LOVE’S ALCHEMY By: Maureen McDole
If there was a way to gauge love,
we would all carry around rulers and scales,
measuring and weighing
until we got our fair share,
& then we would feel satisfied & our hearts full.
But, love is not a liquid, a gas, or a solid.
It cannot be contained,
it changes shape- rearranges.
Some lovers know this.
They know instinctively
they must remain unattached to the outcome
their tinkering produces.
They delight in the mystery,
so they keep mixing and testing,
till they find what works for them.
Because the best kind of love
keeps dancing like the spheres do,
even though they know
the universe is constantly contracting
and expanding its shape all around them.
How would you like to be Married in Paradise? Well, look no further than the Bay Area to provide you with the once-in-a-life-time fairytale wedding that you’ve always dreamed of. From beachfront sunset nuptials with your toes nestled in the sugar sand of St. Pete Beach, to saying “I do” amidst lush, vibrant gardens with fragrant tropical flowers and cascading waterfalls in Largo, to exchanging vows at an elegant, yet modern two-story glass museum conservatory overlooking the bay in downtown St. Petersburg, the possibilities are endless and you’re wedding dreams are sure to become a picture-perfect reality you’ll remember forever.
If you’ve always imagined exchanging your wedding vows standing on a stunning, seemingly endless white sand beach against panoramic views of the azure waters of the Gulf of Mexico with your bare feet immersed in the foamy surf, then your dream wedding awaits you at Florida’s lavish beachfront “Pink Palace”, or more commonly known as the Loews Don CeSar Hotel. This gorgeous Mediterranean-style Gulf Coast castle was built in 1928, the Great Gatsby era, and was regarded as a fabulous playground for the rich and famous. Illustrious and rich in history, while also revitalized and luxurious in style, design and overall ambiance, the Loews Don CeSar Hotel is the ultimate backdrop for an exquisite seaside storybook wedding. Featuring 277 newly redesigned lavish rooms, including 36 suites, the indulgent Spa Oceana, as well as the award winning Maritana Grille, casual dining at Sea Porch, and 38,000 square feet of combined indoor and outdoor function space, this extraordinary historic landmark hotel has all the makings of a first-rate, unforgettably fabulous wedding of a lifetime!
The expert planners at the Loews Don CeSar Hotel want to ensure your wedding day is an unforgettable occasion, so they are eager to lend their knowledge and experience to help you customize and create your ideal wedding celebration with the hotel’s wide variety of wedding packages, menus and services. Among the many lavish and unique wedding packages offered at the hotel, some of the most popular ones include The Great Wedding Brunch, Oceana Wedding Lunch, Four Diamond Wedding Dinner Buffet, and Pomerantz Wedding Dinner Buffet. Choose from a variety of ceremony options, including an intimate waterfront beach ceremony for two, to a much larger service that can accommodate hundreds of guests on the hotel’s far-reaching sugar sand beach. The Courtyard, with its lush tropical garden setting, also serves as a perfect ceremony location. Accommodating up to 250 guests, say “I do” standing atop an impressive pink and white staircase overlooking the sparkling emerald waters of the Gulf.
Additional outdoor and indoor reception locations, all of which can also be set up for a ceremony, include Sunsets Pavilion, Grand Ballroom, King Charles Ballroom, Buena Vista Ballroom and more. Regardless of your personal vision or the way you customize your dream wedding, one thing is for sure…no other beachfront hotel wedding venue in the Bay Area will surpass the stunning views and décor, elegant atmosphere, top-notch service, attention to detail, rich history, and uplifting unforgettable wedding experience that you will come to know at the Loews Don CeSar Hotel, located at 3400 Gulf Blvd on St. Pete Beach. For additional information, please call 727-360-1881.
Perhaps beach and waterfront weddings aren’t quite your forte, however, when you think about your fairytale wedding day, you envision a unique sand elegant outdoor ceremony that captures the essence, serenity and rejuvenating pleasures of nature. For all that you’ve imagined and dreamt your special day to be, Sunken Gardens in St. Petersburg can provide you and your guests with a breathtaking and tranquil garden wedding that will outdo even your loftiest expectations and turn your dream wedding into a picture-perfect reality. Since 1935, Sunken Gardens, located at 1825 4th St. North, has been a highly sought-after location for saying “I do” because of the sanctuary’s timeless beauty and peaceful, yet captivating atmosphere and aesthetics. Garden weddings at Sunken Gardens are unlike any other outdoor ceremonies in the area due to the stunning one-of-a-kind garden settings consisting of lush foliage, vibrant tropical displays, fragrant flowering plants and cascading waterfalls at every turn.
