Alice and Lance's Wedding at the Snell Isle Gazebo

Alice contacted us several months ago. She had read our blog post about the Snell Isle Gazebo being St. Petersburg's Best Kept Secret Wedding Venue, and she was hooked!

Alice and Lance were married on a stunning Spring morning in St Petersburg. As we stood under the historic gazebo waiting for the bride to arrive, Lance joked, "I can't believe I let her rush me into this" (he then explained that they had been together for seven years and had two beautiful children!).

Everyone has to move at their own pace, and Alice and Lance's wedding was just our speed! They had live violin music provided by our awesome violinist Laurie Vodnoy-Wright, who played the Beatles' And I Love Her as their daughter walked out as the flower girl. They opted for more traditional music when Alice's father walked her down the aisle, and the ceremony was a real tear-jerker (so we were told!).

Afterwards, Alice and Lance took advantage of the gorgeous Florida Spring weather to take their wedding pictures with Claire all over the beautifully landscaped Snell Isle Gazebo and Statuary. We even got the lawn man to turn the fountain on for their wedding pictures! It couldn't have been more perfect!

Alice and Lance: Congratulations and thank you so much for choosing Simple Weddings! You have a beautiful family and we were truly honored to be a part of your wedding. We wish you all the best, and hope you keep us in mind for family portraits in the future!

To our readers: Do you know of a beautiful, inexpensive wedding venue that is off the beaten track and could be considered a best kept secret? Please share by leaving a comment below!

Photography by Claire Copeland

---

Comment | Subscribe | Home | Website

Daniel and Dawn's Sunset Beach Wedding

Daniel contacted Claire several month's ago from overseas. He was planning a beach wedding for his bride when he returned to the U.S. He was originally planning on a December wedding, but his return was pushed back and he ended up having to reschedule for late February.

Once we knew he was back in the States, we e-mailed him just to touch base and go over the final details, but we didn't hear back for several days, which was unusual. When he finally did reply, he said, "Sorry I took so long to get back to you. Have a good reason for that. Long story short, with everything we've talked about. There was one little thing that I hadn't done yet. And that was to actually ask Dawn to marry me! So I have and she said yes. So I don't have to goto my Plan B!".

We have no idea what "Plan B" was, but we're glad Dawn said yes with only two days' notice! Afterwards, Dawn said it was the best wedding she could have ever dreamed of - she didn't have to plan a thing!

Daniel and Dawn were married on Treasure Island's beautiful Sunset Beach, on a breezy and slightly chilly evening. But the sun finally came out just before sunset, and they got some great wedding pictures - with Daniel in traditional Irish (not Scottish) kilt! Below are a few of our favorites.

To Daniel and Dawn: Thank you so much for making Simple Weddings a part of your special day. We wish you all the best in the years ahead!

To our readers: How did you or your spouse pop the question? What was your Plan B? Would you say "yes" to a wedding that was already scheduled and paid for by your fiance' two days from now? Please share your thoughts and opinions by leaving a comment below!

Photography by Ashley Posusta

---

Comment | Subscribe | Home | Website

Wedding Planning Tip: Songs for a Wedding

Few things say more about a person than their musical preferences. The music you choose for your wedding really sets the tone for the event. From casual calypso steel drums or guitar on the beach, to classical string quartets in a more formal setting, music (whether live or recorded) is an important complement to your wedding ceremony and reception. But choosing the music for your wedding can be overwhelming - after all, there is a lot of music out there! This post will discuss how and where music fits into beach weddings, and will also share a great internet resource we've found for choosing the right music for your wedding.

Music and Beach Weddings

Clients often ask us whether they should add music to their beach wedding package. We love it when our clients include music, and we feel music adds an extra dimension and a special touch to our beach weddings. We work with some great local musicians - whether you want a violinist, guitarist, bagpiper, harpist, steel drums, or all of the above, we've got you covered! We also have the right equipment to provide recorded music for your Florida beach wedding ceremony.

Using the right equipment is an important point. You simply cannot hear an acoustic guitar over the wind and waves on the beach, nor can you hear a typical iPod speaker system, CD player, or boombox. We've seen this happen on more than one occasion, and it's such a shame when no one can hear the music and/or musician that was so carefully chosen by the bride and groom for their beach wedding.

If you decide to have music for your beach or outdoor wedding, make sure you use the right instrument and/or equipment. Violin, bagpipes, or steel drums are generally loud enough by themselves, but acoustic guitars in particular require amplification in order to be heard on the beach from more that a few feet away. An "acoustic-electric" setup with a portable amplifier is your best bet if you're planning on a guitarist. Keep in mind electrical power is not available in the beach.

