The couple: Laura Doherty Miller, 33, grew up in Laytonsville and graduated from Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Olney. She is a sales director for Scout Bags. Robert Miller, 32, grew up in Scaggsville, Maryland, and graduated from Reservoir High School in Howard County. He is an accountant for United Therapeutics Corp. They live in Silver Spring with their dog, a pit bull mix named Millie.  

How they met: Laura was introduced to Robert by her old high school friends, who attended the University of Maryland with him. But their romance took several years—and a little friendly intervention—to develop. “Our friends probably had a bigger role in it than we would admit,” says Laura, recalling how one of her pals (and eventual bridesmaids) told Robert to take her on a date to the Sauf Haus Bier Hall & Garten in Washington, D.C., in 2016. “That’s how we ended up actually dating,” she says. “That kicked it off.” 

The proposal: On a hot August day in 2022, Robert brought a ring along on a hike the couple took at Virginia’s Turkey Run Park. As they came across a picturesque spot along the Potomac River, Laura suggested they prop her phone up and take a video of themselves. “Totally not what I had anticipated” while preparing to pop the question, recalls Robert. But he​ embraced the moment​​​​​. “He turns and says, ‘Are you ready?’ And I said, ‘Ready for what?’ ” Laura says. “And then he proposes and I’m, like, full-blown meltdown status.” 

The ceremony: The pair tied the knot at St. Edmond Roman Catholic Church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on June 23, 2023. “It felt full,” says the bride of the intimate venue, the perfect size for their 140 guests. ​Deciding to get married in a beach town​​​​​, the newlyweds say, was a no-brainer—it resembled a “destination wedding,” Robert says, without being too much of a trek for their local guests.  

The reception: After the ceremony, guests took buses to the reception at Rehoboth Beach Country Club, where oversized windows bathed the ballroom in natural light and offered exquisite bay views. But one of the bride’s favorite memories came en route to the venue. “Being on that bus for a moment of just, Holy crap, we just did that, was really just so fun,” she recalls. 

The decor: To help achieve the vision of a “French whimsy garden party at the beach,” Laura says, a green-and-pink color scheme dominated the decor, from the napkins to the table signage to the matchbooks that guests took home as party favors. The table-scapes featured understated bouquets of buds such as anemones and baby’s breath, and above the dance floor hung a cluster of disco balls strewn with greenery. Rather than signing a guest book, guests inscribed notes on a framed print depicting a kitchen table—a peaceful scene that the bride envisions “hanging in our house forever.” 

The dress: The Alena Leena gown that Laura discovered at Garnish Boutique in Towson, Maryland, was picked out with the June date in mind. “It was really nice to wear during the summer, and it just felt really lightweight and fun to dance in,” she says. She paired the dress with Loeffler Randall heels, completing the ensemble with her sister’s veil and a pearl bracelet that belonged to her late mother. “Basically, everything was something borrowed or sentimental,” says the bride. Millie, the couple’s dog, looked on as Laura got ready the morning of the wedding, but the pup did not attend the ceremony. “She can’t be trusted,” Robert says.

The music: ​​​​After a first dance to ​a recording of ​the Schitt’s Creek cover of “Simply the Best,” Robert and his mom took to the dance floor for ​​“You’ll Be in My Heart” by Phil Collins. “She’s bawling her eyes out,” recalls Robert. “Her favorite song is ‘Shut Up and Dance,’ and I was like, ‘It’s the first song. Just keep it together and we’ll have a good time.’ ” Indeed, they did, with the music makers, 76 Degrees West Band, playing that tune and other favorites. “They were outrageous,” Robert says, recalling the group’s jazzy vibe.​​ Donning heart-shaped sunglasses—another party favor—guests boogied to ​crowd-pleasers such as​​ “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” and “September.” “Honestly, everyone was out there, like, the whole night,” says Robert. 

The food: The country club catered the feast, starting with his-and-hers signature cocktails (an Orange Crush for Robert and an Aperol spritz for Laura). For the main dish, guests chose from miso-glazed salmon, beef short ​​​​rib or a stuffed poblano pepper over rice. After the cutting of the cake—a small white buttercream—guests chowed down on a spread of cannoli, chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice cream.  

The afterparty: Guests headed to the Summer House restaurant after the reception, but the merrymaking didn’t stop there: The next day, the newlyweds invited people to join them for a beach excursion. “It was nice to see everybody with no pressure to get dressed up for a dinner or a breakfast,” the bride says.  

The honeymoon: Later in the summer, the newlyweds spent nearly two weeks traveling through Portugal: They took an electric bike tour through Lisbon, lounged on a boat in Lagos, and “sat in the resort for four days” on the Azores, Laura says. 

Vendors: Band, 76 Degrees West Band; catering and venue, Rehoboth Beach Country Club; church, St. Edmond Roman Catholic Church; dress, Garnish Boutique; florist, Innerbloom Floral; hair, East Coast Bridal; photography, Lily Morgan Photography; videography, Fordham Films. 

The post Silver Spring couple makes a splash with bayside wedding appeared first on MoCo360.

The couple: Becky Monfort (maiden name Miller), 35, grew up in Silver Spring and graduated from Glenelg High School in Howard County. She is a senior marketing manager at the American Chemical Society. Meaghan Monfort, 37, grew up in Columbus, Ohio. She is a tax lawyer at Deloitte. They live in the Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C. 

How they met: Becky and Meaghan matched on Tinder in 2019 and soon after went on their first date to a Blue Bottle Coffee in D.C. “I said, ‘We should hang out again,’ and she says, ‘That sounds great—I’m going to Costa Rica tomorrow.’ And I was like, ‘OK,’ ” Meaghan says. “We did actually do old-school emailing while she was traveling.” When Becky returned, they went out to Lapop, a literary-themed bar in Adams Morgan. “She just seemed really confident and comfortable in herself,” says Becky of why she was drawn to Meaghan. “She was her own person.”  

The proposal: The pair was gearing up for a trip to Philadelphia for Thanksgiving weekend in 2021 when Meaghan suggested a dinner date at Tail Up Goat in D.C. the night before they left. After dinner, they took a walk to the Line DC hotel, the site of their first kiss, and that was where Meaghan popped the question—with a ring hidden inside a hollowed-out book. “​She can’t tell a lie or keep a secret for anything,” Becky says. “I think she was equally happy that I said yes and that she had successfully pulled it off.” 

The ceremony: Meaghan and Becky tied the knot on April 2, 2023, with about 90 guests present on the back lawn of the Mansion at Strathmore in Rockville. Before the ceremony, the pair signed the ketubah—the Jewish marriage contract—and said “I do” beneath a wooden chuppah that Meaghan’s dad had constructed and driven in from Ohio. “That was really special,” she says.  

The reception: After the outdoor ceremony, the celebrations moved inside the Georgian mansion, where tables were split across the main hall, the library and the dining room, with the dance floor in the wood-paneled music room. Lush floral arrangements of buds such as dark blue delphinium and mother-of-pearl roses were repurposed from the ceremony, but “you don’t have to do much, decor-wise, because it’s so pretty,” Meaghan says of the venue. For the guest book, partygoers took photos with instant Polaroid cameras, writing messages to the newlyweds on the bottom—while saving a few of the snapshots for themselves. “We wanted it to be elegant and a chance for people to dress up, but also comfortable and accessible,” Becky says.  

The music: When guests RSVPed to the wedding, they were also asked, “What song will get you out on the dance floor?” Becky says, and the DJ did not disappoint. After the brides’ first dance to Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together,” guests boogied to such favorites as “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” “Party in the U.S.A.” and “Uptown Funk.” “The glowsticks were a huge hit,” says Meaghan.  

The outfits: “I never really grew up picturing my wedding,” Becky says, so she didn’t have a dress in mind when she went to The Bridal Room in McLean, Virginia. But she fell in love with a strapless Elysian Bridal gown. The selling point? “It has pockets, of course,” she says. Meaghan, meanwhile, chose a custom-made gemstone blue-green suit with the wedding date embroidered on the inside pocket, finishing off the ensemble with a matching bow tie.  

The menu: “It was pretty eclectic,” says Meaghan of the day’s “spring-forward-ish menu,” which began with passed hors d’oeuvres including mission fig flatbread, short rib tacos and avocado corn salsa; Becky’s aunt did the blessing over the challah bread. For the main course, guests dined on their choice of chicken with figs and port, roasted baby lamb chops or a glazed salmon fillet. A small vanilla confection served as the “cutting cake,” but the real hit of the evening was the Wegmans gold cake with buttercream frosting. “People were like, ‘Oh my god, the cake was amazing,’ ” Meaghan says. Each of the brides also had a signature cocktail: “The Meaghan” was an Aperol spritz, while “The Becky” was a watermelon gin and tonic.  

The honeymoon: In August, the newlyweds spent a week taking in the sights of Ireland. “We went to Dublin for a couple days, and then we rented a car and drove kind of across to Galway, and then up and over the top into Northern Ireland,” says Becky. Right afterward, Becky had to go to England for work, so the pair “continued the spirit” of the honeymoon for a weekend in London, says Meaghan. 

Vendors: Cake, Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery; caterer, Catering by Seasons; dress, The Bridal Room; entertainment, Matt Waller Music; florist, Christine Chung Flowers; hair and makeup, Bella Bethesda Salon; photography, Darcy Troutman Photography; suit, The Tailory; venue, The Mansion at Strathmore. 

This story appears in the March/April issue of Bethesda Magazine.

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Puzzle Pieces

by Dana Gerber

This North Potomac couple’s multi-day nuptials included a giant crossword icebreaker, an Indian-style street fair and a buffet ranging from paella to sliders

The couple: Izzy Guimaraes, 33, grew up in Washington, D.C., and graduated from Georgetown Day School. She owns Wheelhouse Learning, a test prep company. Sid Luthra, 32, is originally from India. He is an entrepreneur who is currently between jobs. They live in North Potomac with their two dogs, Louie and Ruthie. 

