Downtown St. Pete Wedding | The Birchwood Wedding
For the couple who made their home together in Florida, it was a natural choice to have a local, St. Pete wedding.
“My husband is a St. Petersburg native and his family runs a small business in the area,” Caitlin explained. “It really has become a destination, and we wanted to share our home with our closest friends and family.”
The St. Pete couple's classic and romantic wedding included a palette of light green and dusty pinks and several DIY projects.
“Personal touches were the most important,” the bride said. “A lot of the things were crafted by me, such as the ceremony programs, the name tags at each seat, the table arrangement listing, the welcome bags and the explanation of the green bench to provide our guests with some history about the city.”
Marrying into a family with a small business, Caitlin made it a priority to support local vendors.
“Because we were having a wedding in our hometown, I wanted to try to use as many local vendors as I could. I found A&P Designs in St. Pete's growing “Edge” District, which is becoming a center for the arts in the community. Alicia and Pat [of A&P Designs] were so great to work with and are so imaginative in what they create for their clients,” the bride gushed about her wedding stationery. “I wanted a handmade letterpress suite for my wedding invitations that reflected us, so there is a cute bicycle at the top of the invitation.”
Finding a St. Pete wedding photographer who could tell the story of their wedding day was important to Caitlin and Mickey.
“I was really looking for a wedding photographer who could capture special moments and candids, as opposed to standard portraits. I wanted to make sure that we could be ourselves for the engagement session and the wedding photos,” the bride explained. “I fell in love with Rana of Roohi Photography following the work she did for a friend's wedding. She was able to take beautiful shots that really captured the energy from the day. She was just the loveliest person throughout the whole process, and I truly feel like her and I became friends.”
Looking back, one of the bride's most memorable moments occurred on the way to her wedding reception.
“Everything about that day was memorable. I loved the open air trolley ride we took around the city, just enjoying the moment of being married and waving to passers by,” Caitlin reminisced.
What did you look for in your wedding invitations?
I wanted a handmade letterpress suite for my wedding invitations that reflected us, so there is a cute bicycle at the top of the invitation. I also wanted the card stock and colors to match the wedding colors, so we used a taupe and off white color palette, with a pop of coral on the interior of the envelopes. I loved how they came out.
Because we were having a wedding in our hometown, I wanted to try to use as many local vendors as I could. I found A&P Designs in St. Pete's growing “Edge” District which is becoming a center for the arts in the community. Alicia and Pat were so great to work with and are so imaginative in what they create for their clients. I loved how they worked with my budget and listened to all of my ideas. I would highly recommend them for an invitations or stationary.
What did you look for in wedding hair and makeup?
I was looking for a romantic, half-up hairstyle for my wedding day, with subtle curls. I also wanted very light make up for a natural look.
I was referred to Lasting Luxe through my photographer when I was first looking for someone to do my hair for my engagement shoot. I was very happy with the results from Michele [of Lasting Luxe] and asked her about their services for the wedding “day of.” She sent two makeup artists/hair stylists to my bridal suite at the Vinoy for the “day of,” which was so convenient for the girls. My bridesmaids were thrilled with their hair and makeup. To make sure I got exactly what I wanted, Dena came to my house a few months prior and did a trial run. It was such a lovely experience working with her, and she listened to all of my concerns.
The Proposal:
Mickey and I lived together prior to getting engaged. It was a Saturday afternoon, and we had been doing chores and running around. It was just a simple conversation which started off by us discussing the house, whether we would stay there and how much we loved living together. He then popped the question very simply and gave me a gorgeous ring. I think I was in utter shock because instead of saying yes right away, I asked if he was sure! I eventually said “Yes,” and we immediately went out to celebrate with his family.
Share your wedding dress shopping experience:
The dress I found was lace, cream and elegant. I added buttons down the back and cap sleeves as I didn't want to follow the strapless trend. Unfortunately I could not have it altered in Connecticut [where the bride purchased it], so I found Isabel O'Neil Bridal because they were a Romona Keveza seller.
Isabel O'Neil Bridal went above and beyond to work with the store in Connecticut (since it was ordered too small!) and were in constant contact to relieve me of my fears that it would not fit. I have recommended Isabel O'Neil to a lot of my friends who have had similar experiences with them, not to mention they sell some of the most gorgeous dresses in the area.
What did you look for in a wedding photographer?
For me, I was really looking for a wedding photographer who could capture special moments and candids, as opposed to standard portraits. I also knew that Mickey was not comfortable with posing for photos, so I wanted to make sure that our photographer could just allow us to be ourselves for the engagement session and the wedding photos.
I fell in love with Rana of Roohi Photography following the work she did for a friend's wedding. She was able to take beautiful shots that really captured the energy from the day. Working with her was effortless. She made us feel like it was “just us,” and she just happened to be there memorializing it all in pictures. She was just the loveliest person throughout the whole process, and I truly feel like her and I became friends. She and I already joke that she will be doing our future family sessions when the time comes.
How would you describe your theme?
I'm not sure if our wedding had a “theme” per se. I think like many brides these days, I became a Pinterest junkie and pinned everything I liked. Once I started looking through my pins, I found that the majority of the photographs had similar aspects: succulents, light colors, natural light and delicate touches, such as antique lace. So for me, I think my theme was classic, clean and somewhat romantic.
What were your colors?
I have never been one for bold colors and jewel tones, so I wanted light, natural colors. My florist and I chose dusty rose, off white, light green and grey as the main colors for the arrangements and those worked out perfectly in complimenting the J.Crew bridesmaids dresses, which were grey and light/dusty pink.
What advice would you give to other Tampa Bay Brides?
Having a planner leading up to the wedding and for “day of” things was well worth the money and saved me from a lot of freakouts and headaches, especially because I could not devote a ton of time to planning while working as a full-time attorney.
Another bit of advice; make sure you have a rain plan! It poured for our rehearsal dinner and up until two hours before the wedding. Granted we got married during hurricane season so we had to plan for it, but I would make sure every bride inquire as to whether or not their venue can accommodate people in the rain!
Ceremony Venue: The Mahaffey Theater
Reception Venue: The Birchwood
Photographer: Roohi Photography
Planner: Anna Lucia Events
Florist: 2Birds Events
Caterer: The Birchwood
Ceremony Cake: Cakes by Carolynn
Reception Cake: Wright's Gourmet House
DJ: DJ Knex
Officiant: Sensational Ceremonies
Invitations: A&P Designs *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Transportation: Friendly Kia Trolley
Dress Shop and Designer: The White Dress By The Shore (Connecticut) – Romona Keveza
Alterations: Isabel O'Neil Bridal Collection *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Pro
Dress Sash: Tuline
Bridesmaid Dress Shop and Designer: J.Crew
Hair & Makeup: Lasting Luxe
Cookies: All The Buzz Cookies
Getting Ready Hotel: The Vinoy Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club *Marry Me Tampa Bay Preferred Wedding Venue
