Hooray for another successful and beautiful wedding!  This weekend Chrismarie and Peter were wed at the beautiful and historic Sacred Heart Catholic Church in downtown Tampa, followed by a reception at the dear-to-my-heart Davis Islands Garden Club.   

I met this couple nearly two years ago when they first began planning their wedding.  They lived in New York at the time, where Peter was a NYPD officer.  They were such great clients, attacking the planning process EARLY for a change! J  They started with an invitation and color scheme for inspiration.  The stationery featured a silver turtle dove and wreath motif, and the color scheme consisted of shades of blue with accents of silver and white.  The result was a stunning, elegant, and timeless wedding. 

The cathedral’s grand entrance was accented with fresh floral wreaths suspended on the wooden doors. The bride arrived in style in a white phantom Rolls Royce (thank you to Ambassador Limousine).  Her bouquet featured white ranunculus, roses, tulips, and orchids.  The bridesmaids wore two-toned blue satin tea-length dresses tied with rhinestone-studded sashes, and carried bouquets of blue hydrangea and white tulips, and the maid of honor carried a special bouquet of white roses, white tulips, and yellow daffodils. 

The bride and groom exchanged traditional marriage vows complete with a Catholic mass.  While exchanging rings, the groom whispered “I’ve been waiting for this” to his new bride.  It was a beautiful and emotional ceremony. 

Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed a cocktail hour on the outdoor veranda of the Davis Islands Garden Club.  In honor of the groom’s NYPD roots, we created a custom guest book we dubbed the “guest-booking station”.  We drew from the idea of “booking” suspects by incorporating fingerprinting and mugshots into the guestbook.  Guests had their “mugshots” taken with dry erase boards they personalized with messages for the bride and groom.  They then placed their Polaroid in the guestbook and were fingerprinted on the same page.  LOVE IT!! 

The escort card display featured the same silver bird motif as the wedding invitations. 

Inside, the reception tables featured light blue linens and silver charger plates.  The centerpieces consisted of cascading arrangements of white roses, white orchids, and green amaranthus cradled in a large martini glass paired with a smaller martini glass brimming with floating candles.  Tiny crystal gemstones were sprinkled below along with some scattered crystal votives.  The room was uplit with turquoise LED lighting.  The DJ mixed Latin beats, old-school favorites like Michael Jackson, and top 40 and kept the guests dancing all night – they didn’t want the party to end!  (kudos to RJ at The Production Crew) 

Guests enjoyed favors of salt and pepper shaker “love birds”.  (you can find these at weddingstar) 

The wedding cake was a gorgeous 4 tier masterpiece, iced in buttercream and trimmed with fresh flowers.  The front center tier was piped with two turtle doves and a wreath to compliment the bride and groom’s theme.  (Cake provided by Olympia Catering)

Before opening the dance floor for all the guests, the bride changed into her lace mini dress by simply removing her silk floor-length overskirt.  Her convertible wedding gown was designed by Martina Liana.  Truly amazing! 

At the end of the night, the bride and groom were sent off in a blaze of sparklers and climbed into their white phantom Rolls Royce again. 

Congratulations Chrismarie & Peter.  Enjoy your honeymoon!!