​Sarasota’s Powel Crosley Estate could not have been a more perfect location for Marisa and Casey’s wedding, and our Jennifer Matteo Event Planning team loved helping them tell their story.
 
This beautiful classic wedding design in blue and gold truly complimented the wedding venue’s incredible architecture and detailing.
 
Marissa looked stunning in her magnificent lace gown with a sweeping train and plunging sweetheart neckline. The look was complimented by shimmering Stuart Weitzman pumps and a white hand-tied bouquet of roses, garden roses, ranunculus, anemone with fresh rosemary and eucalyptus adding a touch of greenery.
 
Her bridal party wore tailored pale blue bridesmaids dresses and carried lush bouquets of greenery and a few pops of white floral.
 
Not to be left out, Casey and his groomsmen looked sharp, dressed in classic black tuxes with satin notch collars and bow ties.
 
After their first look, Marisa and Casey exchanged their wedding vows on the steps of the estate under a crystal chandelier, officiated by the bride’s uncle. The majestic columns flanking the couple were adorned with large swags of white florals.
 
The incredible outdoor wedding reception that followed was set against the backdrop of the two-and-a-half-story Mediterranean mansion. 
 
Guest tables were draped in white linen and accented with large clusters of greenery and flickering white pillar candles in glass cylinders. Gold charger plates, soft blue napkins with custom menu cards, individual laser cut name plaques and fresh rosemary added the perfect, very personal touch to the reception. Vintage pressed blue glassware and gold acrylic tables numbers added another nod to the color story.
 
The couple’s sweetheart table was an incredible focal point. They were seated on an elegant powder blue settee behind a beautiful wooden two drawer table. The drawers opened toward guests and overflowed with eucalyptus and white roses with gold glass votives completing the look.
 
After their first dance the band faded into a hora and a brief dance set before guests were seated for a delicious dinner and night of dancing under the shimmering market lights and Sarasota sky.

It was a pleasure for our Jennifer Matteo Event Planning team to plan Meredith and Jorge’s incredible downtown Sarasota wedding at the brand new Art Ovation Hotel. 
 
The deep red and metallic gold color palette played well with all of the modern detailing of Sarasota’s newest downtown wedding venue.
 
After spending the morning relaxing, hair and makeup for the ladies, and time for the wedding photographer to shoot images of the wedding details and Meredith getting ready, it was time for the couple’s First Look.
 
They were so adorable! 
 
Meredith looked stunning in the first of her two wedding gowns; a light layered tulle ballgown with a nude illusion bodice with modern lace.  She carried a cascading bouquet of deep crimson roses, hypericum berries, burgundy peonies and red amaryllis.
 
Jorge looked incredibly handsome wearing his grandfather’s vintage classic tuxedo with the modern touches of a patterned tie and pocket square
 
They took full advantage of the beautiful scenery surrounding the hotel for some outdoor wedding portraits.
 
The wedding structure of flowing soft white fabric and swags of greenery exploding in deep red florals set the stage for their indoor wedding ceremony. Meredith made her entrance to At Last by Etta James before the two exchanged their wedding vows. The bride’s grandfather and uncle officiated the incredible, heartfelt wedding ceremony.
 
A cocktail hour with their signature cocktail, A Standing Ovation, led into a magnificently detailed wedding reception.
 
Guest tables were surrounded by gold chiavari chairs and were layered with shimmering gold linen, gold charger plates and deep red napkins topped with custom menu cards. Footed containers overflowing with greenery and an assortment of deep red flowers, modern acrylic and gold table numbers and textured glass votive candles completed the timeless look.
 
After introductions, Meredith and Jorge’s First Dance to When I Say I Do by Matthew West and a welcome speech, guests were treated to three fun, delicious food stations.
 
An evening of dancing concluded with the couple cutting an incredible shimmering gold wedding cake adorned with red florals.
 
Congratulations Meredith and Jorge, we were honored to be part of your incredible wedding day. 
 
Find out more about the couple, Jorge’s wedding proposal and their wedding at Scene Sarasota

Lauren and Kurt were so much fun for our Jennifer Matteo Event Planning Team to work with. Their wedding was about family, food, fun, bursts of color and cute details.
 
Their wedding story started with adorable wedding invitations filled with colorful flowers, a theme that repeated itself throughout the wedding.
 
Their Sarasota wedding began at the Lido Beach Resort with the ladies getting ready and sharing a toast. We love their matching palm leaf robes and the stemless monogrammed champagne glasses.
 
The fun details continued with matching Mickey and Minnie ears, a brightly colored bridal bouquet with pink peonies, orange and fuchsia colored roses and Lauren’s gift to her dad. She gave him a sweet tie bar that read “forever your little girl.”
 
