WEDDING BLOG

Lesley and Mike are one of those amazing couples who have personal style for days, so their sunny St. Petersburg, Florida wedding was, naturally, a brilliant reflection of all the things they love. Photographer Matt Miller of Our Labor of Love was the perfect match to visually tell their story, and the mid-century modern beach style of their venue The Postcard Inn created the happy-go-lucky vibe they were looking for. We hope you’ll sit back, relax, and welcome in the weekend with these playful photos of a one-of-a-kind DIY wedding!

The Goals: Lesley and Mike centered their wedding planning goals around making sure their guests would have an incredible time. They knew that if everyone around them was happy, they would be able to relax into their day and enjoy each other all the more. And because music is what initially brought Lesley and Mike together and is a constant source of connection in their relationship, it played a huge roll in every detail of the wedding as well. They spent months debating songs for their wedding play lists and for all the major moments of the day, and came up with choices they were thrilled with. Lesley and the wedding party walked down the aisle to “Transatlanticism” by Death Cab for Cutie, after the ceremony they exited to “SpottieOttieDopaliscious” by Outkast, the father-daughter dance was to a non-traditional but perfect-for-them Jimi Hendrix song, and Lesley and Mike’s first dance was to “I Never” by Rilo Kiley. “Its this swooning ballad from a woman to a man and Mike and I were in our own little song bubble…and then he dipped me (my worst fear)…it wasn’t so bad!”

The Design: In the first moments of touring The Postcard Inn on the beach in St. Petersburg, Florida, Lesley and Mike knew they had found their wedding venue. Lesley loved the sitting area with bookshelves and birch wood stumps, Mike loved the skateboard decks decorating the walls, and they both loved the mod and beach-y atmosphere it would create for their Mad Men-esque wedding style. Friends and family were skeptical that it could be made formal enough for a wedding, but with Lesley and Mike’s vision and the incredible Postcard Inn staff, Lesley says that the choosing this venue turned out to be their best decision by far.

Inspired by the look of mid-century modern shag carpets and a fabulous fabric pattern found at Ikea, Lesley chose a color palette of mustard, gold, gray, amber and black. West Willow Designs made postcard style wedding invitations and a simple program for the wedding that included an article by Lesley’s step-dad and fun facts and a Madlib on the back. Wedding favors were mixed CDs made by the couple along with a donation in each guest’s name to Stand Up For Kids Tampa. Mike is vegan, so he was excited to have delicious vegan food options at the wedding for all to enjoy.  Wildwood BBQ Catering prepared tasty BBQ tofu, and for dessert there was a feast of cakes! Lesley’s aunt made lemon, guava, cream cheese, chocolate and coconut pound cakes, and Bread & Roses Food Coop made vegan earl grey tea cake, vegan Oreo cheesecake infused chocolate cake, vegan strawberry layer cake and vegan almond marzipan cake. Wow! 

The Look: Lesley loves vintage fashion but was having a hard time finding the perfect authentic Betty Draper style vintage dress, so she broadened her horizons and fell in love with a new but vintage-inspired design from the Vineyard Collection – the Trish dress. “I loved the swoosh of it when I walked. It made me feel captivating and classic. I felt really comfy and just enough like a bride. Perfect for my style.” Lesley also went all out with amazing accessories – shoes by Kate Spade, a clutch from Mermaids Dream, a hair band by Kirsten Kuehn Designs and earrings by MomentusNY.

The wedding party’s style was creative and dapper – the groom and groomsmen wore gray suites from Billy London UK, and the bridesmaids wore gray Jim Hjelm dresses and custom belts by Sweethead on Etsy.

The Moments: The wedding ceremony was brief but powerful, and focused on the history of Lesley and Mike’s relationship, which began exactly three years before their wedding day.

One of their favorite moments of the night was as they sat and listened to their friends and family members give toasts. “…with the lighting under the trees, the full moon and a great breeze, it was just magic. Mike and I could finally settle in next to each other and hold hands. It felt relaxed – like watching a great movie and turning to each other to remark on something funny or sweet.”

As the wedding wound down, guests watched bits of the movie Endless Summer that had been playing silently on a giant screen to set the mood and Lesley and Mike stole away to their room before the after party began, for a few moments alone to celebrate their incredible day. 

The Pros: For more information on all of the wedding professionals that contributed their time and talents to this wedding day, be sure to visit our Real Wedding section.

Thank you so much for sharing your wedding with us Lesley and Mike! What a day!

To plan your own Southern California or Seattle area wedding, check out our Plan Your Wedding Hotlists, and to find a dream wedding photographer for your wedding anywhere in the world, don’t miss our World’s Best Wedding Photographers Hotlist!