Weddings

A Whimsical Garden Wedding That Will Inspire All Your Summer Parties

Lawn games, strawberry limeade, and boiled peanuts are all of our dreams for this summer, and they’re all to be found in Katherine (Katie) Gorretta and David Coppins’ airy garden party wedding, photographed by Astrid Photography.

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A shared love of sports brought Katie and David within proximity to one another twice in one week: first, at the U.S. Open at Congressional Club, then at The Bullpen at Nationals Stadium. At the latter event, Katie and David struck up a conversation, and when David asked Katie to dance, she says she knew it was “a good sign of things to come.”

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They’d dated two and a half years when they planned to go hiking in Shenandoah National Park over the weekend. Though they’d come for the fall leaves and were greeted with snow instead, on their way out of the park, the sun finally came out. David pulled over by an overlook, and there he presented Katie with a custom yellow sapphire ring and asked her to be his wife. She was so surprised, he had to ask her twice before she could muster up a “yes.”

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Seven months later, the pair wed on a hot day in May on the grounds of River Farm. Guests stayed cool with glasses of strawberry limeade while playing corn hole and snacking on boiled peanuts. A bar filled with mini pies, maple donuts, and homemade candy followed the dinner menu that included foods sourced from the bride and groom’s hometowns in Oregon and Florida.

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After dancing to “Endless Love” by Lionel Ritchie and Shania Twain—the groom’s favorite part of the day—the newlyweds departed with plans to honeymoon on Kuaui, Hawaii.

VENDORS

Venue: River Farm | Photographer: Astrid Photography | Event Coordinator: Kirstin White, Etc. Coordinators | Bride’s Gown: Badgley Mischka, BHLDN | Groom’s Attire: Hart Schaffner Marx, Nordstrom | Hair Dresser: Bethany Marzullo, Franz Sebastian | Makeup Artist: Jasmine Mohammed | Florist: Growing Wild Floral | Caterers: Ridgewells Catering | Music/Entertainment: Far Away Songs, Premiere DJ Services | Invitations: Minted | Jeweler: Tim Shaheen, Lawrence Miller & Co.

Find the dress of your dreams at one of these area bridal boutiques.

Associate Editor

Caroline Cunningham joined Washingtonian in 2014 after moving to the DC area from Cincinnati, where she interned and freelanced for Cincinnati Magazine and worked in content marketing. She currently resides in College Park.