HelloBridal: Tarah-Lynn Saint-Elien Didn’t Want A Summer Wedding, But Love Couldn’t Wait
Tarah-Lynn Saint-Elien's summer wedding reflected her values, from an unplugged ceremony to a DJ who played family-friendly music.
Black News 
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Tarah-Lynn Saint-Elien never pictured herself as a summer bride. “Summer is my least favorite season,” she tells HelloBeautiful. “I’m a Fall baby.”
She married her husband, Muller Eghan, on July 8, 2026, at The Lake Terrace in Lakewood, New Jersey. She pulled the ceremony off in just two months with a full bridal party. It wasn’t about the timing or the temperature. She was excited to “do life with” her chosen person. So was he.
“It was just the way things worked out,” she says. Her husband was moving to Texas. She wanted to be at his side when he built a home there. Their love couldn’t wait.
They stood united beneath the summer sun, ready to start a new chapter.
Saint-Elien’s work as an author, speaker, fashion editor, and model prepared her for the task of coordinating an evening with “regal” energy for their loved ones so quickly. Sourcing music and props were no problem for the entertaining veteran.
“I’ve done events before,” she says.
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Slow To Say Yes To The Dress
Saint-Elien’s heart was steady during the planning process. They had done premarital counseling. They held the same beliefs. She knew this was her partner. Committing to a dress was not as easy as committing to the man.
She tried on a few and felt something was missing. She asked herself questions like “Why aren’t I emotional?” and “Why don’t I have the reaction yet?” Off-the-rack options didn’t give her the feeling she wanted, so she went in another direction.
“I decided to scrap them all and go custom,” she says. Two designers helped deliver an unforgettable moment. “My white gown was designed by Haitian designer Ralph Thurin,” she says. Her traditional gown at the reception was designed by Ghanaian designer Elisunny.
Both designers achieved the energy she wanted. Thurin blew her away in the design process.
“He just sketched something right in front of my siblings, and I was just like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is it,’ and that was the first time that I got excited about the dress,” she says.
That excitement shimmered as she walked down the aisle towards her beloved.
She accentuated the looks with timeless waves that channeled old-school glamour. They complemented the aesthetic of the classic style venue.
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Focused On Family
“Initially it was going to be very small,” she says about their wedding. As the eldest daughter of Haitian parents, that was NOT going to happen. They controlled the dynamics of the ceremony, despite the swelling guest list. Saint-Elien’s experience helped her recognize the value of curating the proper vibes for a special moment.
They opted for an unplugged ceremony.
The couple did not want to walk down the aisle towards a sea of cell phones. They also instructed guests to refrain from posting anything from their big day on social media. “We wanted to be able to tell our story,” says Tarah.
They were private about their engagement as well. Nurturing their love was the priority. The pair were having fun picturing their lives together, but they were also learning how to operate as a team. “It’s also a test of the love and how committed you are, and so we wanted to make sure that we were working together before we were even sharing it with the world,” she explains.
Music and Matrimony
The couple’s love bloomed in the church, which is where they first met. The groom proposed at a faith retreat, getting the bride’s siblings to help with the surprise by delaying her arrival.
They engaged in prayers before the wedding, connecting to their belief in God individually before becoming one as man and wife.
They chose to honor their mutual faith by asking that no “inappropriate” music be played by the DJ. It was about reflecting their values and ensuring guests were comfortable. “My dad’s a deacon,” explains Saint-Elien. They found the DJ they wanted through a connection that was in town for the 2026 World Cup. The couple danced to afrobeats and kompa that all of their guests could enjoy worry-free.
Months after the ceremony, the bride is still fielding phone calls about how “heavenly” the day was.
The groom surprised the bride with a song he wrote in her honor during the reception. “I heard the song that he created for me from scratch, and it was just so beautiful,” she recalls.
They’re currently enjoying every note of newly wedded bliss.
See more from their ceremony below.
