ABOUT
UNIQUE Weddings + Events is a bold, design-driven Tampa Bay Wedding Planner and Wedding Designer for couples who want something different. We don’t do cookie-cutter. We take your personality, your style, and your wildest ideas, then create a wedding that looks incredible, feels unforgettable, and stays true to you.
With a fearless eye for detail and a love for the unexpected, we turn bold visions into immersive experiences your guests will rave about for years, whether your celebration is in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, or anywhere in the Tampa Bay Area.
We’re not just planning weddings...we’re building moments that matter, on timelines that work. Every couple, every story, and every celebration deserves intention, creativity, and a whole lot of flair.
Bold. Fearless. Anything but Ordinary.
✨ Born & Raised in New Orleans - My childhood was basically a mix of glitter, brass bands, and crawfish boils. Mardi Gras isn’t a season - it’s a personality trait.
🎨 Design is in My DNA - I've got a degree in Interior Design, but event design is where I work my magic. I see the vision before there's even a vision - basically, I’m a design psychic.
🖤 I Wear Black… A Lot - Not just my favorite color - it’s my whole vibe. Elegant, effortless, and perfect for sneaking around behind-the-scenes like an event ninja.
💎 Statement Earrings & Necklaces? - Always. My accessories often enter the room before I do.
🍷 Drink of Choice? - Sweet wine, fruity cocktails, or a spicy Bloody Mary. With all of the garnishes, can it technically count as a salad?
💬 Blunt Honesty? - Love it or hate it, it’s what you’ll get. I’m not here to sugarcoat - unless we’re talking cake.
🍅 Tomato Obsessed - I love anything with tomato, even though I'm still not convinced that it's a fruit.
❤️🔥Met My Husband Speed-Dating - Six minutes, one drink, zero red flags, and the man didn’t run? Keeper.
🌅 Morning Person, No Apologies - Fully caffeinated and firing off emails at 4am. Your timeline is already getting done before sunrise.
🎃 Halloween is My Super Bowl - Fake blood, fog machines, and epic costumes. I thrive in the chaos.
🧩Puzzles Are My Zen - Basically wedding timelines but without the rain delays and Aunt Susan changing her entree selection again.
📺 Binge-Watch Champion - The Office, Schitt’s Creek, Vanderpump Rules. It's not "just TV" - it’s a lifestyle.
💖 Favorite Wedding Moment? - That split second when my couples see the reception design and say, “Wait, this is ours?!” Damn right it is!
😆 Ideal Client? - Witty, sarcastic, and not afraid to drop an occasional F-bomb. Also cool with inappropriate memes.
🎤 Bonus Fun Fact - Sarcasm is my love language. I'll tear up at your wedding - while still keeping it all running like clockwork.
🎨 Design is in My DNA - I've got a degree in Interior Design, but event design is where I work my magic. I see the vision before there's even a vision - basically, I’m a design psychic.
🖤 I Wear Black… A Lot - Not just my favorite color - it’s my whole vibe. Elegant, effortless, and perfect for sneaking around behind-the-scenes like an event ninja.
💎 Statement Earrings & Necklaces? - Always. My accessories often enter the room before I do.
🍷 Drink of Choice? - Sweet wine, fruity cocktails, or a spicy Bloody Mary. With all of the garnishes, can it technically count as a salad?
💬 Blunt Honesty? - Love it or hate it, it’s what you’ll get. I’m not here to sugarcoat - unless we’re talking cake.
🍅 Tomato Obsessed - I love anything with tomato, even though I'm still not convinced that it's a fruit.
❤️🔥Met My Husband Speed-Dating - Six minutes, one drink, zero red flags, and the man didn’t run? Keeper.
🌅 Morning Person, No Apologies - Fully caffeinated and firing off emails at 4am. Your timeline is already getting done before sunrise.
🎃 Halloween is My Super Bowl - Fake blood, fog machines, and epic costumes. I thrive in the chaos.
🧩Puzzles Are My Zen - Basically wedding timelines but without the rain delays and Aunt Susan changing her entree selection again.
📺 Binge-Watch Champion - The Office, Schitt’s Creek, Vanderpump Rules. It's not "just TV" - it’s a lifestyle.