Kurt spent the morning with his groomsmen and we love his polka dot pocket square and some fun boutonnieres with roses, seeded eucalyptus and succulents.
 
Lauren and Kurt did not let some rain dampen the fun; they had their first look and the wedding ceremony was moved to an indoor space. Floor to ceiling windows and a dark wood wedding structure with floral swag helped bring the outdoors inside. 
 
The couple and their wedding guests made their way to Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium for a fun evening of dinner and dancing.
 
Their cocktail hour included awesome caricature arts and fun twists on Deviled Eggs, Smoked Brisket Grilled Cheese and Shrimp Escabeche and Plantain Chip.
 
After some wedding photos on the beach and at the aquarium, everyone joined the couple for dinner and dancing.  The brilliantly colored theming was carried though the centerpieces, custom menu cards and the colorful bands of the charger plates.
 
Guests danced under a canopy of crystal chandeliers and dined on inventive food stations that included Wagyu Beef Sliders, an Artisan Mac and Cheese Bar and a Taco “Truck” Bar with local Grouper and Chicken Tacos and all of the fixings.
 
Lauren and Kurt had an incredible evening and it was absolutely a wedding that reflected their personalities!

Our Jennifer Matteo Event Planning clients Christian and Robert began their days separately with their wedding parties. 
 
The ladies began earlier in the morning with hair and makeup followed by detail photos of Christian’s fabulous shoes, wedding gown, jewelry and their wedding invitation.
 
The gentlemen began a little later, dressing and preparing for some portraits and their departure to the Courtyard at Sarasota’s Ringling Museum of Art. 
 
Later in the afternoon the couple and their wedding parties were transported to the Ringling where Christian and Robert had their First Look, some photos with their wedding party and some portraits at sunset.
 
Christian carried a brilliantly colored cascading bouquet of roses ranging from white to bright magenta, some in pale pink with darker tips. The bouquet was infused with seeded eucalyptus and garden ivy trailing down the sides.
 
They spent some time together to freshen up prior to the wedding ceremony. As the sun set wedding guests gathered for a beautiful evening ceremony. Christian and Robert exchanged their wedding vows in front of a dark wood arch draped in a rope of thick greenery; that allowed the uplight trees and shimmering lights to be their backdrop.
 
An adjoining space in the courtyard welcomed guests for Cocktail Hour, that included a display of charcuterie and cheeses before making their way to the outdoor dinner under the stars.
 
The lawn was surrounded by a hedge of trees draped in shimmering light.   Round tables draped in light colored linen were layered with gold charger plates, knotted napkins and gold toned containers filled with colorful flowers that reflected the light.
 
A long rectangular black and white checked dance floor filled the center of the courtyard with a unique modern wedding cake at one end. 
 
The four-tiered wedding cake sat on a gold stand.  The top and bottom layers were draped in white.  The second tier was a naked layer dotted in gold leaf.  The third tier was brushed with gold and fuchsia. A rope of hot pink spray roses cascaded around the wedding cake.
 
Cheers to Christian and Robert! We wish you a life as bright and colorful as your wedding day.

As 2018 came to a close our Jennifer Matteo Event Planning team was excited to bring Joy and Craig’s blush and gold beach wedding vision to life.
 
Their Lido Beach Resort wedding on Sarasota’s Lido Key was an amazing reflection of their love for each other. 
 
Joy and Craig chose not to see each other prior to their wedding ceremony on the resort’s private white sand beach. 
 
Joy took some time in her suite for some wedding portraits and to take in the gulf views and their wedding ceremony space below.
 
The bride carried a handtied bridal bouquet of white peonies, roses and ranunculus accented by dusty miller; the perfect accent to her white lace wedding gown.
 
Joy, escorted by her youngest son, made her way to the waterfront wedding ceremony where Craig and their guests waited for her arrival.
 
The ceremony space was marked with a blond wood wedding structure with a covering of flowers in white and shades of pale pink. The ground in front of the structure had two large gold tone garden urns filled with filled with flowers, which was repurposed after the wedding ceremony to flank the sweetheart table.
 
After exchanging their wedding vows the couple exited to “Marry You” by Bruno Mars and spent some time together taking some beautiful wedding portraits on the Sarasota beach.
 
The couple and their wedding guests made their way to the resorts’ Royal Palm Ballroom. The space was dressed in soft lighting with gold ballroom chairs, gold rimmed charger plates and gold votive candles.
 
The room was accented in in soft pink linen with matching napkins and centerpieces of pink and white flowers.
 
One of our favorite details was their sweetheart table with an asymmetric floral centerpiece, fabric chair treatments and lighting that made it appear to be floating.
 
The reception included some touching speeches, amazing food and dancing and the night ended with delicious wedding cake, desserts and chocolate dipped strawberries.
 

