Prepare yourselves—this Palm Beach wedding at Eau Hotel and Resort serves all the romance. Let’s start with how Ellie knew she’d met her person: “Tariq has always been the one.”
These two have known each other since the 5th grade. Seeing Tariq on the school bus was something Ellie looked forward to every morning. Their friendship didn’t evolve into something more until right before senior year, but after that they were both all in!
Though they grew up in Chicago, Palm Beach is important to Ellie and Tariq. Ellie went to college at the University of Miami, and when her parents visited, they’d all spend weekends at the Eau together. Later, when Ellie and Tariq stole away on a trip to Palm Beach, Tariq proposed.
Shares Ellie, “We had planned a long weekend trip to Vermont (one of our favorite places) to see the foliage in October of 2021, but week of the weather was looking awful. Tariq suggested we change our trip to Palm Beach last minute so we could enjoy being outside more. We stayed at The Colony Hotel which was a pink paradise! They have adorable bikes you can take for a spin, so we went for a ride around the whole island. Towards the end, we stopped at a cute stretch of beach we had admired during the ride. He got down on one knee there on the beach—it felt like we were the only people in the world. It was perfect. “
wedding dress: Lea-Ann Belter Lourdes via Bella Bleu Bridal | photographer: Kristina Karina Photography | scroll down for full vendor list
Ellie’s gown search brought her to Bella Bleu in Chicago where she fell for two gowns, and to help her decide, she brought her dad along with her sister (who also wore a Lea-Ann Belter gown!) and mom to a second appointment.
“I knew I wanted something very feminine and very bridal looking. Given our wedding was in Florida during November, I wanted something that matched the tropical location and formal venue, while still feeling seasonally appropriate. I was so torn between my top two gowns that I had to book another appointment at Bella Bleu to go back and try on the finalists. I only brought my mom and two sisters shopping with me, but my dad came with the second time. I asked him which he liked better, and he said he “couldn’t think of Ellie without sparkles.” He was right—between the flower detailing and the sparkles, Lourdes felt so me and so perfect for mid-November in Palm Beach! I could picture it all after that.
Funny story is that my sister also wore a Lea-Ann Belter gown for her wedding 5 years earlier! It ended up being absolutely perfect and I’m so sad I can’t wear it again! I wore earrings with pink sapphires and pearls and pink Jimmy Choo heels with it. For the after party, I changed into a Bronx and Banco white mini dress.”
Get the full scoop about their day (there was a magician!) from our sweet bride below.