Sarah and Jeff, finance professionals from New Jersey and Maryland, respectively, met on the dating app Coffee Meets Bagel. For their first date, they went to the now defunct Clarendon restaurant Fuego (“RIP”, they say), and two and a half years later, Jeff proposed on Saturday afternoon at their home in Arlington. “After brunch with a girlfriend, I came home to our condo, which was pitch black with my favorite song playing in the background and newly hung bistro lights hanging from the ceiling,” Sarah recalls. “Jeff used black construction paper to block all the light coming from our windows. The hallway was lined with a hundred photos hung by string lights, and Jeff framed quotes that embodied our relationship. Candles and rose petals flooded the floors and led to Jeff on one knee with a cake from our favorite dessert shop that said “Will You Marry Me?” It was such a beautiful, thoughtful proposal.” After Sarah said yes, they celebrated over pasta and Champagne at RPM Italian.
For their September 2020 wedding, the pair exchanged vows at a hidden overlook in Shenandoah National Park with just their immediate family, hiked to Little Stony Man summit for sunset portraits—Jeff is a suit, and Sarah in a gown, carrying a bouquet of dahlias and other burgundy, burnt orange, and taupe blooms. Afterwards, they celebrated with dinner at Glen Gordon Manor in Huntly, Virginia, and Jeff’s parents surprised the couple with a video that his parents put together with message from family and friends.
“Jeff and I love to travel and be outdoors, so Shenandoah was the perfect location to blend the things we love and commit to each other amongst the backdrop of the beautiful park,” says Sarah. “It was truly the perfect day.”
The newlyweds celebrated their nuptials with a larger vow renewal the following October.
The Details
Photographer: Jaclyn Steele Photography | Venue: Shenandoah National Park (ceremony) and Glen Gordon Manor (reception) | Florist: Growing Wild Floral Company | Hairstylist: Sarah Fulk, DC Bridal Hair | Makeup: Jessica Tan | Bride’s attire: Wtoo by Waters, from Cherie Sustainable Bridal | Groom’s attire: Suitsupply | Officiant: Reverend Kate Adamson
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.