Casey and Matthew were awesome for our Jennifer Matteo Event Planning team to work with. Early in the planning of their Sarasota wedding we asked each of them about some of their favorite things.
 
We love doing this as it gives us a lot of insight into the couples and personality and often gives us details that inspire design elements.
 
Imagine our surprise when Casey responded that she loved Florida oranges, so we took that idea and ran with it.
 
The day began with breakfast and then hair and makeup for the ladies.  The guys relaxed and started getting ready a little later in the morning. All of the special details were arranged to be photographed prior to the couple heading to the Ringling for their first look while our Jennifer Matteo Event Planning team worked with the wedding professionals on preparations for the wedding ceremony and reception.
 
Casey wore a beautiful form fitting gown with a sweetheart neckline and a little touch of shimmer.  Matthew wore a light grey suit with an open collared white shirt. His boutonniere was made with floral details found in Casey’s bouquet.
 
Casey carried a loose, textural bouquet of succulents, dusty miller, and dramatic bursts of orange and white.
 
Their uniquely designed waterfront wedding ceremony combined unlikely elements for a beach wedding. The combination of sunshine, sand, water and rattan fans were balanced against a random selection of dark wood dining room chairs, a wispy curly willow arch to mark the aisleway and a dark wood wedding arbor swagged with lush greenery and white hydrangea and roses.
 
Their waterside wedding ceremony incorporated a sand ceremony and an exchange of vows witnessed by family and friends. The ceremony was followed by a cocktail hour and an outdoor reception in a grove of palms, under a canopy of market lights.
 
The reception repurposed the incredible wooden farmhouse dining chairs paired with a soft creamy linen, wicker charger plates and a light sage colored napkin. The focal point of the table were beautiful low centerpieces in wooden boxes that overflowed with greenery, white flowers and Florida oranges.
 
The orange theme continued into their wedding cake which combines white, orange and blush flowers with brightly colored oranges.

​Clare and Sebastian’s early afternoon wedding at St. Martha’s Catholic Church was the start of a beautiful Sarasota wedding day with our Jennifer Matteo Event Planning team.
 
Clare wore a light flowing wedding gown and carried a stunning bouquet of bright pink peonies, white and antique pink roses, wax flower, dusty miller and flowering branches.
 
Both Clare and Sebastian looked lovingly at each other and nothing could wipe away their ear-to-ear smiles.
 
An early afternoon wedding ceremony left time for guests to relax and enjoy their afternoon in downtown Sarasota while the couple and their wedding party made their way to the incredible Marie Selby Botanical Gardens for an afternoon of mazing wedding photographs.
 
The botanical gardens created unique and interesting backdrop for some amazing wedding photos with their wedding party.
 
Guested were welcomed to the botanical gardens and the cocktail reception by the sounds of a solo saxophone before making their way inside for the wedding reception.
 
Tables were adorned with a mix of low centerpieces of soft white and pink florals alternated with taller centerpieces of flowering branches with hanging candles.
 
Welcome speeches by Sebastian’s parents and Clare’s father were followed by salad service and some easy listening music.  The music lead to toasts by the best man, the groom’s bothers and the maid of honor.
 
After dinner and the parent dances, the band kept the dance floor filled which lead to a night of exuberant dancing. 
 
“Pour Some Sugar On Me” was the perfect song choice as the couple cut their breathtaking four tiered pink, white and gold wedding cake embellished with flower branches made of sugar.
 
The ear-to-ear smiles that began during Clare and Sebastian’s wedding ceremony continued through the celebrations during their reception and ended  as the couple said good-bye to their guests.
 
Congratulations, we wish you a lifetime filled with those smiles.

Our Jennifer Matteo Event Planning Team had an amazing time working with Kaitlin, Justin and their families on this beautiful wedding at The Field Club located in South Sarasota on Roberts Bay.
 
The Field Club is a Spanish villa built in 1927 by Stanley Field who was nephew of department store magnate Marshall Field. 
 
The club is on the National register of Historic Places, the perfect location for this beautiful wedding in shades of pink and white.
 
The couple was married on the lawn of the club that provided beautiful waterfront views. Dark wood chairs were draped with garlands of greenery and a friend played guitar for the wedding ceremony. Kaitlin made her entrance to “Here Comes The Sun” by the Beatles.
 
Justin could barely hold back tears as he watched Kaitlin approach the rustic wooden arch that was draped in greenery with pink and white roses.
 
While the family and wedding party took time for some photos, guests enjoyed a cocktail reception on the Lagoon Terrace and Living Room, which included cheese and antipasto tables. 
 
An amazing evening of dinner and dancing followed the ceremony and photos. Guests dined at tables draped in soft pink linens with gold charger plates layered with napkins and custom menu cards. The center of each tablescape held gold candlesticks with thick pillar candles and were surrounded by small vases of pink and white roses.
 
