Calling All Readers: Bride Debbie Needs Your Assistance!
June 4, 2009Debbie came to The Florida Bride’s Blog for some assistance with selecting her wedding vendors for her upcoming wedding in the Destin area of Florida. However, we are still putting the finishing touches on our vendor list, so we’ve decided to enlist your help for Debbie!
In order to help you make better recommendations, we asked Debbie a few questions to help you all get to know her and her fiancé Andrew, and their vision for their wedding.
The Florida Bride’s Blog: Tell us about the proposal.
Debbie: Andrew & I were in Panama City, FL for our long awaited vacation, which was actually our first vacation we ever had by ourselves. On our second day there, Andrew had asked me if we could go over to the marina to watch the boats come in for the day and grab a few drinks. I thought nothing of it because Andrew just loves boats. When we got there, Andrew said he had played a trick on me and that he had chartered a sailboat to take us on a sunset cruise. I was speechless. I knew I had mentioned wanting to go on a group dolphin tour or sunset cruise when we were down there, but nothing came of it. I couldn’t believe he had actually done all of this for me! We got all set on the boat and headed off on our cruise. It was a beautiful evening and Andrew and I were enjoying our time relaxing, having a few drinks, and chatting. I do admit, I couldn’t help but think that this would be a perfect time for Andrew to propose (after 3 years of dating). BUT, I had to get that thought out of my mind because if he didn’t, I didn’t want to be all disappointed and ruin the wonderful surprise Andrew planned. Well, when Andrew and I ran out of drinks, he went to go grab a few more. When he got back, he told me I needed to stand up. Obviously, I knew what was going on then and was just ecstatic. Andrew got down on his knee, pulled the ring out of his pocket and just made the most wonderful proposal. I was sobbing and Andrew was trembling, and we were both just so happy. I could not have asked for a more perfect proposal!
The Florida Bride’s Blog: What an incredibly sweet proposal! We’re already thinking of ways to start incorporating some of those memories into your wedding celebration. Have you chosen a date yet?
The Florida Bride’s Blog:Okay, we know you’re looking at Destin or Sandestin, FL. What vendors are you looking to receive recommendations for?
Debbie: We need recommendations for the following: Photographer Videographer Florist Ceremony/Reception location Rehearsal Dinner Location
The Florida Bride’s Blog: Our readers are a creative bunch. Tell us a bit about your theme ideas so they can give you the perfect recommendations!
Debbie: I want a simple, yet elegant wedding. I want to incorporate the beach into the wedding, but not overdo it. Some things I want to incorporate the beach into are: the invitations, the place cards, the centerpieces, etc. I’ve already decided I want white flowers for the wedding, and my accent color will probably be a royal blue, which will also be the color of the bridesmaid dresses. The groomsmen will wear khaki linen pants and white dress shirts. The groom will wear a khaki suit. I want to have the wedding ceremony on the beach around sunset with a canopy with flowers on it, white chairs, and some flower petals down the isle/runner. And for the reception, we’re thinking about moving that inside in a ballroom.
The Florida Bride’ Blog: As you know, when looking at potential venues, it is very important to consider the size of the guest list. Tell us a bit about your guest list, and any other ideas or thoughts you may have.
Debbie: We are inviting probably 150 people or so to the wedding, but we know a lot won’t do the travel for it, so we don’t expect to have over 100 people there, probably about 75 will go. We want to have the wedding and reception at the same resort venue. And as for the resort, we would ideally like it to have a golf course there and a spa/salon so the bridal party won’t have to travel around for the golf day and getting ready. There are still lots of smaller details that I haven’t thought a ton about yet like: music for the ceremony (I do want a DJ for the reception), buffet or plated dinner, linens, etc..
The Florida Bride’s Blog: Great! Thanks so much Debbie! We can’t wait to see what our readers come up with for you.
