This Rooftop Wedding Included Dancing Under the Stars

Katie and Rich met in Barcelona, as students in a study abroad program their junior year of college. She introduced herself at a party, but he’d noticed her a month before during a group activity for the program, in which they had to build human pyramids—“Katie was fearless as she scrambled up the shoulders of strangers to win her team the victory,” Rich recalls. About seven years later, Rich proposed on a hike overlooking the DC skyline.

On October 23, 2022 they married at the International Spy Museum in the company of 200 guests. The venue was Rich’s favorite detail: “Katie and I each have a grandfather with a tie to special intelligence,” he says, “so having it at the Spy Museum was a way to honor that connection.” Katie’s favorite part was having the band on the outdoor rooftop. “The Washington Monument was behind the band and behind the dance floor was the Capitol, which was amazing for all our out-of-town guests,” says Katie. “We had some last-minute changes to the set-up of the evening given COVID restrictions so the band playing in the open-air was not part of the original plan, but we were so happy it happened!”

A custom wedding logo—designed by Katie’s mom—was carried throughout the wedding paper, and featured the DC skyline with the Spy Museum added in, plus a place with the couple’s names outline. One final special touch: the welcome bags included a personalized thank-you note, and a “How Well Do You Know the Bridge and Groom” quiz that the couple says their guests loved.

See all the details from their big day below.

The Details

Amy Moeller

Fashion & Weddings Editor

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.