Jessica Strassner and Tommy Goodwin are to be married Saturday evening at Potomac Point Winery in Stafford, Virginia. Dominique Peridans will officiate the ceremony, and a reception will follow at the same location. Jessica, 34, is a teacher and author. She graduated from University of Tampa in 2011 and is the daughter of Ruth Drozinski, an asset protection manager, and John Drozinski, a retired firefighter. Tommy, 34, is a senior adviser at AARP, and a graduate of George Washington University (’01) and Auburn University (’03). He is the son of Susan and David Kissack, both retired.
The two first met as sophomores while attending Atlantic High School in Port Orange, Florida. “I always thought he was cute and funny, and kind of had a crush on him but never saw the two of us ending up together,” says Jessica. They attempted a long-distance relationship when both went off to college, but with Jessica in Tampa and Tommy in Washington, it simply didn’t work. However, the feelings were still there when the couple reconnected in 2011 via Facebook, and in June 2012, they went on their first “official date,” to a restaurant in Florida. “When I saw her years later, I thought she looked amazing,” says Tommy.
Since Jessica moved to Washington last October, Tommy “has had a lot of fun rediscovering DC,” taking her out to sports games, ballet, the symphony, concerts, and wineries. The couple has instituted a “no-repeat rule” when eating out around town at various restaurants, another one of their favorite pastimes, making exceptions only for brunch at Matchbox and hot chocolate at Co Co. Sala. When they aren’t out and about the city, Jessica and Tommy have been crossing things off their wedding to-do lists and counting down the days to the ceremony.
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