Lindsay Scott Buzaid, who started wedding and events company L. Scott Events, and Long Ellis III, who works in creative advertising at Amazon Prime Video, met the day she moved to Los Angeles. He was roommates with one of her friends from Connecticut, and after inviting her over for dinner, they started dating the next day! Five and a half years later, Long got down on one knee during a sunset catamaran trip in St. Barths.
The island is very important to Lindsay and her family, so they decided to book their wedding for a Friday night at Tamarin one of their favorite restaurants there. However, three weeks before the big day, Tamarin gave Lindsay a call saying that they had double booked their wedding date!
“As an event planner, I was extremely stressed with a last minute venue change. I assumed something would change or go wrong before the wedding day but wasn’t expecting this! But, this bump in the road turned out to be for the absolute best,” says Lindsay. Thankfully, they quickly secured another favorite restaurant—Bonito—and with the help of the couple’s wedding planner, Karine Bensa of DK Events, they organized it so they had the wedding at Bonito and kept Tamarin for the White Party the next night.
Despite the location issues, Lindsay says the most difficult part of planning her wedding was finding her dress. She wanted something original, but also something that fit her 5’1″ stature and the Caribbean setting. After looking in Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, she found her Rime Arodaky dress. “When I tried it on, I knew it was right and I bought it on the spot!” she says. Lindsay paired the gown with gold Aquazzura platform heels and wore coin, pearl, and gold drop earrings, which her mother had a vendor make for her. For beauty, Lindsay worked with local hair stylist Brianne Smith and makeup artist Idalmi of Idalmi St. Barth to create her glowing look and updo.
The groom wore a custom suit by ShayQ Bespoke, paired with Gucci Jordaan loafers and his grandfather’s vintage Rolex, which was a gift passed down from Long’s father. “For my suit, I knew I wanted it French blue with a fabric similar to linen in weight and texture,” explains Long. “Lindsay also worked with Shay to create a hidden message stitched under the suit’s collar, which included the date we first met, the date of our wedding, and the island of St Barths.”
On Friday, the couple married at St. Bartholomew’s Church in Gustavia. “Completed in 1855, the church is a gorgeous historical landmark on the edge of the harbor. I knew from a young age that I wanted to get married there,” says Lindsay. To emphasize the intimacy and importance of family, the pair opted out of a bridal party. Instead Lindsay’s sister was the maid of honor, while Long’s father was his best man—an Ellis tradition. “I was especially nervous to walk down the aisle, but all my nerves disappeared as soon as I arrived at the church,” says the bride. After the couple exchanged their vows and first kiss, guests walked a short way to Bonito for the reception.
Because of the last-minute venue switch, the bride had a week to rework her entire wedding design. Thankfully, “Long and I couldn’t be happier that we had our reception at Bonito, as the space was perfect. It was intimate enough so that everyone remained close and engaged all night, and you simply cannot beat the view of the harbor,” Lindsay says. After cocktail hour, guests were served ceviche, tuna tacos, watermelon and arugula salad, and mahi-mahi or filet. Along with cake, French desserts were also on hand to satisfy any lingering sugar cravings.
Lindsay’s sister and maid of honor, Samantha, gave a speech after dinner, and Long’s father, and best man, also gave a toast that kicked off the party. DJ Matt Winter was flown in from New York City for the festivities and kept everyone on the dance floor all night long. The couple opted not to have a first dance. “We wanted the music to reflect the atmosphere and location, so we decided to stay away from traditional wedding songs. We opted instead to focus on classic reggae and Latin American tracks from the 60s and 70s during dinner and cocktails, followed by tropical house and some of our pop and rap favorites,” explains the bride. For late night bites, mini grilled cheeses and french fries were available to keep everyone energized, and after the reception ended, remaining guests walked to Casa Club and partied until the sun came up.
On Saturday night, the celebration continued with the couple’s White Party at Tamarin. Lindsay wore a full Zimmermann lace and shell look with Christie Nicolaides rose quartz and baroque pearl earrings and her shoes from the night before. Because the setting was lush and green and guests were all adhering to the white dress code, Lindsay wanted the florals and design elements to be bright and fun. “We used all bright pink and orange tropical flowers, and my friend Antonia, of Indigo by Boutin, created custom linens and table runners for the event. One of our best decisions was bringing about 20 disposable cameras and Polaroid cameras for the weekend, which were scattered throughout each event. Our friends and family were able to help us capture incredible, candid moments,” she recalls.
After their Caribbean wedding weekend, Lindsay and Long set their sights on Beirut, Santorini, Milos, and Dubrovnik for their honeymoon this September. “I’m Lebanese and haven’t yet visited my family in Lebanon, so we can’t wait!”
