TAMPA BAY DJ COMPANY

DJ Cory Barron is a leader in the event and wedding industry throughout the west coast of Florida and beyond. A 17 year mobile DJ veteran, Cory got his start as a skating rink DJ in 2004. He spent short time in the nightlife scene before finding his passion in the weddings. He was the most requested DJ on the roster of the largest mobile DJ service in the market before branching out on his own in 2017. Cory is also a serial entrepreneur who owns his luxury wedding DJ brand, "DJ Cory Barron" and the mobile event companies Tampa Bay DJ Company, Cafe Ala Carte Tampa Bay, The Gelato Carte. Beyond his business ventures, you can find Cory with his new bride Amy and their family of golden retrievers.

81ST MERIDIAN FILMS

81st Meridian is a luxury wedding videography brand co-owned by James and his wife Katie. Before filming weddings, James was a camera operator in New York City for reality television shows such as Project Runway, The Celebrity Apprentice and My Fair Wedding with celebrity wedding planner David Tutera. James started filming weddings in 2010 and to date has filmed over 400 weddings across the country. 81st Meridian Films was born from James and Katie's desire to deliver an unmatched, elevated wedding film experience that tells stories worth holding on to and passing on for generations to come.

James also co-owns two additional wedding brands with his wife Katie, Imagery Wedding Films and Southern Elopement Films.

When James isn't filming weddings, he's spending time with his two-year-old daughter Brilynn and his three dogs. James also produced a feature length documentary called Tampa Beer: Crafting the Bay which can be seen on iTunes and Prime Video.

MARRY ME TAMPA BAY

Anna Coats is the owner and editor of the wedding publication, Marry Me Tampa Bay and founder of the online marketing consulting firm, Married to Marketing.

Anna has appeared as a wedding expert on the national talk show Daytime TV, ABC, NBC, and Fox and has provided wedding planning advice in the U.S. News and World Report, Washington Post, and L.A. Times.

She is a three-time finalist for Tampa Bay Business Journal's Business Woman of the Year and named 40 Under 40 by Breezin' Entertainment Magazine.

With nearly 20 years of marketing experience, including leading a marketing team for a Fortune 500 company, Anna provides blogging, social media, and online marketing consulting for the wedding and event industry.

WILDER MIND EVENTS

Delaney is a talented coordinator with a deep love for the industry. She places a strong focus on creating positive, long-lasting relationships with her clients, helping them to enjoy their special day sincerely. Understanding that every wedding is different, she takes a personal approach to each event, creating a unique celebration fitted to her client’s personal style.

Wilder Mind Events offers a range of packages to clients, letting them choose the services that best suit their needs. From day-of coordination to full-service planning, this expert organizer is here to help you. She also offers destination wedding planning services, letting you make the world your oyster for your dream destination wedding.

MDP EVENTS

Lauren Gertz is the Owner and Lead Event Planner at MDP Events! She has a strong passion for all things weddings, food, and music! Growing up in Rhode Island, she always loved planning, organizing, and detailing anything and everything since she was a little kid. She found her niche working in Newport, RI many years ago for an event planning company and realized it was her dream career! After over 11 years in the industry and working in the Boston Seaport for 4 years managing a venue and catering company, she moved to Florida and made Sarasota her home!

MDP Events was born in Sarasota in 2020 out of a passion for the industry as well as a drive to bring others joy through events, celebrations, and of course all of those gorgeous details! MDP Events is named in honor of her best friend who shared the same obsession and love for weddings that she does. MDP Events is run on pure passion and inspiration which makes each and every celebration extra special!

THE RESORT AT LONGBOAT KEY CLUB

Ayla Goggin is the Director of Events at The Resort at Longboat Key Club and has been at the resort for about eight years. Originally, she hails from the Midwest (shoutout to the other cheeseheads out there), but moved down to sunny Sarasota in 2013. Her background is in hospitality and started in the restaurant industry when that passion for food transitioned to the event world. Her degrees are in Culinary Arts, Food Service Management, and a Master’s in Business Administration and she has a passion for all things event-related. When not in the office, you can most often find her drinking a Gin & Tonic and sunbathing on the beach with a good read (but she also will never say no to a toasted bagel with cream cheese).

SWEL EVENTS

Jordan is the owner and president of Suncoast Wedding & Event Leaders (SWEL). His core belief is that relationships are the most important factor for creating revenue and achieving true career satisfaction.

Before beginning SWEL, Jordan worked in venue sales and planned events at multiple venues including The Ringling.

