An Early Spring Secret Garden Wedding at The Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg

As seen on Martha Stewart Weddings

Jackie and Corinne are two gentle souls who show their love for each other in every interaction. It was one of the first things I noticed about them. These two were just so excited to get married, and their devotion to each other was infectious.

When I first met them, they shared that their main objective in hiring a planner was allowing themselves to be present throughout their planning experience and having the necessary guidance to plan a successful event. This is one of the most flawless weddings we have ever done, and the brides’ willingness to step back and trust their vendors made all the difference. Not only did it allow the vendor team room to do their best work, but it allowed Jackie and Corinne to truly be guests at their own wedding.

Discovery

One of the key features of my process is discovery. I take a lot of time on the front end getting to know my couples so that I can plan an event and create a planning process that is tailored to their needs and personalities. Through this process, I learned that Jackie and Corinne are a very easy going couple. Loud or ostentatious elements wouldn’t be authentic to them, and they needed a lot of time and space for intimate moments on the wedding day. While they wanted a beautiful reception, they also wanted to place a large focus on their ceremony. In the end, we wanted to keep things classic and understated both in design and guest experience.

Design

There was a lot I wanted to accomplish in this design:
- Combine Jackie's love of minimalism with Corinne's love of eclecticism
- Create an intimate, early-Spring secret garden aesthetic
- Bring warmth and a relaxed essence to the venue to give it a more welcoming, home-y feeling
- Heavily focus on natural elements and textures
- Deliver an earthy, yet feminine design that wove Jackie and Corinne’s personalities into an unmistakably bridal experience

Overall, the brides wanted this to feel like a wedding, but it was very important to them that it not feel “stuffy”.

For the ceremony, filling the space with foliage that wove around columns, appeared to grow on walls, and reached up from the ground made the space look like it had always been that way. White hydrangea added a clean, fresh element, while wooden chairs and seagrass baskets full of flowers added a rustic touch.

Organic, asymmetrical silhouettes were a key element to mimicking nature in this space.

For the reception, my directive from the brides was to “bring the outside in."

One of my biggest goals of this space was to make it feel romantic, intimate, and relaxed. 

I wanted to add some warmth to a more sterile space using lighting elements, simple but noticeable prints in the linens, different wood and rattan textures, and heavy greenery.

The Reception Reveal

I’ve never had such an emotional reception room reveal before. I get teary-eyed just thinking about it! Watching Jackie bawl her eyes out as she walked into the space is one of the greatest compliments I’ve ever received. Sharing this moment with them holds a very special place in my heart.

The team that brought everything together:

Planning and Design - John Campbell Events and Design | Photography - Lauren Galloway | Cinematography - Voila Cinematic

Venue - MFA St. Pete | Floral Design - Monarch Events and Design | Catering - Olympia Catering

DJ - Grant Hemond and Associates, DJ James King | Cake - The Artistic Whisk | Hair and Makeup - Femme Akoi

Rentals - Kate Ryan Event Rentals | Tabletop Rentals - Treasury Rentals | Violinist - Chris Barbosa

Bar - Catering by Lundy's | Lighting - A Linen Valley | Officiant - Unique & Handcrafted Ceremonies

Stationery - Minted | Linens - Nuage Designs | Bridal Gown Designer - Essense of Australia

Bridal Gown Boutique - CC's Bridal | Bridal Tux - Little Black Tux | Brides' Shoes - Bella Belle and Tod's

Bridesmaid Dresses - David's Bridal | Bridesmaid Suits - SuitShop