A Timeless Celebration at La Casa Toscana Filled with Colorful Black Tie Style

[section title=”The Planning”]
[field title=”Wedding Colors”][/field]
[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]

From the bride: My vision for our wedding was timeless and elegant, where you could feel the love Jason and I have for each other. I picked our wedding colors as black and white because I wanted the venue and our family friends to be the focus.

I had a specific look I wanted for the venue, and when I saw La Casa Toscana, I knew it was exactly the look! I asked our friends and family to dress in “colorful black tie” and they did not disappoint! Everyone at our wedding is truly the color of our life, and I thought having white and black decor accents would really let them shine.

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[field title=”Proposal Story”]

We met during COVID at a house party right after I moved to a new city and didn’t know anyone. We started talking about the Tampa Bay Rays and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the rest is history! Jason planned a surprise trip for us to go to Costa Rica. The only things I knew about the trip were when we were going, the country we were going to, and what to pack. He took care of planning activities like horseback riding through the rain forest and a couple’s spa afternoon. On the second night of our trip, we went to dinner on a mountain overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We went to look at a family of monkeys near the railing, and he pulled me away. I was confused and thought he wanted to dance with me, but he got on one knee and proposed. I had no idea he was going to do it!

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[board_carousel title=”Getting Ready”]

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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Portraits”]

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[section title=”The Fashion”]
[field title=”Wedding Gown”]

My wedding truly captured my style. As Miss Florida USA and wearing a white gown while competing at Miss USA, I wanted something completely different from what I’ve worn before. I’ve always loved Grace Kelly’s style and wanted my wedding dress to be very traditional with an extremely long train. I knew I wanted to wear a Mila Nova dress, so I went to a bridal salon in Tampa and tried on every Mila Nova dress they had in store. My appointment was close to ending, and they went into the back to pull one last Mila Nova dress they had. I tried it on and immediately knew it was exactly what I wanted. The sleeve top and mantilla veil captured the traditional look I wanted during the ceremony. The second top was a peplum piece, and I felt that it showed off the fun side of my personality. During the reception, I took the peplum piece off and had a see-through bodice. I felt it was modern and the perfect look to finish the evening. I changed immediately into cowboy boots with my new initials branded into the side after the ceremony, so I could dance the entire time and really just have fun.

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[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]

I wanted my bridesmaids to feel as confident as possible in what they wore, so I told them to wear whatever dress they wanted as long as it was black, satin, and floor-length. I felt that having them in black also allowed them to stand out from the rest of the guests and gave a classic look.

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[field title=”Groomsman Attire”]The groomsmen wore black tuxes for a classic yet sophisticated look.[/field]
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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Party”]

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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]

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[board_carousel title=”Cocktail Hour”]

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[section title=”The Details”]
[field title=”Food & Drink”]

I wanted to make sure every detail of our wedding had some sort of significance to Jason and me. All the food we picked was something that we enjoy cooking and eating together. We decided on fried chicken sandwiches and French fries as our late-night snack because they’re our favorite foods. We decided on signature cocktails that were drinks we regularly make and serve when we host.

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[field title=”Florals & Decor”]

Flowers and romance go hand in hand for me, so I wanted as many floral decorations as possible. Our florist did an amazing job selecting the perfect flowers to make my dream a reality. I wanted a ton of white roses since they’re my favorite flower, so our florist hung them from the pergola. It truly felt magical eating dinner under them! Bouquet: My grandmother and mom both carried lilies of the valley on their wedding day. All of my grandparents passed before my wedding, so it was a must-have in my bouquet. I also wanted something small so it wouldn’t overpower my ceremony look. When I saw my bouquet for the first time, I cried (and I’m not a big crier). There were 57 lilies of the valley, and it felt like my grandmother was there with me.

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[field title=”Wedding Cake”]

A simple two-tier white cake with a letter “E” (their new last name is Ervin) – classic and modern!

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[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]

It really was important to me to have my brother as our officiant and have a traditional service. Jason and I wrote our private vows and read them separately before our ceremony, but my brother asked us to write things about our relationship together, then write things about each other separately. He was able to combine the traditional ceremony with what we wrote to really encompass our relationship perfectly. Jason and I wanted to have a lot of fun with the dances with my dad and his mom, so we both decided to do the traditional slower dance, then halfway through, we broke out into songs/dances that were more upbeat and fun. My dad and I did “Crank That by Soulja Boy since he learned that dance with me in middle school, then tried to embarrass me with it in front of my friends. Jason and his mom did “September” by Earth, Wind, and Fire so they could swing dance together, then get the crowd involved. We wanted people to dance the entire time, and it was a great way to break the ice and have people dance. Bourbon, my dog, is a huge part of my life, and Jason was the only guy I introduced him to that he liked. Jason and I have a bond that quickly formed after we started dating. It was really important to me to have Bourbon be part of our day, but Bourbon got really sick 2 months before the wedding, and we almost lost him. I didn’t think it’d be good for him to be there at the wedding, so I decided to make giant cutouts of him to have people dance with during the reception. Jason decided to name his signature drink “The Bourbon” to have more of the Bourbon there with us.

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[field title=”Special Detail #1″]

Monogram on bars and aprons, I really tried to keep our decor all the same throughout our wedding. From our save-the-dates to welcome bags to menus on the tables, everything had the same font and monogram. I really wanted to have our monogram on the bars, and when speaking with Karen, our planner, she mentioned adding aprons with our monogram on them for the staff helping with dinner service. As soon as she said it, I knew we had to do it as well. I’m so glad we did because it was so fun to see everyone wearing our initials. It was a small detail that really added a lot to the overall feel and look of the wedding. The staff had a lot of fun wearing them, too!

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[field title=”Special Detail #2″]

I wanted something fun for our seating chart, and since our friends and family love to have a good time, I felt a “take a shot, take a seat” chart would be perfect for them. We had bourbon and tequila mini bottles, and our guests took them with them to their seats.

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[field title=”Special Detail #3″]

Wanted to have a moment where we could show off the photos Jason and I have taken together during engagement shoots and family photos. There was a beautiful walkway from the cocktail space to the reception space, and I thought it’d be perfect to have large photos of us leading the guests to the reception. La Casa Toscana has amazing chandeliers hanging on the big trees in that walkway area, so it felt like an outdoor gallery. We had a violinist playing in the space as guests walked over, and I really felt like it was so romantic and intimate. To me, it was the perfect way to lead to dinner.

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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]

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