Backyard Tampa Wedding

We fell in love with this couple’s wedding cakes the moment we saw them, but you can hardly imagine our surprise when we saw the bride’s little sister made them herself! This wedding from Parker Young, One Love by Erica, and Revel Design Company is just full of little surprises like that, and we love that we come across darling new details each time we pore through this wedding.

From the bride, Camille: We got engaged on a road trip from our home town of Tampa Florida to Nashville Tennessee on Lake Allatoona just outside of Atlanta, Georgia, a beautiful lake we had visited before! By the time we reached our final destination we had planned the date, the location, and we both knew the exact feel of the wedding we were so excited to plan: cozy and full of joy! We knew we wanted our wedding to take place at the home I grew up at and we wanted to serve my mama’s kale soup and his fathers homemade bread. I had always wanted vegetables incorporated into the flowers. I used to joke that I wanted to walk down the aisle with a bundle of kale and carrots…. well, it wasn’t really a joke! We wanted our wedding to reflect what God had given us: each other, amazing families, friends and the great natural outdoors.

Flower recipe: Kale, spray roses, white stock, and many succulents, for my bouquet. The guys’ boutonnieres were seeded eucalyptus and succulents. Queen Ann’s lace, and peach lisianthus for the aisles. The tables were a spread of carrots, peach spray roses in small vases, kale, purple baby egg plants, succulents, and artichokes (some with the centers cut out and candles inside… DIY project) and candles sticks everywhere!

Our wedding was such a fun, cozy, nature filled, intimate, warm, personal, wintery (for Florida), romantic, joyful day! I come from a very large, artistic and hard working family. There was much DIY put into this day… but even more “Do it together” projects. My husband is an artist, a craftsman and getting his degree in architectural design. He designed and hand drew our invitations. He also built the giant cutting board the hors d’oeuvres were served upon. My younger sister and Maid of Honor is my little creative fairy and any wild idea we came up with she was more than happy to help bring it to life… Including my 3 foot wedding cake and Mike’s artichoke adorned chocolate beet cake! She is a child prodigy – baking wedding cakes since she was 15! Both my parents knew how much hard work was needed to put on a wedding in their backyard. My older brother and his wife were married there 5 years ago. Luckily we also had our good friend and wedding planner Erica Rexrote and all her expertise to help make it all happen! My sister-in-law, Grandma and I whipped up our Bear & Wolf (what Mike and I call each other) cake toppers the day before the wedding! It was something I had wanted to do since we started planning and I was so pleased to see the little guys come to life!

Any advice for couples planning their weddings now? Enjoy every minute of the planning process. Let your wedding really reflect yourselves and your relationship. There are so many amazing weddings out there and pictures to get ideas from. But the best weddings are ones that reflect the couple. Don’t try too hard to recreate someone else’s themes and ideas. Pull ideas from blogs, Pinterest and wedding books, but the personal touches that you give to your day should be unique to you and your spouse. On your wedding day: enjoy it to the max, from the beginning to end! Let go and have fun. If a sign doesn’t get placed where you wanted it to, or it even starts to rain (we had a lovely light rain during our ceremony) don’t stress. The fact that your friends, family and future partner in life are by your side is the most joyful feeling when you really let the rest go! Indulge in the day. Bask in the fact that you will only do this once!

See Also

A Bold Berry-Colored Vallejo Wedding

Wedding Music:
Groom’s Processional: “Years,” JBM
Bridesmaid’s and Bride’s: “The Winner Is,” Devotchka; when the violins come to the best part in the song, that’s when I walked out!
Recessional: “Stop Drop Rock and Roll,” Elvis Perkins in Dearland
First Dance: “You Send Me,” Sam Cooke
Father/Daughter Dance: “Beauty and the Beast”
Mother/Son Dance: “What a Wonderful World,” Louis Armstrong

From the wedding designer, One Love by Erica: Mike and Camille both share a love for nature and family. When it came to their wedding, that was exactly what they both intended to share with their guests. From the outdoor ceremony and reception at the bride’s childhood home to fresh veggie center pieces and artichoke adorned cake as well as a makeshift, open air dressing room in which the bride changed into her dress; Mike and Camille’s stamp was all over their day. The wedding party made up of sisters and best friends surrounded the couple during the oak tree canopied ceremony that took place at an ivy lined garden arbor. Everyone in attendance was even blessed with a light Florida rain during the vows though spirits weren’t dampened. What began as a cloudy and rainy day ended up being a picturesque and cool evening complemented perfectly by the mother of the bride’s very own kale soup, fresh Cuban bread baked by the groom’s father and cakes baked by Camille’s 16 year old pastry chef sister. After dinner, the dance floor was a ideal setting for Mike and Camille to demonstrate their carefree personalities and the s’mores being roasted over the open fire pit gave guests a chance to warm up and exchange stories. The mixture of family and nature provided guests and the newly married couple a day full of memories that will surely not be soon forgotten.

Wedding Location: Tampa, FL / Photographer: Parker Young / Event Design: One Love by Erica / Flowers: Revel Design Company / Wedding Dress: Allure Bridals / Wedding Shoes: Steve Madden / Veil: Melinda Rose / Jewelry: Bride’s Mother’s / Hair: Erin Young / Makeup: Sarah Phillips Make Up Artistry / Maid of Honor and Matron of Honor’s Dresses: My Universe / Groom’s Suit: H&M / Groom’s Tie: J. Crew / Groom’s Shoes: Hudsons / Wedding Caterer: Fat Maggie’s / Wedding Cakes: Carolyn Young / Wedding Invitations and Programs: DIY