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THE BEAUTY OF THE BAY

By Kenneth Hall, Special Sections correspondent

While many couples may opt for a destination wedding or nuptial ceremonies aboard a cruise ship, other couples prefer to take their vows closer to home. Fortunately, the Tampa Bay area is home to an array of great locations for weddings, from beautiful beaches and nature settings to stately churches and specialty venues.

The Yacht StarShip and The Yacht StarShip II

For couples who want to get married on the Gulf of Mexico or on Tampa Bay, the Yacht StarShip and its sister ship, Yacht StarShip II, offer a variety of wedding packages. “We are pretty unique because you can do both the wedding reception and the ceremony at the same venue,” says Dana Hindman, marketing manager. “We can do the ceremony on the top deck and then move everyone down to the dining room for dinner.” The Yacht StarShip, which docks at Channelside, has a capacity for 600 guests, while the smaller Yacht StarShip II out of Clearwater, holds 150. Couples can choose to hold their wedding event during the day, early evening or late evening.

“Both yachts have full working galleys, and everything is made to order, except the cake,” Hindman adds. “We do have preferred vendors who can take care of the cake. Our food quality exceeds the expectations of those who come on board. We were rated three diamonds by AAA, which we are very proud of.”
A ceremony coordinator is available to help ensure things run smoothly, and a wedding service charter manager works with the couple to plan out all of the details of the event, including decorations. The couple can even choose to have the yacht captain preside over the ceremony, or they can bring their own offi ciant.
Each cruise includes a DJ, so the couple can have the music the bride and groom want during the wedding and reception.
“We try to make it easier for the bride so it is more of an enjoyable experience for her, and she doesn’t have to run around to find and coordinate different vendors,” Hindman says. “We have preferred vendors for fl owersand our own photography department.”


Guests are allowed to begin boarding the yachts a half an hour or more prior to the service and a bridal suite is available for preceremony preparations. “Both of the bridal suites are very nice and are one of the things the brides like most about getting married onboard,” Hindman adds. Prices vary according to the package the couple chooses, but Hindman says a minimum of 100 guests is required for a private charter of the Yacht StarShip II, while a private charter of the Yacht StarShip requires a minimum of 300 guests. However, a couple doesn’t have to charter the entire yacht to have a degree of privacy for their event. Ample parking is available for both yachts as well.

The Event Factory

For couples who prefer to marry on land, there are a couple of full-service venues in the Tampa Bay area that can accommodate virtually any size wedding and reception. The Event Factory is a themed event hall where couples can have their wedding ceremony, cocktail hour and reception in fantasy-like surroundings. “We are different because we are all-inclusive,” says Diana Hernandez, sales associate with the Event Factory. “We provide the bride and groom with everything they need, including a caterer, DJ, two videographers, a photographer, an event manager with staff, Coca Cola products, Gatorade, Barnie’s Coffee and all of the raw video footage and photos from the event.”

The Event Factory offers a variety of additional packages with edited video, photo albums, pre-event photo sessions and party favors.“Basically, the only thing the couple has to worry about is the cake,” Hernadez adds.
The 50,000-square-foot Event Factory houses two complete ballrooms: the Castle Ballroom, which includes theCastle Chapel and Castle Courtyard areas; and the Celestial Swan Ballroom, which includes the Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest areas. The larger Castle Ballroom can accommodate up to 500 guests, while the Celestial Swan Ballroom will accommodate up to 130. Ample free parking is available to guests.

Everything at the Event Factory is completely decorated, “including linens, chair covers and chair bows, centerpieces, napkins and even fl owers,” Hernandez says. “We also have a bridal boutique and are the exclusive dealer for the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings dress line and the Disney Couture line.” Prices at the Event Factory vary according to the package and number of guests, but Hernadez says a basic package for 50 persons would be in the vicinity of $5,000, while a deluxe package with everything for 200 people would be around $16,000. Although some dates still are open, Hernandez says she already has bookings for 2009 and 2010. “People can take the online tour, but the Event Factory is really something couples should see in person,” Hernandez adds.

A La Carte Event Pavilion

Tampa’s A La Carte Event Pavilion also is a full-service venue that provides everything for a wedding and reception, according to Devon Murray, director of marketing. “We have a lot of in-house services for our brides to use,” Murray says. “We take care of all the catering and beverages as well as a whole other layer of services. We have an event designer who works with the bride and groom to fi nd out exactly what they are looking for and then develops a custom proposal. Our event designer works with our staff florist, and they translate the couple’s idea or vision into every aspect of the party.” A La Carte has a pastry chef who creates wedding cakes on-site and has a lengthy list of preferred vendors to help provide clients with a memorable event. “Our specialty is doing custom weddings, and trying to make each one a very special and personal event for the bride and groom,” Murray explains. “Every wedding we do here is different and it is based on the client’s needs and feelings.”