For most beach weddings, your musician (or playlist for recorded music) will need to cover about 30-45 minutes:

• 15 minutes or so while your guests are being seated (the prelude). A popular traditional piece here is Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel
• The processional for the bridal party (if applicable) and bride. The traditional "Here Comes the Bride" piece often played here is Wagner's Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin (1850)
• Background music for the ceremony (if desired)
• A recessional at the end of the ceremony. The traditional piece here is Mendelssohn's Wedding March from A Midsummer Night's Dream (1826)
• A few minutes at the end to wrap things up (the postlude)

While we have mentioned some of the more traditional wedding music, many of our clients simply aren't the "traditional" type. After all, they are having an intimate wedding on the beach in Florida, not a huge formal affair! We have seen (or rather, heard) clients play everything from Martina McBride to Israel Kamakawiwo'ole to Jay Sean and Lil Wayne!

But it can be incredibly hard to decide what to play at your wedding, and when to play it. That's where Songs for a Wedding comes in! Songs for Wedding is a wedding planning website that helps you choose (you guessed it!) songs for a wedding!

The site lists a collection of potential wedding songs broken down by each element of the Ceremony (prelude, processional, recessional, etc.) and Reception (bouquet toss, cake cutting, first dance, etc.), as well as by Genre (classical, country, R&B, etc.). In addition, the site contains a link to a recording of each song, and displays the lyrics as you listen to the song. In short, its the best resource we've found for helping you plan your wedding music. And hey, we're all about making it easy and stress free! Check out Songs for a Wedding at www.songsforawedding.com!

What is your favorite wedding song? How did you decide on your wedding music? Do you know of another great resource for choosing wedding songs? Please share your experiences and ideas by leaving a comment below!

Sincerely,



Jeff & Claire Copeland
Simple Weddings | Florida Beach Wedding Packages

Misty and Robert's Road Trip Wedding

Misty had always loved Disney World and dreamed of a beach wedding. There were only two problems; 1) she lived in Pennsylvania, and 2) she refused to fly. So Misty's family came up with the perfect solution...

Robert, Misty, Misty's dad, Misty's mom, and Misty's brother all piled into their car and drove sixteen hours from Pennsylvania to Orlando, Florida! Then they all piled in the car again and drove three hours from Orlando to Treasure Island for Misty and Robert's sunset beach wedding. Then...with the wedding out of the way and Mickey Mouse calling, they all piled back in the car and drove back to Orlando after the wedding!

We figure if Misty and Robert can survive this road trip, their marriage can survive anything!

Misty and Robert were married on Treasure Island's stunning Sunset Beach, and their beach wedding ceremony was attended by Misty's aforementioned immediate family as well as Robert's Aunt, Uncle, and cousin (who flew down for the wedding).

Though we've been having some cold weather and it was a little chilly (by Florida standards, it was freezing!) on the beach, it was a beautiful evening with a stunning sunset, and Misty's dream of a sunset beach wedding came true!

Misty and Robert: Congratulations and thank you so much for choosing Simple Weddings! Enjoy Orlando and have a safe drive home. We wish you and your families all the best for 2010 and beyond. Below are a few of our favorite pictures from your Sunset Beach wedding. Keep an eye on our website at www.SimpleWeddingsFlorida.com for the rest in a few days!

To our readers: Could you survive a 16 hour road trip with your fiance' and your parents or inlaws? Feel free to comment below!

Sincerely,


Jeff & Claire Copeland
Simple Weddings by Simple Treasures Photography
Florida Beach Wedding Packages

Amy & Sean's Anna Maria Island Wedding

Amy and Sean are from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and visit Anna Maria Island often. While planning their stay on Anna Maria Island over the New Year this time, they decided to tie the knot while they were here!

Amy had planned on a sunset beach wedding with our bamboo arch on the beautiful white sand beaches of Coquina Beach, at the southern tip of Anna Maria Island. However, we have been having unseasonably cold weather (we're freezing!), so it was touch and go on the big day. Jeff spoke to Amy in the afternoon and the plan was for Jeff to arrive at Coquina Beach and get a feel for how cold it was, and report back to Amy for a decision. Jeff's report was "It's not Pittsburg cold, but it's pretty darned cold out here!".

Amy decided not to subject her wedding guests to the 40 degree north winds off the Gulf of Mexico, and luckily the staff at the gorgeous Waterfront Restaurant on Anna Maria Island, where Amy and Sean had dinner reservations, was kind enough to allow us to use their lovely courtyard for the ceremony (as it turns out, there weren't many people sitting outside in the cold anyway!). The restaurant staff really bent over backwards, turning on outdoor heaters and even lowering the awning over the courtyard to try and hold some of the heat in. It was a perfect solution and we can't thank them enough!

