megan & michael | powel crosley estate wedding | sarasota, florida wedding photography

…insight from megan…

what was your favorite moment, or favorite part, of your wedding day?
My favorite part of our wedding day was being able to witness each element come to life. After 16 months of planning it was truly thrilling to observe each little detail emerge from my meticulous outlines and sketches. Everything was so picturesque and accurately fit our vintage travel theme.

The groom’s favorite moment was watching his beautiful bride as she walked down the aisle. He envisioned being so calm, cool, and collected. But as soon as the ceremony had commenced he became extremely nervous!

is there anything you wish you had done differently when planning your wedding?
I wouldn’t change anything about the planning process. I was so thorough and organized with budget lists, balance sheets, guest lists, vendor contacts, timelines, and contracts. I always felt I had everything at my finger tips and navigated the planning phase blissfully.

which three vendors were most important to you when planning your wedding?
Caterer – Good Food Catering Company
Our caterer helped us create an international selection of hors d’oeuvres to suit our vintage travel theme. Being able to incorporate small plates of global fare inspired from our many travels truly allowed us to share an eclectic mix of cuisine and fuse traditional time-honored favorites with exceptionally new creations. As foodies, we wanted unique dishes not typically associated with weddings and managed to integrate Romanian mititei for Mike’s heritage and my favorite, sautéed sweet plantains with a peri-peri sauce inspired by my time in South Africa.

Photographer – Marissa Moss Photography
Having a great photographer at your wedding is an absolute necessity! We both fell in love with Marissa’s work and knew she would capture our day from the smallest details to the grandest panoramas. She utilized the Powel Crosley’s gorgeous exterior and its timeless interior in so many remarkable snapshots. We know we will cherish our photos for many, many years!

Officiant – Florida Orange Blossom Weddings
Reverend Calvin McIlroy bestowed us with a superb ceremony complete with the right amount of laughter and tears. He was extremely professional and personable, and anyone who calls the week of the wedding to exchange a brief hello is a vendor you definitely want to have for your big day.

what was your biggest wedding day savings? (and was it worth it?)
I think having an international dessert bar complete with the most amazing French macarons was ultimately a wonderful way to save a little money. We never really wanted a traditional wedding cake. I’m not even sure I’ve ever eaten the cake at most of the weddings we’ve attended so it was always a question of what can we do to suit our theme and be unique. The macaron flavors we chose were incredible and I don’t think our guests missed the cake one bit. Even the selection of candy from around the world provided a great alternative to other sweet treats, and we had some rather bizarre flavors like Indonesian mango ginger chews and Japanese green tea caramel taffy. It was a chance to tempt your taste buds and try something different.

what was your biggest wedding day splurge? (and was it worth it?)
Our biggest wedding day splurge wasn’t the couture wedding dress, the impeccably customized navy suit for the groom, or even the amazingly talented photographer, it was something very different. We had a very detailed budget and we knew how much we were planning to spend on the usual “big ticket” items. Our splurge was the little things. We used Wish Vintage Rentals for a lovely selection of vintage luggage and an antique globe. We also had quite a few smaller vendors who produced, or provided various items out of old maps and atlas paper, mason ATLAS jars, and frosted gold Chinese take-out containers for our international candy bar. In addition, we had a customized chalkboard menu of our “In-Flight Bites” complete with a Pan-Am logo that detailed all the amazing global hors d’oeuvres that were to be passed around to our guests. We also ordered 50 4×6 international flags for our guests to wave to replace throwing rice or blowing bubbles. And our “aerial” photograph as we entered the reception to “Wavin’ Flag” was so fabulous and a fantastic group shot idea. Let’s face it, the small things add up! That was our biggest splurge but our greatest success as it communicated so effortlessly the vintage travel vibe.

what was the best advice you received when planning your wedding? (and did you listen?)
The best advice we received before our wedding was to try and enjoy the moment. I think we both tried to relax and find a way to deliberately enjoy the process of the entire day. At the end of the evening we found ourselves along the waterfront looking back at the gorgeous venue, the twinkling lights above the patio, our friends and family, and the feeling of happiness and exhilaration from an amazing day. Once our guests had departed we walked the grounds of the estate one last time and sat inside quietly, holding hands. We’ll both remember so many moments throughout the day.

was there anything encountered during wedding planning that was unexpected?
No, we knew from the beginning we wanted a smaller wedding. With less than 50 guests we felt we never really had to spend time during the evening being introduced to people we’d never met and could really socialize and relax. Everything truly fell into place once we selected our venue and finalized our guest list.

was there a moment(s) during your wedding day that surprised you?
The bagpiper showed up…

Seriously, there were quite a few surprises on our wedding day. We were surprised by the overwhelming generosity of our friends and family. So many people came to help with the dress rehearsal and the set-up on the wedding day. My parents, twin sister, Patty and Mark, Mike’s sister, and our best man were so accommodating and supportive. Everything seemed effortless and without them our vision would never have taken shape. We are eternally grateful for their assistance.

We were also extremely touched by the toasts and speeches given by our maid of honor and best man. Our presenter and friend Senad even added a little comedy, reminiscent of an SNL skit, to the MOH speech, which I think everyone loved.

The groom was wholly surprised by his wedding gift from the bride thanks to the amazing talents of Room 3307!

when you look back on your wedding day in 50 years, what do you think you’ll remember most?
I think we will remember how much fun we had together. Our first look and photo shoot on the property was quite enchanting. The Powel Crosley is such a striking venue. We will also remember how wonderful it was to have all our friends and family in attendance. We can’t imagine a grander event where everyone was having such a spectacular time.

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how it all came together …