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.