How they met: The pair became friends after meeting on their first day of business school at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University in 2019. When the pandemic hit, and their friend group hosted Zoom happy hours, Sid and Izzy would stay on talking until the wee hours. “There was a week where we logged, like, 40 full hours on Zoom,” recalls Izzy, who was living in North Bethesda at the time. They isolated for two weeks so Izzy could drive up to Sid in Pittsburgh for a “four-day first date,” where they played New York Times word puzzles and ordered takeout. “Then I drove home, and I was like, All right, well, I think this is it for me,” she says. 

The proposal: “She doesn’t love surprises,” says Sid of Izzy, so telling her he was taking her on a last-minute date on Nov. 10, 2021, without giving her any details, “did not go over super well.” But she agreed to the mystery outing, which ended up being a trip to The Inn at Little Washington in Virginia, where they had talked about going since they started dating. “We made it there just in time for sunset,” Sid says, and that was when he popped the question. “That was the one good surprise,” Izzy says.  

Traditions: The day before the ceremony, the pair put their spin on several traditional Indian wedding festivities at their venue, the riverside Brittland Manor in Chestertown, Maryland. The day commenced with a baraat, a processional for the groom, followed by a varmala, where Sid and Izzy exchanged garlands, and a milni ceremony, during which members of their respective families were introduced. Then, they kicked off a street market-style event, where guests could pick out favors like bangles and bindis from vendor carts, get their henna done and munch on curry, kebabs and samosas. On the dance floor, the DJ led a lesson in bhangra—a type of folk dance—which “loosened everybody up,” Izzy says. Much of the celebration’s decor—paper umbrellas, hanging garlands and drapery—was sourced by Sid’s parents from India. 

The ceremony: The pair said “I do” on May 28, 2023, with about 170 guests present. “It’s a totally magical place,” Izzy says of Brittland. “You feel like you are totally in the middle of nowhere with all of your favorite people.” The morning of the wedding, however, the pair had yet to write their vows. “We took a golf cart out to a random place on the property where there was no one else around and just wrote them together,” Sid says.   

The reception: After the ceremony, guests migrated to a sailcloth tent on the estate’s back patio, where string and bamboo lights overhung the dance floor, which was surrounded by lounge furniture. “We basically just tried to make it look like our house, so it’s all a little bit midcentury influenced,” Izzy says. The earth-toned tablescapes were outfitted with taupe-colored candles and floral arrangements, including Queen Anne’s lace, garden roses and hydrangeas. After three of the newlyweds’ close friends performed their first dance song, Sunny Sweeney’s “Grow Old with Me,” the DJ spun dance remixes of wedding classics, such as “September” and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.” “They read the room perfectly,” Izzy says.  

The outfits: During the Saturday festivities, Izzy donned a custom pink-and-red lehenga—an Indian bridal ensemble—that Sid’s parents had gotten made in Delhi. “It’s my favorite outfit,” says the bride. Her “second favorite outfit,” she says, was her wedding dress: A V-neck gown from BHLDN. “It felt a little bit hippie-ish and a little bit boho, but also put together,” she says. Sid sported a light blue suit from Indochino, completing the look with a green floral tie that matched those of his groomsmen. 

The menu: The fare at the reception, the bride says, was “upscale comfort food”—a wide-ranging spread including stations for charcuterie, mezze, tacos, sliders and paella. No assigned seating meant “people could just go grab whatever they wanted,” Sid says. Izzy doesn’t drink, so the bar offered a range of zero-proof options, including mocktail versions of the signature drinks: a sparkling Bee’s Knees and a boulevardier. Instead of cake, there was a selection of mini desserts, such as strawberry shortcake trifles, chocolate ganache s’mores and brigadeiros—Brazilian chocolate confections as a nod to Izzy’s cultural roots. 

Handmade: The big day included several DIY touches from the couple, starting with the guest book, which took the form of an atlas. “People left recommendations, like, ‘If you’re ever in this place, you ​​have to go see this,’ ” says the groom, who also fashioned a mini photo booth out of an iPad and a bespoke wooden box. Guests tested their knowledge of the couple with a giant customized crossword puzzle, which Izzy designed and made into a dry-erase board. “It got people talking early on,” she says. There were also cornhole boards—monogrammed by Izzy—to add another activity into the mix. “We wanted to make sure that the non-dance floor people had enough stuff to do,” Sid says. 

The honeymoon: The couple hopes to take their honeymoon sometime this year and has their sights set on San Sebastián in Spain as the destination​​​​ due to its high concentration of Michelin-starred restaurants. “We read that, and we were like, All right, I guess we’re going to San Sebastián,” Izzy says. 

Vendors: Bridal alterations, Yolanda’s Bridal Alterations; catering, Chesapeake Chef Service; DJ, DJ Taj Productions; florals and rentals, Pretty Little Wedding Co.; golf carts, Golf Cart Sales and Service; guest shuttles, Chesapeake Charter; hair and makeup, Behind the Veil; lehenga, Show Shaa; marquee lights, Alpha-Lit Marquee Letters; mehndi, The Mehndi Diary; photographer, Stephanie Dee Photography; planner, Social Graces Events; restroom trailers, LuxLav; pipe-and-drape structures, On Your Mark Lighting Design and Equipment; second dress, Bardot; suit, Indochino; tent, Eastern Shore Tents & Events; venue, Brittland Manor; videographer, Toast Wedding Films; wedding dress, BHLDN.

Musical Mitzvah!

by Kristen Schott

The Fillmore Silver Spring was a show-stopping venue for this rock-and-roll reception

The teen: Matthew Kobrick, 13, was born at Sibley Hospital on April 3, 2010, and lives in Bethesda. His parents are Stacy Kobrick, an attorney at Covington & Burling LLP, and Jake Kobrick, a historian at the Federal Judicial Center. Matthew attends Sheridan School in D.C.  

The birthday: Matthew’s special year around the sun was commemorated in multiple ways—on a spring break trip honoring both him and his grandmother (who recently turned 75) at Rosewood Baha Mar in the Bahamas; a Capitals game, Shake Shack (his choice for dinner) and a sleepover with his best friend; and, of course, the main event a month later. 

The service: The bar mitzvah service was held on May 6 at Temple Sinai in D.C. It was led by rabbi Stephanie Bernstein and cantor Rebecca Robins, who paired Matthew with another boy for the occasion. “[Rebecca] knows the boys, and it came through in the service how much she cares for them and loves being part of this milestone,” Stacy says. Matthew wore a tallit (prayer shawl) that his grandmother had made for him out of his Auntie Samantha’s wedding chuppah. She died five years ago, and Matthew spoke about her in his d’var Torah (his interpretation of a Torah portion). A reception at the Fillmore Silver Spring followed the touching ceremony.

The reception theme: Matthew is a big music fan (and burgeoning guitarist and pianist), and he and his mom often attend concerts together. The Fillmore was an obvious location—the two had seen Blue October, Smallpools and Half Alive perform there. “We thought we’d do something unique to highlight his love of live music,” Stacy says. It was important for Matthew that the party strike the right note. Luckily, Ali Weitzman, a mitzvah-throwing expert and chief event officer at Ali Weitzman Events, knew how to achieve a blend of fun activities, decor and design elements to delight the most discerning 13-year-olds (and their parents, too).  

The kids’ cocktail hour: The 40 children who attended the service got the VIP treatment thanks to Weitzman, who arranged for a bus to escort them to the reception. “It was almost like they were in a band,” Stacy says. When the young people arrived at the Fillmore, they received VIP badges and were whisked to the green room for a private kids-only cocktail hour. “Matthew was so psyched about this,” she says. “The girls were posing in front of the mirrors like rock stars, and the boys were chilling on the couches.” While it was “off-limits” for the 100 adults, Stacy and her sister, Jill Sandusky, did sneak down to watch Matthew and his friends living their best lives. A special moment for him was signing his name on a brick on the wall, alongside all the bands that had played sold-out shows at the venue.   

The reception: The show-stopping elements were plentiful. To find their tables, guests had to match a lyric to the correct artist on a large record-inspired seating chart. “We wanted to make sure that each table represented an artist that would be known by that age group,” Stacy says. Artists included Fitz and the Tantrums, David Bowie and the Beatles (some of Matthew’s favorite bands), along with Rihanna and Taylor Swift. (Matthew also donned a T-shirt under his suit with Bowie’s blue-and-red lightning bolt.) The emcee, Christian “Exxo” Valentin, got everyone dancing. “It doesn’t happen at every bar mitzvah,” Matthew shared with his mom. The dance floor featured a logo bearing his name, which was also printed on graphic pillows designed by MitzvahLogos. The blue-patterned table cloths mimicked concert lighting, and the table numbers were repurposed 45s with corresponding album art. There was even a “merch store” stocked with tees made especially for the party.  

The menu: The menus were labeled by track instead of course and featured, among other things, family-style edible centerpieces (in lieu of flowers), espresso-crusted tenderloin and seared Alaskan halibut, plus a cookie-skillet station for a sweet treat. The Raise Your Glass lineup of signature cocktails ranged from the Purple Rain (Empress gin, Champagne, lemon juice and simple syrup) to the Spritz and the Tantrums (prosecco, Aperol and soda). There were mocktails for the kiddos and guitar-shaped straws for all. 

The pink flamingo “floatie” drink holders: These made Matthew’s—and everyone else’s—hands clap. “They were such a hit,” Stacy says. The flamingos were inspired by one of Matthew’s first favorite bands, AJR, and the cover art for their single “Bummerland.” Not many were left by the end of the night since everyone took them home as favors.  