When not connecting the industry, Jordan spends time exploring nature, binging 80s and 90s television and being a damn good dog dad.

KELLY KENNEDY WEDDINGS & EVENTS

After more than a decade of planning events, Kelly Kennedy founded Kelly Kennedy Weddings and Events in 2016. Her passion to serve others is fulfilled by being in this industry. She specializes in thorough planning, detail and design. Kelly loves to create breathtaking experiences for couples who want a planning process that is effortless.

STELLA ROSE EVENTS

Jenna McCoy, owner of Stella Rose Events and Lets Jump Events, is an expert in the event rental industry. With over 13 years of experience, she has been a part of over 15,000 rentals. Though her list of qualifications extends well beyond the event space, her unwavering commitment to quality has earned her a rock-solid reputation of reliability, leading clients to return for all their milestone events from weddings, baptisms and birthday parties to galas and grand openings.

Jenna is also a mom of five kids. This means two things: 1) She has a deep understanding of the significance of important life events and 2) She can handle chaos with her eyes closed. You can trust that she'll treat your special day with a dedicated attention to detail and can juggle any event snags with ease.

As a Sarasota resident since childhood, Jenna has forged a solid relationship with the community and understands the climate of our region, both in weather and in culture. She's an active volunteer in her children’s schools, an enthusiastic participant in community events, and has even fostered over 170 puppies from local shelters, further proving that she is capable of handling multiple moving parts.

DER DUTCHMAN RESTAURANT

Sarah Montgomery is the Campus Sales and Catering Manager for Dutchman Hospitality which encompasses Der Dutchman Restaurant, Carlisle Inn, and Carlisle Gifts. Having been with the company for 12 years, Sarah has planned thousands of fun, unforgettable events. Her desire is to exceed customer expectations with unexpected creativity, attentive service, and quality products. When not catering, planning, and marketing, she loves to spend quality time with Ben, their 3 beautiful children (Peyton, Landon and Eleanor) and their Boston Terrier (Martin).

PLANIT EVENTS

Evan is co-owner and co-founder of PlanIT Events, LLC. Along with being a professional event planner, Evan is a balloon expert and personal chef. Evan, along with her business partner Karen, pride themselves on delivering exemplary customer service along with top-notch planning, décor, and catering. Making personal connections with their clients and other vendors in the industry is the best part of their job. Being part of people's milestone events and memories forever is not something Evan takes lightly!

When Evan isn't working, you can usually find her doing dog mom things, trying out new recipes, or spending time with family and friends.

SIMPLY GOURMET BY METZ

Becky Souflis, Director of Catering and Events, joined Simply Gourmet over 10 years ago as the catering manager and currently serves as the Director of Catering and Events for Simply Gourmet by Metz in Sarasota. As a seasoned catering expert, Becky is passionate about setting a standard of excellence for her clients and guests. Gaining experience and expertise throughout the past decade, Becky has provided catering services for companies such as Tesla, Saks Fifth Avenue, Adidas, and Taylor Made Golf, to name a few. Becky truly believes that “you are only as good as your last event”.

MELISSA WHITNEY FLORALS AND DESIGN

Melissa Whitney is the Owner and Head Designer at Melissa Whitney Florals and Design, a luxury event & floral design house in the heart of South Tampa. After years of fascination with beguiling arrangements and throwing her own elaborate parties, Melissa decided to feed her passion and attended Flower School in New York City. To further broaden her creative depths, she also earned her Certificate in Event Design at Flower School New York with Martha Stewart’s Contributing Editor, Claudia Hanlin.

As a Florida native, Melissa has taken her love of fashion, world travel and networking to bring a taste of luxury to the Tampa Bay Area, where her clients can be swept away in the magic she creates. Melissa has a keen eye for what people want and deep sense of pride to deliver, whether it’s a first birthday party or a destination wedding. When she’s not curating dreams, Melissa enjoys traveling, trying new local restaurants with her besties and spending time on Davis Islands with her husband, twins & their dog Alfie.

YING PHOTOGRAPHY

Xiwei, along with his wife Rachel, run Ying Photography. They are based in Sarasota. For the past 7 years they have specialized in weddings with an editorial/documentary style approach. With WeddingWire awards for Couple's Choice for 2018-2021 under their belt, Ying Photography strives to provide an exceptional experience for their couples from start to finish. When the Yings are not out there with cameras at your favorite venue, they are usually spending time with their 3 kids doing various other activities.