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Colorful Jewel Tone Wedding in Indiana

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Lyndsey and Jean-Pierre were married at the Valle Vista in Greenwood, IN. They celebrated their heritage with an "International Black Tie" wedding theme and had the most beautiful colorful florals and decor!

Lyndsey + Jean-Pierre

Greenwood, Indiana
- 06/06/2021
Total wedding budget $27,000

Budget Breakdown

Below is an estimated wedding budget breakdown provided by the couple.

  • Venue, Food & Bar
    37%
    $10000
  • Attire
    19%
    $5000
  • Flowers
    17%
    $4500
  • Photography
    19%
    $5000
  • Stationery
    2%
    $600
  • Cake/Dessert
    3%
    $700
  • Music/Entertainment
    7%
    $2000
  • Total wedding budget
    $27000

How did you meet?

During a school event, I (Lyndsey) was sitting with my best friend and saw a handsome black man dancing and worshiping God on the stage. I leaned over to my friend and said, “I want to marry a guy like that!” Months later, Jean-Pierre walked into class one day, and I (Lyndsey), knew immediately I wanted him to know I was single. Within 2 days, we were discussing feelings. Within 2 weeks, Jean-Pierre told me he loved me.

What is your proposal story?

Jean-Pierre likes to think he can keep surprises from me. We were visiting my parents in Indiana over Thanksgiving break, and he told me that my sister had agreed to take some couple photos for us, so we needed to get ready. I already had a hair appointment that day, so I went to that appointment, which lasted much longer than expected. I kept communicating with him, telling him I would be late.

When I got home, he wouldn’t even let me eat before driving to a park. We walked to the beautiful rocky area, where I saw my sister and another friend hiding behind bushes. He had brought his guitar with him (another clue), so he put it down, pulled it out, and began to sing a song he had written for me. Following the song, he pulled the ring box out of the guitar case, got on his knee, and asked me to marry him…I said yes!

Tell us a little a bit about your wedding (your vision, color, style, and location choices).

Jean-Pierre and I both love Jesus above everything else, and we knew we wanted our wedding to be a picture of what it will look like in heaven. So, we wanted cultural, elegant, colorful, vibrant, worshipful, relational, and luxurious.

Our theme was Ethnically Royal. Therefore, we chose many different vibrant colors, primarily jewel tones, and we incorporated many tropical plants and flowers. Our venue at Valle Vista was elegant, and our decorations made it tropical, colorful, and royal.

Tell us about your attire choices.

My dress had a lot of lace detail, a long train, and an open back. I wanted something form-fitting to show off curves, yet modest to remain somewhat conservative. I believe my dress was very regal.

Jean-Pierre chose a patterned blue tuxedo. To give a nod to his Haitian culture, he wanted something with a pattern, and he loves to wear blue.

We had the bridesmaids all in different jewel tones, and the men wore regular black suits.

We asked the guests to wear formally ethnic clothes, from any culture. We deemed this “International Black Tie.”

What was the most important to the two of you while planning? Was there anything that you chose to splurge on or skip?

The most important thing for us was to point to Jesus. We were very lucky to have many people help us. We really wanted a lot of live music, especially worship music. Our friends are very musical, so we had an ensemble of guitar, vocalists, djembe, cajon, and shakers. We also had a separate pianist and cellist for the beginning of the wedding.

We did decided that we wanted really good photos, so we prioritized photography. Then, we also prioritized decorations.

What were your favorite parts of the day?

We loved the worship music that our live ensemble led. Jean-Pierre also surprised me with a song that he had prepared and sang it for me during the ceremony.

The wedding was indoor/outdoor, and it was a hot day. I had been taking photos, and my dress was heavy. In the middle of my vows, I stopped and asked for a drink of water! For some reason, all we had was an ugly styrofoam cup, and I drank from that on the stage in the middle of my vows!

During the reception, Jean-Pierre also surprised me with a prepared dance he and the groomsmen had prepared. He was very sexy!

Tell us about your wedding flowers.

Our wedding flowers were gorgeous!! They were so bright and colorful. The florist had several different flowers shipped in because we wanted unique and tropical flowers. I wanted the bouquet to be overflowing and stuffed with bright flowers, and that is exactly what happened! The flowers in the decorations were beautifully prepared by Yetta Miller, the wedding planner.

Tell us about your wedding cake.

We had several types of cake. Our traditional wedding cake was baked by Dale Buffin. I (Lyndsey) personally do not prefer regular cake, so we also had cheesecake, also prepared by Dale Buffin. Our traditional cake was chocolate and vanilla, decorated with flowers. Our cheesecake was original with raspberry and chocolate syrup available.

What did you do for favors?

We love chocolate, so we did all the different flavors of Dove chocolate.

Please describe any DIY, handmade, or personal details.

All the centerpieces were put together by hand by the wedding planner. She did all the decorations, and my sister helped, too. My dad (father of the bride) made the arbors that were used in the ceremony and reception.

Did you include any family heirlooms or special traditions?

My mom gave me a handkerchief that had been given to her by her mom, and her mom before. During the ceremony, we did a foot-washing ceremony to symbolize Jesus washing His disciples’ feet and serving them.

Do you have any advice for couples planning their weddings now?

If at all possible, get a wedding planner! Also, it is important to be bold in your opinions. This is your day, and the goal is not to please everyone else. Remember to stand by what you and your spouse are hoping for.


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