Now, readers, if you’ve got a recommendation for Debbie, please leave it in the comments section, and we’ll make sure she sees it. In addition to the vendors she needs help with, if her thoughts gave you a wedding inspiration or idea she could possibly incorporate, feel free to comment with that as well.
As a way to thank you for your time, one reader who gives advice or a recommendation will receive a $10 Target giftcard, courtesy of The Florida Bride’s Blog. |
Ashley: Check out Memories by Micha photography. Her web address is memoriesbymicha.com. She's right outside of Destin and does weddings there very often!
Amanda McMahon: Hi Debbie, I would LOVE to help you, as your photographer, for your big day! We are fresh, young and creative and work exclusively with our brides to create a package that suits their wedding style, and personality! I would LOVE to chat with you via email or phone (whichever is better for you) about your photography dreams for your wedding! Please check out my website www.AmandaMcMahon.com and blog http://amandamcmahon.wordpress.com and email me :)
Debbie: First of all, I want to thank Danielle and Cassandra for doing all of this to help with my wedding! I'm super excited to hear all of the responses and recommendations! :) And a pre-thank you to everyone who helps out with wedding ideas! I think we've just about decided on the venue for the ceremony and reception: the Hilton Sandestin...any thoughts on it?!
Melanie Watson: We shot at the Hilton Sandestin before and it sounds like it would be a great place to consider for Debbie's wedding. It has golf for the guys, a spa, a variety of locations for ceremony and reception (ballrooms, beach, oceanfront decks and sunrooms). The staff was fabulous when we worked with them and even hosted a beach bonfire for the after rehearsal dinner festivities. The beach is literally just feet from the ballrooms so it would be a perfect place for Debbie to check out. I can just see the cocktail hour on the pool deck overlooking the ocean while the wedding party takes pictures in the setting sun. Gorgeous! Here is a link: http://www.sandestinbeachhilton.com/?WT.srch=1&WT.mc_id=2170
Melanie Watson: ahaha... I guess I should read the comments before I post huh Debbie? ;) Sounds like we think alike. You will definitely love it there. One of our favorite venues to work with. The beach is gorgeous there too. Let me know if you have any questions about photography. :)
Staci: I definitely recommend my photographers: Kara & Jeremy Pennington! You can check out their blog at www.karapennington.net and see some of my engagement pics on my wedding website. They did an amazing job and were tons of fun to work with. They are a young, husband and wife team and are well worth the investment!!
Micha Everett: I would love to shoot your wedding love that proposal. Please check out my work at www.memoriesbymicha.com!
Ginny: Hi Debbie, I've been to a ton of wedding here along the gulf coast...here are my top 10 picks: 1. Cake: without question confections on the coast; Rhonda 850-259-5102 2. Makeup: Renee from two fishes artistry 850-293-0087 3. Catering: Best along the emerald coast is Todd from Blue Mountain Catering : 850-830-5376 You could also do you rehearsal dinner at the Lake Place restaurant 4. Photograhpy: Dede Edwards www.dedeedwards.com 850-543-0426 She's a great fun photographer and I recommend her to all my friends. 5. locations: Baytowne Wharf..I wouldn't do the hilton beach side because it gets really crowded in the summer and you may find yourself getting married next to a volley ball game. I would suggest getting married on the lawn in baytowne. Your guest could stay there (no driving a plus) and you could also rent a nice yacht from the marina if you wanted to do something like that. 6. Flowers: Fisher Flowers www.fisherflowersandevents.com 850-231-5822 7. videography: Debra 251-209-4949 8. Hair! The most important part...Ashley from Salon Twist, 850-231-7853 9. another location...if you wanted to rent a beach house check out Mimosa Morning at grayton beach; if you google it you should find it via VRBO 10. Again, I would check out the Village of Baytowne all of your guests can stay there plus there's the Residence Inn Marriott and other hotels close by. Hope this helps. All the best! Ginny
