Congratulations to Jacqui and Drew at Their Nova 535 November Nuptials!

Newlyweds, Jacqui and Drew celebrated their wedding where the couple met, in St. Pete, Florida! They met at a young at in middle school. but didn’t start dating until they were older and college graduates. They were meant to be together and Jacqui took a job out in California to be with Drew. Continue to read as we share about Jacqui’s Theia wedding dress and her detachable skirt while Jacqui shares about her wedding in St. Petersburg and how Drew purposed!

About Jacqui’s Theia Wedding Dress and Detachable Skirt:

Jacqui said ‘yes’ to a beaded Theia wedding dress and an overskirt for her wedding in St. Pete, Florida! The Bridal Finery Owner and stylist, Roberta, helped Jacqui achieve this custom look. Jacqui wore the Iris wedding dress by Theia which features a fully beaded overlay and baby blue lining. It was important for Jacqui to wear a blue wedding dress for her big day! Jacqui paired her Iris dress with a silky overskirt which is also by Theia. The overskirt gave her a versatile look that transitioned her perfectly from ceremony to reception. We love that our brides are wearing wedding dresses that are so personal to their everyday style.

Name: Jacqui Supplee

Partner's Name : Drew

Event Type & Location (wedding, rehearsal dinner, bridal shower, bachelorette party, or honeymoon): Our wedding was in St. Petersburg, FL at Nova 535 for the ceremony and reception. We used The Vinoy for first look photos.

Event Date : 11/2/19

Vendors & Their Instagram Handles:
 Flowers: O'Berry's succlulents: @oberryssucculents
Photography: Brandi Image Photography: @brandiimagephotography
Hair: Kelsey Wrather: @idwrather_bedoinghair
Makeup: Nereida Padilla: @nereidamua
Food: Puff n'Stuff Catering: @puffnstuffcatering
Band: Bay Kings Band: @baykingsband

How did you & your partner meet? : We went to middle and high school together but weren't high school sweethearts. We reconnected after moving back to St. Petersburg following college and started dating then. We had many mutual friends so it was somewhat organic. Both of us left Florida; he left for work, and I left for grad school, but we still stayed in touch. When I was finishing grad school we knew we had to find our way back together. I found a job where his work had taken him in California. We moved from there to Arizona, and back to Florida where we've been for the past 3 years!

Where was your first date? : We had a pretty laid back dinner, nothing special since we had hung out so many times before "dating". After dinner, we just drove around listening to Broken Bells for a few hours without realizing how much time had passed which speaks to how we are together. It's so natural and no effort into having a good time in each other's company.

How did your partner propose? : His plan involved lots of lies! He told me we were going to meet friends for a Cinco de Mayo pub crawl. These friends were getting married (one year to the date before us), and wanted "nice pictures of the friend group" so I had to dress up more than what you'd plan for a pub crawl. He then took me to one of our favorite pubs next to our first apartment in St. Pete where we were supposed to meet other friends who were also going to this "pub crawl". They never showed, but had asked to meet us at Vinoy Park, which was on the way to the pub crawl starting point. We walked through the Old Northeast neighborhood where we often took our dogs on walks when we lived there, and made our way to "The Point" sculpture in the park. There, we ran into our neighbor, who is a professional photographer (I still had no clue what was happening). Our neighbor said he was waiting to take some graduation photos of a client. Drew asked if he'd take a picture of us since it was a beautiful day and we were all dressed up. Drew offered up his phone, but our neighbor offered to take photos with his camera and send them to us, so we took him up on the offer. As I was fixing my hair that was blown in my face by the wind, I turn around and he's on his knee. Drew was so excited he couldn't talk but just smiled and shook his head, and I was speechless myself so I may have muttered "yes" but I don't really remember. After that, we were still going to the pub crawl but no one knew about the engagement. We show up, and it is actually a big surprise party, and we just had our own "private" pub crawl.

What was your dress shopping experience like? : It was super quick. I went to one other shop and didn't really see anything that hit the mark for me. The first dress I tried on at the Bridal finery, I knew that it was the one for me!

What did you wish you knew before you started wedding planning?: You think everything is done, but then the last 2 weeks is when everything happens and things start to get crazy.

Where was your wedding? What did you decide on that space?: Our wedding was at Nova 535, an event space in St. Pete. We had our ceremony outside in a bamboo lined courtyard, and the reception was inside a very industrial building with high ceilings and a super cool ambiance to it. It was perfect for us.

What's your favorite memory from your event? : Everything was seamless, and went by so fast. Our dance floor had a 95% participation which is the most I've ever seen at a wedding. Our band was amazing, but you can't make a fun wedding without a good guest-list.

What is a 'must have' for brides on wedding day?: Comfortable shoes will literally save your life, and your feet. Lots of hair spray is also important, and of course water - you have got to stay hydrated, ladies!

How would you describe the overall feel of your event? : It was just so much fun! It was a big party with our favorite people. I didn't pay much attention to decor and details, because we put all of our time and energy into ensuring folks had a blast.

What wedding planning advice do you have for other brides? : Set goals and timelines, have one specific thing to accomplish each month or week. Everything kind of has an "order of operations" so you can't do everything at once, and should not try to. Enjoy the process and take things slow!

Where was your honeymoon? : We took a cruise to the Bahamas! It was great just to unplug and really process the last week.