It’s oh-so-fitting that we are sharing Kristin and Ryan’s St. Pete wedding today because it’s full of two of Lauren’s favorite things: St. Petersburg and color! And today just so happens to be our Fearless Leader’s BIRTHDAY! Whether you follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter or simply read our blog, please wish Lauren the happiest of days. She’s our favorite, friends.
Kristin is a teacher, and she knew she wanted to get married during the summer. However, the Florida heat caused her and Ryan to change their outdoor wedding into one that was held inside at Mirror Lake Lyceum. K+R planned their wedding in just six months, and the pair knew they wanted to fill their reception space with beautiful pops of color. Their bright pink, coral, white, and gold palette is fantastic, y’all! The ceremony aisles were lined with blooms by one of our wonderful go-to gals, Andrea Layne Floral Design, and candles and even more flowers surrounded them while they recited their vows. Inside the reception space, the tables featured the prettiest opulent centerpieces and the cake by Hands on Sweets is definitely not to be missed!
Kristin is graciously chatting with us below in order to share her best planning secrets (she and Ryan allocated their budget to their top three must-haves first – a great idea), plus Sarah and Ben captured each and every can’t-miss-it image below.
What (or who) helped you most in your planning process and/or on your wedding day?
I didn’t have a wedding planner, I mostly planned on my own through the use of Pinterest and blogs. My Pinterest boards were extremely organized and this helped me keep track of my “vision” for the wedding. We were only engaged for 6 months, I had to get started right away and make decisions pretty quickly.
We selected our photographers first and they gave us great recommendations for vendors. We ended up going with many of their preferred vendors…so it made for a great team! We had our friend, Brittani Luongo, coordinate day of. She did a great job connecting with the vendors and keeping everything on track throughout the day. There day went extremely smooth!
What was the most important thing to you when deciding who to work with for your wedding?
We personally met with every vendor for the wedding. We wanted to use local, small businesses for everything. And I loved that all our vendors were great people who had extreme attention to detail. At our consultation meetings, all my vendors seemed to capture my vision and they really made all the details feel custom. I was able to trust all of them 100% when I came to the day of the I wedding.
What was your inspiration for your wedding details and/or design?
I really wanted an outdoor, garden wedding but we also wanted to get married in the summer. (I’m a teacher and have summers off!) Since we live in Florida, an outdoor wedding in late June was out of the question. For this reason, I tried to use a lot of florals and bright natural, colors inside.
What was your favorite thing about your wedding?
The cake and the band!
I thought the cake was a beautiful centerpiece at the reception. As soon as it arrived, during our reception set-up, I was all smiles and couldn’t wait for everyone to see it. And it tasted amazing. HandsOnSweets is who made our cake and they are wonderful.
The band made the night a total party. It was a definitely a splurge and not in our original budget, but we shifted things around and made it work. In the end, the live music definitely brought the party to the next level. We danced the entire reception!
What is your best piece of advice for other brides?
If you have a budget, put money towards things that matter to you and save on things that aren’t a big deal to you.
To me, I wanted great food, flowers and great music..that’s where we splurged. The rest we were conservative in the costs.
Vendors who made it all happen…
Photographer: Sarah & Ben // Invitation Designer: A&P Designs // Floral Designer: Andrea Layne Floral Design // Band: Bay Kings Band//Bridesmaid Dresses: Bella Bridesmaids // Caterer: Catering by Lundys // Bakery: Dough // Caterer: Good Food Catering Company // Bakery: Hands on Sweets // Makeup Artist: Jess Waldrop – Makeup Artists // Cinema and Video: Longen Films// Groomsman Attire: Men’s Wearhouse // Reception Venue: Mirror Lake Lyceum // Dress Store: the dressing room // Lighting:The Production Crew
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