💖 Favorite Wedding Moment? - That split second when my couples see the reception design and say, “Wait, this is ours?!” Damn right it is!
😆 Ideal Client? - Witty, sarcastic, and not afraid to drop an occasional F-bomb. Also cool with inappropriate memes.
🎤 Bonus Fun Fact - Sarcasm is my love language. I'll tear up at your wedding - while still keeping it all running like clockwork.
what makes me unique...
Tampa Bay wedding designer, planner, and all-around “get shit done” girl.
Equal parts dreamer, designer, and spreadsheet-loving perfectionist.
Meet the mastermind behind unique weddings + events - staci mandikas
We’re Not Just event Planners—
We’re Storytellers, Stylists, & detail whisperers
Founded in 2008 by sarcasm-fueled, coffee-chugging creative Staci Mandikas, UNIQUE Weddings + Events is a boutique Tampa wedding planner and designer known for bold ideas, killer execution, and weddings that look nothing like your best friend’s Pinterest board.
With over 400 weddings across Tampa Bay, St. Pete, Sarasota, and beyond, we’ve built a reputation for creating one-of-a-kind celebrations that mix innovation, intention, and just the right amount of unexpected flair. My design background and sharp eye mean we don’t just plan - we curate. From color palettes and layouts to custom builds and mood lighting, every detail gets the VIP treatment. You’re not getting a copy-paste wedding. You’re getting a day that’s tailored, intentional, dripping in personal style, and impossible to forget.
oUR BELIEFS
At UNIQUE Weddings + Events, we believe bold wedding design should reflect who you are, and that planning a wedding in Tampa Bay or West Coast Florida should actually feel fun, creative, and (dare we say) effortless.
Cookie-cutter is a curse word.
Tradition is optional. Personality is not.
Good design matters. Always.
Your story is our blueprint.
Events should be full-on experiences,
not just “parties.”
Details are everything (because guests
notice when they’re missing).
Elegance and edge can absolutely coexist.
We live to create the unexpected -
no boring weddings allowed.
Love is love. Period.
Timelines and tequila both have their place
(one keeps us sane, the other keeps it fun).
We’re not just Tampa wedding planners, we’re wedding designers and experience creators.
We don’t chase trends. We set them.
If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no.
Tradition is optional. Personality is not.
Good design matters. Always.
Your story is our blueprint.
Events should be full-on experiences,
not just “parties.”
Details are everything (because guests
notice when they’re missing).
Elegance and edge can absolutely coexist.
We live to create the unexpected -
no boring weddings allowed.
Love is love. Period.
Timelines and tequila both have their place
(one keeps us sane, the other keeps it fun).
We’re not just Tampa wedding planners, we’re wedding designers and experience creators.
We don’t chase trends. We set them.
If it’s not a hell yes, it’s a no.
What Makes Us...UNIQUE?
- Planned and designed Tampa Bay weddings from $5K backyard vibes to $300K ballroom blowouts - proving style isn’t about the budget, it’s about the vision.
- Created weddings for 8 guests who wanted cozy vows and up to 400 guests who wanted a full-on production. Either way, it looked damn good.
- Only book a limited number of weddings each year so your day gets our full attention, because perfection doesn’t happen when your planner is juggling 27 timelines at once.
- Worked at just about every venue in the Tampa Bay Area and the West Coast Florida, plus turned private residences and estates into total jaw-droppers.
- Licensed, insured, and unapologetically type-A with logistics: timelines, vendor wrangling, backup plans A–Z. Basically, we lose sleep so you don’t have to.
- Recognized as a top Tampa wedding planner and designer by Style Me Pretty, Rock 'n Roll Bride, The Knot, Wedding Wire, Marry Me Tampa Bay, and about 30 other features that still make us do a happy dance.
- Known for design at every level — from large-scale installations to the tiniest details guests actually remember (yes, they secretly notice the napkins).
- Obsessed with creating weddings that are modern, bold, and anything but cookie-cutter. If you want “the same as everyone else,” we’re not it.
- 17+ years in the Tampa Bay wedding scene means we’ve seen it all, from rain delays, power outages, vendor no-shows, and that one aunt who thinks she’s running the show. Spoiler: she’s not.
- Loved by Gen Z and millennial couples who want their wedding to feel like them - fresh, stylish, and a little bit unexpected.
