Elegant Downtown Tampa The Floridan Palace Wedding | Northside Florist Wedding
As a preferred wedding florist for downtown Tampa venue The Floridan Palace, Northside Florist designed flowers for Laura and Jon’s elegant ivory, gold and blush wedding.
The bride and groom’s wedding ceremony took place at the iconic Sacred Heart Catholic Church and featured large ivory floral arrangements on each side of the altar, while Laura carried blush pink rose and white hydrangea bouquet down the aisle.
Located just blocks from the historic ceremony venue, The Floridan Palace’s elegant reception room set the tone for the couple’s romantic Downtown Tampa wedding.
Laura was focused on a specific gold candelabra centerpiece that would complement the tall ceilings of the Floridan ballroom, and we were one of the only downtown Tampa wedding florists who had them in stock.
“I interviewed numerous florists who had never worked with those candelabras before or would have to order them but Northside Florist had done them for numerous receptions at the Floridan,” the explained. “Meeting with Kathy Gilbert, the owner of Northside Florist, was like meeting my flower fairy godmother! The centerpieces, bouquets, and other flowers that she made were absolutely perfect and lasted quite a while even after the wedding weekend.”
The Proposal:
Our proposal took place at Bern’s Steakhouse. It was actually the week that we were moving into our new home. Jon called me and said that since it was the night before the moving trucks came, we should go out and celebrate our new home purchase.
So after a delicious and lengthy dinner, we went to Bern’s Dessert Room and as we settled in to wait for our bananas foster, a server brought a crystal dish with a cover on it. They set it in front of me, but I just kept talking and laughing. I do remember telling him, “We didn’t order this.” It wasn’t until Jon got very quiet, took off the lid and got down on one knee that I even realized what was happening. By then, a group of servers with cameras had gathered around us to take pictures and video. He had always said that he wanted us to be engaged before we moved in together, and he definitely made that happen!
What did you look for in a wedding florist?
I don’t know a lot about flowers, but I had a very specific idea about the color palette and size, so it was important to me that we hire a florist with extensive knowledge who was willing to take my ideas and run with them.
Kathy Gilbert, the owner of Northside Florist, had a great sense of what I wanted from just one meeting. She even found a way for me to attach a small frame of my deceased maternal Abuelo (grandfather) to my bouquet so that I could “carry” him down the aisle with me. I remember looking down at his picture a couple of minutes before I started walking down the aisle and it is a memory that I will treasure forever. She made that possible and I will never forget that!
How would you describe your theme?
Classic color palette, romantic but modern touches and guests dressed in black tie attire. I wanted everything to be elegant and classy, but not uptight.
What were your colors?
Ivory, gold and a touch of blush pink. I chose them because I wanted a traditional color palette that would look elegant from start to finish.
Ceremony Venue: Sacred Heart Catholic Church | Reception Venue: Floridan Palace | Photographer: Melissa Lauren Images | Videographer: Hearts Video | Planner: Ideal Design Events | Florist: Northside Florist | Caterer/Linens: Floridan Palace | Rentals: Ideal Design Events | Cake: Olympia Catering | DJ/Lighting/Draping: Delite Entertainment | Officiant: Father Frank Critch from Sacred Heart Catholic Church | Transportation: Network Limousines | Dress: David’s Bridal | Bridesmaid Dresses: David’s Bridal | Hair & Makeup: Destiny & Light Hair and Makeup Group