A Modern Botanical Styled Elopement at Florida Botanical Gardens

October 16, 2021

The Venue

If it’s classic romance you’re after, it isn’t hard to find in a secret garden tucked away in scenic landscapes and native habitats. Sarah and Austin designed a dreamy day for their intimate wedding celebration at the Florida Botanical Gardens. This charming garden center makes the perfect location to celebrate love and life!

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WHAT WORDS WOULD YOU USE TO DESCRIBE YOUR WEDDING?

Perfect, romantic, dreamy, unique, fun, exquisite

THE PROPOSAL:

Austin proposed on August 8th, 2020. There was no romantic setup, but it was a big surprise. I was pregnant with our second son and sleeping a lot. I was taking one of my mid day cat naps and Austin took our older son and snuck out to the grocery store. When he came back, I was in the kitchen snacking on some pineapple, still in my pajamas. He said “You weren’t supposed to be awake yet!” and he pulled a ring pop out of the grocery bag and he “popped” the question. He had a bigger plan, but life got in the way. When we first started dating, I told Austin I would marry him even if he proposed with a ring pop, and that day I stayed true to my word and said yes!! 

THE VISION:

We went back and forth for a while on what we wanted in a wedding. There was a big part of Austin that wanted a grand production of a wedding, but I didn’t really care. I was ready to go to the courthouse. When I did some research on unique elopements, I came across Elope Tampa Bay and I couldn’t help but think how perfect those options would be. It was a perfect way to meet in the middle. We got to do the important things that Austin wanted out of a wedding, and I was happy that we could keep it small and personal. All the little details were executed flawlessly by the ETB team. 

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elope tampa bay

THE PLANNING PROCESS:

I would hardly call this a planning process. I was able to give the ladies a few suggestions and preferences and I just let go of the reins. Catie and Melanie kept me in the loop every step of the way, and followed all of my suggestions perfectly. It was so nice to be able to trust someone else to do all the heavy lifting of planning a wedding, and they sure delivered perfectly! 

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elope tampa bay
tampa bay elopement
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YOUR OUTFITS AND ACCESSORIES

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florida elopement
florida wedding

Im a very frugal person, so my dress was ordered off of Lulu’s on sale! My jewelry was from Amazon, other than my wedding ring. My wedding ring was custom ordered off of Etsy. My boots were from Boot Barn! Austin’s entire outfit was from Boot Barn, other than his wedding ring. His wedding ring was from Band & Vow. 

MEMORABLE MOMENTS

The most memorable moment for me was seeing Austin for the first time. I’ve only seen him cry two other times, when our boys were born. Seeing him tear up with pride that day will always be burned in my memory. I couldn’t get down the aisle to him fast enough. 

We also enjoyed exploring the park with our wedding videographer and photographer. The level of professionalism and skill by our entire wedding team was unmatched, and the pictures and videos prove it. 

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 ADVICE FOR OTHER COUPLES

If you are on the fence about an elopement or micro wedding, just do it. The intimacy of a small wedding is so incredible. We only invited people that were important to who we are as a couple. The love we felt that day will always stick with us and it couldn’t have been possible without the team at ETB. 

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VENDORS

Officiant : Bonnie Sanchez

Photographer : Jessica Cruz Photography

Videographer: Imagery Wedding Films

Coordinator & Permit: Elope Tampa Bay

Venue: Florida Botanical Gardens

Floral: Wonderland Florist

Pastry Chef/Cake: Chantilly Cakes

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