DC-area natives Jessica and Matthew met at work. Their romance began with a movie date; eventually they got engaged at home before a celebration dinner at Sushi Nakazawa.
They incorporated their love of travel into their wedding day—the bride and groom both grew up in Foreign Service families—with luggage-tag escort cards; a monogrammed compass featured on the invitations and other paper goods; tables named for their favorite places; and place cards designed to look like boarding passes. Hundreds of purple tulips and other blooms—plus purple linens—carried out the monochromatic color scheme. Menu highlights included single-bite hors d’oeuvres that ensured guests didn’t need to set down their drinks to enjoy them, personally curated selections from their favorite wine clubs, and surf-and-turf entrées so guests didn’t have to choose. Welcome bags were a mix of the couple’s favorite things: Asian snacks that paid homage to Jess’s childhood, DC mumbo sauce, and two favorite homemade spice blends. Dessert featured passionfruit-and-vanilla cake, plus doughnuts and cookies, all from the newlyweds’ favorite bakery.
The Details
The venue: The Reach at the Kennedy Center
Planning and design: Bellwether Events
Invitations: The Dandelion Patch
Caterer: Occasions Caterers
Cake: Rose Ave Bakery
Hair and makeup: Amie Decker Beauty
Bride’s attire: Eva Lendel (ceremony); Amsale (reception)
Groom and groomsmen’s attire: Indochino
Music: DJ Jake Sherman from Washington Talent Agency
Rentals: Something Vintage
Transportation: All Pro Charter
Photo booth: Snap Entertainment
Calligraphy: Meant to Be Calligraphy
Officiant: With This Ring I Thee Wedd
Drapery: Posh Drapes
This article appears in the August 2024 issue of Washingtonian.
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.
