May 28, 2022
Hotel Haya
Photos by Grace Torres
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Austin + Angelica’s Love Story
Angelica will tell you she waited six years for this wedding. The summer after their freshman years of college the couple hit it off and they knew they wanted to spend their lives together.
After graduating from Florida Gulf Coast University, Austin moved back home to Apollo Beach, much closer to Tampa, where Angela was finishing school.
Angelica loved having him close by — finally — and she figured a proposal was imminent. But time kept moving, and all that Austin would divulge is that he wanted the proposal to be super private with just the two of them.
As the calendar flipped toward the end of 2020, Angelica figured Christmas or New Year’s were two good bets for when he might propose. Not quite.
On December 19, 2020, Austin planned a trip to the then brand-new St. Pete Pier, with his parents and her parents both on-hand. He got down on one knee, in public, and professed his love to Angelica.
“It was so beautiful…no one has ever done something like that for me!” Angelica says.
Commentary on the venue and details
- They picked Hotel Haya because of its mix of modern features with traditional elegance.
- They loved having their wedding at a venue in Ybor City because once the wedding reception ended the party continued with friends and family at a variety of bars and hot spots.
- Nativity Catholic Church is the couple’s home parish. Angelica grew up in the Catholic faith and introduced it to Austin early on in their relationship. Prior to getting married, Austin made a profession of faith and was baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Special moments from their day
- After the couple’s last dance they had guests line the street outside the hotels and wave sparklers to “send them off into the night.” “I just wanted something that at the end of the day looked really magical…” Angelica said.
- The bride said her favorite part of the whole day was walking down the aisle. “That is like an irreplaceable feeling that you’ll only, hopefully, only get once in your life.”
Photography: Grace Torres, GraceTorresPhoto.com
Videography: Javier Reyes, @Sundial.Creatives
Planning & Design: Bloom and Grow Events, @bloomandgrowevents
Venue: Hotel Haya, @hotelhaya
Dress: The White Closet Bridal, @thewhiteclosetbridal
Hair & Makeup: D2 + Co., @d2andco
DJ/Live Music: Breezin’ Entertainment, @breezinentertainment
Cigars: Cigar Productions, @cigarproductions
Transportation: Not Your Mother’s Taxi
Vintage Car: Cole’s Classic Cars, @colesclassiccars
Florist: 2 Birds Events, @2birdsevents