Deanne and Christopher’s Gatsby Inspired Gold and Teal Outdoor Wedding By Stacy Paul Photography

Happy Monday everyone, I do hope you all had a wonderful weekend? Mine was great, a night out on Saturday night was just what the doctor ordered! A rather sore head yesterday though, but all back to normal today and feeling ready for the new week ahead! Another week of cracking weddings for you this week, starting off with this rather fabulous Gatsby inspired wedding from regular to the blog Stacy Paul Photography. Stacy brings the most gorgeous weddings, she really does get to work with some super cool brides and grooms, so it is aways a delight to feature her work and this wedding is no exception. With lots of gold decoration mixed with accents of dark teal, this art deco style wedding is full of shine, sparkle and loads of personality. From the amazing desert tabel to the glittery table clothes to the bridesmaids gold outfits, this wedding shines from start to finish.

‘Our wedding was magical, and everything I had envisioned. It was stylish and a little glamorous, while still being relaxed and fun’

Deanne and Christopher were married on April 11th 2015 at Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg, Florida. ‘I loved the outdoor setting. The site offeredboth a relaxed, old-Florida vibe, and provided a backdrop for my vision: a sort of Gatsby garden party. Plus, they have these gorgeous, huge palm trees that have been around since 1903 that Chris and I loved. We invited around 100 guests. We were engaged in March 2014, but didn’t really start planning the wedding until June. So, it took just under a year to plan.’

How they met
My friend and (one of my matrons of honor) Amanda introduced us. She, along with two of my other close girlfriends met him at a happy hour for high school teachers one friday. They talked to him for about twenty minutes before realizing Chris would be perfect for me. Amanda then spent the next month trying to get us to meet. Chris and I were engaged after 5 months of dating (because we knew right away!) We’ve been together two years this October.

The Proposal
Chris told me on a Tuesday that the next day he was taking me out on a random day date. I didn’t think too much of it, since we were always being spontaneous. He said wear a cute sundress. I was still in nursing school at the time, so after class I drove to meet him at our rendezvous and hopped in his Jeep. He took me over to Pass-A-Grille beach and we got drinks. The funniest part is there was a storm rolling in over the water, but Chris really wanted us to go walk on the beach and over to this jetty. As we made our way out there the wind was so strong and whipping around us. I was trying to keep from having my dress fly all around haha. He proposed to me there out on the jetty, and I was so taken aback that my first words were “Are you kidding me??” (He never will let me live that down) Of course, then I started sobbing and jumped into his arms. We then had to hurry back up the beach to find shelter as it started storming. I remember the first person we told was a random old man lounging by himself on a bench at the edge of the beach. He was so excited Chris and I both got hugs. I think the experience was an example of our relationship. With us, things don’t usually go how we expected or according to plan, but we have each other and a good sense of humour.

How did you choose your photographer
I chose Stacy Paul after she recommended highly to me by my friends and wedding coordinator Erica Rexroat. After taking one look at Stacy’s photos, I knew she had the talent to capture the look we were going for.

The Dress
My dress was by Justin Alexander, gorgeous art deco shoes by Antonio Melani. I wore my friend/bridesmaid’s pearl earrings that she had worn on her wedding day years ago. I also wore a gold and crystal headband/circlet at the same place I found my dress.

The Suit and Bridesmaids
The suit was made by Sarar. The bridesmaids dresses I found for a steal! I found them at Dillard’s on sale for $58 each, originally $80. They’re a champagne gold cocktail number made by Gianni Bini

Theme or Colour Scheme
My favorite color is dark teal, so I knew that would be one of my colors. Wanting to channel Gatsby in my own way, I knew there had to be a big gold presence as well. There are pops of other color in the flowers with cream and pinks. The color scheme turned out so rich

Flowers
Erica really took care of the flower scheme for me, I trusted her. I do know that my bouquet was filled with peonies brought over from Israel, because in April they were still out of season here. Peonies were my one request in honor of my late grandmother Carol, who had a garden of them in her yard up in Indiana. Erica and my flower vendor Belle Fleur really came through.

