Timing Is Everything
As Julia was about to end her time on an Internet dating site, Steve was just beginning his. Julia began with a completely ‘non-romantic-and-friends-only’ message to Steve’s profile page of, “I’ll pray with you about that.” Steve reciprocated and a little while later the site text exchanges led to exchanging phone numbers that led to a concert invitation that led to a ‘friends-only-date.’
The friendly relationship began to grow and take root. Two years in and a beach wedding is the result!
A Beach Party Meets Holy Matrimony!
Wedding
Upham Beach (part of St Pete Beach)
Reception
Pine Key Room
So, Who's Standing Up With Us?
The Ladies
The Gentlemen
Nearby lodging
Though the holiday weekend makes it easier for our friends and family to come from out of town, it also provides challenges for finding truly affordable hotel rates when negotiating directly with the hotels. After several phone calls and efforts to arrive at rates we felt our guests would be comfortable with, Julia and Steve determined the best course of action would be to contact a third party site for your accommodations. The wedding coordinators recommend Expedia. However, feel free to consult Expedia, Priceline, Travelocity, etc. to determine your best course of action.
Most of the hotels nearby are resort-style hotels and are locally owned. If you are interested in brands like Hilton, Marriott, Holiday Inn, etc., they are available, but at a bit of a driving distance away. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Julia or Steve and we will do our best to provide good insight and information.
Creating a Memorial Day Weekend Vacation?
Yes, we know you’re really coming to see Julia and Steve exchange wedding vows, so you’re already busy Saturday afternoon / evening / night! But there are other things you might enjoy doing while visiting the Tampa / St. Pete area. While we cannot predict the weather~ especially this far in advance ~ we can tell you that the trends for the Tampa / St. Pete area during this time of year feature high temps in the mid to upper 80s and low temps in the low to mid 70s. Here are just a few of the things nearby that might interest you.
There is obviously a beach! There is also the Gulf Beaches Historical Museum if you’d like to browse postcards from the area in a 1917 church building. Want to charter a boat? Visit the Merry Pier! You might also like the Florida Orange Groves Winery or the Colonel Michael J. Horan Park. The Pass-a-Grille Beach is home to paddle-board and speedboat rentals along their beach front area. If you enjoy some outdoor recreation on land, there is Polynesian Putter. Located at 4999 Gulf Blvd, it’s just up the street from the “Activity Hub” of the wedding festivities. While we took a drive up and down the area, we noticed several ice cream shops and a doughnut or two. We ate lunch at Caddy’s, which is next door to the reception hall we’ll use Saturday night. My friends, try to make plans to visit that restaurant! They treated us like royalty ~ not knowing we were there scoping out the territory ~ the food, service, and views are incredible! There’s also Shell Key Preserve, an 1828-acre preserve located in the mouth of Tampa Bay, which includes a 195-acre barrier island known as Shell Key.
If you’re concerned about driving up and down Gulf Boulevard (the main drag / strip area), there is a trolley and bus system that can get you from place to place. We also came across some business cards for free transportation along the beach area. We’ll try to do some more investigation and post later how that works. Come and visit the Gulf Side of Florida and enjoy a long weekend of R&R!
Gifts
Since Julia and Steve will be combining 2 households, we have everything we need. We are happy you are coming to share our day with us. We do appreciate the custom of gifts however and appreciate all gift cards, restaurant cards or a check to send us off on our honeymoon. If you have to make a choice between coming and a gift, we will choose you coming. Friends and families are the best gifts from God
Please RSVP
The wedding is on the beach and informal. Attire is desired to be somewhere between business casual and dress casual. While the beach has plenty of room to watch the wedding, there will be a limited number of chairs set up. The reception area is limited in space and will be by invitation.
Please help us know a number to give the wedding set up folks and caterers by responding to this RSVP request. We need to have final numbers to give to the venue by Saturday, April 18. Thank you so much for your understanding and help!
