A Glamorous Black-Tie Wedding at the Pérez Art Museum Miami

Lamar Miller might be a professional football player in the NFL, but his love story with now-wife Jessica deRoquancourt actually began with a different sport: track! After seeing each other at a few high school track-and-field meets in their hometown of Miami, Lamar finally "decided to make a move," Jessica recalls. "What we thought to be an episode of two naive college freshman hanging out and having fun, actually developed into an authentic love story."

Ten years later, the couple found themselves back in Miami—the perfect opportunity for Lamar to propose. He popped the question on Mother's Day with the help of Jessica's best friend. According to Jessica, getting engaged in Miami made the moment all the more special. "It’s where our journey together began," she shares.

And since they have the Florida city to thank for their relationship, it was only fitting that the couple would host their April 2019 wedding there, too. Lamar and Jessica fixated on the Pérez Art Museum Miami for both their ceremony and reception, with the bride calling it "the perfect tropical oasis."

With breathtaking views of both downtown Miami and Miami Beach, the couple followed a sexy and dramatic color scheme of black, gold, and white, accented by plenty of crystals and chandeliers. The couple's wedding planner, Lisi Korn of Forever Events, made Jessica's vision a reality. "She did an amazing job of translating my inspiration and ideas into something spectacular," says Jessica.

For more on Jessica and Lamar's black-tie wedding, planned by Forever Events and photographed by IVASH Studio, read on!

The day's details were gilded and formal, from the gold invitation suite to Jessica's rhinestone-decorated Christian Louboutin pumps.

Jessica had her girls by her side as they got ready together at a Miami hotel.

Jessica flew to New York to search for her wedding dress—although she already knew she wanted a Galia Lahav creation. "When I put it on I fell in love," she says of the bridal designer's vintage-inspired, off-the-shoulder "Thelma" gown. "I just knew it was it. I didn’t try on any more dresses after that."

"I wanted my bridesmaids to be able to express a level of individuality while still maintaining a cohesive look," explains Jessica of her elegant black bridesmaids' dresses. Her maid of honor's strapless dress did feature some sparkle to "make her stand out!"

Lamar commissioned a custom black tuxedo with a cummerbund from b.spoke and accessorized with a black bow tie.

Following Lamar's lead, the groomsmen dressed in classic black tuxes and accessorized with white bowties, pock squares, and boutonnieres.

Before meeting her groom, Jessica was handed a letter written by Lamar. "Before I even opened it, I felt my eyes beginning to water," she recalls of the private moment. "It was a beautiful, heartfelt letter that brought me to tears minutes before I was to walk down the aisle. My husband can be an introvert when it comes to expressing his emotions, so this moment and his words meant the world to me."

"Stay true to your heart when choosing your bridesmaids," advises Jessica to future brides. "You want to be surrounded by a good support system, positivity, and happiness on the big day."

Wedding planning went smoothly for the couple, reveals the bride. Although, they did have a challenging time finalizing their guest list. "t can be difficult to narrow down the list of people to be invited," she says.

Jessica wanted chandeliers to be a staple at her wedding, but because of wind concerns, the Pérez Art Museum Miami wouldn't allow the couple to hang anything from the ceiling. That's when their planner got creative, designing a unique wedding altar of cascading black acrylic pedestals topped with crystal chandeliers on the venue's third-floor deck.

The ceremony began with Jessica's mother escorting her down the aisle, to which the bride says she "wouldn’t have it any other way." Adding, "She is everything to me. My mom’s happiness on this day made it even more special."

Since the couple exchanged personal letters before the ceremony, the opted to say traditional vows at the altar. "Also, we wanted to make sure that our officiant knew us as a couple and was able to engage the audience," adds the bride. "We used Rev Michael J. Calderin, and he was amazing. We met with him several times before the wedding so that we could all get to know each other well. He was able to customize his speech to reflect our relationship. He also set the tone for our wedding." 

The couple's reception took place on the museum's downstairs terrace, which boasts views of the ocean, South Beach, and the Port of Miami. Jessica and Lamar made a grand entrance to Young Thug's "Lifestyle." "I expected to walk onto the dance floor, just him and I, be introduced and then move onto our first dance," she says. "Instead, we were greeted by our guests on the dance floor, and they were all the way turned up and singing along! The energy in the room was crazy and it stayed that way until the night ended!"

"I was obsessed with my reception décor," recalls Jessica. To match their black, gold, and white color scheme, the couple filled the terrace with three different table designs for their 174 guests.

One long banquet paired lucite chairs with marble plates, crystal glassware, and crystal centerpieces.

Another table swapped lucite seating for glamourous gold chairs and feature gold flatware and simpler glasses while an abundant runner of baby's breath, white roses, and pampas grass filled the center.

For the couple's third table design, their florist designed a winding runner of baby's breath paired with votive candles.

Jessica and Lamar's first dance to "Boo’d Up" by Ella Mai set off a night of non-stop partying, including smoke cannons, shots and even body painted models. "We love a good time and we wanted our wedding to reflect that," she says. "Everyone had a great time, to say the least. It was better than I could’ve ever imagined."