There’s no question that Anna Maria Island
is known all over the world as one of the most beautiful places to get married.
But the popularity of weddings isn’t just influenced by the gorgeous, historic
feel of the sleepy seaside town, or even by the stunning vacation rentals that
serve as a built-in honeymoon suite.
Anna Maria is also home to fantastic
florists, restaurants, photographers, bakers, and every other kind of wedding
vendor imaginable. But how do you pick and choose what elements go into your wedding,
especially if you live far away? Why, you simply consult one of the Island
Experts!
Anna Maria Island wedding festival
Our first Wedding Expert is Chris Tollette.
Chris has been involved in the wedding and events industry since the early
1980’s when she started her own production company. She produced commercials,
but also used her industrial-grade video camera to film weddings in Appleton,
Wisconsin.
Over the next four or five years, she
really fell in love with videoing weddings. In fact, the wedding industry
became a bit of a family business - at the time her two young daughters modeled
flower girl dresses in local bridal shows and expos.
Chris retired to Tampa in 1992, but quickly
realized she’d need a hobby to keep herself entertained. She became involved
with a local charity, where she learned all of the finer details about pulling
together a huge fundraising gala. It was that experience (along with her
background in videography) that got her involved in establishing the Anna Maria Island Wedding Festival in
2007 after she relocated to Anna Maria.
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Anna Maria Island Annual Wedding Festival |
Lately, Chris has discovered that her
favorite role at a wedding is as officiant. She became certified as a notary
public about four years ago, and has begun to perform more and more ceremonies.
“Officiating is the most nerve-wracking
because it’s so special and sacred, but I really love it,” she says. “You get
to be involved in the happiest moment of people’s lives. I still get a little
teary every time. I’ve had a lot of jobs, but this is the best by far – in
fact, I don’t even really think of it as a job.”
But officiant isn’t the only hat Chris
wears. She often gives vendor recommendations to brides and grooms before they
arrive in town, but more importantly, she considers it her personal
responsibility to make sure that all aspects of the wedding day run as smoothly
as possible.
She is the coordinator, the point person,
the one who takes care of all the hundreds of details and issues that can crop
up on wedding days.
She tells her brides, “I’m going to be your
mom today, but without all the baggage. If you need something taken care of,
let me know and I’ll handle it.” Her calm, cool, collected personality serves
her well, helping her to remain unruffled even on one particularly memorable
occasion when the intoxicated best man kept making passes at her throughout the
day, even as she officiated the ceremony!
Anna Maria wedding advice
Chris is eminently practical when it comes
to her advice for soon-to-be newlyweds. Her first piece of advice is to find a
place to stay. Tourism is up 13% in Manatee County over last year, which means
the most desirable rental properties could get snatched up quickly. She says
before anything else, pick a date and book your vacation rental, then figure
out what your priorities are (music, flower, photography, etc.). Pick what’s most important to you, start
there and everything else can be worked around that.
She also urges people to be prepared for
whatever they can start working on ahead of time. For instance, couples from
out of state can go to the courthouse, fill out paperwork and get married that
same day: however, she recommends people fill out the forms online ahead of
time to expedite the process. She also firmly suggests that if you plan to
write your own vows, you do it in advance of the wedding, and certainly not
thirty minutes before the ceremony starts.
Finally, perhaps her most specifically
practical advice: men wearing linen shirts should be sure to wear a lightweight
boutonniere, as a more traditional one will tug on your shirt and warp it.
If you want to get in touch with Chris about a potential event you are planning on Anna Maria, you can contact her through the
Weddings by Christina website, or you can also call her directly on (941) 812-0699
Labels: Anna Maria Island Weddings, People of Anna Maria Island, Pineapplefish