Vendors: Planning and design, Ali Weitzman of Ali Weitzman Events; invitations, Paper Becomes You; catering, Ridgewells Catering; decor, DaVinci Florist; photo booth, Snap Entertainment; emcee and videographer, Washington Talent; photographer, Rachael Spiegel Photography; photo montage, Paige Rosenfeld; transportation, MJ Valet; dance-floor wrapping, MitzvahLogos; tallit, handmade by Meg Fisher of Elite Tallit.

Garden of Love

by Kristen Schott

The couple: LaTasha Mosley, 30, was born at MedStar Washington Hospital Center and grew up in Brookland; most of her family still lives in the D.C. area. Anwar Shagarabi, also 30, was born in London and raised in Atlanta. The couple lives in Birmingham, Alabama. LaTasha is a program manager for a nonprofit, and Anwar is a resident physician at University of Alabama at Birmingham.   

The introduction: The couple connected through a mutual friend, Jeffrey Moore (later a groomsman), in 2013 while in college. (LaTasha went to Spelman and Anwar went to Morehouse.) According to Anwar, their first date was the night they met—in a car, waiting for Jeffrey and his friend at the grocery store. “I was in the front seat, and she was in the rear passenger seat, so we weren’t even facing each other,” he says. “But we were talking about our childhoods and families.” Their first official date? To see her favorite football team (the Washington Commanders) play the Atlanta Falcons, followed by dinner at Lure, a seafood restaurant.   

The proposal: Anwar popped the question in December 2021, choosing Piedmont Park in Atlanta. He told her he wanted to go out, just the two of them. He followed the proposal up with a surprise engagement dinner at Lure—he’d also arranged for her mom and best friends, and some of his family, to be there to celebrate. 

The venue search:Because LaTasha was in the final stages of her PhD program when they became engaged, the pair took things slow. They also realized that finding a venue in the D.C. area would require advanced planning. They tapped virtual planner Brittany Smith, founder of The Venlist, to help them find their dream venues—National Cathedral School for the ceremony and Marriott Bethesda Downtown at Marriott HQ for the reception. They set the date for Sept. 2, 2023, the day before Anwar’s birthday.  

The attire: LaTasha chose an off-the-shoulder gown with a floral applique to fit their modern summer-in-the-garden-themed affair. (She shipped the gown to her mother’s house in D.C. so she wouldn’t have to hide it.) Anwar donned a white tuxedo jacket: “I won’t have another opportunity to wear one,” he says. His groomsmen sported gray ensembles, while LaTasha’s bridesmaids wore long dresses in various styles and shades of pink.  

The ceremony: Some 80 guests gathered for the union, which was officiated by LaTasha’s former youth pastor, Jeffery Fleming, and took place in the outdoor courtyard. The bride walked down the aisle with her mother. (Her father, who lives with dementia, was not able to escort her, but he was in attendance.) “I remember dreaming as a little girl about getting married, and to have the support of my mom was special,” she says. Because the couple didn’t do a first look, Anwar finally got a glimpse of his beloved as she made her journey toward him. “That’s my bride!” he recalls saying to his groomsmen. “She’s about to be my wife.” 

The reception:Following the ceremony, the group headed to the Marriott. Among the most memorable moments were the speeches, which included remarks from Anwar’s brother, Rani Shagarabi (the best man); groomsman Jeffrey Moore; and LaTasha’s maids of honor. Anwar got the biggest surprise of the day when LaTasha unveiled a video featuring those who couldn’t attend wishing him a happy birthday. As for the music? DJ P-Knock from Wroyal DJ Co.—the official DJ for the Commanders, and a Howard alum—set the vibe. “We chose him because we wanted to bring an HBCU feel to the reception,” says the bride. “We graduated from HBCU colleges, and a lot of our friends did, too.” 

The mother-daughter dance: The bride and her mother danced to “My Girl,” by The Temptations. A video of LaTasha and her father dancing together was projected in the background. “My mom was encouraging me: ‘Your dad would be up here cutting a rug with you too if he could be.’ ”  

The florals: In keeping with the theme, Farah’s Wedding Flower Designs dreamed up textural arrangements and personal florals filled with ranunculus and roses in peach, ivory, dark pink and plum hues, with eucalyptus for a pop of greenery. The ceremony arch was repurposed behind the sweetheart table, and Anwar wore what he says his mom called “the biggest boutonniere I’ve ever seen.” 

The menu: Guests dined on passed appetizers such as crabcakes and chicken and waffles. The main dish options were cola-braised short ribs with mashed potatoes (LaTasha says she wanted more), chicken or ravioli. The buttercream cake was made of lemon cake with blueberry, spicy vanilla chai and red velvet, with a Dr. & Dr. topper.  

The vendors: Virtual planner, Brittany Smith of The Venlist; month-of coordinator, Maxi & Co; invitations, The Knot; catering, Marriott Bethesda Downtown at Marriott HQ; ceremony chair rentals, Party Rental Ltd.; florals, Farah’s Wedding Flower Designs; photography, J.W. Collier Photography; videography, nVu Films; ceremony violinist, LjViolinist; reception DJ, DJ P-Knock at Wroyal DJ Co.; cake, Sweet Elevations Cakes and More; gown, Bridals by Lori; tux, The Black Tux; hair, Salon Noa; makeup, Shades of Radiance Beauty; transportation, Ed Smith; rings, Verragio rings from Solomon Brothers Jewelers (bride) and Mervis Diamond Importers (groom). 

Lights, Camera, Action

by Dana Gerber

This couple’s D.C. wedding pulled out all the stops—starting with their My Cousin Vinny-inspired engagement

The couple: Elyse Eisen, 39, grew up partly in Potomac. She is a travel and real estate publicist who owns her own company, The Chain Collective PR. Roger Sachar, 44, grew up in Southern California and Arizona. He is an attorney at Newman Ferrara LLP in New York. They live in Brooklyn with their dog, a Glen of Imaal Terrier named Judge Checkers.  

How they met: In 2018, Elyse’s friend goaded her into rejoining Bumble—and the first person she matched with was Roger. She was charmed by the setup for a joke on his profile: Why does Mozart eat chickens? When they matched, he revealed the punchline: Because they go Bach, Bach, Bach. “She said she dropped her phone and decided to give me a chance,” Roger says.  

The proposal: “Elyse’s favorite movie, bar none, is My Cousin Vinny,” Roger says, so in June 2020, he decided to propose by bringing the film’s iconic courtroom scene to life. He told Elyse there was a dispute regarding his billable hours and that she would need to testify in his defense—he even conspired with a judge he knew to preside over the fake case. Once she had taken the stand, he handed her an “exhibit” on his law firm’s letterhead that said “Dear Ms. Eisen, will you marry me? P.S.: You’ve been a lovely, lovely witness,” citing a quote from the movie. “She goes, ‘Yes,’ and then she sits there and waits for the next question,” Roger recalls. It wasn’t until her mother came in that she realized the whole thing was a ruse. “And then I was bawling,” she says.  

The ceremony: The couple wed on Nov. 5, 2022, at the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C., with nearly 300 guests present. Prior to the ceremony, the couple signed the ketubah, the Jewish marriage contract, and said “I do” under a chuppah bedecked in white drapery and bouquets. The same judge who had participated in their engagement stunt was their officiant, alongside a cantor. Meanwhile, Elyse’s uncle, donning a floral suit, served as the “flower girl,” which was “the highlight, for a lot of people,” says the bride. 

The reception:“Everything just felt very elegant, but not too opulent, where you couldn’t enjoy yourself,” Elyse says of the reception, and round tables ensured “people could see each other.” Elaborate tabletop candelabras stood out against the black, white and gold color scheme, and Roger picked out the flowers:
calla lilies—which are said to symbolize marital bliss—and white roses. A photo booth took 360-degree short videos that were sent to guests later, and an afterparty in the hotel lobby kept the party going well into the night. The kicker? “We did it on daylight savings,” Roger says. “Everybody got an extra hour of sleep.” 

The menu:After a burrata caprese salad as the first course, guests had three entree options: a petite filet with wagyu beef truffle ravioli, miso-
marinated cod with wasabi mashed potatoes or a vegetarian dish of black rice, baby bok choy, edamame, tofu, shimeji mushrooms and carrots in a miso broth. For dessert, a five-tier chocolate cake with a dulce de leche filling was served alongside other small treats, such as macarons and mini ice cream cones. As is par for the course, the newlyweds had little time to chow down themselves, but they got a second chance when burgers and fries made an afterparty appearance. “We were so hungry—it may have been the best burgers and fries I’ve ever had,” Roger says.  

The music: The 10-piece band “did not stop for anything,” Roger says—and that was just the way the pair envisioned it. “We wanted the party to keep going,” says the bride. The couple swayed to Linda Ronstadt’s cover of “I Love You for Sentimental Reasons” for their first dance, but the bride’s real moment to shine came with a different tune. “I ran ‘Shout’—it was me playing to people, like, a little bit softer now,” she says. Even Roger falling out of his chair during the hora couldn’t spoil the fun.  

The outfits: Elyse’s long-sleeved, ’80s-inspired Leah Da Gloria dress was “not like anything I would have thought I was going to wear,” she says, but she was drawn to its detailing. “I just felt like, If I’m going to be a bride, that’s the dress I have to wear.” Later in the evening, both the bride and groom did outfit changes: Elyse traded her gown and heels for a black lace jumpsuit and sneakers, and Roger swapped his tuxedo for a green velvet jacket.  

The honeymoon: After a mini-moon to Anguilla soon after the wedding, the newlyweds jetted off this past summer for a six-week trip through Europe and North Africa, hitting London, Morocco, Athens, Dubrovnik, Rome and more. “We actually did it in carry-on suitcases,” Roger says. The trick? “Airbnbs with washing machines,” he says.  

