Something Blue for your Beach Wedding

Lately, I've been so tickled with the creativity of our Brides when it comes to their Something Blue so I thought I would share a few pictures with you. I've seen everything from Blue toenails to Blue Garters but I think that these two are so fitting for the Beach. They are simple, understated, and yet beautiful.

This bride chose a crystal starfish brooch that had blue crystals at the tips to pin to the back of her dress. You can find a ton of starfish brooches on the Internet, I just loved that she pulled her Something Blue for her Beach Wedding in with a simple pin.

For some reason, this ring has stuck with me. It was so adorable and fit right in with the theme of her Beach Wedding. It was a Blue Plumeria ring that she fell in love with and decided it would be a perfect fit for her Something Blue on the Beach. I have to say, I agree!

So what will you choose for your Something Blue? Whatever it is, remember you are on the beach so make it creative, simple, and of course beautiful!

Tropical Sunset Beach Decor

We've been very hard at work coming up with new designs for our decor packages that will be posted to our website soon. This past weekend we had the pleasure of setting up our Tropical Sunset Beach Decor for one of my sweet Brides and it was a hit with everyone!  Thanks so much to Susan and Alex for "going with the flow" and giving us the freedom to set up their Ceremony with our new decor package.

When I started thinking of our new designs and color schemes I thought it was important to pull from the natural colors that surround our beautiful beaches. I have seen some of the most amazing sunsets at our Florida Beach Weddings that I thought it was fitting to have a decor package that mirrored the bright pinks, oranges, and golden browns that we see as the sun sets on our St. Pete and Clearwater Beaches. The sugar starfish and raffia add to the tropical, yet simple feel of this beach themed decor.  I am simply in love with this color scheme!

If you would like to see some additional pictures from our new Tropical Sunset Decor Package, click here

Stay tuned for our next color scheme...it is almost done and I am so excited about it! Think Caribbean Sea goes Nantucket ;)

Why you should have chairs for your Beach Wedding

Believe it or not, chairs are an important element to your Beach Wedding. They are not just an add on that should be discarded easily, they serve a real purpose...more than one actually!

It is important to remember that you are getting married on a Public Beach. For this reason, you will want to define your Wedding area and chairs do just that. When you see our white garden chairs set up on the beach everyone knows that there will be a Wedding there. Sunbathers and tourists respect this space and keep their distance. Additionally, having chairs set up for your Ceremony carves out the aisle for you to walk down. There is no question about where you are supposed to walk.

Chairs also act as a form of crowd control. Guests know exactly where to go when chairs are provided. More importantly they are sitting during the ceremony so the photographer is able to get all the great shots without having to step and weave through a crowd of guests that are crowding the Bride and Groom. Guests tend to move around alot at ceremonies where there are no chairs to get a better "view" of the ceremony and this can make it very difficult for the photographer to do their job. Our photographer would have never been able to get this shot if all 50 of their guests were standing around them.

Another often overlooked reason is elderly guests. If any of your guests have difficulty walking, tire easily, or have a medical condition you definately want to take this into consideration. Our beaches can be large and deep in some areas and your elderly guests will apprecite a chair to sit in after they have made the hike to your Wedding site.

So whether you have 10 guests or 125 guests, I always recommend that you have chairs.

Including Children in Your Beach Wedding Ceremony

If you or your future spouse have children you might want to consider including them in your Beach Wedding Ceremony. We work with many couples that want to include their children in the ceremony but don't want to expand their bridal parties to include flower girls, ring bearers, or Jr bridesmaids and groomsmen.

One of the simplest ways to include them is during the Sand Ceremony. There is a container filled with sand for each person and an empty container. Each person pours their sand into the empty container symbolizing the uniting of the bride, groom and children into one.  There is a part of the Sand Ceremony that says, "Just as these grains of sand can never be separated and poured again into the individual containers, so will your marriage and your family be united as one for all of your days".

 This ceremony is kid friendly and with the option to upgrade to colored sand you can bet that even the shyest of children will want to take part and pour their favorite color of sand into the jar just like Mom and Dad!

