Just Married: Kelly and Michael

Kelly Martella and Michael Calamaras were married Feb. 27

A time to celebrate
| 6:00 a.m. June 22, 2016

Sarasota
Celebrations

A lot of people make friends through philanthropy. But if you're lucky, your volunteerism can also introduce you to the love of your life. Kelly Martella and Michael Calamaras met in 2012, while volunteering on the Van Wezel Foundation Gala committee. The two had actually worked in the same downtown Sarasota building the whole time, but it wasn't until their time on the committee that their paths crossed.

The proposal
In April 2015, the couple traveled to New York City to celebrate their two-year anniversary. On Friday, April 24, they took the subway to Dumbo, because they wanted to walk the Brooklyn Bridge back to Manhattan — something neither of them had done before. While they were walking in the park near the water, Michael got down on one knee and proposed right there, with a perfect view of the bridge in the background. It was a complete surprise for Kelly. To top it off, Michael hired photographers to capture the entire thing. Following the special moment, the photographers followed them around Brooklyn — where both of their families are from — for an impromptu engagement shoot.

The wedding

The couple was married at St. Martha Catholic Church in Sarasota. Following the ceremony, the couple and their wedding party met at Ringling for photos, then joined their guests at Michael's On East for an elegant reception. The couple wanted the reception to be a huge party, and knew the two most crucial things were great food and great music. Musician Clint Wiley kept the party going all night.

Besides food, the bride wanted the dance floor to be the main focus of the reception. The checkered dance floor was surrounded by the guests' tables, as well as the feasting table that hosted the entire 24-person wedding party. The tables were classic with a modern vibe, and the color scheme for the reception included gold, champagne and blush colors. They wanted a neutral color scheme for the reception, so they chose golds, champagne and blush. Candelabras lined the tables to create more of an intimate feel for the 200-guest wedding.

Favorite moment of the night

While eating dinner, the couple realized they had everyone they loved in one room. "We were in awe, sitting back and realizing we were surrounded by all of our closest friends and family — something we may not ever get to experience again," says Kelly.

The Details

Honeymoon: The couple spent almost two weeks in Thailand: Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket
First-dance song: "You Are the Best Thing" by Ray LaMontagne
Photography: The photographers flew down from New York (I Heart New York Photography) — the same photographers who did their proposal photos
Floral design: Garden roses, spray roses, ranunculus, dusty miller, seeded eucalyptus, hydrangeas — all in the neutral, cream, white, champagne and blush theme
Invitations: Simple, but elegant. They were Vera Wang from Write-On Sarasota.
Cake: The couple chose a four-tier textured cake from Cakes by Ron. Beneva added flowers and the couple used a gold “C” as a cake topper. The layers were Boston cream, chocolate with chocolate ganache filling and amaretto.
Dress: A strapless gown with a lace bodice and tulle skirt by Modern Trousseau, purchased from The White Magnolia in Hyde Park, with an added a crystal belt from BHLDN.
Favors: In lieu of a traditional wedding favors, they made a donation to Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee, in honor of Kelly’s grandmother, Catherine Salvato. They tied a note, letting the guests know, to a small bag of Jordan almonds, which are a traditional Italian wedding favor.
Something new, borrowed and blue: (old) her maternal grandmother’s ring; (new) Jimmy Choos; (borrowed) her paternal grandmother's garter, which was worn by her grandmother, aunts, cousins and sisters; (blue) her new monogram and wedding date embroidered in the inside of her dress in blue thread.

A few more details...

The couple had a live painter who painted the décor, the dance floor, the couple and some of their guests.
The bride's grandparents passed away the year before her wedding, so she had a broach with their pictures on it that she tied to her bouquet.
Michael gave Kelly a rose gold infinity band as her wedding-day gift and Kelly gave Michael a TAG Heuer watch.
"I'm really close with my family and wanted that reflected on my wedding day," says the bride. "They had wedding photos of our parents, grandparents and great grandparents displayed at the wedding, along with a sign that said, 'Our wedding is dedicated to our parents, who demonstrate daily that it is possible.'" The bride's parents have been married 38 years and the groom's for 34.