Lauren Speirs: Hi Debbie, I recently got hitched in the South Walton area & met/used some GREAT vendors! I can give you some suggestions :) If you need a planner go with It's a Shore Thing...fabulous ladies! www.itsashorething.net Photographer: Check out Rae Leytham Photography (www.raeleytham.com) or their blog @ (www.raeleytham.net). They are so much fun to work with & their work is amazing :) Flowers: Celestines Special Occasions (http://www.celestinesspecialoccasions.com/). They did my flowers & i loved them..these ladies are pros & very sweet. Congrats & enjoy planning because it goes by so fast! Best of Luck :)
Starry-Eyed Barefoot Bride: I HIGHLY recommend my photog - Rae Leytham. Its a husband and wide team that have great personalities, the best equipment, and AMAZING photog skills. http://www.raeleytham.com They are based out of Pensacola, but they travel. (Including to Panama City where my wedding was!) :) For your rehearsal dinner, I would recommend one of the resturants in Baytown Wharf. The whole area has such a great atmosphere and is right on the water (bay side - not gulf). http://www.raeleytham.net/?p=2062 That is the blog post of a BEAUTIFUL wedding with in Destin. I know people who have worked with all those vedors before and love them. I am a big fan of the group that did the flowers: http://www.celestinesspecialoccasions.com/ Another location to check out is Henderson State Park. I've seen some beautiful weddings there. http://www.raeleytham.net/?p=1389
Gretchen: First of all congratulations! I just got married in Destin on April 25th, 2009 and it was absolutely fabulous. We weren't from the area so had to figure it all out on our own as well. All of our vendors were excellent and I highly recommend them. Our fabulous photographers were Pure 7 Studios (www.pure7studios.com). Our pictures are up on their blog www.pure7studios.com/blog. Not only are our pictures great, but they are completely on top of the business side as well. They didn't delay in getting back to me when I asked them questions. Our reception was on the patio of Trader Vic's at The Palms of Destin. We wanted an outdoor feeling for our reception, but wanted it covered in case of rain. Trader Vic's fit the bill for both of those. We got married on the beach and were able to do it at Silver Shells Resort (right across 98 from Trader Vic's) since they are owned/run by the same hotel managment company. The Palms of Destin let us use their shuttle bus to transport guests to the beach and back for a minimal fee. Patty Bilbo from It's a Perfect Day (www.perfectdayweddingflorist.com) did all of our floral arrangements along with supplying the benches, stakes for our paper lanterns and arbor for our beach ceremony. We hired steel drumsPensCola Steel (http://www.colasteel.com) to play for our pre-ceremony cocktail hour and ceremony on the beach. Our DJ for the recepion was Darren from B Boy Productions (www.bboyproductions.com). We ordered our cake from the Paradise Key Publix (www.publix.com) and it turned out perfect. It was super moist and delicious. I hope this helps. Good luck and enjoy planning your wedding!
Gretchen: I forgot to add that we used Zampieri's Harbor Grille (www.zampierisharborgrille.com) for our rehearsal dinner site. It was perfect. It's multi-leveled and we had the bottom room to ourselves for dinner. After dinner we joined the rest of our guests in the bar area of the restaurant.
Julianne: Check out Bonifay Florist. they aren't in Destin, but really close and will accomodate you. Ask for Angie, she is amazing and is so full of ideas. I went in with a very specific image in my head but couldnt quite articulate it, she knew exactly what to do and the flowers were even better than I expected! It's a small florist in a small town so the prices are a little lower than some of the big vendors around Destin. Good Luck!
Julianne: As far as photographers go, don't limit yourself to the Destin or even panhandle area. Most photographers will travel, so I would just find someone you love and then bring them to you rather than limiting yourself to someone local. We used Kylene at foreverbykylene.com our of Tallahassee for our wedding photos and Scarlett Lillian of scarlettlillian.net in Jacksonville for our trash the dress. both amazing photographers but 2 very different styles. I have seen micha's work as well, like some other commenters have posted, she does really good work.