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Right here in the 941, on a beautiful Saturday evening in September, I had the opportunity to marry my prince charming in an enchanted ceremony on the front lawn of the Palmetto Riverside Bed & Breakfast.

Every. Single. Day. for at least a month leading up to our wedding, it seemed to rain from 4-7pm like clock work!

As the days approached I began praying so fervently for a break in the pattern for just one night. It sprinkled a bit leading up to the ceremony, but then we got what it- a break in the pattern!

We didn’t see a drop of rain until we pulled away from our family and friends and drove towards our future!

Surrounded by 24 of our closest friends and family (and my fur-baby Duncan), we joyfully celebrated the redemption that God has brought into both of our lives.

Of course, you guessed it! Megan was my maid of honor, and she absolutely slayed the job in the best way possible leaving me stress-free to soak in every moment of my day.

Her and our worship pastor Forrest, from Good Life Church (also in the 941), so beautifully sang an acoustic rendition of “The Blessing” while our parents prayed over us as we began our journey together.

Unfortunately for you, it’s not a thing {yet} to hire a professional maid of honor – otherwise, we’d have the best right here in the 941!

I do, however, want to write this post as a personal “Thank You” to some of the vendors and significant people involved in our day that made it so special and memorable.

This post doesn’t even begin to describe how much we enjoyed our day and the people we got to work with in the planning stages.

Here’s A HUGE THANK YOU to you all! We couldn’t have enjoyed the day without you!

If you’re looking for vendors or need help planning your wedding I hope this post will be helpful and will provide some resources to turn to.

Palmetto Riverside Bed & Breakfast

Palmetto Riverside Bed & Breakfast jumped off the search page for me when looking into wedding venues. I quickly inquired about a somewhat random date we had decided on in September hoping and praying they would have availabilities!

I was so excited to hear that it was their only available date left this year and they were budget friendly even providing a lot of the items you are typically required to rent on your own. (Cha-ching Cha-ching!)

We met with the owner at the B&B for an initial walk-through and loved what we saw! We were originally planning a larger ceremony, but decided to cut things down relatively last minute due to the virus related uncertainties at the time. He and his wife worked with us so graciously and helped us make our dream come true!

If you’re looking for a waterfront view with an onsite paved reception area, The Palmetto Riverside Bed & Breakfast is a must see for all soon-to-be brides!

There is parking for your guests and they even book the rooms for traveling family or the new Mr. & Mrs. with a fresh cooked breakfast as an option.

Find their website and photos from other brides who made the same great decision we did by checking out The Palmetto Riverside Bed & Breakfast website here.

Something Blue Bridal

Next stop was to find my dress! I got engaged towards the beginning of the pandemic and our engagement was only going to be around 4 or 5 months long so I needed to find the dress and find it quick.

I went to Something Blue Bridal to look for my dress mainly because I’ve passed it hundreds of times on my way up and down Manatee Ave and have always swooned at the dresses in the windows wondering what other beautiful gowns must be hidden beyond!

At that time only one guest was allowed, so Megan joined me in person and my other girlfriends and mom joined via video chat.

Kristi, the owner, was my personal consultant and made the experience one of a kind!

After trying 4 or 5 gowns, I said “yes to my dress” and the salon had no problem getting it altered and pressed in time for my short deadline.

Since my girls weren’t there to see my dress in person, we got to do a “first look” which was really special! I highly recommend!

So here’s my opinion. If you’re local and looking for a large budget-friendly rack to shop from, this is your place. If money is no option and you’re simply looking for friendly staff and a convenient location, Something Blue Bridal is an excellent option.

Call for an appointment, or drop by their website for further wedding inspiration!

Sweet’s Bakehouse

Tara from Sweet’s Bakehouse was no stranger to me and I knew right away without hesitation that she would be making our wedding cake.

Megan and I had previously visited with her and tasted her amazing creations for the blog so I reached out regarding a Gluten and Dairy Free option. Of course, she was able to make it happen!

We ordered a few flavors of cake and icing for a tasting and after muchhhhh deliberation, we decided on a two layer “naked” cake.

The top would be a light vanilla cake with her incredible mocha icing which happens to be made with Banyan Coffee Co.’s very own cold brew!

For the second layer, we chose the unique blend of her equally as incredible lemon-lavender cake with the mocha icing continued throughout. Don’t knock it ’till you tried it!

There was hardly any left which is an obvious sign that it was enjoyed thoroughly!

Tara makes sweets and treats for all occasions so be sure to check out her website and support her business here in the 941.

PLāH & Co.

Ahhh. The glamour and beauty of the day. Picking a makeup artist and hair stylist for quite possibly the most photographed day of your life is no joke. I don’t envy those of you still in the process of choosing, but may I offer a suggestion?

I have known Kelsey for years and she has colored, cut and styled my hair many times before. She’s even done my makeup for prior events so I knew I trusted her. She is reliable, respectful and reasonably priced.

As a bonus, she is also in the studio at the Salon Lofts of Lakewood Ranch when she’s not loving on her brides or her family. I promise you will never be disappointed with Kelsey holding the brush!

Connect with her on Instagram and let her take your worries away!

LoveView Weddings

Now, as I mentioned earlier, this is quite possibly the most photographed day of your life. I take this as no joke and was adamant that video and photography would be my non-negotiable.

Listen. I’m not kidding. I poured my own candles for the reception and DIY’d the heck out of my wedding because I was so serious about getting a good team to capture our day.

I scoured the internet for someone that was reasonably priced (I am reasonable sometimes!) but had the quality I was looking for. I found it in LoveView Weddings. Originally from the 941, they are currently based out of Atlanta but have a team here in Bradenton ready to serve all you brides and grooms!

As part of the package, they captured our engagement shoot which allowed us to get to know our lead photographer prior to the wedding day and gives them an idea of who we are and what we’re looking for.

In just over a month we got our pictures and videos back and we couldn’t be happier. They truly captured the essence of our day and listened to every desire I had.

Check out other videos and galleries and prepare to say “I LoveView” back!

Gulf Coast Creative

Last but not least, a lot of the decorations and details were done by myself. I do have a local business myself making wooden home décor and digitally hand-drawn silhouette portraits etc.

I wanted to save as much money for our new family so I went to work and placed orders from myself. We wrote a note to our guests, created mad-libs for ice breakers amongst guests at the reception and made a display of the menu for the evening.

If you’re looking for invitations, thank you notes, or anything else for your wedding or event, please let me know- I’d love to work with you!

Visit my website or connect with me on Instagram and Facebook to get started.

The support of our family and friends is not taken for granted – especially during this time. We know so many sacrifices were made and love was shared. That beautiful evening will be forever remembered and marks the beginning of a new journey.

Thank you to our parents and families who raised us and supported us on this journey. Thank you to our bridal party for being so fun and supportive. Each one of you were chosen for a reason and we couldn’t be more thrilled that you said “yes”!

So, as two more 941-ers, we look forward to seeing you around and exploring all there is to do in our beautiful area!