Tampa Courthouse Wedding | Kenzie + Thomas

Kenzie and Thomas’ Tampa courthouse wedding was FIREEEEEEEEEEE, ya’ll!

When Kenzie inquired, her and Thomas were originally thinking about eloping Charleston, South Carolina, but were leaning towards Florida because of the weather. Regardless, they KNEW they wanted to elope on February 22, 2022.

During our planning call, Kenzie and Thomas told me that they wanted an urban vibe, but also love the beaches. They wanted to incorporate things that they love to do together like brewery hopping AND she really wanted to get into the water with her dress. All these things considered, it meant selecting a location that was close enough to the water that also had a decent craft beer scene.

All in all, the most important thing to them was that the day would be effortless and totally enjoyable. That’s where I came in.

Based on their wants, I crafted an elopement planning guide that featured three locations: Stuart, Tampa, and Miami. Each location had all the elements that Kenzie and Thomas were looking for and it was just a matter of where they wanted to be after their vows.

• Stuart, Florida had the rocky beaches for the perfect ceremony paired with a laid back beach town vibe, but it didn’t have the urban setting for post-ceremony.
• Miami had the perfect night life with tons of murals in the arts district, but the ceremony locations and the craft beer scene was a little lackluster.
• Tampa was just right. It had the atmosphere, the water, the urban setting, and most importantly, it had THEE steps of Le Meridien with an epic craft beer scene.

Once their location was finalized, I helped Kenzie and Thomas find the perfect hotel room (*cough* Le Meridien Tampa *cough*) and provided the perfect timeline based on where they wanted to be and how the lighting would look for some stunning photos.

On the day of their elopement, I met up with Kenzie and Thomas as their hotel room at Le Meridien Tampa. Kenzie put on her dress with the help of her mom.

We did a first look at the bar of Le Meridien and then Kenzie and Thomas said vows to each other on the top step of this historic Tampa courthouse.

Afterwards, we headed to some murals for portraits and stopped in at Hidden Valley Ale Works. This brewery wasn’t one of our stops, but it was along the way so we said why not. While we were there, an awesome couple bought us all a round to celebrate K+T!

Next stop for beer and photos was Coppertail Brewing Company. The location has modern urban vibe that makes it perfect for photos while hanging out. We got lucky and one of the employees let us upstairs while no one was there. The chairs were up and nothing was set up, but it was PERFECT.

After a few beers, we headed to Armature Works and took photos at sunset overlooking the river. While we were snapping portraits, another couple actually got engaged! Once the sun dipped down a bit, we headed inside to grab some sushi and just enjoy the evening.

Once night fell, we had the perfect opportunity to head to the downtown water fountains. They’re perfectly lit up for some funky portraits and one hell of a good time. On our way back, someone stopped us on the street and asked if we had just been in the pool, which only sparked our next adventure idea!

Honestly, this was one of the most fun elopements. Kenzie and Thomas were so laid back and up for ANYTHING I threw at them. It was an epic experience and I’m so happy to have been a part of their day. Clients like them make this job a total dream!

Ready to plan your Tampa courthouse wedding? Let’s connect!

Featured Locations

Ceremony: Le Meridien Tampa

Breweries: Hidden Springs Ale Works & Coppertail Brewing Company

Dinner: Sushi @ Armature Works