If you would like to see a copy of the entire Sand Ceremony, please email me and I would be happy to send it to you.

Beach Wedding Hair Accessories

Ok ladies I have something that I just have to share with you! I have a love for all things vintage and my youngest daughter who we call our "Fashion Diva" loves accessories. When I found Little Hatchlings I knew that I would be feeding into my daughter's addiction to headbands and hair accessories. Our friend Uyen over at Little Hatchlings recently made some headbands for my daughter that are amazing. She wears them everyday and even wants to sleep in them!

Uyen recently shared some pictures with me of some hair accessories that she made for a wedding and I just flipped over them. I knew that I had to share them with you. They are SO perfect for a simple, chic, or even vintage beach wedding. All of her pieces are lovingly handmade and unlike anything I have seen. And ladies, I will let you in on a secret....she takes custom orders!

Just imagine one of these on your Flower Girl...

Or even better, a beautiful hair comb like this one for you...

If you would like to see more examples of her hair accessories or custom order your Beach Wedding Hair Accessory, visit www.littlehatchlings.com and tell Uyen that you found her on our blog!

Treasure Island Beach Wedding for Two

Tricia and Tony eloped down to Florida all the way from Niagara Falls for their beach wedding. They wanted a beach that was private for their ceremony so we chose Sunset Beach in Treasure Island for their wedding location. Tony told me just before the ceremony that it was a dream come true to be getting married to Tricia on the beach. Their family was coming into town a couple of days later and they were going to surprise them with the news. (Tricia emailed me later to let me know that their family was so excited when they heard the news!)

We had a great time working with this sweet couple and it was very apparent that they are very much in love! Romantic couples just make me happy.

They giggled through a lot of the pictures and ended up with some great moments. As always, our Tampa Wedding Photographer, Booray Perry, was there to capture it all. We wish you many happy years of love and laughter!

Choosing Your Beach Wedding Flowers

One of the many decisions you'll make when planning your Florida Wedding on the Beach is what type flowers you want in your bouquet. This seems simple enough, right? Especially with all the dreamy pictures of bridal bouquets on the Internet! I mean, you can find so many gorgeous pictures of bouquets filled with Hydrangea, Calla Lillies, Peonies, and Tulips to name a few. One might think it would be as simple as finding a picture and saying "I want this one"...kind of like shopping from a catalog.

 There is one little fact that these beautiful pictures fail to mention. A lot of these flowers are grown in cooler climates.  Florida has beautiful, sunny, tropical weather most of the year and in some months the temperatures can reach above 90 degrees. This is in important fact to take into consideration when choosing your beach wedding flowers. The flowers you choose for your Florida Beach Wedding must be hearty enough to withstand even a small amount of time out in the sun. Hydrangea's for example, will start to wilt soon after being exposed to the heat. Flowers like Roses and Daisies are a much heartier flower and can withstand the heat longer.

Some of our packages come with a bouquet of hand tied Roses. I am sometimes asked if the Roses can be substituted for another flower. My answer is always the same, "Yes it can but, choose your flowers wisely" Whatever you choose, it must be able to withstand the heat. Gerber Daisies are usually a good substitute if they are in season.

If you really don't know what you want, don't worry...we are here to help you with this decision too. If you would like some additional tips or ideas for your beach wedding flowers, our Florist is happy to talk to you and give you suggestions that fit both your style and budget.

You Bring the Fun, We Deliver the Memories!

I cannot begin to tell you how much fun we had with Katie and Mike!! From the very beginning I can remember Mike saying, "We want creative pictures". I get this request a lot and I always reply, "If you bring your "A" game and allow yourself to let go and get in the moment then I can promise you that you will have pictures that look amazing!" Well they brought their A+++ game and Booray Perry was there to capture every moment.

I think that we covered every inch of St. Pete Beach for their Wedding Pictures. From the boardwalk to the Ocean and everything in between...even the showers! Yes, you read that right...even the showers! We ended up with so many great pictures that I had a hard time choosing which ones to share. Here are some (not all) of my favorites.

Mike and Katie had no problem getting in the water for this shot.