A small, tranquil oasis in the heart of St. Petersburg, Sunken Gardens was birthed from an avid Bay Area-native gardener, George Turner, in 1903. Mr. Turner purchased the six-acre property and regarded it as his own private hideaway to indulge in his favorite hobby, gardening. In the 1920’s he began to expose his artfully constructed private garden to curious neighbors and started charging a nickel for tours of his unique secluded garden and personal retreat. Three generations of the Turner family have continued to keep Mr. Turner’s unique vision and proud spirit alive in these beautiful gardens. The Turner family purchased the main building on Fourth Street in 1967 to create a gift shop and wax museum, but they closed the building in 1995. In 1999, the City of St. Petersburg purchased Sunken Gardens, and with Mr. Turner’s original vision in mind, preserving this historic botanical garden has been a community effort that has greatly enriched and benefited the city.
Home to more than 50,000 tropical plants and flowers, as well as some of the oldest tropical plants in the region, Sunken Gardens offers a range of wedding packages and separate distinctive garden areas to hold your ceremony. Exchange your vows in the historic Wedding Lawn, North Lawn, or under a canopy of lush trees in the Oak Pavilion, then celebrate in style with friends and family in the new banquet facility’s Garden Room, located in the historic 1926 main building. This special room has a terrific loft-like ambiance with its high wood ceilings and metal beams, and it also overlooks the awe-inspiring gardens. With the help of the facility’s staff, your garden wedding is sure to be filled with splendor and magic with a timeless air of romance on your big day. For additional information, please call 727-551-3102.
If one of our local downtown art museums was ranked third in Martha Stewart’s top 25 eastern U.S. wedding spots, then you know it has to be a phenomenal venue to exchange your vows. St. Petersburg’s Museum of Fine Arts opened its doors in 1965 and was designed by Palm Beach architect John Volk, who helped define the famous Palm Beach style beginning in the 1920s. Romance abounds at MFA, thanks to its Palladian-style architecture, a two-story glass conservatory with captivating views of Tampa Bay, an expansive elegant ballroom, and Spanish-style gardens featuring sculptures, columns and vaulted ceilings.
MFA offers several unique spaces to hold your dream ceremony or reception. Over 6,000 square feet in size, the two-story glass Conservatory, which includes a terrace, can accommodate up to as many as 350 guests. The Conservatory and terrace sit across from the bay, offering mesmerizing views of the water, and has access to the newest galleries which host traveling exhibitions. The Marly Room, over 5,000 square feet, is an elegant ballroom in the heart of MFA, characterized by 22 feet-high ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and a spacious wooden floor, perfect for mingling and dancing the night away.
Adjoined to the left and right of The Marly Room, which can accommodate up to 225 guests, are the Membership Garden and the Sculpture Garden. Over 2,500 square feet and accommodating up to 160 guests, the Spanish-style Membership Garden is surrounded by columns and arched loggias with vaulted ceilings and accented by rich foliage brought to life by stunning up-lighting. The final space at MFA to host your perfect wedding is the Sculpture Garden, which measures over 2,500 square feet and can accommodate up to 150 guests. This breathtaking garden is marked by several permanent sculptures and vibrant tropical plants, all highlighted by modern lighting, and is an ideal setting for an intimate ceremony or reception. And to top it all off, each of the aforementioned wedding location options also includes two-hour access for all guests to the museum’s art galleries. With all that the Museum of Fine Art boasts and has to offer its soon-to-be-married couples, you can appreciate why this downtown museum was named Martha Stewart’s top wedding location pick in Florida, and decade after decade, continues to remain a highly sought-after dream-like setting to tie the knot in the Bay Area. Located at 255 Beach Dr NE, call 727-896-2667.
Another exquisitely picturesque and romantic, yet unexpected and unique, wedding venue happens to be a local nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring marine and wetland environments of the Tampa Bay estuary. Established in 1993, Tampa Bay Watch, located in Tierra Verde, serves as a truly one-of-a-kind wedding venue in the fact that the rental fees support the organization’s habitat restoration and environmental education programs. The Tampa Bay Watch Lighthouse, which is the first lighthouse in Florida in 54 years, is a perfectly charming, coastal-style wedding setting, accompanied by breathtaking panoramic views of the emerald-green Gulf, Tampa Bay, historic Fort De Soto, and Shell Key. At this unparalleled venue, Mother Nature quietly offers her flawless and perfect gift to the wedding couple… a spectacular backdrop, including traditional Florida coastal architecture, two acres of expansive grounds that are beautifulvirtually all year long, and a large dock for convenient waterfront access.
