We’ve Spent Over 416 Years Perfecting Your Wedding
Cumulatively speaking, that is.

Meet the team dedicated to making your your special day magical!

Owners

• 

  Bonnie McSharry
  Cross Creek Ranch Owner & Founder

  Bonnie fell in love with weddings at the age of five, “marrying” her first love, neighbor Donny Pruess in a splendid Tom Thumb ceremony.

  Married “for real” in 1994 to the love of her life Sean McSharry (four months after meeting!), Bonnie turned her passion for wedding design into her profession.

  In 2000, Bonnie and Sean bought Cross Creek Ranch as the ideal place to share their zeal for entertaining.

  “With one friend’s 50th birthday party and our best man’s wedding hosted here, one thing led to another, creating this wonderful wedding venue.”

  In 2006, Bonnie left her award-winning interior design business to run Cross Creek Ranch full time. Just look at anything Bonnie touches and you’ll see her unique vision and attention to detail in creating something beautiful.

• 

  Sean McSharry
  Cross Creek Ranch Owner & Founder

  Born and raised in Dorchester, MA, Sean McSharry is a longtime “anything-Boston” fan. Serving in the Navy for nine years, Sean is the proud father of two children, Tisha and Michael. He’s an avid reader and sports fan, even willing to support local teams as long as they’re not competing against the Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins or Celtics. Sean also gives of his time and talent as a Guardian Ad Litem and a Guardian trainer for Hillsborough County.

  Even though Cross Creek Ranch is primarily Bonnie’s dream, Sean is by her side as a constant support to operations. It must be true love because as Sean says, “I’m still here, aren’t I?”

• 

  Jill Ferguson
  Director of Operations

  Jill and Cross Creek Ranch are perfectly suited for each other. She began working at CCR in 2010 as part of the set-up team after her niece was married at the Ranch two years earlier. With a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Georgia, Jill’s experience as a teacher and business owner has made her a master of detail and organization. Jill is particularly fond of old black and white movies, playing golf, spending time with family and friends and, of course, her Georgia Bulldogs.

• 

  Becky Knutson
  Director of Marketing and Project Management

  Becky joined the Ranch as a Wedding Specialist, quickly becoming a part of the Management Staff, and serving on our Bridal Team as a Sr. Lead Wedding Coordinator. Becky loves all things weddings and being a part of our amazing couples big day. Equipped with many years of experience in Sales, Elite Customer Service, Project Management, and an Entrepreneurial mindset, Becky wears many hats and can be found going above and beyond to hear each couple say “this was the best day of my life!”

  She has a love hate relationship with the gym and her running shoes. She enjoys volunteering, traveling, spending time with her family and relaxing at the beach with her best friend and amazing husband, Dan.

• 

  Mina Peterson
  Vendor Coordinator

  Since joining the CCR family in 2008, Mina has done just about everything at the Ranch—from set-up to floral arranging—making her a highly valued team member. Currently, she assists with the details at the Bed and Breakfast and helps couples connect with their wedding vendors. But you’ll also catch her giving tours, assisting as a wedding coordinator, even sewing pillows or cushions.

  Married to her husband Major for close to five decades, she’s the proud mother of two and grandmother to adorable Jackson.

• 

  Holly Arnold
  French Country Inn Events and B&B Manager

  After working in human services with adults with intellectual disabilities for over 20 years, Holly decided to change paths and has joined our team as a Wedding Specialist. Over the course of her career in human services, she has done everything from manage service delivery in group homes and day training programs. Holly serves as a Lead Coordinator as well as oversees special Events held at the French Country Inn and Manages the B&B overnight stays.

  She has been an active participant in her, now, adult children’s athletic careers as a coach, team mom, Booster club leader and on the rare occasion, just being a mom.

  She loves being with her kids, the Florida Gators, movies, her sweet rescue dog Cira, being in the mountains and all black bears!

Floral Team

• 

  Lori Ortega
  Quality Control & Afternoon Manager

  Lori’s background is in bookkeeping, payroll, and office management, including 20 years in the veterinary field as a vet tech and office manager. She left all of that to explore the possibility of finding her creative side and came to Cross Creek Ranch in August 2011. She began as a Set Up Team member on weekends while working during the week to do prep for weddings. As CCR grew, more creative opportunities became available and Lori now does the writing of seating charts and chalkboard signs, is a Set Up Team Manager, and is also the Afternoon Event Manager ensuring that all vendor deliveries are on time and each detail is perfect for our weddings. She LOVES working in the wedding industry and says, “When setting up, I try to think ‘this is my best friend’s wedding’. I want it to be as perfect as it can be for each bride’s special day.”

  She is also an avid animal lover, living on a small “farm” near Cross Creek Ranch with a variety of “kids”. She married Javier, “the most wonderful man in the world”, in 1995. They both LOVE their animals, music, dancing, traveling, and spending as much time as possible with family and friends.