A La Carte can handle wedding parties ranging from 50 to 1,000 people, and the facility has 700 complimentary parking spaces. The venue has a comprehensive list of entertainers, including bands and DJs for receptions as well as musicians for the wedding ceremony, but clients are free to bring in their own choice of live band or DJ. Couples even can create custom menus for their wedding event. Prices for A La Carte Event Pavilion vary according to the choices of the individual clients, but Murray says the average wedding cost is between $75 and $100 per person. “We have dressing areas for the wedding party, and one of our ballrooms has a terrace that overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway, where people can have cocktails,” Murray adds. “We try to give our couples exactly what they are looking for, and the feelings they want to inspire in their guests.”

The Palmetto Club at FishHawk Ranch

Of course, there are couples who have their own ideas of how they want their wedding to be, as well as their own list of vendors for food, flowers and music, and are looking for a place to put it all together. The Palmetto Club at FishHawk Ranch can provide an elegant setting.
With a capacity for 350 guests, the Palmetto Club makes a wonderful wedding and reception venue because couples can “have the ceremony in our English garden, and the reception in our ballroom,” says Tracey Postiglione, director. “We have a very nice veranda that overlooks the garden, where people can have cocktails. Also, it is a good place to decompress if the music in the ballroom gets too loud.”

A bridal suite is available for the wedding party to prepare for the event, and the venue includes a staging area for caterers, suffi cient electricity for a live band and ample free parking for guests. Depending on the amount of space and the day of the week, the price for the Palmetto Club ranges from $600 to $3,600.

Tips of the Trade

By Nicole Reino, Copley News Service

A DRESS IS NOT JUST A DRESS
You hit all the bridal shops and then that one hits you — the dress you envisioned. And, the price matches what you entered into column Con your Excel spreadsheet. The question is: Did you include alterations, cleanings, accessories and preservation in that wedding dress category? If you didn’t, it’s time to go back to your budget and factor in those additions. These extra items can cost up to the same amount as the dress itself. It's better to consider them from the get-go than to break the bank in the end.

OFF-THE-BEATEN-PATH VENUES
Having your wedding at a venue that is not typically used for vows and tray-passed hors d’oeuvres is pretty common these days. I wouldn’t go so far as to say guests expect you to forgo the church and hotel ballroom, but they’re probably not going to be too shocked if you take your event off the beaten path. They will be shocked, however, if you forget about adequate lighting, seating and bathrooms. If you plan on having your day in a spot that isn’t set up for weddings, know that there will be additional logistics involved. You may need to rent power sources, restroom facilities, tables, chairs, glassware, silverware, linens and heat lamps. If you’re getting married in a spot that contains historic artifacts or animals, liability insurance will be of utmost importance. And, if nearby parking is scarce, consider hiring a valet service.

HAVE A PLAN B (C AND D)
When you begin planning a wedding, it’s easy to completely focus (obsess) on Plan A. Plan A is the one you’ve dreamed about since long before you got engaged, put your deposit on and have nurtured like a newborn baby. The problem with Plan A is that it’s flawed. It's based on the idea that everything can be controlled. While the chances of a natural disaster, such as a forest fire, might be small, you need to know what you would do in the event of one. Think of Plan B (maybe even C and D) as an insurance plan — something you won’t likely use, but if you need to, you’ll be glad you have. Having alternative plans for the major details such as the venue, officiant, food and transportation will save you a lot of stress if the worst-case scenario comes to life.

DON'T EXPECT PERFECTION
Nothing is perfect – not even a wedding. Minor or not-so-minor, things will go wrong. The fl orist may show up two hours late; the ring bearer may throw a tantrum; the sky may open up; the offi ciant may call you and yours by the wrong names. Guess what? It’s OK. Even if a wedding could be perfect, flower arrangements and weather wouldn't make it so. Your wedding is about commitment to and love for each another. As long as you and your spouse-to-be show up and say your vows, feel confi dent that your wedding was a success.

BREAK THE KID-FREE NEWS POLITELY
It’s OK to tell guests that their kids aren’t invited to your wedding. But before you tell them, recall the saying you learned as a child: “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” Consider these tips:
  • Address the outer/inner envelopes of the invitations in a way that makes it clear children aren't included. For example, “Mr. and Mrs. Jim Klein” instead of “The Klein Family.”
  • Tell your relatives and friends about the “no-kid policy” and have them spread the word.
  • Offer to help out-of-towners arrange for baby sitters at their hotels.
  • Whether the rule is “no kids” or “nobody under the age of 21,” stand your ground and don’t make exceptions. If someone asks if they can bring their 5-year-old along, courteously explain your preference.

Source: TheKnot.com and WeddingChannel.com

ALL RECEPTIONS NEED NOT BE EQUAL
Regularly attending weddings typically begins in one’s mid-to-late 20s, when friends and family members of similar age start to tie the knot. After a while, all these weddings can run together. If you’re currently planning a wedding, here’s a way to reduce the “deja vu factor” in your guests: Personalize your reception. If you and yours are avid ballroom dancers, hire a professional dancer to teach guests how to do the foxtrot during the cocktail hour. Or, if you’re the couple known for having some killer vocals, why not set up a karaoke machine at the reception and let the guests have a go at it? Just remember: Allowing your friend who has had “a few too many” sing his rendition of R. Kelly's “Bump N’ Grind” is not really appropriate when Grandma is in the room.

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