Amy and Sean had a short and intimate wedding ceremony with just a handful of friends and family in attendance, and even managed to wander across the street with Jason to get some wedding pictures on the beach and pier across from the restaurant without freezing to death!

Amy and Sean: Congratulations and thank you so much for choosing Simple Weddings for your Anna Maria Island wedding! We were truly honored to be a part of your special day and wish you all the best in 2010 and beyond. Below are a few of our favorite pictures from your wedding. Keep an eye on our website at http://www.simpleweddingsflorida.com/ for the rest in a few days!

To our readers: Did you have to alter your wedding plans due to weather? Do you have a backup plan for your upcoming outdoor wedding? Please share your thoughts, stories, and ideas by leaving a comment below!

Sincerely,


Jodi, Jeff, Jason, and the rest of the Simple Weddings team
Simple Weddings Anna Maria Island Beach Wedding Packages Simple...Elegant...Perfect!

Photos by Jason Collin

---

Anna Maria Island Condo Rentals
www.annamariaislandcondorentals.com

---

Kristin & Jonathan's Sunset Beach Wedding

Kristin and Jonathan were visiting from North Carolina for their Florida destination wedding. They chose a simple, intimate beach wedding with just a few of their family and friends. Though you can't tell it from the pictures, it was actually quite chilly on the beach.

But it was a beautiful wedding ceremony, with Kristin's two sons walking her down the isle (and stopping to pick up a few seashells along the way!), her daughter serving as her flower girl, and all three children participating in the sand unity ceremony. Jon and Kristin had a blast (and pretended to be warm!) while taking their wedding pictures with Claire, and it was all capped off by a stunning sunset.

Interestingly, as Jeff was talking to Jonathan before the ceremony, it came up that Jonathan was actually born in the UK, and his family is originally from the same very small town (Tonypandy) in South Wales as Claire - what a small world!

Kristin and Jon: You have a beautiful family and it was truly an honor to be a part of your Florida beach wedding! Below are a few of our favorite pictuires from your wedding on Sunset Beach. Keep an eye on our website at http://www.simpleweddingsflorida.com/ for the rest!

To our readers: Do you plan to incorporate your children, nieces, or nephews into your wedding ceremony? Please share your thoughts and ideas by commenting below!

Sincerely,



Jeff & Claire Copeland
Simple Weddings by Simple Treasures Photography
Florida Destination Wedding Packages

KYRYA76EJ53P

Blown Away!

Kyla and Kenton's Windswept Wedding on Sunset Beach

Kyla and Kenton were visiting the Tampa Bay area all the way from Nebraska for a volleyball tournament and decided to tie the knot with an informal beach wedding while they were in Florida.

The day started out with rain, clouds, thunderstorms, and just plain awful weather. We spoke to Kyla throughout the day and she was calm, cool, and collected. Her attitude was "what will be, will be" (it probably helped that she had reserved the Sunset Beach Pavilion on Treasure Island as a backup plan for that very reason!).

And sure enough, as the afternoon wore on, the weather cleared. As we were setting up for their Sunset Beach wedding, there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Then the wind started to blow...

And blow...as in 30 to 40 miles per hour! We really struggled to assemble our bamboo canopy, and the wind even blew over out sand ceremony table and broke a glass. But as challenging as it was, Kyla was determined to have a Florida beach wedding and use the pavilion only in case of a true emergency.

So we enlisted the help of their two wedding guests and their limo driver, to literally hold down the canopy so it didn't blow away during their beach wedding ceremony!

We all had a chuckle, but we must say it all worked out in the end. Kyla and Kenton's beach wedding was Simple, Elegant, and Perfect, and the wind made it all the more memorable - I know we won't forget it anytime soon!

After their beach wedding, Kyla, Kenton, and their guests jumped in their limo and headed off to Gennaro's Italian Restaurant on Pass-a-Grille for a casual dinner.

Kyla and Kenton: Thank you so much for choosing Simple Weddings! It was truly a pleasure to be a part of your Florida beach wedding. We wish you all the best in 2010 and beyond. Below are a few of our favorite pictures from your sunset beach wedding. Keep an eye on our website at http://www.simpleweddingsflorida.com/ for the rest in a few days!

To our readers: Do you have a funny weather-related wedding story? Feel free to share it by commenting below!

Sincerely,



Jeff & Claire Copeland
Simple Weddings by Simple Treasures Photography
Florida Destination Wedding Packages