A Floral South Asian Fusion Wedding at the Vinoy Renaissance, St Pete
Michelle and Matt were introduced to me through the sales team at the Vinoy Renaissance when they asked about Wedding Planners in St Pete, and I immediately knew we would be an amazing fit for each other. On our initial call, the couple shared that they wanted a bold and colorful wedding that was both fun and chic. The bride and groom were planning to have as many as 300 guests flying in from all over the world, so guest experience was at the top of their list (which means they were totally speaking my language). Over the course of about 10 months, we planned a phenomenal wedding that my team and I are incredibly proud of, and gave this happy couple a stress-free and enjoyable planning experience.
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. One of the first things I noticed about Michelle and Matt was their love of understated luxury - being of excellent quality while maintaining a level of subtlety. This was not a couple that wanted to be the center of attention or have an over the top wedding. Having passions for good food (they spend a lot of time exploring restaurants at home in NYC) and unique travel experiences, I knew understated and quality experiences would be the focus for their special day. Also being lovers of the outdoors, natural elements and outdoor experiences would be key as well.
Design
To call this design a passion project might be an understatement. The bride and groom knew that they wanted a lot of color, and the bride also wanted to highlight the Chihuly chandelier that hangs in the reception space. As a fan of Chihuly art, the bride has even traveled to see the artist’s work in the past. With this in mind, the Chihuly chandelier became a central element to the event design. Both the silhouette of the piece as well as the ribbed texture of each glass flourish were used as inspiration for items like the charger plates, cake, and invitations.
One thing that I love doing at an event is setting guests up for a certain expectation and then giving them a surprise. One way to do this is by using a monochromatic ceremony palette. For Michelle and Matt, we went with a monochromatic pink palette to compliment the Vinoy Renaissance Tea Garden. Guests entered a garden space full of magenta, bubblegum, and blush pink florals for the ceremony before going to a simple moss green and orange cocktail hour. Sticking to limited palettes in the first two spaces created potential for a more abrupt and surprising reveal when it was time to enter the reception.
The bride really wanted to incorporate bold color as a nod to her Pakistani heritage. I wanted to capture a subdued version of the glamorous designs found in so many Pakistani Walimas and synthesize that with the bride’s love of floral motifs and garden style weddings. What came from that intention was a mix of bold floral patterns, loose and organic floral designs, and a vibrant and joyful palette tempered with yellow gold accents, clean lines and silhouettes, and some mid century modern touches to keep the space chic and a little trendy. This mix is perfectly illustrated by the bride and bridesmaid fashion. While the bridesmaids were in a near rainbow of hues, the bride was in a classic satin gown - accompanied by an embroidered floral veil for a little pop of interest.
The florals were key to this design. Having a good sense of scale was vital in such a large room (hello, 25 foot ceilings!), and we also wanted to create interest while maintaining a ‘less is more’ approach. I believe my first design idea for this wedding was to have 4 feasting tables in the shape of a plus sign with a live orange tree in the center. Fun fact - young orange trees can be pretty scrawny, so these are actually a different type of tree with additional foliage and oranges wired on. The bride was very skeptical of this idea since she couldn’t imagine it, but she trusted my vision and ended up loving the finished product. The live orange trees were a unique and unexpected element that both the couple and guests couldn’t get enough of.
The first impression for guests was the enormous printed dancefloor that led the eye to the sweetheart table. Vines grew from behind the table around the center window leading the guests’ attention to the stunning Chihuly chandelier. From there, guests would look to the sides of the room to see the orange trees, feasting tables, statement centerpieces, and, sitting high on the stage, a cake that doubled as a piece of modern art. All of these elements coming together created a really impactful design. I remember nearly every guest, young and old, taking out their phone to film or photograph the space as they entered, and I really couldn’t imagine a better compliment.
Renderings vs Reality
I love clear communication and setting realistic expectations, which means that working with renderings is a great tool when it’s time to present a design to our clients. You can see the renderings vs the real wedding photos below:
Here’s what the couple had to say about their experience:
“John did an amazing job with our wedding in St. Pete. We were planning through COVID and remotely from NY, but we never felt unprepared or out of the loop. He did a great job helping us shortlist vendors, and navigating last minute changes (e.g., the bakery cancelled our cake ~3 weeks before the wedding!).
Through it all, he was a guiding force and brought creative ideas to help us design the wedding of our dreams, while keeping budget and priorities in mind.
We will definitely be reaching out to John if we have any other events in the West Fla region and would highly recommend him to anyone considering hiring a planner for their big day - you won't regret it!”
The team that brought everything together:
Planning and Design - John Campbell Events and Design | Photography - Kaity Brawley | Cinematography - Namesake Creative
Venue - The Vinoy Renaissance | Floral Design - Kaleidoscope Floral | DJ and Lighting - DJ Tommy Giaime | Cake - Hands on Sweets
Hair and Makeup - Bronze+GLOW Beauty | Rentals - Kate Ryan Event Rentals | Linens - Nuage Designs
Officiant - Love Avows | Harpist - Harpist Kristen Elizabeth | Cocktail hour entertainment - Connor Zwetsch
Vinyl Dancefloor - Dream Dancefloors | Calligraphy - Lettering Lou | Stationery - Minted
Bridal Gown - Alyne by Rita Vinieris | Bridal Veil - Goddess by Toni Federici | Bridal Boutique - Kleinfeld
Bride's Shoes - Bella Belle | Groom Attire - Suit Supply | Groomsmen Attire - The Black Tux