The Sandbar, anna maria island

Beach Boho Inspired Wedding

Wedding Budget $20,000

What the couple requested and how we made it happen:

An intimate beach ceremony with touches of boho design and then a private residence reception that's elegant and filled with lots of candles. Both designs had to be different to incorporate the bride's love of both styles. Also to provide the mother with a stress-free day since the reception will be at her home

Simple Boho Themed Ceremony

A bamboo arch with clusters of dried palm fronds and hints of whites and greens

Color palette: white, cream and brown

Venue: The Sandbar- Anna Marie Island

Elegant Winter Starlight Reception

Venue: Private residence

Rentals: US Tent Rentals/Linens by the Sea

Velvet Silver Linen for the Sweetheart Table

Metallic Marble Linen for Guest Tables

Crystal clear Chiavari chairs

White with silver-rimmed china

Billow Silver Chargers

Florist: Ms. Scarlett's Flowers

Minimal flowers with a winter inspiration of whites, greens and cute pinecones

Caterer: Isola Bella Italian Eatery

Photobooth: White Tie Booths

Cake/Desserts: Hometown Desserts

HMU: Ashlee Ann Hair and Makeup

Lighting: Affairs In the Air

DJ: Go DJ Productions

Photographer: Blue Anchor Love Photography

Things that went wrong and how we handled the situation to fix the problem:

An hour before the wedding reception began my CME team received a call that the catering manager for the evening fell ill due to COVID, and unfortunately would not be able to perform his duties safely. Seeing as it was New Year's Eve they had no other staff member to replace the manager. In a moment I was able to step in and fulfill the role of both planner and catering manager for the dinner service. The catering chef, serving staff and I worked seamlessly to provide a well-organized dinner service. There were no soggy salads, drinks were always filled and each guest had their correctly ordered entree in a timely manner. It was wonderful to hear at the end of the night that the couple, the guests, and even the mother of the bride were oblivious to any problems occurring in the kitchen!

Amazing personalized details:

Billy was very laid back during the planning process and wanted anything that would make Stephanie happy... seriously adorable! The one time Billy perked up was when we started discussing wedding cakes. He wanted more than anything an ice cream cake, but of course, you can't have that outside in Florida. So Stephanie and I planned to surprise Billy with an ice cream groom's cake that we kept hidden until the very last moment. I live for these extra special moments.... look at that happy face!

Design details and how it came together:

Design focused on lots of candlelight throughout so they glistened off the metallic details of the guest linen and decorative charger plates.. I loved the painted candle bottles in the window sill!

Using several planning tools I designed a to-scale reception layout of the private residence backyard. This was crucial to ensure there was space for the guest tables, dance floor and photo booth.