Before Their Elopement in Ireland, This Couple Hosted a “Sound of Music”–Themed, Bavarian-Style Sendoff

Corey, who works for the Cadmus Group, and Saurabh, owner of the Tower Strategies Group, first met at Georgetown University—she was enrolled in a program looking to make a career change, and he was her professor. But, they say, “it was all on the up and up”—it wasn’t until the program ended that sparks flew during a meeting to discuss Corey’s next career steps. “I had already pinned our entire wedding by our second date, and told Saurabh about it,” says Corey. “He asked if he could join as a collaborator. Mindmeld complete.”

When it was time to get married a few years later, they wanted a wedding that highlighted their cultures—she’s German and Irish, and he’s from India—and their mutual wanderlust. But instead of having one big fusion event, they say, they opted for a series of smaller, intimate events to celebrate with family and close friends all over the world—including an elopement in Northern Ireland and a Punjabi wedding in India to follow. But first: a Bavarian-inspired send-off party in Virginia with a Sound of Music theme.

For the design they used an “earthy” palette that Corey says pulled in colors you’d see in a German village—steel blue, meadow green, muted browns, and orange. Inside the venue, the decor was inspired by Bavarian landscapes and scenes from The Sound of Music. Outside, they transformed the patio into a biergarten with a keg wall that included German beer, vintage beer steins, and custom “das boot” glasses for guests to take home. They also included German wedding traditions weddings like log sawing and a toast with a traditional wedding cup.

The menu included authentic German dishes like chicken schnitzel and warm pretzels with cheese dip, plus German cookies and after-dinner drinks in German mugs.

Corey’s favorite part was the cuckoo clock escort display—it was designed with hand-carved wooden birds that held each guest’s name, and three working cuckoo clocks (a nod to a line in the movie) that directed guests to their seats. Saurabh’s favorite part was the way they included interactive experiences throughout—including a scavenger hunt that tested their guest’s knowledge of experiences the couple shared. “You had to find the Porsche we crashed, know how to do the Dirty Dancing lift from our proposal, know our favorite wine, and at the very end you had to blow a whistle—a replica of Captain von Trapp’s—to signal your victory and grab your reward—three fancy German wines,” Corey says.

See the details of their celebration 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.