Photo: Katelyn James Photography
During a swanky dinner at D.C.'s Sequoia restaurant, Lindy's then-boyfriend, Nik, seemed distracted. "I thought he was feeling sick or something," she admits. After a delicious meal, he insisted they nab cupcakes for dessert and that they take the long way to the shop, along the breezy waterfront. "I was so cold!" Lindy says. She tried to pull him toward a shortcut, but he wouldn't give in. A moment later, along the water, he proposed. "He was crying and I was squealing with excitement!" Lindy recalls.
For the couple's October 13, 2013, nuptials, Lindy and Nik returned to the same restaurant where their wedding journey began, this time with 250 family members and friends. Lindy knew she didn't want a theme wedding — no twine or sea shells for this girl! — so the bride kept things classic with a plum-fuchsia-and-cream palette and traditional details that will last a lifetime. "I didn't want to look back and say, 'Why in the world did I do that?'" she explains.
Photo: Katelyn James Photography
A watercolor invitation suite that reflected the couple's wedding colors invited guests to the evening event.
Photo: Katelyn James Photography
A Starbuck's barista brightened the bride's wedding day morning with a caffeinated beverage and a sweet message to boot!
Lindy and Nik snuck a first look before guests gathered for the wedding. It was these intimate moments, when the couple was alone together, that Lindy loved most. "It was during that quiet moment that we could really take in everything the day meant," she explains.
Lindy spotted the dazzling Watters dress that would become her wedding gown when she was helping her sister plan her wedding. When she began shopping for her own wedding dress — just days after getting engaged! — Lindy couldn't get the gown's rosette-covered skirt out of her head. Nothing else compared. Luckily, a local store was hosting a Watters trunk show and offered to ship Lindy's dream dress in for the event. When she tried it on,"the sample fit perfectly and I loved it," Lindy says.
Photo: Katelyn James Photography
The bride swept her hair into a romantic low updo, while the groom donned a classic black-and-white tuxedo and bow tie. His bowtie set him apart from the groomsmen, who wore regular ties. None wore boutonnieres. "I'm not a big fan of them!" Lindy says.
The bride wore shimmering gold peep-toe heels, hidden beneath the gown's full skirt.
Her gold Kate Spade bangle was a gift from a friend. "I didn't wear a necklace," she says. "I love chunkier necklaces, but I wanted to keep my bridal look a little more simple."
Photo: Katelyn James Photography
"I was looking for something more sweet than sexy," Lindy says of her hunt for the perfect bridesmaids dresses. Knee-length Alfred Sung sheaths were the ticket, with an A-line cut and straight-across neckline. And their plum color perfectly complemented the couple's purple-hued color palette.
Photo: Katelyn James Photography
Lindy admits that, when it came to her bouquet, she "didn't know anything about flowers, so I just let the florist do her thing!" Edge Floral Event Designers created an all-white bouquet of soft roses and ranunculus, and zero greens. "The bridesmaids carried a smaller version of my bouquet," Lindy says, "and the flower girls carried an even smaller version than that!"
Photo: Katelyn James Photography
"Our ring bearer is a total goofball!" Lindy swears, but the boy took his role seriously, resisting a smile as he walked down the aisle ahead of the couple's two flower girls. He saved his energy for the dance floor, Lindy says, where "he let it all loose!"
Photo: Katelyn James Photography
Lindy walked toward her groom to "The Prince of Denmark's March," played by an organist. "The sound filled the church and it was beautiful," Lindy recalls. "I had always wanted to have an organ playing for my entrance."
Even more than she loved the traditional chords filling the church, Lindy treasured the walk with her father. "We are very close," she explains, "and that moment was something I had dreamed about, as I walked with the man I have always loved to the man I will love the rest of my life."
As she met Nik at the altar, Lindy turned to her bridesmaids, groomsmen and guests, and took it all in. "It was so special. My absolute closest and sweetest friends were right there with me."
Behind the couple, on the altar, sat two giant arrangements of cream and blush-colored blooms and lemon leaves. Lindy and Nik exchanged traditional vows with modern wording. "Our faith is very important to us, and we wanted our wedding to portray that," says Lindy. The couple and their parents served communion to their guests, and lit a unity candle at the end of the ceremony.
Photo: Katelyn James Photography
The couple left the church to Handel's "Hornpipe" from "Water Music."
Photo: Katelyn James Photography
Because Nik and Lindy dated for nine years, finally tying the knot was especially emotional for the couple. "There were so, so many close friends and family that have walked alongside us in the various stages of our lives and our relationship," Lindy says. "To have all of them there to celebrate the beginning of our life together was just the sweetest part."
Photo: Katelyn James Photography
Guests were greeted inside the couple's reception with dramatic string lights and flowers dripping from the ceiling, and illuminated tables topped with purple and fuchsia floral arrangements. Two types of tall arrangements towered above guests' heads — a great way to keep the conversation flowing! — while low arrangements decorated other tables.
Lindy trusted their florist to design the centerpieces. "We did some small tweaking after seeing the sample arrangements, but our florist was wonderful!" she says." I wanted more of a classic wedding with traditional aspects — even though I love the modern look — so I tried to mix a girly touch with classic decisions." Centerpieces featured roses, hydrangeas, and orchids.
Photo: Katelyn James Photography
Lindy and Nik sat together at a sweetheart table, adorned with mugs spelling out "LOVE" and overflowing with fresh blooms. Soft uplighting, provided by the restaurant, cast a purple glow throughout the reception.
Photo: Katelyn James Photography
The "Frodilicious," a Bahama Mama renamed in honor of the couple's last name, served as the signature cocktail. The bride adorned wooden stirrers with maroon-hued ribbon and stuck them in each glass. The drinks were served with monogrammed purple napkins.
Photo: Katelyn James Photography
Lindy called on all her bridesmaids to help with her DIY favors. They formed an assembly line, tying cards that read "Love is Brewing" to jars filled with coffee and sealing them with ribbon.
Photo: Katelyn James Photography
A white four-tier wedding cake, covered in cream cheese frosting and decorated with sugar flowers and the couple's monogram, was filled with layers of red velvet cake with chocolate ganache and raspberries. "It was heavenly," the bride says.
Lindy and Nik slowed it down for their first dance, swaying to "You Are The Best Thing," by Ray LaMontagne, before the six-piece band from Entertainment Exchange got guests grooving, keeping them on the dance floor all night long.
Photo: Katelyn James Photography
After a sun-filled honeymoon in the Dominican Republic, Lindy and Nik moved into the first home they've ever shared together. "Getting to come home to one another and waking up together has been the best part," she says.
Ceremony Venue: Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church || Reception Venue: Sequoia || Bride's Wedding Dress: Watters || Shoes: DSW || Jewelry: Kate Spade and Nordstrom || Bride's Hair & Makeup: Wear Hair || Bridesmaids' Hair: Jewel Hair Design || Bridesmaids' Dresses: Alfred Sung || Groom & Groomsmen's Attire: Men's Wearhouse || Flower Girls' Attire: David's Bridal || Florist: Edge Floral Event Designers || Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas || Programs & Menus: He Saw Sparks || Music: Entertainment Exchange || Catering: Sequoia || Cake: Fluffy Thoughts || Favors: Café Kreyol || Accommodations: Le Meridian || Photo Booth: Booth-O-Rama || Photography: Katelyn James Photography