Weddings

This Couple Rented Potted Plants and Trees for Their Understated Eastern Market Wedding

The ceremony readings included Latin poems and quotes from the tv show Fleabag.

Photographs by Haley Day

Nicola, a high school Latin teacher from Massachusetts, and Andrew, an MBA candidate from Omaha, met studying abroad as undergraduates in Rome. For their first date, they went for gelato, and six years later, Andrew proposed, Nicola says, “on a cozy, Sunday Saturday morning in bed with our dog Rufus.”


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For their May wedding, the pair wanted their neighborhood to serve as the backdrop. “We lived on the Hill for five years, and all of our memories are there,” says Nicola. “I didn’t look at any other venues because I always knew we would get married at Eastern Market!” They stuck to their favorite Capitol Hill spots for the other wedding events too: an engagement party at Joselito’s, rehearsal dinner at Beuchert’s, and an after-party at Fight Club.

As a teacher and grad school student, they say, they were “acutely aware” of their budget during the planning process. Among their cost-saving measures, they say, were the return-address stamp Nicola bought rather than having their return addresses professional printed; the DIYed paper items they had printed at Staples; the dress Nicola bought on on clearance at BHLDN; and the potted plants and trees that they rented and repurposed from the aisle and ceremony backdrop to the reception centerpieces. “I’m really proud of us for all our hard work and for pulling off our beautiful day with what we had,” says Nicola.

Nicola says her favorite parts of the day were Rufus’s tuxedo, and the readings at the ceremony, which included Latin poetry (“Horace’s Ode 3.30, to be specific,” Nicola says, “if any of my students read this, they know how much I love this poem!”), plus the priest’s speech from the series finale of Fleabag. “I also loved our song choices,” says Nicola. “We walked down the aisle to “The Night Me And Your Mama Met” by Childish Gambino, the recessional was “Loving Is Easy” by Rex Orange County, and our first dance was “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Lauryn Hill.” Andrew’s favorite part was the late-night menu at the afterparty. “It was clear everyone was in need of some food after all the dancing and signature cocktails, and the french fries, nachos and half-smoke pups were the perfect thing.”

For their honeymoon, the pair went back to Rome. See the details from their big day below.

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The Details

Photographer: Haley Day

Venue: Eastern Market North Hall

Coordination: The Coordinated Collective

Florist and rentals: Modern Foliage Designs

Invitations: Minted

 

Catering:  Eat and Smile Catering

Hair: Rose & Sparrow Salon

Bride’s attire: Anthropologie

Groom and groomsmen’s attire: J. Crew and Bonobos

Music: Dan Goldman Events

 

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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.