Weddings

The Reason these DC Brides Wore Pink Will Make You Weepy

As wedding editors, we of course love looking at pictures of beautiful weddings. But what we love even more is when the story behind the photos is just as beautiful, and that’s what you’ll find with Laura Stanton and Deborah (Debby) Jenkins’ DAR nuptials, captured in the photos below by Lisa Ziesing of Abby Jiu Photography.

Like B&G on Facebook | Follow B&G on Instagram

10-25-16-pink-red-black-white-modern-wedding-dar-dc-1

10-25-16-pink-red-black-white-modern-wedding-dar-dc-2

10-25-16-pink-red-black-white-modern-wedding-dar-dc-3

10-25-16-pink-red-black-white-modern-wedding-dar-dc-4

For many, a wedding provides a starting line. For Debby and Laura, it was a mile marker. Debby, senior vice president for Freddie Mac Multifamily, met Laura, a personal trainer, in Michigan in 1994, when Laura’s daughter (and future maid of honor), Janae, was just five years old. In 1996, a three-hour first date kickstarted the romance.

10-25-16-pink-red-black-white-modern-wedding-dar-dc-5

10-25-16-pink-red-black-white-modern-wedding-dar-dc-6

10-25-16-pink-red-black-white-modern-wedding-dar-dc-7

10-25-16-pink-red-black-white-modern-wedding-dar-dc-8

10-25-16-pink-red-black-white-modern-wedding-dar-dc-9

Over the next 20 years the couple added two more children to their family, moved in and out of five different houses, and eventually relocated to DC, where, on Valentine’s Day 2014, they popped a bottle of rosé Cristal at Kapnos and exchanged rings they’d picked out together.

10-25-16-pink-red-black-white-modern-wedding-dar-dc-11

10-25-16-pink-red-black-white-modern-wedding-dar-dc-10

10-25-16-pink-red-black-white-modern-wedding-dar-dc-12

10-25-16-pink-red-black-white-modern-wedding-dar-dc-13

On a sunny spring afternoon, Debby and Laura recited vows they wrote themselves. Attendees had been asked to wear black and white, while the brides shone in pink Rent the Runway gowns in honor of Laura’s mother, a breast-cancer survivor. Sons Dylan and Jack walked their parents down the aisle, and when 27-year-old Janae concluded her toast with “To my parents and closest friends, Mom and Debby,” there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

10-25-16-pink-red-black-white-modern-wedding-dar-dc-14

10-25-16-pink-red-black-white-modern-wedding-dar-dc-15

10-25-16-pink-red-black-white-modern-wedding-dar-dc-16

All 60 guests dined at a single table and sipped from julep cups and Moscow-mule mugs that they later took home as favors. Married at last, Debby and Laura departed early the next day for a Turks and Caicos honeymoon.

VENDORS

Photographer: Lisa Ziesing of Abby Jiu Photography | Venue: DAR Constitution Hall | Event Design: Lauryn Prattes Styling and Events | Flowers: Holly Heider Chapple | Laura’s Gown: Badgley Mischka, Rent the Runway | Debby’s Gown: Marchesa Notte, Rent the Runway | Hair & Makeup: Georgetown Bride | Dessert: Georgetown Cupcake | Catering: Windows Catering Company | Music: DJ Amy Robbins | Linens: Nüage Designs | Rentals: DC Rental and Capital Party Rentals | Invitations: Minted | Calligraphy: Laura Hooper Calligraphy

Ready to start looking for your wedding dress? Begin your search with our list of the area’s best 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.