Sharon Mistretta and Lawrence Watson

By Ashley Grant | Photography by Jason Angelini Photography

Romantic New Beginning
Using the internet to search for love sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.
For Sharon Mistretta and Lawrence "Larry" Watson, their relationship began
as online bliss and then turned into more.

Larry Watson had been on several websites and had been on many dates but this was Sharon's first time using an online dating service. After looking at several profiles she came across his, and although she thought he was handsome, she didn't contact him. To her surprise, he contacted her and asked her out.

After many messages being exchanged she found out that Larry's sister-in-law worked a few rows away from her at Verizon. To Sharon this seemed like a sign, so she agreed to go out with Larry. Their first date was the day after Thanksgiving in 2007. They went to Carrabba's and then danced the night away.

Fast forward to February 14, 2009 and Larry proposed to Sharon at Malio's Prime Steak House in downtown Tampa. There were a dozen red roses on the table and a bottle of wine. Sharon thought this might be the night Larry would propose, but she kept quiet. As the night progressed she even began to worry that something went wrong and he might have changed his mind.

After dinner, Larry took Sharon for a walk outside on the balcony. Overlooking the Hillsborough River, the lights were twinkling in the trees and the atmosphere could only be described by Sharon as romantic. With no one around, Larry got down on one knee and asked her to be his wife.

Sharon and Larry's wedding was held at the Davis Islands Garden Club on May 2, 2010. They had searched many venues knowing Sharon wanted an outdoor wedding and just happened to stumble upon the Davis Islands Garden Club. They were driving on Davis Islands one day and saw the sign for the garden club. As they walked around the club they fell in love with the venue and knew this would be where they would turn their online romance into a loving, lasting marriage. The two made an appointment May 2, 2009 and married there exactly one year later.

Jessica Meiczinger of Simply Divine Events was the wedding coordinator. The theme of the wedding was butterflies. Sharon feels like butterflies symbolize new beginnings, so they found colorful butterfly pieces, and with the stunning surroundings in the club and the gorgeous gazebo on site, the location was everything the couple dreamed of.

The color palette of the day was fuchsia, gold and pumpkin. Butterflies were placed everywhere. There were crystal butterflies in the bouquet, butterfly garland hanging in the windows and butterfly gobos shining on the walls. Not From a Box designed the butterfly motif for the wedding stationary, and there were butterfly place cards from Etsy. Jason Angelini photographed their special day, the flowers were designed by Events in Bloom, Inspire Entertainment was the DJ, and the butterfly cake was made by Cakes by Nomeda. The look of the wedding really complimented the Davis Islands Garden Club and brightened up the room.

The atmosphere was just filled with love throughout their entire wedding day. It was an evening ceremony and both Larry and Sharon were happy all day and night. Sharon said her favorite part of the day was when she was walking down the aisle and all she could see was her husband-to-be. She describes that moment like a dream. Larry's favorite moment was standing at the gazebo with his two brothers watching Sharon walking down the aisle. He said their eyes locked together and they just kept smiling the whole time. The feeling was very surreal.

When the day was almost over Sharon said another favorite moment was when the music was still playing and she and her new husband continued slow dancing. Just like their first date, they were dancing the night away.