It’s All Nautical Baby: Amie and Matt’s St. Pete Wedding

Okay, okay I know I have lots of favorites, but seriously this one is definitely going in the books as one of my top favorites. Stephanie A Smith never disappoints with her photography and this was just the most perfect St. Pete, Florida beach wedding to share with you! I think this beach wedding intertwined the perfect amount of nautically inspired decor and beach theme elements without going overboard. This wedding was so crisp, cool, and elegant. I actually was telling Mr. Oceanside about Amie & Matt’s wedding event as we headed to our own 2 weeks ago. I told him lately I’ve become obsessed with nautical stripes, boats, and knotted ropes and if I ever planned a vow renewal celebration, I’d keep this wedding in mind for inspiration. I just love everything about it.

I love how Stephanie describes this beautiful couple’s style, love and special moments…

My brother came up with this a saying and it always makes me laugh, “Were Nautical Baby”. The boat shoes, the crew cut shorts, some sort of tie to New England. And while many attempt to be nautical, it’s not something that can be easily gained. It’s something that’s inside, something that naturally resonates from your soul. With being said Amie + Matt are so nautical! I can remember the first time I set foot in their waterfront condo. I recall the sailing images, the view of the bay, and their pups boating collars. Not only did I dig their style but I also fell in love with the two of them. Their engagement session took place on their boat. We packed up a cooler and headed toward the sunset. They let me into their life and I was so happy to be a part of it. Thus enters wedding day. I knew Amie had an amazing talent for design however I was blown away at what I saw she was capable of. She designed everything from the invitations, menu cards, centerpieces, ceremony decor, etc. You name it, Amie designed it……And it was all nautical baby. I think the reason I enjoyed this wedding so much was because it was totally about Amie + Matt. We left plenty of time during the day to accomplish all that they wanted. Amie wanted a few snaps with her pups, Bella and Murphy. We had a first look and then family photos all before the ceremony giving Amie and Matt most of the cocktail hour to enjoy with their guests. And then we were out on the beach until the sunset. Such an awesome day.

This image only provided by the Bride, Amie Lee

And I absolutely adore this couple’s true seaside love story…{from the Oceanside Bride, Amie}

Matt and I met 3 years ago after we both  moved to Florida. I’m originally from the Twin Cities, MN and it was my dream to escape the cold and live on the gulf coast of Florida. Matt was inspired to leave Boston, MA to further pursue his career  and fell in love with the warm gulf waters as well.  Matt comes from a family of sailors and grew up on the water so he naturally got me to date him by chartering a boat and taking me sailing.  We fell in love from there and we share that love for the water and boating. We bought a boat and started our life together in Tierra Verde, a little island just before St. Pete Beach and this became our home.  It was there that Matt proposed to me.

Getting married on St. Pete Beach was our obvious destination since it’s where we fell in love and became a little family, that is Matt and I, and our two yellow labs, Murphy and Bella.  The gorgeous beaches and coastal islands were our weekend haven.  We wanted to share this special place with our family and friends.   Sadly, Matt’s work relocated us to the east coast of Florida so it became a destination wedding after all.  We will always have those special memories of St. Pete Beach and where it all started. 

I got inspired!  I had so much fun creating everything from the invitations to the menus and thank you cards, that I am starting my own design company, Inspirations by Amie Lee.  I made all of the paper products for the wedding myself.  Since nautical was our theme, the dark navy blue and white stripe was a nice contrast on the white sandy beaches.  Everyone received a “Save the Date” pocket invite with a magnet picture of the two of us on our boat to keep the date.  The invite itself arrived in a box, attached with a starfish, nautical chart of the area and nautical invite details. All guests received a sail cloth cooler bag with personalized bottled water and little treats from our pups, chocolates “bagged by Bella from MN” and “Sail Mix, mixed by Murphy.”  The bags were embroidered with our wedding date and included another invitation to our sailing party the day after in Tampa Bay.  I made my own place cards by using starfish and handmade name plates.  I also used a wedge favor box, stood it upright and created a sail filled with sweet sloop chocolates from Harbor Sweets in Salem, MA.  They were perfect and delicious!  I used nautical white line, navy striped ribbon and starfish for decorating the aisle and Matt’s father hand painted an old oar from a family boat for our guests to sign. 

What challenges (if any) did you face while planning your destination wedding?
With today’s technology we found that it was not as hard as we thought it would be.  I was able to choose my flowers during a virtual consultation with my florist.  I chose a day to travel to St. Pete for the finishing touches on the menu, cake and dress.  My best advice is to relax a little, because with destination weddings you can’t be there for everything.  Let the professionals take over the fine details.

What was the best thing about having a destination wedding? Share your best wedding weekend moment!
Having a destination wedding is like inviting everyone on vacation with you!  We not only had the opportunity to share our special day with our closest friends and family, but they too had the opportunity to enjoy a relaxing and fun filled weekend vacation.  Most of our guests arrived Thursday to enjoy our “Sailor’s Soiree” at our favorite little seafood restaurant.  Our wedding was on Friday and the following Saturday was a day to relax by the pool and beach.  Our best weekend moment was Saturday evening when we invited everyone to join us for a sunset sail where they enjoyed one last evening of fun with dolphins, food and wine on a 60 foot schooner in the Tampa Bay.  It was important to us to share our special place and make sure our guests had a truly enjoyable vacation as well!  

What is your best advice for other couples considering a destination wedding?
Give your guests plenty of time to make travel arrangements.  Design a website that shares the upcoming events of your wedding so they can prepare and anticipate the fun they are going to have!  Offer several options for hotel and accommodations to meet the needs of everyone.  Consider your guest list when planning events and excursions.  Make sure that the event is something that everyone can participate in.  

Ahhhh- I just love the last photo of the bride- after the ceremony, alone on the beach at sunset, looking so free and relaxed.  As you know I’ve only been married for less than two weeks and this moment is still soooo very fresh in my mind. The moment of having a million different emotions at one time- but all positive emotions. No worries or care in the world. Just bliss. Happy wedded bliss…and it feels so good.