bobby & caitlin | don cesar beach wedding ceremony and reception photography | st pete beach photographer

…insights from caitlin…

how would you describe your wedding to someone who was not there? what were some of your inspirations? how did you envision the wedding prior to your special day?
I wanted something very small, intimate and low key. Bobby and I are both pretty casual and we wanted to keep the celebration romantic, tropical and fun for our guests. We both got married barefoot on the beach and then had a nice dinner upstairs with 47 of our friends and family. It was simple, romantic and genuine. I chose FH designs and they helped A LOT with the inspiration. They had gone a wedding at the Don previously that incorporated a lot of tropical vibes with a classy twist that I absolutely loved.

is there anything you wish you had done differently when planning your wedding?
I wish I would have stressed out less because it really did fly by like everyone said it would! I also wished I would have had a better indoor back up plan.

which three vendors were most important to you when planning your wedding?
Photography, décor (FH designs was AMAZING!) and the venue of course! The Don is a classic venue that I hope Bobby & I can take our kids too one day for weekend trips and show them where mom & dad got married.

what was your biggest wedding day savings?
We didn’t do menu cards, we used Minted for the invites and kept florals to a minimum. When you are getting married on the beach the beautiful ocean and scenery eliminates the need for huge décor costs. We also did not have a bridal party and we skipped a lot of traditional components of a wedding. We only chose to do what was important to us and ended up saving a lot of money that way.

what was your biggest wedding day splurge?
The venue and unique farmhouse tables for the dinner with a matching bar and cocktail tables.

what was the best advice you received when planning your wedding?
This is the start of your life as a married couple– don’t do what your mother wants, your mother in law wants, what your friends want– do what you two want as a couple.

was there anything encountered during wedding planning that was unexpected?
We were hoping for beautiful 75 degree January weather that we often get but the day was VERY windy and chilly. I was freezing during the ceremony and then last minute we had to move the dinner (and my amazing farmhouse table vision!) indoors. The farmhouse tables were HUGE and required a 8 man crew to assemble them so we did not have time to move them indoors and had to recreate the inside with basic tables and white table cloths. It wasn’t exactly what I expected and it was disappointing that I did not get to execute my vision, but I still think everyone had fun.

what was your favorite moment, or favorite part, of your wedding day?
Eating dinner surrounding on each side by my best friends and family. The Josh Carroll band did our music and they did an AMAZING JOB!!!! Josh kept us dancing and having fun all night. Towards the end of the night my husband and I did a little karaoke/performance and it was the perfect fun end to our night.

when you look back on your wedding day in 50 years, what do you think you’ll remember most?
All of my closest friends and family being there to witness the love between Bobby and I. I am so happy we kept the wedding small and intimate.

… how it all came together…