Lindsey and Darnell at Old York Country Club

Their story:

By the time Lindsey exchanged phone numbers with Darnell a few years after they met through mutual friends, she had heard everyone say what a great guy he was, so she decided to give him a shot. Everyone, she quickly discovered, was right. “I found that he was what everybody said he was: a genuine good guy. He was charismatic, just really sweet, respectful and cute, of course,” the bride says. Lindsey, 34, of Hamilton, and Darnell, 34, of Columbus, went on their first date in early 2013—dinner and dancing in Atlantic City. “We hit it off immediately,” Lindsey recalls. “Once we started to get to know each other, he was somebody that I felt like I knew for years and years. It was really comfortable. You could just tell we had a connection.” It wasn’t long until they became serious. “He means everything to me,” Lindsey says. “He’s my best friend, he’s my biggest supporter, he just loves me for me, and he puts up with my goofy personality.”

Will you marry me?

The couple hosted a housewarming party with their closest friends and relatives that Darnell expanded to include Lindsey’s birthday. On October 27, 2019, as everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to Lindsey, she turned to blow out the candles on her cake and Darnell got down on one knee. She was shocked and overjoyed as everyone cheered. At their new home with their loved ones, the proposal was perfect. “I couldn’t have pictured it any better,” she says.

Details of the day:

The couple planned to tie the knot on September 18, 2020, in the Westin Mount Laurel hotel ballroom with 160 guests, but Covid-19 required a venue change, so they had an outdoor, socially distanced ceremony and reception at the Old York Country Club, with just 65 guests. After so much uncertainty, the wedding became everything they wanted. They got married on a beautiful day under a gazebo in a 5:30 p.m. ceremony with a solo violinist and held the reception on the covered outdoor patio. The chic and elegant event had a garden-party vibe, with floral arrangements featuring white anemones, roses and eucalyptus.

The couple looked fabulous: Lindsey in a white, sleek satin trumpet gown with detachable drop-shoulder sleeves, and Darnell in a custom black tuxedo with a paisley print. Their colors were black and white with touches of gold. As husband and wife, they shared their romantic first dance to “Until the End of Time,” by Justin Timberlake with Beyoncé. After so much uncertainty about whether they could even have a wedding, Lindsey was overjoyed. “We couldn’t believe how everything worked out,” she says. “We felt that this was the way it was meant to be and we wouldn’t have changed a thing.” The best part, she adds, was “to finally get to marry my best friend.”