You don’t have to be a celebrity to have a really, really ridiculously good-looking wedding. Megan Shores and Misha Moylan’s jaw-dropping celebration (or rather, celebrations, if you include the after-party) is proof that DC nuptials can be just as luxe. Take a look in the photos below by Holland Photo Arts.
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After meeting at World of Beer in Arlington, Megan and Misha discovered that she had just interviewed for a job with his employer (both Northern Virginia natives work in hospitality). “She was sweet but shy,” Misha remembers. “He had a great sense of humor, but made me feel very comfortable,” says Megan. “He was also easy on the eyes.” Misha sent Megan a friend request the next day, and took her out to dinner after she landed the job. She was concerned, but Misha did the research—company policy said that if they were not in the same department and not in direct reporting line, it was okay to date.
Misha’s proposal came a year and a half later. It was the weekend before her parents were set to move to Texas, and, as far as Megan knew, a farewell dinner at the Palm in Tysons had been arranged. When Megan pulled into their driveway, she saw the front of the house decorated in roses and peonies, her two favorite flowers. The family golden retriever, Brandy, delivered the ring—a Moylan family heirloom piece refashioned by Dominion Jewelers in Falls Church—and after Megan said yes, the couple headed inside for a surprise engagement party.
Wedding planning was done mostly from overseas—a job in Singapore for Misha relocated the couple shortly after he popped the question. But Megan kept in close contact with Simply Chic’s Jamie Sears and Kate Harlan, who designed a “classic and current” celebration for the couple and 253 guests back in DC. After exchanging vows at Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, the Moylans were greeted by electric violinists as they headed into Mellon Auditorium’s Green Room Gallery for cocktail hour. The couple’s custom monogram appeared throughout the celebration, projected above the reception and included on a diamond necklace Misha gave his bride.
Food plays an important role in Megan’s Italian family, so appetizer options included an iced seafood display, an avocado bar, an around-the-world selection of wines and cheeses, and a Champagne station. Guests who somehow hadn’t filled up enjoyed a four-course seated dinner complete with sorbet intermezzo, while post-dinner sweet stations included bananas Foster, espresso martinis, cake in three flavors, a Viennese dessert table, and boozy snow cones.
Two bands shared the reception stage, a live painter captured the couple’s first dance (“Overwhelmed” by Tim McMorris), and a Chinese dragon led guests out into the summer heat for a glow-stick-lit faux farewell flanked by pizza and gelato trucks. Misha and Megan circled the block in a pedicab, then headed back to the Mellon for a two-hour after party. She slipped into a second gown (Vera Wang) as a third band took the stage.
Late-nighters indulged in a terrace cigar lounge, and in lieu of a groom’s cake, an M-shaped ice luge dispensed Fireball shots. For favors, the Mellon entrance flower-and-candle wall was later stacked with Moscow mule kits (complete with copper mug and candied lime slice) that guests took home. Partied out and finally married, the newlyweds jetted off to the Maldives the following week.
VENDORS
Venue: Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium | Photography: Holland Photo Arts | Event Design: Simply Chic Events | Flowers & Lounge Furniture: Amaryllis Floral & Event Design | Bride’s Gown: Liancarlo, Carine’s Bridal Atelier; Vera Wang, Saks Jandel (after-party dress) | Hair: Bridal Hair by Remona | Makeup: Carl Ray | Groom’s Attire: Baroni, Geoffrey Lewis | Caterer: Occasions Caterers | Cake: Fancy Cakes by Leslie | Music: La Femme Classique (violins), The Source and Nation (reception), and The Elements (after-party), all Élan Artists | Rentals: DC Rental | Lighting: Frost Lighting | Transportation: MJ Valet | Live Painter: Wed on Canvas | Paper Goods: Haute Papier | Calligraphy: Curlicue Designs | Videographer: Monachetti Weddings | Where They Currently Live: Singapore