Lindsay Seidel wasn’t a glitz and ball-gown bride. Try as you might, you wouldn’t find a single sequin on her strapless Matthew Christopher wedding gown. She would buck convention throughout the planning of her summer wedding to Jacob Fleming, whom she met in the President’s Scholars program at SMU.

“I had a crush on him from the moment I saw him, but he had a girlfriend,” Lindsay says. “For two years I admired him from afar.” A mutual friend’s Super Bowl party would put Lindsay and a now-available Jacob in the same living room. That night, the Ravens were victorious over the 49ers, and Lindsay and Jacob claimed a win of their own in a budding relationship.

A year later, the couple celebrated Lindsay’s graduation from SMU with a trip to Puerto Rico. Jacob called in Lindsay’s cousin, Carla, a local, to scout the proposal vista. She chose the grounds of the W Retreat & Spa on the island of Vieques. But getting in would require giving a fake room number and masquerading as hotel guests. The ruse worked, and at sunset, Jacob popped the question on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

The bride-to-be spent the next year planning her wedding. From the beginning, she envisioned a venue flooded with natural light and king’s tables for the reception. Her mom suggested the I.M. Pei-designed Meyerson Symphony Center. Lindsay loved the idea, and as luck would have it, her August 1 date was the one Saturday the symphony wasn’t performing.

Labeled “the anti-bride” by friends, Lindsay wasn’t a fan of the frill so common at weddings. “I wanted something that felt modern and elegant,” she says. “No sparkle anywhere.” Her vision left many of the vendors she’d interviewed scratching their heads. However, when she met wedding planner Kimberly Rhodes of Hitched Events, “We just clicked,” she says.

The couple’s dear friend Joey—who got ordained online—officiated the ceremony. He shared a few words about their friendship; Lindsay wrote the remainder of the ceremony. “I wanted it to reflect our relationship,” she says. “It was a lot of work, but I’m so glad I did it.”

Lindsay insisted on white tulips—and only white tulips—as her florals. “When I said I wanted something clean and simple, floral designers thought I meant plain,” she says. “When we met with Stacey Murdoch at The Wildflower, she instantly got my vision.” As did photographer Jenny Martel, whose journalistic style meshed with Lindsay’s sensibilities.

For dinner, the bride requested a menu of five mini courses, and a wedding cake with alternating Irish-cream and Mexican-chocolate layers.

When Lindsay reflects on her day, she counts the moment before her father walked her down the aisle as a favorite. “I think I’ve seen my dad cry once in my life, and he absolutely lost it,” she says. “That totally melted my heart.”

Less sentimental, but a standout memory nonetheless, was the couple’s departure. With adrenaline masking any signs of hunger, they didn’t enjoy their first meal as a married couple until they made a late-night stop at Whataburger for the bride’s final must-have—Honey Butter Chicken Biscuits. Lindsay, still in her gown, and Jacob, in his tux, walked in to patrons applauding and snapping photos. The Flemings posted a picture on Instagram, tagging the fast-food chain. Whataburger “liked” the photo. “That was probably my favorite moment of the night,” she laughs.

—Stacy Girard

Labeled “the anti-bride” by friends, Lindsay wasn’t a fan of the frill so common at weddings.