Vendors: Accommodations, cake, catering and venue, The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C.; band, The Blake Band of Starlight Music; design and planning, Jamie Kramer Events; dress, Bridal Reflections; florist and rentals, Amaryllis; hair and makeup, MAB Hair and Makeup Artistry; invitations, Etched in Sloane; jumpsuit, Zhivago; photo booth, Extraordinary Entertainment; photography, Michael Bennett Kress Photography; suit, LS Men’s Clothing; videography, G Muse Studios.

Dana Gerber, a Rockville native, lives in Massachusetts and works fulltime for the business section of The Boston Globe. Kristen Schott is the deputy editor of lifestyle and weddings for Philadelphia magazine.

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The couple: Simone Nasry (maiden name Bak), 35, works as a consultant at Accenture Federal Services in Arlington, Virginia. Daniel Nasry, 32, is a theology teacher at Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Maryland. They live in Arlington with their dog, a mini Australian shepherd-poodle mix named Basil.

How they met: Shortly after returning from his family’s annual summer trip to Egypt in 2017, Daniel, then a graduate student at Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey, was telling his friends in the program “how amazing it would be to meet someone who understood the culture, valued it, could speak Arabic, and felt a draw toward that region of the world,” he recalls. One of his friends thought of someone from college who fit this description: Simone, who, like Daniel, is part Egyptian. Soon after their friend introduced them, they started talking every Sunday over Skype (Simone was living in Washington, D.C., at the time), bonding over their shared background and community-mindedness. She took the train to meet him in person in early 2018, and the rest is history. I don’t know how this is going to play out, Simone remembers thinking, but I’m pretty sure this is my person.

The proposal: On Aug. 17, 2019, during a trip to the Red Sea in Egypt with Daniel’s family, Daniel arranged a private meal for the couple on the beach. Daniel had previously told Simone he was not ready to get married, so she was taken aback by the flower-strewn table and their favorite songs playing in the background. “And then one thing led to another, and Danny got down on one knee,” recalls Simone. “There was a lot of crying on my part.”

The ceremony: After their engagement, Simone and Daniel planned for a May 2020 wedding, but the pandemic forced them to change course. They ended up tying the knot three times. First, in 2020, they wed through the courts over Zoom while wearing their pajamas. Shortly after, they hosted a virtual religious ceremony with family and friends. Finally, on Nov. 12, 2021, they held an in-person ceremony at All Saints Church in Chevy Chase with about 80 guests. “The wedding is just as much about the witness you make in front of your community as it is about the commitment you’re making between you two,” says the bride. The liturgy was done in a mix of English and Arabic, and the couple also included a take on the Christian tradition of a foot-washing ceremony. “It felt important as a sign of what we’re willing to do for each other,” she says.

The reception: “We wanted to have a massive dance party and just a big open space,” says Simone, and the Silver Spring Civic Building offered just that—plus plenty of opportunities for special touches from the newlyweds. Friends put together the simple greenery arrangements on each table, and the guestbook took the form of a Jenga tower, with people writing messages on the wooden blocks. “It’s a way to do something fun while we reminisce,” Daniel says. A photo booth with a glittery backdrop kept guests entertained throughout the evening, and the photo strips in magnetic sleeves served as the party favors. “There wasn’t a sense that it had to be perfect,” the groom says of the big day. “Like, we’ve already been married, and now it’s just time to really live it up together.”

The food: The pair called on D.C.-based Fava Pot to cater the buffet-style spread of Egyptian food, which included chicken kebabs, falafel and koshary, Egypt’s national dish made with pasta, rice and lentils. “It tastes like stuff you’d get in the home,” says Simone. Since the dinner was heavier fare, the couple kept it simple for cocktail hour: tables of their favorite snacks—gummy worms and dark chocolate for Daniel, granola bars and nut mixes for Simone. The cake, a decadent chocolate raspberry truffle from Firehook Bakery in D.C., was paired with other desserts—such as chocolate cupcakes and millionaire’s shortbread—made by their friend who runs GreenIsland Bakery, also in D.C. “A lot of our wedding was a reflection of the two-way relationship of our community,” says Simone.

The outfits: Simone picked out a strapless Marchesa gown from nonprofit-run Cherie Sustainable Bridal in Savage, Maryland. “It was just ornate,” says the bride, who finished off the ensemble with a veil passed down from her mother and a pair of floral-embroidered shoes handmade by an artist in Indonesia. Daniel, meanwhile, “had never actually gotten a suit that fit me,” so he took the opportunity to don a custom-made maroon number.

The music: Several musician friends of the couple arranged and performed the ceremony music—Simone walked down the aisle to “I Choose You”by Sara Bareilles, and the newlyweds left the church to “In My Arms” by Jon Foreman. When it came to the reception, “people were dancing so hard the entire night that they forgot to drink,” recalls the bride. After the couple’s first dance, to John Legend’s cover of the Beach Boys classic “God Only Knows,” guests boogied (and did the limbo) to a mix of Arabic dance songs and international pop tunes. “It was just like, ‘Come as you are, and dance in whatever way makes you feel free,’ ” Daniel says.

The honeymoon: The May after they said “I do,” the pair jetted off to Bonaire in the Caribbean for a 14-day honeymoon. “It’s best known for scuba diving, and we got certified to scuba dive,” says the groom—but partway through the trip, the newlyweds got COVID. “Then we just stayed inside until the time where we were better and watched movies about scuba divers,” Simone says with a laugh.

Vendors: Ceremony, All Saints Church; cake, Firehook Bakery; desserts, GreenIsland Bakery; DJ, DJ Hussam; dress, Cherie Sustainable Bridal; flowers, Danisa Flowers; food, Fava Pot; hair and makeup, Alina Karaman; photo booth, Efotoz; photography, Jessica Nazarova Photography; reception, Silver Spring Civic Building; suit, Ezra Paul Clothing.

This story appears in the November/December issue of Bethesda Magazine.

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The couple:

Abby Mullally (maiden name Wallisch), 27, grew up in Bethesda and graduated from the Academy of the Holy Cross in Kensington. She works as a strategic communications consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton. Jack Mullally, 27, grew up in Chevy Chase and graduated from Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. He is the director of finance at the Westin Cape Coral Resort at Marina Village in Florida. Until moving to Florida this summer, the couple lived in Arlington, Virginia, with their dog, Geer, and their cat, Grasshopper. 

How they met:

Abby and Jack met during their senior year of high school in 2014, when they were cast in supporting roles in a Gonzaga Dramatic Association production of Fiddler on the Roof. “Abby was kind of the cool new kid on the block,” recalls Jack, and an off-stage romance soon blossomed. “I was just drawn by how genuine Jack was,” says Abby. Just before opening night, he asked her to prom in front of the whole cast. She accepted and later asked him to her prom. They started dating and remained in a long-distance relationship through college, when Abby went off to the University of Maryland and Jack went to Wake Forest University in North Carolina.

The proposal:

Jack proposed on May 27, 2021, deciding to pop the question at a nighttime spot the pair had visited after Abby’s prom, years prior: the Lincoln Memorial. After dinner at Seven Reasons in Washington, D.C., the couple headed to the landmark. “It took me a little bit to finally muster up the courage, but we had a photographer waiting there, so I couldn’t back out,” Jack recalls with a laugh, and he eventually got down on one knee. “We can’t really remember what we said—thank God, because I was probably blubbering like an idiot.”

The ceremony:

Jack and Abby said “I do” on June 25, 2022, at the St. Bridget of Ireland Catholic Church in Berryville, Virginia, with about 135 guests present. “There was just not an ounce of nervousness” walking down the aisle, the bride recalls. “I was just like, Everything’s right.”

The reception:

The reception took place at the sprawling Historic Rosemont Manor, just a mile from the church. Close friends and family stayed at the on-site bed and breakfast—one of the main draws of the venue for the couple. “It really felt like we could keep everyone there together and just continue the celebration throughout the full weekend,” says Abby. Cocktail hour was held on the portico outside the property’s main house, with dinner and dancing inside the nearby carriage house. Outside, lawn games including badminton and cornhole were set up, as well as a fire pit where guests could gather and tell stories well into the evening. 

Food and drink:

The celebration’s summery menu began with a first course of mesclun greens mixed with strawberries, toasted pecans, feta and balsamic vinaigrette, plus focaccia bread. The main course, served buffet-style, was chicken medallions with a lemon, garlic and herb pesto and flank steak. One of Abby’s best friends whipped up the cake—a three-tier vanilla confection with lemon filling, buttercream frosting and a border of sliced strawberries—and there were also “dessert shooters” of treats such as key lime pie and strawberry shortcake. The specialty cocktails—bourbon and tequila concoctions—were named after the newlyweds’ pets, and the signature beers, fittingly, were two lagers from Jack’s Abby brewery in Massachusetts. 

The dress:

Upon visiting iCON Bridal & Formal on Rockville Pike, Abby fell in love with a strapless Morilee gown with a beaded bodice and a mermaid skirt. “I just loved the detail,” she says. She paired it with an aquamarine necklace that Jack had given her in high school and a bejeweled pair of heels. 

The music:

Knowing how long Catholic ceremonies can be, the couple wanted to find a way to spice things up—so they called on a gospel choir to lend their pipes to the service. “We really wanted it to be as joyous and happy as possible,” says Abby. For the reception, a DJ spun what the groom calls the “Fourth of July, swim meet and bar mitzvah playlist” the pair envisioned, with “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver proving a fan favorite. “If you were to ask me that day what I was most nervous for, it had to be our dance,” recalls the groom, but the newlyweds succeeded in pulling off the choreography for their first dance, to “When I’m With You” by Ben Rector.

