I said my vows in French and Jeff said his in English. We included some French so that they didn’t feel left out. Jeff’s suit fits his personality: the navy blue shows confidence without being cocky, subtlety, and good taste.ĭid you incorporate any culture into your wedding? We speak French and some of our guests from Canada and Haiti didn’t speak English. The skirt had lace details at the waist to blend with the rest of the dress. My wedding planner and the seamstress surprised me with a hint of blush on the custom tulle skirt (they knew I wanted some blush in there). I had a custom skirt made by Joanna, the most amazing seamstress. My dress is a Davinci, fit and flare, lace. I never like to do the same as everyone so my dress fits my personality. What was the wedding shopping experience like for you? I was a blushing bride. He got down on one knee and he was choking up, I was emotional, but I managed to say YES! That’s when he said, do you want to take a walk by the lake? (mind you it was dark by then.) I agreed to a walk and as we were getting near the boardwalk, I saw our family and friends lined up, waiting for me. We got into the restaurant and they said we will have to wait for our table. By then I had a feeling of what may be coming, and I was getting super excited. As we were getting close to the restaurant door, I peeped his parents that were trying to hide in a corner (I didn’t tell him anything and just kept walking hehe). Then we get to the most wonderful restaurant by a lake, called Stone Water. I didn’t know where we were going to eat because he wanted it to be a surprise. He picked me up in a uber black and I was able to choose my favorite songs to sing along during our ride. On Saturday, September 29th, he told me to dress nicely and he wanted to take me out to a nice restaurant. Jeff planned the perfect proposal with the help of my family and our close friends. We joke all the time about how we probably saw each other back then. We did not attend the same classes so we didn’t know each other then. How did you meet? We met at church, but we discovered that we went to the same school in our home country of Haiti.

Wedding Location: The Estate at Florentine Gardens, River Vale, New Jersey Featuring floral design by MunaLuchi Coterie member Utterly Elegant Events.

Jeffrey and Beidjly were pronounced husband and wife in a gorgeous garden wedding in River Vale, New Jersey. Jeffrey proposed during a lake-side stroll, followed by a romantic dinner with their family and closest friends. The more they continued to speak the more they realized how much in common they had, and before long the sparks began to fly. According to the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage’s statement of purpose, the colors were chosen deliberately: purple for “loyalty, constancy to purpose, unswerving steadfastness to a cause,” gold for “the color of light and life and “the torch that guides our purpose.” And white, “the emblem of purity, symbolizes the quality of our purpose.Beidjly and Jeffrey’s love story began when they were introduced while attending church.Īfter some discussion, they realized they had gone to the same school together in their home country of Haiti. Why white? You’ve likely seen women from all walks of life “wear white” to send a powerful message but why white? White, purple, and gold were the official colors of the National Women’s Party and the suffragist movement. Special thanks to our local photographer for lending his time and talent to this program, Reggy Stainfil of Stainfil Studios. You are sure to run into old friends and meet some new ones too, share some laughs, create a new memory and lend your voice to the Women's History YEAR in SOMA. We’re asking all participants to wear white in honor of the women from the suffrage movement who worked to win our right to vote, but come regardless of whether you can wear white. People of all ages are welcome so grab your daughters, sons, husbands, partners, boyfriends, girlfriends, your sisters,brothers, fathers and mothers to help us commemorate this year's SOMA CELEBRATES WOMEN. We are calling on ALL PEOPLE (especially in Maplewood & South Orange but all are welcome!) to meet at the Maplewood Town Hall at 9:45AM on Saturday, March 7th for a 10:00 photo. Join us for the 3rd annual commemorative photograph of SOMA CELEBRATES WOMEN for Women's History Month.

Reggy stainfil