Mary Snider and Laurie Shedler lived on opposite coasts. That didn’t stop them from falling in love and throwing a posh travel-themed wedding on the rooftop of the Newseum. Check out the images below, courtesy of K. Thompson Photography.
Mary Snider owned an insurance agency and lived in DC. Laurie Shedler lived on the opposite coast in San Francisco, where she worked as a sales executive. But when a friend of Mary’s moved from one city to the other and met Laurie, she knew the two women had to meet. Insisting they were perfect for one another, she arranged a blind date.
When Laurie first saw Mary, the connection was instant. “This could be it,” she thought. Both big college basketball fans, for the first date they went to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Laurie had attended Michigan State, which regularly makes it to the tournament, but this year Mary’s alma mater, Drake University, made the cut as well—its first time in 30 years.
“We felt it was meant to be,” they explain.
For the next seven years, they crisscrossed the country, visiting one another on the opposite coast every chance they got. On Friday, June 26th of 2015, Mary was on a trip visiting Laurie in San Francisco when the Supreme Court ruled on same sex marriage. Laurie immediately called Mary’s mother to ask for her hand in marriage. She proposed that very day.
For their wedding, Laurie and Mary chose the Newseum terrace for their ceremony so they could look out over Capitol Hill. They thought of it as a tribute to those on the hill that had worked to bring about the court ruling, which had impacted their life so much. They said their vows against a dramatic backdrop of oversize vases with bouquets of roses, calla lilies, orchids and hydrangea blooms.
The reception spoke to the couple’s history with a travel theme, including an escort card wall that was a map of DC and San Francisco. Guests were greeted by a butler with a glass of sparkling rose, and then assigned tables with airport codes from all of the different cities Mary and Laurie had been to. The couple shared their first dance to Frank Sinatra’s “All The Way” a fitting song for two who had traveled so far for so long to be together.
VENDORS
Photographer: K. Thompson Photography | Event Planner: A. Dominick Events | Venue: the Newseum | Brides’ Hair: Allison Harper & Co. | Brides’ Makeup: Kim Giammaria of Beauty Mark | Laurie’s Gown: Theia from Neiman Marcus | Mary’s Gown: Roland Mouret | Florist: Edge Floral | Rentals: DC Rental | Linens: La Tavola | Caterer: Wolfgang Puck Catering | Cake: Wolfgang Puck Catering | Invitations: Minted | Escort Cards: Anthologie Press | Dance Floor and Drapes: Fabrication Events | Lighting: Frost Lighting Co. | Lounge Furniture: AFR Furniture Rental | Band: HiFi | Transportation: Atlantic Transportation | Favors: Georgetown Cupcake
Hayley is an Associate Editor at Washingtonian Weddings. Previously she was the the Style Editor at The Local Palate, a Southern food culture magazine based out of Charleston, South Carolina. You can follow her on instagram @wandertaste.
