Weddings

Real Wedding: Caroline and Gavin

This couple’s celebration featured an unusual treat: a wedding “cake” made of cheese.

All photographs by Eli Turner.

When Gavin Shafer Sun met Caroline Martin Jett, he at first wasn’t exactly overwhelmed by her charms. During an Oktoberfest party they both attended, they played Nails, a game that requires each participant to throw and catch a hammer in a different way to hit other people’s nails into a tree stump. “I thought, ‘Who is this annoying girl who keeps hitting my nail?’” Gavin recalls. Turns out it was more than a coincidence: Caroline, a vice president with Christie’s Auction House, had her eye on Gavin, an options trader with Spot Trading, so she kept aiming for his nail during the game. Her tactic worked, and the two struck up a conversation, during which they realized they had more in common than their choice of party game.

Two and a half years later, Gavin proposed during a walk by the Lincoln Center in front of the fountain prior to a vacation in the Dominican Republic. “Traveling is such a big part of our lives, and on the eve of another fun trip, it was only fitting to decide to embark on a bigger life journey together,” say the couple. Nine months later, they tied the knot in an intimate ceremony at DC’s Anderson House.

Details

Photographer: Eli Turner

Venue: Society of the Cincinnati, Anderson House

Event Coordinator: Pam Barefoot, Atrendy Wedding

Bride’s Gown: Lela Rose, Mark Ingram Atelier in New York

Hair: Giselle

Makeup: Lorna Basse

Groom’s Tux: La Rukico Tailors

Caterer: Occasions Caterers

Cake: Occasions

Cake Flavors: Mon Père French Brie; Carr Valley Marisa; Long Clawson white Stilton with cranberries; and Queso de España Tetilla

Cocktail: Pear martini with lemon and raspberry

Florist: Amaryllis
Flowers: Roses, hydrangea, dahlias, ferns, magnolia foliage, scabiosa, stock, rosemary

Music/Entertainment: Significant Others, Sam Hill Entertainment

First Dance Song: “I’m Coming Home” by Robert Earl Keen

Invitations: Cheree Berry

Bride’s Favorite Detail: “All of the personal touches were great, especially the cheese cake (Who cut the cheese? We did!), but most important were the vows we wrote for each other.”

Groom’s Favorite Detail: “The vows were great, but the band, the Significant Others, was amazing!”

Biggest Surprise: “The four-level human pyramid we made with friends during the reception, with the bride on the top.”

Decor Details: Lanterns glowing under the tent, the wedding cake made of cheese, the stump-like wood escort-card table covered in moss

Theme: Being in the Anderson house

Four Words That Describe the Wedding: Salubrious, heartfelt, personal, and fun

Honeymoon Spot: Negril, Jamaica

Where They Currently Live: Chicago, IL