The atmosphere:

For the big day, the pair aimed for a “summer fun” vibe, “like how you would imagine a pool party summer,” the bride says. Sunglasses affixed with tags served as escort cards, and inside the reception area, string lights and paper lanterns hung overhead. Bouquets of pink garden roses, blue delphiniums and yellow cottage yarrow provided pops of color, with vibrant charger plates to match. The biggest surprise of the day? An overhead fireworks display, courtesy of Abby’s parents. “It was all surreal,” Jack says. 

Honeymoon:

Right after they tied the knot, the newlyweds left for a two-week tour through Italy, taking in the Colosseum and the Forum in Rome, cooking classes in Tuscany and the seaside town of Amalfi. 

Vendors:

Cake, Baked By G; catering, Celebrations Catering; ceremony, St. Bridget of Ireland Catholic Church; desserts, Simply Desserts; DJ, DJ Terry Bulles of JJ&T Entertainment; dresses, iCON Bridal & Formal and Hello Molly; flowers, Sponseller’s Flower Shop; gospel choir, Nova Y. Payton and the St. Martin’s Catholic Church Gospel Choir; guestbook, Artifact Uprising; hair and makeup, Amina Evans of Bella Jameil Beauty; hotel, Springhill Suites Winchester; invitations, Truly Engaging; photographer, Becca B Photography; planner, Michael Haymaker; rings, Fred H. Straub Jewelers; transportation, Bayside Limousines; tuxedos, The Black Tux; venue, Historic Rosemont Manor. 

This story appears in the September/October issue of Bethesda Magazine.

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The following is a chart of the colleges and universities where 2023 graduates from eight Montgomery County high schools applied, were accepted and enrolled. The chart is based on data provided by the schools. The schools are: Albert Einstein in Kensington; Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Walt Whitman and Walter Johnson in Bethesda; Montgomery Blair in Silver Spring; Richard Montgomery and Thomas S. Wootton in Rockville; and Winston Churchill in Potomac.

The information sent by the schools is self-reported by students, so school officials could not guarantee its accuracy. For brevity’s sake, we have limited the list to colleges and universities with at least six applicants from the combined high schools.

Fun facts:

• This year, the University of Chicago was the most selective college that accepted at least one student from across the eight Montgomery County high schools, with an overall acceptance rate of just 3.6%.
• The most popular school this year among the students of the eight high schools was the University of Maryland, College Park, which racked up 2,606 applications, followed by Montgomery College (968), the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (931) and Pennsylvania State University (904).
• The University of Maryland, College Park is taking the most students from the eight schools, with 611 enrollees, followed by Montgomery College (588) and Towson University (125).
• Of the Ivy League colleges, Cornell University will be seeing the most Montgomery County students, with 35 enrollees across the eight high schools, followed by the University of Pennsylvania (26), Princeton University (12), Yale University (10), Brown University (9), Columbia University (7), Harvard University (6) and Dartmouth College (2).
• Students across the eight high schools applied to colleges in every state, with two students heading to the Aloha State to attend Hawai’i Pacific University.
• Several students are traveling across the pond for college at schools such as the University of Glasgow in Scotland (2 enrollments), University College London in England (1 enrollment) and Trinity College Dublin in Ireland (2 enrollments). 
• The eight high schools are sending a number of graduates to historically Black colleges and universities, including Morgan State University in Baltimore (15 enrollees), Howard University in D.C. (14 enrollees) and Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia (6 enrollees).

This story appears in the September/October issue of Bethesda Magazine.

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The couple

Kaelynn Stanton (maiden name Serena), 28, grew up in Bethesda and graduated from the Connelly School of the Holy Child in Potomac. She is a health and wellness coach and a podcast host. JC Stanton, 34, grew up in Potomac and attended Winston Churchill High School. He is the chief financial officer of the New York-based health care software company HHAeXchange. They live in North Bethesda with their golden retriever, Wally.

How they met

The future lovebirds first met as kids—Kaelynn took ballet classes with JC’s younger sister—but didn’t know each other well. Fast forward to June 16, 2017, when they were reacquainted at a summer party at Bethesda’s Congressional Country Club. “I see this young lady walk up to my mother and say hi,” remembers JC, who went over, reintroduced himself, and asked a skeptical Kaelynn if they could dance later. “I’m like, I’m never seeing this guy again,” she says. But sure enough, later, when they were both on the dance floor, he saw his chance. “I kind of just reached out and was like, ‘Hey, you owe me a dance,’ ” he says, and Kaelynn was drawn to his confidence. He got her phone number and soon they went out to the (now-closed) Mussel Bar & Grille in downtown Bethesda. “We shut down the restaurant,” recalls Kaelynn of the five-hour-long first date.

The proposal

JC popped the question on Labor Day weekend in 2020, along the Georgetown waterfront. Because it was a nice day, the area was well populated, so Kaelynn’s “yes” was met with spectators cheering and boats honking. “It was way more public than I planned for it to be,” JC says. A photographer captured the whole thing, and afterward, they celebrated with friends and family at an engagement party on the rooftop of the Line DC hotel.

The ceremony

The couple wed on July 2, 2022, with about 220 guests present in a Catholic ceremony under the vaulted ceiling and stained-glass windows of the chapel at Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda. After the bridal party got ready at the hotel, a retro trolley ferried them to the church and then the reception. “I thought it was more beautiful than a bus, and more unique and fun,” Kaelynn says.

The reception

Originally, the bride didn’t have her sights set on the Congressional Country Club as the venue, but the space could accommodate their big guest list—and the “full circle” moment, she says, was the cherry on top. “It was really cool to be able to look down at the exact spot that we met,” she says.

Food and drink

The day’s wide-ranging menu began with passed hors d’oeuvres during the alfresco cocktail hour—such as bacon-and-goat-cheese-stuffed dates and Vietnamese spring rolls—and an “ode to Maryland” raw bar complete with crab claws, oysters, clams, mussels and shrimp. The main course was a choice of London broil, roasted chicken breast or a cauliflower steak, paired with a hand-picked wine selection. Alongside the wedding cake—a chocolate confection with raspberry filling and buttercream icing—the couple laid out a dessert bar filled with sweet treats homemade by loved ones for guests to take home. Toward the end of the reception, the newlyweds did a “champagne tower,” pouring bubbly over a pyramid of coupe glasses, a clip of which racked up over a million views on Kaelynn’s TikTok account. “It’s weird, but then it’s really flattering,” she says. A build-your-own crab cake slider bar and French fry cones served as late-night bites, and when guests migrated to the Pearl Street Warehouse in D.C. for the afterparty, a breakfast taco spread kept people energized into the wee hours.

Outfits

The bride tried on over a dozen dresses before falling in love with the sleek Ines Di Santo gown she wore on the big day. “I started to tear up when I tried it on because I envisioned myself as the woman that I want to grow into,” she says. A flowing veil and sparkly Jimmy Choo shoes finished off the bridal look. The groom sported a custom three-piece, double-breasted suit, along with Christian Louboutin shoes and an Omega watch.

The music

The 10-piece band, the bride remembers, was “so good that people, during dinner, left their seats to dance during when the salads were passed out.” After the newlyweds’ first dance to “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” by Natalie Cole and the joint parent dance to “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra, the band upped the energy with hits like Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” and “Dream On” by Aerosmith. A highlight of the night? “ ‘Mr. Brightside’ comes on and they throw us to the middle of the dance floor and they put us up in chairs,” the groom remembers—an homage to the hora, the beloved Jewish wedding tradition.

The decor

Luscious florals and tablescapes helped bring the couple’s black-and-white, “modern timeless” vision to life. Arrangements of all-white blooms like orchids, peonies, panda anemones and roses, some cradled in black vases, served as centerpieces, alongside an array of pillar and taper candles. White drapery curtaining the walls, a monogrammed dance floor and pops of gold from the chairs gave the ambience its finishing touches.

The honeymoon

Days after they said “I do,” the newlyweds jetted off to the Maldives for a 15-day trip at two resorts, where they filled their days with activities like snorkeling, yoga and meditation. “On the rainy days, we would just stay in and binge-watch Netflix and order cheeseburgers,” says the bride.

Vendors

Afterparty, Pearl Street Warehouse; band, Millennium; ceremony, the Chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes at Georgetown Preparatory School; design and planning, Marriage and Mimosas; dress, Carine’s Bridal Atelier; florist, Petals by the Shore; hair and makeup, JKW Beauty; hotel, InterContinental Washington D.C.–The Wharf; paper goods, Paper and Petals; photography, Asha Bailey Photography; rentals: Perfect Settings and White Glove Rentals; suit, Black Menswear; transportation, American Limousines; venue, cake and catering, Congressional Country Club; videography, Paperboys.

This story appears in the July/August issue of Bethesda Magazine.

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The couple

Ashley Burneko (maiden name Parra), 32, grew up in Germantown and hopes to soon begin work as a certified registered nurse anesthetist. Mike Burneko, 31, also grew up in Germantown and works as a customer success manager at Flxpoint, a software startup. They graduated from Our Lady of Good Counsel High School and, after a stint in Jacksonville, Florida, are looking for a house in Montgomery County for themselves and their dog, a Shiba Inu named Rey. 

How they met

Mike asked Ashley out in May 2006 after they sat next to each other in their ninth grade physics class. For their first date, they saw Stick It at the AMC movie theater in Gaithersburg’s Rio development, followed by a walk around the lake before their parents picked them up. “That ended up being our date spot” throughout high school, recalls Ashley. The pair decided to part ways during their senior year “so we could go do our own thing” at different colleges, Ashley says, but they reconnected in 2015 after they graduated. “I just always felt like there was just something missing,” says Ashley. “When I started talking to Mike again, I was like, Oh, this is what I was missing.”