• 

  Margo Kline
  Wedding Designer

  After relocating from Maryland, Margo joined the Bridal Team where she serves our lovely brides on their special day as a Lead Coordinator. Her passion for the wedding industry led her to a role as part of the design team. Fun fact: Margo is the only girl born in 80 years on her Dad’s side of the family and she was born on Father’s Day.

  Margo enjoys cooking, baking and all things about her Pomeranian, Gizmo. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and working with special needs children and adults.

• 

  Angela Dueck
  Wedding Designer & Wedding Design Setup Manager

  Angela, originally from Brazil, began her career at Cross Creek Ranch in the Fall of 2014 working on the wedding set-up team. Her desire for perfection led to a quick promotion to Design Manager where she oversees every design detail on the wedding day. Together, she and the set-up team, bring to life the uniqueness of each Bride’s wedding design.

  Her favorite moment of each set up is seeing the Bride’s reaction as she arrives and gets her tour of the venue. She says the smile on the Bride’s face (and the tears in her eyes) is the best part of her job!

• 

  Maria Cooke
  Manager of Event Sales

  Born and raised in New York, Maria moved to Florida as an adult where she worked in other professions including real estate, retail, sales, and even the corporate world, of course, no matter where she worked, she always ended up being the go-to party planner!

  Maria joined Cross Creek Ranch’ Bridal Team after the urging from a friend who told her “you will love working there, they are like wedding boy scouts, always prepared!” Now as a Sales Manager, Maria has the pleasure of building a relationship and getting to know the story of our couples. “Your wedding is such a unique way to really tell the world who you are as a couple!”, Maria says.

  Maria is half bubbly, and vibrant, and half sassy and sarcastic. She has kiddos ranging in age from 22 to 3, and spent the last year dedicated to her fitness goals and losing almost 150 pounds! She loves theme parks, good food, and sci-fi super-hero movies.

• 

  Taylor Holycross
  Wedding Specialist

  Taylor is a born and raised Midwesterner who recently relocated to the sunshine state. Recently married herself, she loves to chat with brides about their vision and how memorable their big day should be. New to the wedding industry, her passion for helping couples find the perfect venue for their wedding day grows with every tour she delivers.

  Taylor also enjoys spending time with her husband, making frequent trips to Disney, and cuddling with her adorable kittens, Vax and Vex.

• 

  Lindsay Alling
  Wedding Concierge

  Lindsay was born and raised in southern Indiana. Volunteering for a wedding planner her freshman year of college, ignited a passion in her for the event industry which led her to pursue a Hospitality and Event Planning degree from Indiana University. During her Sr. year, Lindsay completed her Internship with Cross Creek Ranch and was offered a position prior to graduation. Lindsay was ready to make a permanent move from Indiana to Florida and joined our team as a Receptionist. She has since taken on the role of our Wedding Concierge and continues to develop a passion for supporting our couples during their wedding planning process.

  You can also spot Lindsay serving as a Bridal Assistant on wedding days. She also enjoys sharing in the “day of” experience serving our brides and helping to prepare them for their “I do”!

• 

  Annika LaSala
  Receptionist

  Annika was born in Florida but raised in North Carolina where she learned a lot about southern hospitality and making the best mac and cheese. She graduated with an Event Planning degree at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. With the urge to make a change in scenery, Annika took the plunge and moved to Tampa, FL. With over 5 years of event industry experience and working over 25 (and counting) weddings, Annika looks forward to utilizing her customer service expertise in serving more couples here at the Ranch. She is dedicated to the happiness of our clients. Her favorite aspect of the planning and designing process is the relationships she gets to develop along the way.

  When Annika is not working, she is out on adventures with her husband, Chris, and their two dogs, Ranger and Kai.

Garden and Grounds Team

• 

  Joan Arata
  Bonnie’s Mother

  Joan keeps an eye on things from the front porch of her adorable yellow cottage at the front of Cross Creek Ranch. She’s often found in the courtyard, giving her signature warm welcome to wedding guests.

  Joan is also mother to son David, grandmother to four and great-grandmother to two…so far, as she likes to say. She’s an avid reader and fan of the Bucs and Rays. Proud of her daughter and son-in-law, Joan loves living at the Ranch.

Maintenance Team

“You will never have to worry about a single detail being out of place here. They walk beside you every step of the way, from the first tour of the grounds to picking up the leftovers the day after the wedding. The coordinators, designers, bridal assistants, and even the owners of Cross Creek Ranch become more than just your wedding team, they become your friends and beautiful memories.”

Stephanie

“Brides and Grooms are blessed by this venue! We have never felt so well taken care of than when we have worked alongside the staff at Cross Creek Ranch. The level of professionalism and seamless management makes everything run smoothly and keeps everyone relaxed. We felt like the staff members in charge of our wedding day were like family and it was hard to say goodbye to such lovely people.”

Kelly & Thomas, Fort Meyers FL

“I have always heard that wedding planning is stressful and time-consuming so I was hesitant to have a big wedding. Not once, during the planning or the actual wedding, did I feel overwhelmed or stressed. The staff at CCR was amazing! Cross Creek Ranch completely exceeded our expectations!”

Carrie & Frank, Tampa FL