedding day for both Elizabeth and Michael.

The rest of the day was filled with a Cinco De Mayo celebration complete with a "siesta" during first look pictures nearby.

Much of the grandeur of the event centered around the vibrant fresh flowers provided by Carmen's Flowers. From the cocktail table pieces to guest table appointments, the spirit of the day were definitely centered around the florals. (Photos by Celebrations of Tampa Bay)

Although there was a threat of rain, we kept everything for the social hour in place outdoors despite the wind.  

The sign in table featured sunglass favors for guests and a custom signable sketch.

 

Our on-site culinary staffers had tons of fun fashioning the hand-passed appetizers with colorful trays and small Mexican inspirations.

Even the bar featured two different Margaritas from our dispensers. 

Inside the community center, the mood was still colorful with simple white linens and chairs accented with gold chargers, hot pink napkins and an alternating trio of centerpieces with our white lanterns (with accent florals), tall elevated and shorter arrangements.

The orange ombre cake was accented with more colorful flowers. 

Our design staffed decided to use gold and coral as base linen for the buffet, head table, cake table, and other displays. 

The dinner consisted of a plated Wild Mixed Greens Salad with Honey Citrus Dressing along with Coconut Lime Chicken our popular Paella.

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

Photography: Celebrations of Tampa Bay

Florals: Carmen's Flowers

Heileman vs. Tichenor: A Win-Win Game of Love

On the football field of love, colors know no boundaries

This is what devoted football fans, Raelani Heileman and David Tichenor, found to be a fun-filled part of their wedding planning. Along with many celebrated photos by Jorden McPhee Bowman Photography, we are pleased to share many special aspects of this couple's special celebration in mid-November at Davis Islands Garden Club.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Coming from an Hawaiian background, Raelani, growing up, envisioned a sea-inspired wedding. Her outlook changed a bit once she fell in love with David Tichenor, Davis Islands Garden Club, and the idea of combining the couple's Alma Maters of Florida State and UF.

Early in the planning process, we found that they both "loved  sports and the competitive environment it fosters." Event Designer, Ashley Allred Davis, (also a sports enthusiast), understood this completely when she started working with them on their wedding designs. At first the couple was unsure of their allegience to colors choices. After put in the position to decide their table decor they were a united front for merlot (burgundy) and orange.

Raelani described it as a compromise between she (FSU grad) and David (UF grad). We didn't question the lack of royal blue in the color scheme!!!

Raelani surprised us with her amazing DIY skills in creating unique monogrammed centerpieces that alternated between sunken floating candles in ribbon-accented glass cylinder trios to tall clear pieces filled with ivory spindle balls and hand-made burgundy and orange paper flowers.

She also made additional diamond-studded flower heads for each place setting along with personalized table cards/ place cards named after she and David's favorite sports figures.

The couple kept the ceremony decor simple with two bunches of latched natural sticks on the garden club's waterfront gazebo.

Social hour was on the back patio. Even in mid-November, the weather was mild and perfect. Event Coordinator Bradley Dempsey mimicked the guest table decor on the displayed hors d'oeuvres station in front of the big picture window on the patio.On the other side of the window, indoors, was a similarly decorated sweetheart table with the rich burgundy and orange colors again at work.

On a softer, note, florist Carmen Gonzalez created wedding flower bouquets with a palette of white, peach, and dark orange roses dotted with white pearl centers.

The couple's three tiered wedding cake had similar floral features with rose petals and fresh rose heads. More of Raelani's and David's playful personalities were represented in their cake topper.

We placed the buffet in the front foyer and Bradley fashioned a large centerpiece from our in-house silks and some of Raelani's hand-made buds.

Congratulations to Raelani and David on their personalized celebration that truly reflected them as a couple . . in "their house divided!"

Vendors:

Event Planning, Catering, Decor: Catering By Robert / Event Concepts . FL

Ashley Allred Davis, Designer

Photographer: Jorden McPhee and Mark Bowman

Wedding Flowers: Carmen's Flowers

Entertainment: Bill of DeLite Entertainment

Cake: Chef Nelson

Photo Booth: Mojo Photo Booth

Venue: Davis Islands Garden Club