Though they both attended Virginia Tech, it wasn’t in Blacksburg that Tiffany and Sam met—instead, it was through mutual Hokie friends at spring break in Key West, Florida their senior year of college. After a week of Fat Tuesday slushies and multiple moped rides, they say, they both left Key West with something special. For their first date back at school, they shared dinner at Boudreaux’s and then watched the sunset from the Pylons. They dated for three-and-a-half years before Sam proposed in Great Falls Park in December of 2019.
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The couple originally planned for a wedding on September 25, 2021, with a fall feel and the Virginia Tech football schedule in mind, but while they were waiting for a reprint of their save-the-dates (there was a typo in the return address), the couple learned that Tiffany’s mother’s breast cancer had returned, and it was aggressive. With that news, they contacted their wedding planner and asked to bump the wedding up to February 27, 2021. Then, ultimately on advice from Tiffany’s mother’s medical team, they moved the date up once more to February 6. The pair say they’d originally hoped to have 175 guests, but with the pandemic, governor’s mandate, and the mother-of-the-bride’s health condition, they pulled back to invite only their immediate family at a private home in Herndon. “We ended up having a small, intimate ceremony and reception that was filled with love,” Tiffany says. “It was truly a special day and we are so happy that my mother was able to be in attendance. We could have never been able to imagine pulling off a wedding in less than a week, but ultimately, celebrating our love, among our family, was what mattered the most.”
The decor was light and airy, with a color scheme or white, black, and black. Tiffany and Sam exchanged vows in front of a fireplace, underneath a large iron-wrought clock that the florist adorned with flowers—a focal point that, the couple says, helped bring to life the important of time and how precious time can be.
The newlyweds, who live in Alexandria, honeymooned in Hawaii. See the details of their big day below.
The Details
Photographer: Hay Alexandra Photography | Venue: Private Residence | Event Planning & Design: Vida Events | Florist: Mini Rose Farm | Invitations: The Knot | Catering: McCormick & Schmick’s | Cake: Mollie’s Cake Kitchen | Hair & Makeup: Hair and Makeup by Claudine | Bride’s Attire: Jenny by Jenny Yoo from Bhldn | Groom’s Attire: The Black Tux | Bridesmaids’ Attire: Sachin & Babi from Bhldn | Groomsmen’s Attire: The Black Tux
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.
