Weddings

Scene Together: Couples on their Wedding Day

By Sarasota Scene |

By Jacqueline Miller

Allison Mary Meuser & Timothy Michael Hays
April 21, 2018

When Sarasota High student Tim was 16 and Out-of-Door Academy student Allie was 14, this outgoing, beautiful pair met and instantly became great friends.

In 2011, an exciting internship in South Africa took Allie away for several months. She needed someone she knew she could trust who would take wonderful care of her dogs during her time away. Who better to ask than her good pal, Tim?

Despite the six-hour time difference, Allie and Tim talked every day during her South African adventure. They would soon realize what their friends already knew—that they would end up together. By the time Allie returned to the States, they were in a relationship. Six months later, Tim proposed to Allie on the front steps of their house, placing her grandmother’s engagement ring on her finger.

Right after Christmas of 2015, Allie and Tim moved to the Florida Keys so she could pursue a career in biology, coral research and conservation. Tim is a marine mechanic, so there is plenty of work for him in the Keys! The combination of their vocations make exploring the Keys together great fun and further bind this incredible couple.

But Allie needed to get started on planning her wedding, which just happened to be on her birthday. The date was the only one available at her chosen venue—the Powel Crosley Estate. According to Allie, she and her mom could not have planned her dream day without wedding planner Maria Brady. Allie says Maria was “seriously fantastic.” She understood Allie’s vision to create a dreamy and romantic springtime feel, but also keep the wedding intimate and a little rustic. It all came together perfectly.

Allie says the real stars of the show were the adorable flower girl, Hunter Ellsworth, Tim’s niece, and ring bearer Aydan Kinney, their friend’s son and their nephew. The children hadn’t met before the wedding day, but they became very quick friends and took their jobs quite seriously!

When Hurricane Irma hit last September, it devastated the area where Allie and Tim live in the Keys. Their home suffered from significant damage. Dealing with the aftermath of a major hurricane and trying to plan a wedding was not easy for Allie and Tim.

A few months before the wedding, Tim and Allie decided to ask their guests to make donations in lieu of wedding gifts to one of the relief organizations that was directly helping families in the Keys still struggling after Hurricane Irma. Thanks to the incredible generosity of their guests, this selfless, caring couple was able to raise and donate over five thousand dollars for the relief effort.

Still in the midst of hurricane repairs, Allie and Tim have not yet gone on their honeymoon. The adventurous duo hopes to take a National Geographic trip to the Galapagos or Iceland on their first wedding anniversary.

Allison’s parents are Veronica Mason and Stanley Meuser. Tim’s parents are Lisa and Michael Hays.

Katie Hendrick & Bill Vincent
June 30, 2018

These bright and beautiful Gators fans met at Evie’s on Bee Ridge Road in September 2013 during a game-watching party with the Sarasota County Gator Club. Katie was a board member in charge of greeting people. Bill had recently moved to Sarasota and attended to befriend fellow UF alumni and fans.

Katie grew up in Inverness, went to Wake Forest University for her undergraduate studies, and then to the University of Florida for her master’s in journalism. Bill grew up in Boca Raton and Brandon. He went to the University of Florida for undergraduate studies, law school and his MBA.

Both with a love of trivia, the pair became close friends over the course of the next several months, meeting up to play trivia games at restaurants around Sarasota. They had their official first date the following June.

The couple got engaged last fall with Katie fully aware of what was going to happen. She knew because Bill had her grandmother’s engagement ring reset and she was a part of the design process. Katie was pet sitting for her parents and Bill drove up to Inverness to visit. He asked her what she thought was the most romantic place in town and she named a boardwalk area down by a big lake. Off they went, and when they got there, they discovered the “Great American Cooter Festival” was taking place. You can’t make that up as they say! Katie said it was a little too kitschy and public for Bill, so they returned to her parents’ house. Bill got down on one knee in the backyard garden, making for a low-key proposal that was much more befitting their personalities. couples

Katie’s grandfather, William T. Harrison, who was celebrating his 90th birthday, told the family he wanted to celebrate his milestone birthday at the Gasparilla Inn, one of his favorite spots in the state and a great environment for a family reunion. Katie and Bill decided to piggyback their wedding with his celebration, since most of the family would already be together. Plus, they both love the Inn’s “Old Florida” vibe with its sophistication and great style. couples

They kicked off the weekend with a welcome party at the Gasparilla Inn Beach Club, serving margaritas and heavy hors d’oeuvres and listening to a trio of Gulf and Western musicians perform – John Frinzi of Lakeland, John Patti of Sarasota and James White of Nokomis. couples

On their wedding day, Katie wore her mother’s veil for the ceremony and used her parents’ cake knife during the reception. Her mother, mother-in-law and Katie are all members of Phi Mu Fraternity, as were a dozen or so of her guests, so she set up a table with the sorority’s crest and a vase of its flowers, carnations, and had a group photo during the reception. couples

They also had a Florida Gators-themed groom’s cake and asked the many Gator fans in attendance to join them on the dance floor to sway to “We are the Boys,” a long standing tradition during UF sporting events. couples

The flowers were designed by a longtime friend, Ian Prosser of Botanica in Tampa. He created a floral chandelier for the focal point and incorporated Katie’s favorite flowers, Romantic Antike garden roses, which Katie saw growing on a work trip to Colombia last year, and gardenias, which are extremely fragrant, so she would have an olfactory reminder of her wedding. Katie walked down the aisle to the wedding march from “The Sound of Music,” her favorite movie. couples

The couple honeymooned in Maui and especially liked the Road to Hanna, Haleakala at sunrise and snorkeling at Molokini and off the beach at the hotel, the Grand Wailea. couples

Bill is an attorney with Barnett, Bolt, Kirkwood, Long and Koche in Tampa. Katie is a freelance magazine writer and editor. Her parents are Susan and Tom Hendrick of Inverness and Bill’s parents are Kathleen and Fred Vincent of Venice. couples

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Scene Together: Couples on their Wedding Day

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