This October Wedding’s Menu Featured Brisket, Macaroni and Cheese, and Buttermilk Cornbread

Claire, who works for the U.S. Department of Commerce and hails from LA, and Nicola, who’s from Rome and grew up in Buffalo, New York and works at the State Department, met as grad students at Georgetown. They became fast friends until an “unexpected kiss” one night in the basement of Salazar on 14th Street changed their course. Exactly one year later, Nicola proposed proposed in Kalorama Park.

Their October wedding didn’t include a theme, but did incorporate tradition: In the spirit of their Quaker venue, they signed a marriage certificate during the ceremony and included all guests at the “in-the-round”-style ceremony (which Nicola called “intimate and personal”) with a time for open sharing for words of support or affirmation. After the ceremony, the newlyweds and their loved ones headed to the Spanish Steps, which they’d reserved for photos.

At the reception, they served barbecue, including brisket, pulled chicken, homestyle macaroni and cheese, maple dijon Brussels sprouts, sweet buttermilk cornbread, and fixings that included five different sauces at each table. For dessert, they opted for a dessert bar plus a white-chocolate mousse cake. And for favors, the pair honored Nicola’s Italian roots with another tradition: bags of five candy-covered almonds with the Italian wedding blessing that reads, “Five sugared almonds for each guest to eat, to remind us that life is both bitter and sweet. Five wishes are made for the new husband and wife: health, wealth, happiness, family and a long life.”

To make the most of their time with their guests, they planned a weekend full of activities, including a welcome night at Salazar and a picnic in the park where Nicola proposed. Among the other special touches were the custom tuxedo Nicola wore, embroidered with his new initials—the pair decided they’d both take Claire’s maiden name as their middle name and Nicola’s last name as their surname—and a “vintage” 2000s Sony HandyCam from Etsy that they used to make their wedding video. They also had a friend officiate.

After the wedding, the newlyweds honeymooned in Aruba.

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.