Lindsey Dorman, a co-founder of Weezie Towels, was at a bar in New York City, when she was suddenly cornered by Stephens Johnson, a director of business development, who started dancing in front of her. “I initially charged past him, thinking his ploy was a bit obnoxious,” she says. “Luckily he was cute because I turned right back around and asked him if he wanted to grab a drink!”
Years later, Stephens and Lindsey were having lunch at the Crosby Street Hotel to celebrate their recent decision to move in together. “I later found out he had also asked my dad for permission to propose the same week!” she explains. After lunch wrapped up, the two were on their way out when Stephens dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him. Once she said yes, the two headed to a rooftop nearby where 75 of their closest friends and family were waiting to toast the newly engaged couple.
Choosing the location proved difficult as they had both moved around a lot as children and had a long list of places that felt special to each of them. “We ultimately settled on Palm Beach because this was the one place that we experienced together for the first time,” she says. Once they picked the city, choosing their venue, the Everglades Club, was easy. “The design and architecture of the club is fabulous on its own, so I didn’t want to go too crazy with the decor,” Lindsey adds. With the help of planner Lynn Easton, they incorporated greenery and trees inside the space to highlight the indoor/outdoor vibe of the club. “The roof is actually open air so you get the best of both worlds,” she says.
After a dress search that took longer than the bride would like to admit, she finally settled on a Mira Zwillinger dress for the occasion. “The detailing was so unique and it was just the right mix of modern and traditional,” she says. But on the day of the actual wedding, there was a little bit of a mishap. “It ended up being about 95 degrees the day we got married so I actually had to have my maid of honor cut out some layers from the skirt during cocktail hour!” she explains.
Lindsey describes the ceremony as her favorite part of the entire weekend. “Even though there were 250 people there, the space still felt so intimate,” she recalls. “My heart was racing the entire time! I was full of butterflies during the ceremony. We had a little snafu with the rings and Stephens could not get my wedding band on my finger. We both burst out laughing and that moment definitely helped calm my nerves.”
After the couple was married, guests were treated to cocktail hour with a martini bar and small bites on offer. Later, a seated dinner followed, which kicked off with raw bars served on miniature palm tree ice sculptures. For the dancing portion of the evening, an Atlanta-based band provided the musical entertainment and played the couple’s first dance song, Barry White’s “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love.”
Again the dance floor proved pivotal in their relationship. “We had only practiced our first dance one time, which had resulted in Stephens dipping me so far down that he dropped me; so I had severe reservations going into our first dance,” Lindsey says. As a surprise to Stephens and the rest of their wedding guests, the bride had arranged for the roof to retract during their first dance. “I whispered to Stephens, ‘Look up!’ and he misheard me and thought I said ‘pick me up!’” she remembers. “Before I knew it, he was throwing me over his hip and I was completely shocked. It was hilarious and the most memorable dance of my life.”
The club’s croquet lawn was later transformed into a DJ late night party complete with a light up dance floor and late night snacks. “The official party wrapped up at 2:30 a.m. but there was a second impromptu late night in our penthouse suite at the Colony,” Lindsey says. In fact, her guests were having so much fun the newlyweds had to find other arrangement. “It went on so late that Stephens and I actually had to book a separate room to sleep in!”
