We got married on Sunday and everything went so well. It was truly a perfect day. We had great weather and I could not have asked for things to go more smoothly!
I want to thank all of the knotties who offered their advice and suggestions because without your help I know things would not have gone as easily!!! Since I had to plan from South FL, having your suggestions made it a lot less stressful.
Venue: Hilton Carillon Park (St. Petersburg) A+
All I can say is WOW! I was really impressed with the staff at this hotel. Everyone I encountered there was very professional and helpful. The event coordinator there, Wendy Baratta, was wonderful to work with. She was always pleasant and got back to me right away and was great at keeping in touch. I have to admit, this was not my first choice for our wedding venue, but it was my DH's favorite and we eventually agreed it best met our needs. I am so glad now that we chose it! I really think it is a hidden gem in St. Pete. It is a very clean and modern venue. It also has a great little nature preserve area that is great for photos. I think because of its location (in a corporate/business area), most people overlook it but it is definitely worth checking out. One of the things I liked about it, is that because it is a "corporate " hotel it is pretty empty on the weekends, so you pretty much have the whole place to yourselves. In fact, I was so impressed with the event staff there I am going to write a letter acknowledging my appreciation for their service. When you have your wedding there you also get a complimentary suite for the wedding night. Since DH and I were planning on staying at the Vinoy our wedding night, they let us use it the night before the wedding. This worked out great since it gave me a place to stay and get ready for the wedding. The suite was beautiful!
They did the food at the reception as well and it was fantastic! We got so many compliments on the menu. It was all very tasty and very reasonably priced as well.
Photographer: Stephanie A. Smith A+
Stephanie was such a sweetheart! She is so positive and funny it really helped us relax (especially since neither me or DH enjoy having our photos taken!) I cannot wait to see all of our photos. She really enjoys her profession and it shows. She was very accommodating and flexible and even stayed a little over the allotted time for us without charging us extra.
Hair & Make-up: Cari from Kyle Lynn (Tampa) A+
Cari is a life saver. Not only did my hair and make-up look awesome, she was very helpful the day of and went above and beyond her duties. She is such sweet soul in addition to being very talented. Her personality really helped me feel more relaxed and ease those pre-wedding jitters!
Flowers: FishHawk Florist (Tampa) A+
The flowers were beautiful! They came out better than I expected. My bouquet was gorgeous and everything was delivered as discussed. I got so many compliments on the flowers they were a huge hit! I highly recommend Fishhawk Florist!
Ceremony Music: Bella Musica (Tampa) A
My guests really enjoyed the music. We had them play as guests arrived and they played the music for our ceremony. We had a violin and cello duo. They played beautifully and I would gladly recommend them. I worked with Eric, the owner, and he was great to work with and in fact he was our violinist.
Reception Music: John Demas A
This was my DH's find who was responsible for arranging for the reception music. John Demas is a classically trained guitarist and plays beautifully. We didn't want the typical DJ reception and we just wanted some nice background music for our lunch reception. He was wonderful. He even took requests from guests. I think having a live musician just adds a more personal, intimate touch. I think he would be great also for a ceremony or cocktail reception.
Cake: Chef Nelson Studios (Palm Harbor) A The cake was awesome. It looked exactly how I wanted it to, and it tasted great! I had brought a picture of a cake I liked to Chef Nelson and he was able to re-create it with the modifications I wanted. I was very pleased with it and our guests loved it too!
Feel free to contact me if you have questions or want contact information about the vendors I used. Perhaps we will meet again on the "nestie" side 
I feel truly blesed to have had such a beautful wedding that exceeded my expectations!!!
Now, I'm ready to start my married life with my beloved husband!!!!!!