At Tampa Bay Watch, you can choose to exchange your vows in a romantic waterfront garden ceremony with a few close loved ones, or opt for nuptials in front of up to 150 guests on the lighthouse’s signature wraparound porch, or say “I do” on the covered balcony that provides gasp-worthy scenes of the water and surrounding islands. After tying the knot, celebrate in a second story reception hall, which can also accommodate up to 150 people, featuring a neutral palate with bamboo flooring and wall-to-wall windows, providing the perfect environment to reflect any wedding style, from beach casual to dressy elegant.
As the canvas for your once-in-a-lifetime storybook wedding, the Tampa Bay Watch Lighthouse is a portrait of tranquility, enchantment and quintessential Florida charm. And with plenty of parking for your guests, as well as all the necessary seating, linen, furniture and AV equipment rentals available, the staff at Tampa Bay Watch will help you create your awe-inspiring wedding day with confidence, ease and unsurpassed style! Located at 3000 Pinellas Bayway South in Tierra Verde, please call 727-867-8166 for information and pricing.
In addition to the aforementioned utopian venues, enchanting and idyllic, The Florida Botanical Gardens is another whimsical wedding destination in the Bay Area. Showcasing rare, breathtaking flora and fauna, these popular botanical gardens boast over 30 acres of cultivated gardens and 90 acres of natural areas, making it a truly unique local treasure. Once you step foot into the gardens, all the senses are instantly engaged and catered for, with gently gurgling waterfalls, intoxicatingly scented flowers, vibrantly colored foliage, and relaxing, shaded gazebos and natural canopies. Spend your special day at an equally special venue, where a variety of their breathtaking formal gardens and natural areas serve as picture-perfect settings to say “I do.”
Exchange vows in their elegant walled Wedding Garden detailed with beautiful mosaic tiles, which has been the stage for several hundred celebratory events during its history. Their Tropical Walk Garden, where its bold foliage and bright colors combine to create a taste of the tropics, makes for another great backdrop for tying the knot, along with the Tropical Courtyard Garden where you can enjoy the scented plants that occupy the many planters throughout the courtyard. And for all your wedding necessities and assistance, Orange Blossom Catering is available to provide event-planning services for your big day in this unique and memorable location. Please contact Orange Blossom Catering directly for information on the types of facilities that are available, pricing, booking and services to help you bring your wondrous garden nuptials to life! For additional information about The Florida Botanical Gardens, located at 12520 Ulmerton Road in Largo, please call 727-582-2100.
More places for Wedding Memories…
Sirata Beach Resort 5300 Gulf Boulevard, St. Pete Beach
727-363-5100; www.sirata.com
Nestled on the sugar sand beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, the Sirata Beach Resort is one of the Bay Area’s premier destinations for unforgettable weddings and ceremonies. From saying “I do” with your toes buried in the sand in an intimate beachfront wedding ceremony overlooking a technicolor sunset, to exchanging your vows in the resort’s elegant 8th floor Royal Palm Ballroom with 180 degree water views and room for up to 150 guests. The Sirata has several stunning settings for you to choose from for your ceremony or reception, from their grand ballrooms, to tropical grottos and pavilions, to the gorgeous beach…the romantic wedding possibilities are endless. Recognized at “Best of the Knot” for 2008 through 2013, the friendly and attentive staff and knowledgeable wedding professionals will utilize their years of planning experience to oversee and execute every detail of your big day, including customized services designed to fit your wedding’s unique style and theme. For more information about how the Sirata Beach Resort can make your wedding dreams a reality, give them a call or visit their website.
St. Pete Beach Community Center 7701 Boca Ciega Drive, St. Pete Beach
727-363-9245; www.spbrec.com
This waterfront facility is the perfect size and setting for a great Florida-inspired wedding! Their Boca Ciega Ballroom, which overlooks beautiful Boca Ciega Bay, can accommodate up to 180 people and also has a wonderful second-story balcony, perfect for enjoying some fresh air or savoring the vibrant sunset. The center has plenty of necessary equipment to host your event, including WiFi and different sized tables and chairs, which the center’s staff will set up and break down after your event. There is no restriction on vendors, so you can use whatever caterer you prefer, or you can even bring your own food and beverages, including alcohol. The Community Center offers a variety of rental packages, and St. Pete Beach Residents receive a 10% discount! Please call the number listed above for more pricing details and general info about weddings at the St. Pete Beach Community Center.