The proposal

On an unseasonably warm day just before Christmas in 2019, Mike and Ashley went shopping for last-minute gifts at Rio, and Mike suggested they take a stroll around the water. Eventually, they sat down on their usual bench, and Mike started reflecting on their years together. “I was like, He’s just being so sweet; what’s going on?” Ashley says. He asked her to stand up for a moment, and he got down on one knee. “It was honestly the most perfect thing, because everything came full circle,” Ashley says.

The wedding

Ashley and Mike said “I do” on March 12, 2022, with 225 guests present, in a Catholic Mass ceremony underneath the marble paneling and intricate mosaics of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C. Though it was nearly spring, the festivities fell on a snowy day. “As soon as they opened the church doors, it was just Ashley and her dad with snow flurries going behind her with the wind blowing,” recalls Mike. The reception was held around the corner at the Mayflower Hotel, where the newlyweds made their ballroom entrance on a balcony overlooking the monogrammed dance floor. “We were just full of adrenaline,” Ashley remembers.

Music

A four-piece band, Lost in Paris, provided the wide-ranging soundtrack for the big day. The bride had only one request: No slow songs. “I just wanted everybody to go out, have a great time, and it [to] just be more an upbeat thing,” she says. After the newlyweds swayed to a high school favorite—“I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain—for their first dance, bangers like “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas and “Shout” by the Isley Brothers got guests onto the dance floor. 

Dress

The couple originally intended to get married in 2021, so Ashley had already picked out a dress before COVID-19 forced them to reschedule. “The fact that I had an extra year made me second-guess my dress,” she says, so she visited a boutique in Jacksonville, where the couple was living at the time. There, she fell in love with a Martina Liana fit-and-flare gown bedecked with lace and sequins. “I had my mom FaceTime me, and it was one of those instant ‘when you know, you know’ type of situations,” Ashley says. A floor-length veil and a pair of diamond
earrings completed the ensemble.  

Food & Drink

During cocktail hour, guests munched on passed appetizers such as shrimp cocktail and empanadas and grazed at a charcuterie station. The plated dinner was a fig-and-goat-cheese salad along with a choice of crab cakes, beer-brined chicken, grilled filet mignon or cannelloni as an entree. Dessert was a five-tier passion fruit-flavored cake, and the party favors—cookies called alfajores to honor Ashley’s Peruvian heritage—served as another sweet treat. One of the pair’s signature drinks was “Kiss Me Rey Now,” a bourbon-and-ginger-beer concoction named after the pair’s dog, whose likeness also adorned the cocktail napkins. At the afterparty, the hotel bar slung late-night bites including flatbread, fries and sliders. 

Decor

Bouquets of white hydrangeas, pink roses and lush greenery festooned the tables at the reception, alongside clusters of candles. These touches against the backdrop of the gilded ballroom helped to achieve the “timeless” vision the bride was going for.

Honeymoon

The newlyweds’ trip to Hawaii for their honeymoon this summer will come more than a year after they said “I do,” since Ashley was finishing up her doctorate degree. They hope to make the most of the tropical getaway, with plans to soak up some rays, sip a few cocktails and maybe try surfing.

Vendors

Afterparty, Edgar Bar & Kitchen; band, Lost in Paris; bridesmaid dresses, Revelry; cake, Fluffy Thoughts Cakes; catering and venue, The Mayflower Hotel; ceremony, the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle; dance floor wrap, Kundan Events; dress, Love, a Bridal Boutique; florist, Flowers ’n’ Ferns; hotel, The Mayflower Hotel and Moxy Washington, D.C.; invitations, Shine Wedding Invitations; makeup, Makeup by Ana B; photography, Liz Fogarty Photography; planner, Mallory Rood with All the Dainty Details; transportation, Unlimited Charters; tuxedos, The Black Tux; videography, Claude Rob TV.

This story appears in the May/June issue of Bethesda Magazine. 

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The couple: Lauren Fein Goldberg, 32, grew up in Potomac and graduated from Winston Churchill High School. She works as a publicist for New York-based PR agency FerenComm. Rick Goldberg, 32, grew up in Bethesda and graduated from Bullis School. He works as a private chef. They live in Rockville with their daughter, whom they welcomed in December.  

How they met: While they had mutual friends and met in passing during high school, Lauren and Rick didn’t truly connect until they ran into each other at a pool party in 2011 as juniors at the University of Arizona, where they both attended college. Soon after, they went on a library date, where they could talk with “no distractions,” Lauren says, and the rest was history. “I think just the chemistry that we felt was instant,” she recalls. “We weren’t looking for it, but it kind of just felt really natural.”  

The proposal: During Lauren’s 29th birthday weekend in January 2020, her parents were visiting the pair in New York City, where they were living at the time. “We’d been together for a while, so I was hoping that something was coming,” she says. They had dinner at Pasquale Jones, a SoHo-area Italian restaurant where Rick worked, and afterward “he got on one knee in the streets of SoHo,” she says. “It was perfect.”   

The ceremony: The couple tied the knot on Sept. 19, 2021, at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville with about 160 guests present. Guests gathered in the front yard of the property for the ceremony before migrating indoors for cocktail hour and an open-air tent for the reception. Both Rick and Lauren are Jewish; a rabbi officiated the ceremony, held under a lush chuppah (the canopy used in Jewish weddings), and they signed the ketubah, a Jewish wedding contract. “It was important to both of us to bring in a little bit of the faith,” she says. The pair wrote their own vows, which were filled with jokes and playful jabs. “I was editing up until the point of signing our ketubah,” says Rick.  

Photos by Michael Bennett Kress Photography

The dress: Lauren found her flowy, long-sleeve Monique Lhuillier gown on Instagram and hunted it down at Carine’s Bridal Atelier in Washington, D.C. “I literally tried it on, and I was like, ‘I’m done,’” she recalls, adding that she was drawn to its bohemian style. “I just fell in love with it.” To complete the ensemble, she wore a diamond ring from one of her grandmothers and a gold band from the other.  

Food and drink: The food, all catered by Woodmont, included cocktail-hour stations serving fare like sushi and Peking duck. For the sit-down feast, guests dined on a surf-and-turf combo of petite filet and crab cakes, plus truffle mashed potatoes and a mix of roasted mushrooms and asparagus and. Instead of a cake, treats like Key lime tarts, fried Snicker bars, eclairs and s’mores were passed out on the dance floor. The signature cocktails for the evening, a dirty martini and a spicy margarita, were named after the couple’s mini Aussiedoodle, Ace. 

The music: For the music for the big day, the couple called on Generation Events, which provided the best of both worlds—a DJ and live musicians, a saxophonist and a drummer. They played Lauryn Hill’s cover of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” for the couple’s first dance and “Days Like This” by Van Morrison for the father-daughter dance. Afterward, the combo got guests on the dance floor to tunes like “Electric Feel” by MGMT. “I think the best thing about that night was just how much fun everybody was having,” Lauren says. “People just walked away, and they were like, ‘We haven’t danced like that in forever.’ ”  

The decorations: In the reception tent, bunches of whimsical pastel blooms festooned each of the wooden tables, along with candles encased in slender glass tubes. Disco balls hanging overhead completed the romantic scene. “I just didn’t want it to feel [like a] black-tie event. I wanted it to feel more like outside, fairy-tale-esque,” says Lauren. “Like you were walking into a Taylor Swift song.”  

Special touches: A photo booth gave guests the opportunity to snap black-and-white photos of themselves throughout the celebration. In lieu of a guestbook, friends and family recorded audio messages into a vintage rotary phone, and a digital file of all the well-wishes was later sent to the newlyweds. “It was just so cute and different,” says Lauren, and it had the added benefit of capturing people growing more and more inebriated as the evening went on. “You could really tell the time of the night,” says Rick.

Honeymoon: Just hours after the wedding, the newlyweds jetted off to Belize, where they spent a week and a half exploring the rainforest and beaches.   

Vendors: Catering and venue, Woodmont Country Club; dress, Carine’s Bridal Atelier; florist, Mickey Rubinstein at DaVinci Florist and Event Production; hotel, Canopy by Hilton in Pike & Rose; makeup/hair, Claudine Fay; music, Generation Events; photo booth, Hot Pink Photo
Booth; photographer, Michael Bennett Kress Photography; rehearsal dinner, Pinstripes in Pike & Rose; telephone guestbook, FêteFone; videographer, Shutter & Sound; day-of directors, Save the Date LLC, Events. 

The post Wedding at Woodmont Country Club sparkles with ‘Mirrorball’ magic appeared first on MoCo360.

Leap of Faith

A Chevy Chase couple’s nature-filled wedding took equal parts inspiration from Jewish and Indian culture

By Dana Gerber

The couple: Emily Mirengoff, 34, grew up in Bethesda and graduated from Walt Whitman High School. She is a communication specialist at the American Institutes for Research in Washington, D.C. Srikanth Damera, 32, grew up in Rochester, New York. He is a medical student at Georgetown University. They live in Chevy Chase. 

The introduction: In January 2018, Emily and Srikanth matched on a dating app called The League, where one of Emily’s profile photos was a shot of her twirling in the Swiss mountains, a reference to The Sound of Music. Srikanth messaged her, “Is it just me or are those hills alive?” Emily was impressed. “I was like, ‘Hey, he got it!’ ” she says. Soon after, they went on their first date at Service Bar in D.C., and the conversation flowed. “It was good back and forth. If you’ve been on dating apps, sometimes it’s very one-sided,” Emily says.  

The proposal: On April 17, 2021, on Emily’s dad’s birthday and the day before Emily’s, she and Srikanth went to a family lunch at Emily’s sister’s house in Reston, Virginia. During the meal, Srikanth turned to her and popped the question. “He knew that I would think it would be on my birthday, so he punked me and did it the day before,” says Emily. “And I was sincerely surprised.” 