Decoration
Everything was outdoors. The ceremony was so simple, since the setting was a botanical garden and didn’t need much extra decor. We had simple white garden chairs for guests, which faced the phenomenally gorgeous bougainvillea arbor where we exchanged vows. The cocktail hour was on an adjacent brick terrace. There were string lights in the trees anchored by a vintage crystal chandelier hanging in the center. The reception was located in an open-air white tent strung with blowy lights. Tables were topped with dark, vibrant teal linens and were topped with glowing gold votives, and sparkly gold glassware and candlesticks filled with roses. The dessert table and our head table had the fabulous gold sequin linens to add some pop and glamor

Food
We had a buffet with roast beef and roasted chicken, pasta, and an assortment of vegetables and salads

Wedding Cake
We had a dessert table featuring a few of Chris’s and my favourite sweets, including key lime tarts (Chris’s fav!) and macarons, among other things. Our cake was a simple two-tier confection with one layer being vanilla and the other being key lime. It was frosted in vanilla buttercream and had the coolest art deco design.

Entertainment
We had a DJ for the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. It was a major dance party! Everyone was tearing up the dance floor, he was fabulous. Chris and I picked most of our playlist, except for a few openings that I gave free reign to our DJ to fill.

Buy or DIY your Stationery
Our Save the Date photos and postcards were created by my good friend/bridesmaid and photographer Anne Marie Chadwell. We bought our wedding stationery. Had it designed by a local vendor in Brandon, FL where I’m from.

Personal or Handmade Touches
Being so busy, I didn’t have time to DIY the wedding like I hoped I would. I was in frequent contact with my wedding coordinator Erica, though, and she helped me realize my vision. She even pulled things off that I didn’t mention I wanted. She’s a mind reader. The day was so magical.

Special Moments
The song I walked down the aisle to was “Inevitable” by my favorite band Anberlin. Those minutes, walking through the garden, to the entrance of the crowd, turning the corner and seeing Chris, those were so impactful and emotional for me. Anberlin has been the soundtrack of my life since high school, and I’m so glad this song could be a part of our day of days. Other special moments: Chris’s brother Bo gave the best man speech and blew everyone away. He had been in knots the entire day because he hates speaking in front of people. Really, everyone’s speeches were amazing. Also, during the dancing, Chris’s cousin’s boyfriend did a split on the dance floor and nailed it! …and also ripped his pants. Haha we have video proof, it was epic.

Biggest surprise
The biggest surprise that day occurred early in the morning when my girls and I were lounging around in our hotel room sipping mimosas. Chris came to the door (I hid in the kitchen haha) and gave the girls a package for me. Inside was a pair of gorgeous teal earrings shaped like little flowers, a handwritten letter (which made me sob), and a notebook filled with handwritten quotes and love poems (which made me sob even more). I can say this: Chris is the love of my life and surprises me every day by his thoughtfulness, attention to detail, generosity, and talent (he’s a writer of short stories, you should read his blog). What a man. I’m so blessed and lucky.

Advice to other couples
Insight I have is, please take time to enjoy all the preparation leading up to the wedding as much as possible. It will go sooooo fast. Many times it’s stressful. But don’t lose sight in your vision and WHY you are planning a wedding. Do your best to enjoy the ride.
Day of: well, man! People say that things go wrong on your wedding day and you have to roll with it, and I’m sure that’s true. But Erica must have done a stellar job of hiding things from me. I honestly don’t remember any of the things that went wrong. But that’s the point! This day will FLY by. You have to take notice of the details. Take mental snapshots of the people you love surrounding you. Try to remember the feeling of kissing your spouse for the first time. Or the sound of laughter as your guests chatter and eat, and dance. This is your day that you’ve spent so much time dreaming of and preparing for. Don’t let yourself get caught up in the dimmer to the tent not working, or maybe the caterer forgot the dinner rolls. Don’t sweat the small stuff! Your guests aren’t noting or caring and neither should you. Just treasure this time with your honey and the people there celebrating your love

Supplier Shout Outs

• Wedding Coordinator – www.onelovebyerica.com/main/about
• Flowers – www.bellefleurtampa.com
• Catering – www.orangeblossomcatering.com
• Photographer – www.stacypaulphotography.com
• DJ – www.granthemond.com
• Linens – www.linensbythesea.com
• Bridal Shop – www.thdroom.com

For more information on Stacy Paul Photography’s work please go to:

www.stacypaulphotography.com
www.stacypaulphotography.com/blog
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I: @stacypaulphotography

Hi! I’m Stacy, a Tampa, Fl based wedding photographer. Along with taking pretty pictures, I love singing, twirling around in dresses, handwritten letters and key lime pie (yum.). I like to think that my style of photography is vintage inspired with a little quirk and a lot of whimsy. Mostly, I just love photographing love.