You would never know from this picture that the beach was packed with tourists on their Wedding Day! They opted to take a Sunset Cruise for their reception so we scheduled their ceremony for 2 o'clock in the afternoon and there were people everywhere. Despite that, they had no problem getting into the moment as if they were the only two on the Beach. Have I mentioned that we loved working with this couple?!

I love this shot because it makes you wonder what they are saying to each other and makes you feel like you are sharing a private moment with them. That's what I love most about the pictures that Booray takes...they evoke emotion.

And finally...the showers! I told you there were shower pictures!
Booray and I would like to thank Mike and Katie for allowing us the opportunity to work with them and wish them many happy years!

If you would like some tips on how to make your Wedding Day Pictures come alive, please contact me anytime.

Treasure Island Beach Wedding at the Sunset Vistas

Recently one of our Brides booked her hotel stay at the Sunset Vistas in Treasure Island. We've performed several Beach Weddings on the beach in front of this hotel, but I've never had one of my Brides actually stay there.  Our photographer, Booray Perry, was pleasantly surprised by some of the additional photo opportunities that this hotel provided.

They had Adirondack chairs in the most vibrant colors set up in the courtyard and the landscaping was beautiful.

This hotel sits right on the public beach in Treasure Island making it a very desirable hotel because you do not have to pay the hotel to use the beach and you have the added convenience of getting ready and walking down from your room and out onto the beach for your Wedding.

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures from this wedding.

Melissa and Scott, we wish you many happy years!



Beach Wedding Photography

There is so much thought that goes into planning a Destination Wedding. You begin with choosing a date, picking the perfect Florida beach, selecting wedding colors, making travel arrangements, reserving a restaurant for your reception dinner, etc. that is seems a shame to go home without the whole story being told. If I could offer one piece of advice over all others it would be to invest in your Beach Wedding Photography. Our photographers can be booked for additional time outside of your Wedding Package for those getting ready, dinner reception, or even cutting the cake pictures.

Your Wedding Day has a story to tell and this story is told through the pictures long after the big day has come and gone. We are very passionate about photography and want you to relive your wedding day for years to come. We are very fortunate to work with the photographers over at Booray Perry Photography to capture those moments during your Ceremony and immediately afterwards on the beach.  But remember the Ceremony is only a portion of your Wedding Day. It's important to think about the story you want to tell and book one of our photographers to capture those moments.

Pictures like this are something that will make you look back and smile as you remember your dress hanging there waiting to be put on!

The Lobster Pot Restaurant

I've been thinking that it might be informative to start blogging about some of the Restaurants that we recommend to our couples.  So with that in mind I decided to start with The Lobster Pot Restaurant located in Redington Shores.

This award winning Restaurant has been an icon in the Bay area for over 33 years and has been voted "BEST LOBSTER" by Tampa Bay Magazine for the past 13 years. Their menu features lobsters from around the world, fresh local seafood, distinctive meat selections, and an extensive wine list.

You can expect a fine dining experience with their staff's attention to detail and knowledge of both the menu and wine list. Booray and I recently had the pleasure of dining at The Lobster Pot and the food was exceptional. The only problem we anticipated was that I'm allergic to shellfish!  I'll be honest, I expected that Booray would get an incredible lobster ("Best Lobster" 13 years in a row is no accident) but what I didn't expect was one of the best steaks that I have ever had.  I have to admit that I'm a bit of a steak snob but Chef Steve prepared a steak for me that was melt in your mouth delicious!  Booray opted for the steak and lobster and said it was one of the best he'd ever had too.

So whether you are thinking of having an intimate dinner for two or a dinner reception for your out of town guests The Lobster Pot is close enough to all of the Beaches from St. Pete to Clearwater that you won't have to travel far. When you book your reception with them they custom print menus for you and your guests, offer Limo or Taxi transportation, and coordinate their weekly fresh flower order to coordinate with your Wedding colors.

Their front dining room can accommodate a reception as large as 75 people and their back dining room can accommodate around 34 people. On the weekends they even have live jazz music in their Martini Lounge!