The ceremony: Srikanth and Emily tied the knot on June 19, 2022, at Woodend Sanctuary & Mansion in Chevy Chase with about 150 guests present. “Sri’s ideal was to get married in the middle of the woods. My ideal would be an old historic house or structure,” Emily says. Woodend was the perfect middle ground. The ceremony took place outside in an area called the Grove. Dinner was a tented affair off the house, and dancing was in the mansion’s foyer. Emily’s high school friend Ashwin Shandilya officiated the ceremony, and the couple recited their own vows on the beautiful, sunny day. “Some guests joked that clearly we needed both the Hindu gods and the Jewish gods to bring about such a miracle of weather,” Emily says.

The cultures: When the couple embarked on the wedding planning process, it was a given that their respective cultures—Emily is Jewish, Srikanth is Hindu—would be front and center. “It was predictably challenging at times to figure out the right balance to strike,” Srikanth says of their effort to create “a union of the two ceremonies, because it’s the union of the two of us.” Among the traditions included throughout the day were the signing of the Ketubah, the Jewish wedding contract; the presentation of the mangalsutra necklace to the bride, a Hindu custom that signifies marriage; and a baraat, an Indian ritual where the groom travels to the wedding on horseback. Some customs lent themselves well to both cultures, such as a wedding canopy, which took inspiration from the chuppah in the Jewish faith and the mandap in the Hindu faith. 

The dress: Emily picked a Justin Alexander ball gown with tulle, lace and a chapel-length train from Ellie’s Bridal Boutique in Alexandria, Virginia. “I liked that it was a little bit more detailed than a classic white dress,” she says. She also donned fresh jasmine flowers in her hair, a tradition for south Indian brides, and henna tattoos of the Ohm symbol on one wrist and the Star of David on the other. 

The music: Srikanth curated three playlists: one for the baraat, one for cocktail hour and one for the reception. “I wanted to DJ the wedding, but I was told that I could not do that,” he says. “So the second best was to hire somebody to press play on my music.” For their first dance, the newlyweds swayed to “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai,” a song from one of Srikanth’s favorite Bollywood films as a child, before guests grooved to throwback hits like “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers and “One More Time” by Daft Punk.

The menu: In keeping with the multicultural theme, the couple turned to both a Western caterer and an Indian caterer. Cocktail-hour appetizers included vegetable samosas and a strawberry-and-goat-cheese crostini, and for entrees, guests had the choice of a curry trio, sauteed chicken breast paired with mushrooms, or pomegranate-roasted salmon. The couple opted for a dessert bar filled with treats like creme brulee spoons, fresh fruit skewers and mango mousse. “I just thought it would be more fun than cake,” Emily says.

The flowers: “I knew that his family would be in bright colors, because Indian weddings are bright, famously,” Emily says, so she wanted the blooms to be vibrant and joyful. Florals like flame-orange pincushions, hot-pink freesias and purple veronicas made the bridal bouquet pop with color, and similar blooms appeared in gold vases on each reception table. 

The special touches: During cocktail hour, kids and adults alike were entertained by outdoor games of backgammon, Jenga and cornhole. A Polaroid was available during the reception for guests to snap photos, adding “a nice vintage feel,” Srikanth says. Emily, who pours candles as a hobby, whipped up two custom blends to serve as party favors. “I really wanted to give people something personal,” she says. 

The honeymoon: Srikanth’s medical school schedule put the honeymoon on hold, but they have a trip booked for January to Patagonia in South America, where they plan to hike the scenic W Trek in Torres del Paine National Park.

The vendors: DJ, Chris Laich Music Services; drinks, Ace Beverage Fine Wines & Spirits; event planner, Kristi Hartig of Glow Weddings and Events; florist, Elegance & Simplicity Inc.; food, Catering by Seasons and IndAroma; hair and makeup, Updos for I Dos; horse, Harmon’s Horse Drawn Hayrides and Carriages; photographer, Shelly Pate Photography; rehearsal dinner, Masala Art; venue, Woodend Sanctuary & Mansion.

Destination ‘I Do’s’

This Bethesda pair turned their wedding into a family vacation, then continued the party back at home

By Kristen Schott

The couple: Ariana Kelly, 45, grew up in Bethesda and graduated from Walter Johnson High School in 1994. She represents District 16 in the Maryland House of Delegates and is the vice chair of the Health and Government Operations Committee. Stephen Taylor, 53, grew up in Spring Valley, New York, and moved to Montgomery County after earning his chiropractic degree about two decades ago. He owns Family Back & Neck Care Center in Montgomery Village. They live in Bethesda with their four teenagers, Jordyn, Dylan, Maeve and Leo. 

The introduction: Stephen has Ariana’s cousin, Margaret Dayhoff-Brannigan, to thank for bringing them together. Dayhoff-Brannigan was sifting through Ariana’s matches on the dating app Coffee Meets Bagel to find her the “right” man. “The people I was dating were interested in me because of my work,” Ariana says. “People for whom politics is a hobby find it glamorous.” Stephen’s politics-free profile made him a prime candidate. The two went on their first date at Mon Ami Gabi in August 2018. They talked about the past, the future and what wine to pair with steak—Stephen had ordered a white wine, and Ariana teased him that it should be red. “It was a cute little conversation,” he says.

The big move: In the two years before getting engaged, the couple started taking steps to solidify their future. One of the biggest moves was combining households. They were purposeful about buying a new house together rather than moving into one or the other’s house; they wanted the kids to feel comfortable about the decision, too. “We made sure they looked at the house before we bought it and were excited, and it has a lot of fun places for teenagers to hang out,” Ariana says. “It was perfect because then COVID happened and we were trapped at home.”

The proposal: The couple got engaged in 2020 after living together for a little over a year. It wasn’t traditional: Ariana simply said it was time to get married. Stephen, who is a bit more old-fashioned, according to Ariana, said it was the “man’s job” to propose. Ariana, in turn, called him a sexist. But he got his way and popped the question the next week, getting down on one knee in the living room with a vintage sapphire ring. 

The ceremony: As with their home, Ariana and Stephen were intentional with their wedding. First and foremost, they thought of their children. “We wanted them to feel like we were moving forward together,” Ariana says. The pair also didn’t want to plan a big reception in the middle of COVID. So they decided to do a destination wedding in Hawaii—starting with a trip to the Big Island and ending with a ceremony on a rugged clifftop in Hana on Maui, overlooking the ocean. “I thought it was metaphorically beautiful to get married on a rocky cliff,” Ariana says. “The cliche is the white sandy beach—maybe that’s your first marriage. By the time you’re brave enough to go through it a second time, you understand there are challenges that come with the beauty.” On hand for the union, which took place on Jan. 1, 2022, were their four kids and officiant
Kameran-James Kealoha Kamalu Fernandez, who doubled as the ukulele player. Right after he pronounced Stephen and Ariana husband and wife, one of the kids shouted, “Group hug!” It was one of Stephen’s favorite moments.

The reception: On May 1, Ariana and Stephen held their reception at Pinstripes in North Bethesda with 100 friends and family members, plus elected officials. “We were going back and forth about whether we should have the reception, but I’m glad we did because it was touching,” Stephen says. “It was the first time that my family met her family. It was great to have them all together.” The theme? A modified luau, with tropical flowers (protea, orchids and others in pink, orange and green hues) and photos from the ceremony as the centerpieces, plus a photo booth with cardboard cutouts of Elvis in a bathing suit and then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi—in honor of Ariana’s daughter, Maeve, a fan of the congresswoman.

The entertainment: The couple paid homage to Ariana’s heritage with Irish dancing and music from Celtic Music for All Occasions, which also played the tunes for the Jewish couple’s hora—all while wearing Hawaiian shirts and leis. 

The menu: The brunch menu included appetizers such as tenderloin sliders and pigs in a blanket. For the main course, guests ordered from the omelet bar and dined on waffles, breakfast potatoes and bacon. Tropical sangria was the signature drink. For dessert, an ice-cream bar supplemented a giant Napoleon cake by Stella’s Bakery. 

The special touch: The kids led an extended toast complete with a trivia game about their mom and dad. “It was so sweet to see the four kids up there talking about how they liked this family that we built together,” Ariana says.

The favors: Guests went home with mugs bearing what Ariana calls “cheesy resort pictures” of the family in front of an “aloha” sign during their vacation. 

The vendors: Cake, Stella’s Bakery; invitations, Evite; catering, Pinstripes (North Bethesda); ceremony florals, Hala Tropicals; reception florals, Petals to the Metal Florist LLC; entertainment, Celtic Music for All Occasions; hair and makeup, Maui Makeup Artistry; ceremony photography, Kevin Brock Photography; reception photography, Kate Lewis Photography; photo booth, Good Vibrations Entertainment Services; bride’s ceremony dress, Sottero & Midgley from Urban Set Bride; bride’s reception dress, Sachin & Babi from Anthropologie; bridesmaids’ dresses, The Dessy Group; groom’s attire, weddingtropics.com and Suitsupply; wedding bands, Tiffany & Co.

New Traditions

High school sweethearts honored their Cambodian and African backgrounds throughout their festivities

By Kristen Schott

The couple: Vannyda Mbimba (maiden name Kong), 29, grew up in Gaithersburg. She is a senior associate in governance oversight at Fannie Mae. JC Mbimba, 29, was born in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo and moved with his family to Gaithersburg when he was 7. He is a clinical pharmacist at Holy Cross Germantown Hospital. The couple lives in Gaithersburg. 

The introduction: JC was not in a good mood when he met his future bride at her high school lacrosse game. His friend, also a lacrosse player, had dragged him to the match. “I probably didn’t make the best impression,” JC says. Regardless, they hit it off. They were friends first before they began dating in 2010, during their junior year of high school. Their first date: mini golf at Bohrer Park and milkshakes at Silver Diner.  