NOVA 535 535 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street North, St. Petersburg
727-821-6682; www.nova535.com
Located in the heart of the hustling and bustling city of St. Petersburg, NOVA 535, can be described in a few words as a “modern”, “swanky”, “beautiful” and “unique” venue with “five star service”. It’s an intimate private event space with a warm and welcoming atmosphere, but with all the flair, elegance and contemporary style of a big metropolitan city. This unique “Best Reviewed Event Space in Tampa Bay” is truly a blank canvas for you to dream up your perfect wedding and watch it come to life with the help of NOVA 535’s world-class partners. Also a plus, you can use your own caterer and other professional vendors. They have hosted over 1,000 successful one-of-a-kind events and enjoy the fact that they can focus on one special event at a time. Call them today to discuss their customized pricing to fit your taste and budget for your big day!
Silas Dent’s Steak House 5501 Gulf Boulevard, St. Pete Beach
727-360-6961; www.silasdentsteakhouse.com
A steak house as a wedding venue? Yes! At Silas Dent’s Steak House, they can help you create the wedding you’ve always imagined at a price you can afford! This popular St. Pete Beach steak house has been around since 1979 and is a fantastic option for your wedding or event, with a beautiful private banquet space that can accommodate 25 to 100 people. They offer mouthwatering brunch, lunch and dinner packages, as well as themed parties, which will meet any need or budget. Silas Dent’s chapel is also available as a back up plan if rough weather strikes your outdoor wedding, with no extra charge for the chapel with a catering purchase. Silas’ has long been adored by tourists and locals alike, so give them a call for more information about their private banquet space, pricing and how they can create the wedding of your dreams.
The Hangar Restaurant and Flight Lounge 540 1st Street South East, St. Petersburg
727-823-7767; www.thehangarstpete.com
Not only is The Hangar Restaurant & Flight Lounge a wildly unique dining destination in the Bay Area, but it is also a distinctive and romantic setting for a wedding or reception. Overlooking the private Albert Whitted Airport and Tampa Bay, let the sparkling city skyline of downtown St. Petersburg act as the ideal backdrop for the perfect wedding or reception. The Hangar’s Banquet Room is available for parties up to 50 people with an adjoining outdoor patio that accommodates an additional 25 guests. This wedding-worthy banquet room is also equipped with audio and speakers, as well as a 55’’ TV and retractable 8’ movie screen. Their Lounge and Bar Area is also available for a variety of gatherings, various live entertainment is also available, and if you so choose, the entire restaurant can be leased for parties of 150 to 300. Please call for pricing details and more information.
Starlite Sapphire Dining Yacht 3400 Pasadena Avenue South, South Pasadena
727-367-7805; www.starlitediningcruises.com
Set sail and exchange your vows at sea on the Starlite Sapphire Dining Yacht, where they can provide you with a dazzling wedding, reception or other special event. Say “I do” surrounded by gorgeous panoramic views of sparkling scenic inland waters, starry skies or breathtaking sunsets. Sail away into matrimony bliss with your true love and take in the area’s stunning scenery you will only experience by waterway. Starlite Sapphire offers a wide range of packages, all at competitive prices, that will help you create your picture-perfect wedding or reception. You can choose from day or evening cruises on a private or public cruise, and there is a gorgeous dining area in which entrees for the reception are prepared fresh on board. A full bar and other amenities/services are available through a variety of packages and prices. So, come aboard this luxurious, unique wedding venue that you’ll never forget.
The romantic possibilities are endless when it comes to unique wedding venues in the Bay Area. Home to a wide variety of diverse, one-of-a-kind wedding and ceremony venues, choose from beachside bliss and luxurious resort ballrooms, to starting your forever together in a tropical paradise watching the sunset from the deck of a lighthouse where the Gulf of Mexico meets the Bay. Celebrate in sophisticated style in the sculpture garden of a top-ranked art museum overlooking Tampa Bay, or step into a storybook secret garden ceremony surrounded by rare flourishing plants, intoxicating floral scents and the calming sounds of nature. The Bay Area, a paradise that some of us are lucky enough to call “home”, can serve as the magical dream-exceeding backdrop for your nuptials. Discover a venue for your wedding as unique, breathtaking and unforgettable as the day itself.
Story by Sarah Meitz