If you would like additional information about making dinner reservations or reserving The Lobster Pot for your reception contact Laurean Vincent at 727-460-9485.

Simple Heart in the Sand for a Simple Beach Wedding

Every year lots of Brides come to our beautiful Beaches here in Florida to get Married. Many times it's just the Bride and Groom that want to have their feet in the sand with the backdrop of the ocean and sunset. For a Simple Ceremony like this you might not want the added expense of an arch so I have an affordable alternative for you. If you've shopped around (and I know you have) you've seen the ever-famous Heart in the Sand. Some versions are just sand sculpted into a heart while others are silk flower garland shaped into a heart. Personally, I am a softy when it comes to real flowers so when I had a bride request a Heart in the Sand I decided that it should be done with rose petals.

Yes, it's simple. I think it adds a nice touch to a very intimate ceremony between a bride and a groom. It gives you a defined area on the beach that is yours and yours alone.

So what does it cost? The Heart in the Sand will cost your around $100.

Beach Wedding Invitation Etiquette

Of all the rules and guidelines that you have to follow with wedding etiquette, the Invitation can be the most confusing. Your Beach Wedding is supposed to be carefree and relaxed. After all, that's why you decided to get married on the beach...right?   

Passport Invitation by Beach WedLock

I asked our friend Renae with Beach WedLock Invitations for some advice to help guide you through the process and simplify the etiquette for your Beach Wedding. They have a fabulous collection of invitations that are fun, creative, and perfect for your Florida Beach Wedding! While this post doesn't cover everything, we think it covers the most important points.

Joanne and Dave's Romantic Clearwater Beach Wedding

Joanne and Dave came to us all the way from Illinois to get married on Clearwater Beach. They stayed at the Clearwater Beach Marriott Suites on Sand Key and the staff there was nice enough to bring Joanne over separately on one of their golf carts so she could make an entrance!

This is one of my favorite pictures from the day. We wish Joanne and Dave many happy years!

Sand Key Park Wedding in Clearwater - Kim and Jason

When Kim first called me she had her heart set on getting married on Clearwater Beach. This is no surprise as Clearwater has some of the most beautiful beaches and is probably the most requested Beach from Brides. Typically, when a Bride calls and wants to get married on Clearwater Beach we suggest Sand Key Park. It's a beautiful white sand Beach that is away from the main strip and the large Hotels that line the Beach.

We want to personally congratulate Kim and Jason. We had so much fun working with you...here are a few of my favorite pictures from the Wedding.

Booking Your Destination Wedding

How far in advance do you need to book your Destination Wedding? This is an important question with a not-so-clear answer. You've heard the term "Early Bird Gets the Worm". I would say this applies to your Wedding date as well. The Bride that plans ahead is going to get her pick of date, Beach, reception location, and of course the ever so popular Bamboo Canopy seen in so many of our Wedding Pictures. While we can accommodate a very simple wedding, such as our "I Do for Two" package on a moments notice, Weddings that require decor such as a Bamboo Arch, Bamboo Canopy, and Chairs are available in limited quantities and once they are booked for a specific day they are no longer available to other Brides booking on the same day.

If you will have guests attending, you will need to consider booking a block of rooms at one of our hotels along the Beach.  Most of the hotels will give you a final date that all rooms must be booked in order to secure your reservations. Believe it or not, this can be a monumental task to get everyone to reserve their rooms and pay a deposit if necessary.

Beach Wedding Tip

I have a little tidbit for you...perfect for your Florida Beach Wedding in every way! Being a resident of Florida, I know all to well just how warm it can get down on the beach during our Summer months.  Part of my job as your Beach Wedding Coordinator is to help with the little details that leave that lasting impression. What better way to save your guests from the heat than to provide them with Bamboo Fans. Not only will they keep your guests cool but they go with our beautiful Bamboo Canopy and can double as your aisle decor. Just add a little bit of coordinating ribbon and a flower and you are all set!

Want more information on how you can personalize your Beach Wedding? Call, email, or visit our website for information on our Florida Beach Wedding Packages, and check back often for more ideas.