The proposal: JC’s plan began to take shape when a mutual friend asked the couple to pose for portraits for his photography portfolio. JC realized it would be a perfect opportunity to propose. He set the occasion for July 2019 at the National Arboretum, after Vannyda returned from visiting family in Cambodia. A twist? “When she was away, she was texting me that she was having dreams that I proposed and she hated the ring,” JC says. But the psychic energy didn’t deter him. He surprised Vannyda by getting their friends and family to hide around the National Capitol Columns and come out once he got down on one knee. The day before the proposal, he had recreated their first date. 

The cultural ceremony: The pandemic delayed the wedding twice to mid-2022. It was important to Vannyda and JC to pay homage to their respective cultures. “I always pictured myself having a Cambodian wedding, and he always pictured himself having a church wedding,” Vannyda says. So they did both, beginning with an intimate Cambodian ceremony on May 14 in the Germantown backyard of Vannyda’s sister-in-law, Yolande Mbimba. During the groom’s procession, his family brought gifts for the bride and her kin. During another traditional ceremony, guests pretended to trim the couple’s hair. “It symbolizes getting rid of your dead ends and old life and embracing your new married life,” Vannyda says. The festivities ended with a literal knot-tying—friends and relatives tied a red string around the couple’s wrists and offered a blessing. 

The wedding: On June 3, the couple said “I do” at St. Katharine Drexel Catholic Church in Frederick and held an evening reception in Catoctin Hall at Musket Ridge Golf Club in Myersville. Vannyda describes their theme as “romantic summer garden.” The color scheme was coral, gray, cream, pink and green. Tall trumpet vases filled with hydrangeas, cream and pink roses, Italian ruscus and greenery served as the centerpieces. “Guests told us they were the perfect height so they could have a conversation at dinner,” the bride says. For table numbers, the couple used pictures depicting them at that age. The sweetheart table was decorated with Vannyda’s bouquet and a neon-sign backdrop that read “The Mbimbas.” And, on a table toward the entryway, the couple placed photos of their grandparents and other family members who had passed. 

The menu: Appetizers included goat cheese crostini and chicken and waffles. Strawberry “Marry Me Margaritas” were the signature drink. The 156 attendees dined on filet, mushroom ravioli or flounder stuffed with lobster. And there were not one but two cakes: lemon-raspberry for him and Jamaican coconut rum for her. A dessert table was laden with mini fruit tarts, eclairs, chocolate chip cookies and raisin cookies.  

The reception: The couple honored their parents during their parent dances. For hers, Vannyda changed into a custom dress of Cambodian fabric, and her dad wore a shirt made from the same material. For JC’s dance, his bowtie matched his mother’s traditional Congolese ensemble. “At one point, I started crying, then she started crying, then the whole room started crying,” JC says. “All the important women in my life came out and danced with us, too.” One of JC’s favorite elements of the ceremony was the exotic rental car—an Audi R8. “It was my favorite car growing up,” he says. “I got to keep it for the weekend, so that was awesome.” For Vannyda, one of the most special moments came as the sun sank from the sky in a spectacular sunset. Their best man, Rhyen Kinnear, brought the couple outside to see the gorgeous scene. “Then we turned around, and all of our guests were on the back patio enjoying the sunset, too,” she says. The DJ ushered everyone out so Vannyda and JC could have a private dance to Michael Bublé’s “Save the Last Dance for Me.” Afterward? A sparkler exit.

Vendors: Cake and desserts, Classic Bakery; invitations, Basic Invite; catering, Musket Ridge Golf Club; florals, Events by Jemie; entertainment, Just-Ice the DJ; event planning, Melody Wardak and Victoria Tucker (day-of) of Musket Ridge Golf Club; hair and makeup, Metropolitan Makeup & Hair LLC; photography, Sam Hurd; videography, Paperboys; bride’s dresses, Madison James from Couture Bridal of Maryland (ceremony) and Designs by Victoire (reception and groom’s bow tie); bridesmaids’ dresses, Azazie; groom’s attire, State & Liberty; cake topper, Rawkrft from Etsy; wedding bands, Masica Diamonds (bride) and Georgios Collections (groom). 

Hoppy Ending

After years of dating long-distance, a Gaithersburg couple planned a barn wedding featuring an abundance of flowers, a dessert bar and a bespoke beer can 

By Dana Gerber

The couple: Gabby Duffy (maiden name Paolini), 28, grew up in Gaithersburg and graduated from Quince Orchard High School. Zach Duffy, 31, grew up in Boston. They both work as government consultants for Booz Allen Hamilton and live in Gaithersburg. 

The introduction: Gabby and Zach met through mutual friends in 2012, when Gabby was a freshman at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Zach was a junior. The pair kept in touch even after he graduated, enlisted in the Navy and was stationed in San Diego. They went on their first date in 2016 when Zach came to Boston while on leave, but they didn’t make their relationship official until Gabby visited Zach in San Diego the following March. They dated long-distance for a few years. “You had to really rely on communication,” Gabby says, adding that they exchanged more than 10,000 emails before they moved in to a Rockville apartment together just as the pandemic was starting. “We got to know each other probably more quickly than if we were in person.” 

The proposal: Gabby’s family has a longtime tradition of going to Downtown Crown Wine & Beer in Gaithersburg every Friday night, which Zach joined once he was local. In October 2020, Zach arranged with the owners to display “Gabby Will You Marry Me?” as one of the beers listed on tap. The brew was described as being a “Maryland IPA with West Coast Flavor,” a nod to their long-distance beginnings, with an ABV of 20.22%, since they knew they wanted a 2022 wedding. “Eventually, she saw it, and she turned around and was like, ‘Oh, wow, this is happening,’ ” Zach recalls.

The ceremony: The couple wed on May 21, 2022, at Sweeney Barn in Manassas, Virginia, with about 140 guests present. “I always wanted a barn wedding, but not your rustic, slats, dirt barn wedding—more of a refined, renovated barn,” Gabby says. Her uncle officiated the outdoor ceremony, and the pair wrote their own vows, which included plenty of inside jokes and references to their favorite shared movies and TV shows. “We just spoke to each other’s personalities,” Gabby says. 

The dress: In search of something “funky, something that you don’t traditionally see,” Gabby visited Love Couture Bridal in Park Potomac with her mom to try on dresses. She picked out a blush-pink ball gown with floral detailing. “My face did get a little red—I think that was the closest to the Say Yes to the Dress crying moment,” Gabby says. To complete the ensemble, she donned a pair of sparkly Keds sneakers, which she kept on even after switching to a long-sleeve, open-back dress for the reception.

The flowers: To achieve Gabby’s “enchanted forest” vision, William Thomas Floral set up a lush arch over the altar, festooned the aisle with flowers and constructed a pergola atop the head table in reception, incorporating blooms like roses, hydrangeas and eucalyptus. “The only time the entire wedding that I teared up was seeing the room and the flowers,” Gabby says. An outdoor escort wall—with a banner that read “You’re Simply the Best,” a reference to a romantic moment in one of the couple’s favorite TV shows, Schitt’s Creek—guided guests to their reception seats with place cards tied to petite vases of flowers.

The music: For the newlyweds’ first dance, the 10-piece Free Spirit band crooned “Simply the Best” by Noah Reid—a callback to the couple’s escort wall. Afterward, the band got guests grooving with hits like “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “No Diggity.” “It did feel like a concert at one point,” Gabby says. The bride’s favorite moment from the big day was standing next to Zach just after seeing everybody dancing to a rendition of “Don’t Stop Believin’. ” “He just turned to me and was like, ‘Wow,’ ” she recalls. “Everything had just come together.”

The menu: During cocktail hour, guests munched on passed appetizers of mac-and-cheese bites and Hawaiian tuna poke, plus fare from charcuterie and guacamole stations. The plated dinner included asparagus and beet ravioli, jumbo crab-stuffed prawns and short ribs with fried shallots. The self-proclaimed “anti-wedding cake” couple opted for a dessert bar instead, serving up confections like red velvet cake pops, mini cheesecakes and s’mores cups. The standout late-night bite was the “pizzarita,” a Clark University delicacy that combines a chicken parmesan and a quesadilla. After the reception wrapped up around 10 p.m., shuttles took guests to the nearby Three Monkeys Pub & Chophouse, where midnight snacks and an open bar kept the party going into the wee hours. 

The drinks: Two specialty cocktails named after the couple’s cats (“The Harry,” a tequila concoction, and “The Harvey,” a bourbon mixture) were offered at “Bailey’s Bar,” named after their dog. The couple’s love of craft beer was also on full display: Aslin Beer Co. in Alexandria designed a customized beer label for the pair, featuring their wedding hashtag, “#TillDuffDoUsPart,” on cans of IPA. “It was definitely a talking point,” Gabby says. 

The honeymoon: The day after the wedding, the newlyweds flew to Denver for their honeymoon, spending four days hiking and checking out local breweries. In October, they did a “part two” in Amelia Island, Florida, lounging by the pool and playing golf. 

The vendors: After party, Three Monkeys Pub & Chophouse; band, Free Spirit by Entertainment Exchange; beer, Aslin Beer Co.; catering, Occasions Caterers; dress, Love Couture Bridal; floral and decor, William Thomas Floral; hair and makeup, Georgetown Bride; hotels, SpringHill Suites Gainesville Haymarket and Tru by Hilton Manassas; invitations and menus, Kelly Joyce Design; lighting, Atmosphere Inc.; planning and design, Michele Hodges Events; photography, Steve Canning Photography; rehearsal dinner, The Black Sheep; signage, LeahLetters; suits, Men’s Wearhouse; transportation, Reston Limousine; venue, Sweeney Barn; videography, Bowen Films

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