Sacred Heart Catholic Church Wedding Ceremony & Tampa Museum of Art Wedding Reception
Kristi and Tom tied the knot during their Sacred Heart Catholic Church wedding ceremony and afterwards celebrated their nuptials during their Tampa Museum of Art wedding reception. A mix of traditional and modern, their big day could not have fit the two of them more perfectly!
Having met online by chance, the two realized after chatting for a bit that their had an instant connection. Both from the Midwest, both actuaries, and both interested in taking their online connection offline, the two met up in person which was the best decision of their lives. Falling in love came naturally, and later on into their love story, Tom proposed to Kristi during Christmas Eve while surrounded by their friends and family. And almost a year later, the two tied the knot in Downtown Tampa!
Kristi and Tom’s wedding day truly felt like a dream. Walking into Kristi’s hotel suite a little early, we started capturing our bride’s details, while we awaited her arrival and for Tom to queue us that his party was ready as well. As soon as I saw Kristi’s dress, I had one of those “oh my gosh this is perfect for her” moments, which of course it totally was! With less focus being requested to be placed on getting ready, we were able to have more time back for adding in additional formal portraits in front of the the steps on the Le Meridien hotel of both Kristi and Tom’s individual parties. Tom also suited up at the hotel before heading over to the church ahead of Kristi to ensure that they did not cross paths.
Sacred Heart Catholic Church is definitely a stunner! Walking into the historic church, that is so beautiful maintained, you are immediately in awe of its grandeur. As guests began to arrive, we hid our groom and bride away in their respective rooms and prepared for the procession to begin.
Lighting up with the biggest smiles when seeing one another down the aisle for the first time, it was clear as day how in love Kristi and Tom were with one another. With a full mass for their ceremony, the two shared in traditional attributes of a Catholic ceremony including the reading of psalms and taking communion. After a first kiss was shared, their exited down the long aisle for their recession and back to the alter afterwards for formal portraits.
Family formals took place in the church, along with a bridal party portrait, and of course a newlywed portrait as well. Before venturing outside for additional newlywed portraits, we also utilized a wooden spiral staircase that had just a hint of light coming from a nearby stained glass window. An intimate location, I loved how perfect it reflected their church’s hidden gem for perfect picture spots.
Back outside, our bridal party awaited Kristi and Tom to exit, which is when we captured some of my favorite pictures of the day. Venturing across the street (safely of course!), I captured a few wide shots of the church of the bridal party as a whole before coming close again to capture just Kristi and Tom. Once done at the church, we all headed over to the Tampa Museum of Art for additional formal portraits with our bridal party and newlyweds.
A busy day in downtown Tampa, we were greeted with a Santa parade and celebration for the upcoming Christmas holiday in the neighboring park to the Tampa Museum of Art. It felt like the whole city though was celebrating for our couple as guests of the event strolled by admiring our bridal party being posed against the killer blue glass backdrop of the museum.
A special surprise showed up, with help of our MVP for the day Kristi’s mom, who brought our couple’s dog Dakota by to say hello. We loved including her in many of our newlywed portraits before she headed off back home. After wrapping up outside the museum, we ventured inside for a few gallery shots inside by the art and outside by the Aphrodite Reimagineed cold-cast marble and resin statue, created by Patricia Cronin. As the sun began to set, the time could not have been more perfect for a few shots using more dramatic lighting.
Back inside, guests began to funnel into the ballroom to prepare for our reception entrances to begin. Announced from the side hallway, the bridal party opened the reception entrance before our newlyweds made their grand entrance down the large staircase. A first dance was followed by toasts and dining, with our couple’s night ending in tons of dancing!
Wishing Kristi and Tom a beautiful life together!
Vendors
Ceremony Venue: Sacred Heart Catholic Church
Reception Venue: Tampa Museum of Art
Hotel: Le Meridien Tampa
Cake: Trudy Melissa Cakes
Coordination: Taylor Falcon Events
Bride’s Party Dress Designer: Bari Jay
Dress Designer: Mikaella Bridal
Dress Shop: Miss Ruby Bridal Boutique
DJ: DJ Corry Barron & Co.
Floral: Alta Fleura
Makeup & Hair: Crown and Mane
Men’s Shop: The Black Tux
Caterer: SaltBlock Hospitality
Rentals: Over the Top Linens
Ring Designer: James Allen
Shoes: Nina
Stationary: Basic Invite
