When Jon Nordling and Christina Phang met, he was living in Vienna, Austria and traveling the world developing software and GIS technology for various organizations; Christina had recently graduated from Willian & Mary and started a new job as a GIs analyst at a company in Arlington. Among her first tasks: help woo Jon to join the company. She was successful, and he joined the company, but at first they did not get along. “But then fate started to kick in,” Christina says, “and we found ourselves on a 6 hour flight, with assigned seats next to one another. With not a lot to say, and barely knowing each other, Jon decided to do what he knew best, which was break out his laptop and spend the next six hours teaching me how to build my first website.”
After that, they say, they were inseparable, and over time, their friendship grew into love. Check out more of their love story and see the details of their blue and white wedding below.
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Their Meet Cute
“The first time I met Jon in person was when he came for his job interview,” Christina says. “He was wearing a backwards baseball hat, faded blue jeans, a Hanes white t-shit, and Timberland boots. My jaw just about hit the floor. I was stunned he was dressed so casually. At the same time, I was thinking he was pretty cute.” (“Ultimately,” she adds, “it turned out he didn’t realize he was coming in for an interview, which explained his non-interview attire.”) Jon’s first “lasting” impression of Christina he says, came months later. “Christina was always very professional at work and never indulged in my playfulness,” he said. “So we are at this event and had been working on a project together so we had lots to talk about, but as the conversation shifted into other topics, we started talking about life, family, and adventures we have been on. I remember listening to her tell me about her father and some of the things she loves about him, some of those same things I later found were the same things she loves about me. Our goals, morals, and general life outlook were very very much in line with each other…. That was the start of our journey together.”
Christina was adamant about not dating a coworker, but eventually Jon convinced her to join him for dinner in Old Town followed by a karaoke bar. “Although I don’t sing karaoke, it was so much fun!” Christina says. “We continued to go to the karaoke bar throughout our relationship—first date, night of our engagement, and then after our wedding for the after party.”
The Proposal
The duo dated for three years before Jon proposed one night at their apartment in Old Town. “I had always said I never wanted to get proposed to in public, so he planned a private night and popped the question,” Christina says. “After he proposed, we went to the same places we had gone on our first date.”
For the next year and a half the pair planned a blue and white wedding they describe as “timeless, classic, simple, and vibrant.”
The Big Day
For their August 3 blue and white wedding, the couple chose River Farm for its gardens, river views, and historic house. “There is even a centuries old Osage tree on their property that is the largest of its kind,” Christina Says. “Many of our photos were in front of this tree.” For decor, they landed on a “chinoiserie garden party” theme, with blue, white, and peach serving as the main colors throughout.
Because they wanted to get ready in Old Town, the couple say they splurged on getting-ready suites at The Alexandrian.
The Blue and White Wedding Details
Over at the event space, the look was even more than Christina had hoped for. “I was blown away by the decor and flower details that our event coordinator and florist Kelley surprised us with,” she says “I grew up visiting Cape Cod during the summer and have always loved the hydrangeas and landscape there. Many houses and stores there fill blue/white chinoiserie vases with hydrangeas, and I’ve always thought this looked so stunning, simple, and timeless. At our wedding, Kelley tied in these little details. I thought I’d never seen something so lovely.”
Jon says that his favorite detail of the day (aside from the bride, he says) was the vow books, which the couple handmade from passport holders. “Throughout our relationship we’ve traveled around the world,” he says. “The vow books were a cute reminder of that, and symbolic that we were about to set out on our greatest adventure yet.”
The Menu
The couple and their guests dined on a summer feast. “We wanted food that would be light and fresh, since we were getting married in August and knew it’d be hot,” Christina says. “We both love citrus and fresh herbs like mint and basil, so a lot of our menu items played off this.” As appetizers, they chose tomato-basil bruschetta, strawberry canapé with mint, spring rolls, and southern fried chicken that was served in a waffle cone with maple sweet cream butter. For salad, the opted for the citrus and peach option with grapefruit, oranges, and grilled peaches served over mixed greens and arugula, and for the main course, a vin blanc chicken, dill cucumber salmon, Israeli couscous, spring roasted vegetables, and slow roasted tomatoes and cauliflower in a basil oil.
For dessert, they chose a vanilla pound cake with raspberry jam and chocolate ganache filled, frosted with vanilla buttercream, and for a signature cocktail, Lavender Collins.
The Honeymoon
Following the celebration, the couple honeymooned in Bora Bora.
The Details:
Photographer: Birds of a Feather Photography | Venue: River Farm | Planning, Design, & Florals: Event Studio | Invitations: Paper Source | Catering & Cake: Purple Onion | Hairstylist and Makeup Artist: Amie Decker Beauty | Bride’s Attire: Dee Hutton; Carine’s Bridal Atelier | Groom’s Attire: Suitsupply | Bridesmaids’ Attire: BHLDN, Georgetown | Groomsmen’s Attire: Suitsupply Company, Tysons Galleria | Music: DJ Andy Gotsch
Amy leads Washingtonian Weddings and writes Style Setters for Washingtonian. Prior to joining Washingtonian in March 2016, she was the editor of Capitol File magazine in DC and before that, editor of What’s Up? Weddings in Annapolis.