After Kaitlin and Justin cut their three-tiered wedding cake, guests enjoyed a scrumptious dessert bar that was a very important detail for the couple. A table inside the Commodores Room was draped in sparkling linen and filled with mini cupcakes, donut holes, macaroons, assorted candies, cookies brownies and tarts.
 
To end this dream wedding the couple escaped under a shower of sparklers and sailed off across the bay enjoying champagne under the stars.
 
Congratulations Kaitlin and Justin, we are glad you had the wedding of your dreams.

The incredible Armature Works is a mixed-use industrial space in the Tampa Heights neighborhood of Tampa. It was the perfect location for Amanda and Gustavo’s wedding. 
 
Our Jennifer Matteo Events Planning team worked with the couple to merge the rustic, industrial charm of the former trolley shed into the glamourous wedding of Amanda’s dream.
 
Their morning began with breakfast at the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina.  After breakfast was hair and makeup for the ladies followed by photographs for the individual wedding parties along the marina.
 
Amanda looked ultra-chic in her contemporary lace wedding gown with a high neckline and cap sleeves. Her dazzling tiara and rhinestone encrusted pumps completed the look. 
 
The bride’s lush bouquet was made of white garden roses, white stock, lemon leaf and seeded eucalyptus, similar to the bouquets of her bridal party that shimmered in their gold bridesmaid’s gowns.
 
The wedding party was transported to Rooftop 220 for the wedding ceremony that took place on the outdoor rooftop garden space with waterfront views of the Hillsborough River and downtown Tampa.
 
After exchanging their wedding vows, guests enjoyed the cocktail reception while the wedding party had a few fun wedding photos taken along the river.  Following the cocktail reception, everyone made their way to “The Theater” a second floor event space with exposed brick, original flooring and wood truss loft ceilings.
 
The space was transformed using hundreds of pillar candles in shimmering glass cylinders, a towering plant wall with the couple’s name and wedding date, and luxurious white floral centerpieces floating on gold risers.
 
Gold beaded glass charger plates held custom menu cards describing the scrumptious dinner. A salad of Baby Greens and Seasonal Berries, Candied Pecans, Feta Cheese and a Berry Vinaigrette.
 
The entrée that followed was a duet of the Armature Works Signature 60 Spice Chicken paired with Grilled Chateau Steaks and a Pinot Noir Demi Glaze accompanies by Butternut Squash Risotto, Honey Glazed Carrots and Green Beans.
 
A four-tiered wedding cake embellished with ruffles, gold brushed flowers and intricate lace piping was the perfect dessert; followed by an evening of toasts and dancing.
 
Congratulations Amanda and Gustavo; we were excited that we were able to design that chic wedding with little touches of glitz and glamour you envisioned.

The wedding day began at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota with onsite hair and makeup services for Meghan and her wedding party, and our Jennifer Matteo Event Planning team was with them right from the start.
 
A little later in the day the bridal party and Cliff and his groomsmen enjoyed some lunch prior to getting ready for photos.
 
Their wedding guests began their Sarasota wedding weekend with a fabulous welcome box. In addition to the essentials of Tylenol and sunscreen, the box also included a Florida shaped cookie, local Jai Alai IPA, snacks, a timeline, transportation arrangements as well as list of local eateries and attractions.
 
Meghan looked stunning in an off-white tulle gown with a modern lace bodice; the deep plunging neckline, illusion sides and shimmering threads were magnificent.
 
Cliff and the groomsmen wore classic black tuxedos paired with some interesting socks for a little fun.
 
The wedding parties were transported in limousines to St Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church on Longboat Key for the couple’s wedding ceremony.
 
Following the wedding ceremony and some family photographs, everyone was transported to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota for an evening of dinner and dancing in the spectacular gardens.
 
Meghan and Cliff’s beautifully dressed dogs joined them for a few photos prior to the wedding reception.
 
The evening began with the couple’s first dance and parent dances under a canopy of mature trees and sparkling market lights.
 
Guests enjoyed a fabulous dinner at long rectangular tables draped in soft pink satin linen. Rows of rectangular mirrored boxes filled the tables. The containers overflowed with flowers in shades of cream, pale and antique pink with touches of soft lavender.  
 
Glass charger plates layered with knotted grey napkins complimented individual glass bubble place card holders, mirrored table numbers and votive candles in mercury glass.
 
A towering five-tiered, rose and white marbled wedding cake was accented with a cascade of antique pink and cream roses. Guests were also blown away with the Auburn University War Eagles grooms cake and autographed football.
 
Guests danced the night away, enjoyed a photobooth and wrapped up the night with fresh pizza and some chocolate chip cookies for the road.
 
What a fabulous wedding for a sweet couple. 
 
Thank you to all of the vendors responsible for Meghan and Cliff’s Sarasota wedding!