For their first date, Jess, a U.S. Space Force officer, and Joe, a healthcare investor, went on an “ice cream crawl,” hopping from ice cream shop to ice cream shop in Bethesda. The idea was Joe’s—who Jess says she remembers thinking was the friendliest person she’d ever encountered. His first impression was that she was low-key and easy to talk to—they ended up spending hours in one shop chatting about “books, Costco, and life.” Nine months later, the paired had planned to go their separate ways as Jess left for a work assignment in Tokyo, but instead, they decided to get married.
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Initially, they say, they had no idea where they wanted to get married, but on a trip back to DC, Joe spotted the Air & Space Museum sign at Dulles and decided the hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center that houses the Space Shuttle Discovery, would be the perfect spot.
Their May 4th wedding featured an “out of this world” theme, and quirky details like lego flowers Joe assembled to mix with real flowers for Jess’s bouquet and mini baseball helmets that were used as bowls for their ice cream sundae stand—a nod to their first date, and to the collections of mini baseball helmets each had acquired even before meeting. The color palette included metallics, blue, violet, and fuchsia, and some of the flowers were treated with a metallic coat to match the theme. A starlight dance floor placed under the space shuttle’s engines added a final special touch to the space. After the celebration, guests left with gift bags that included cookies from Hawaii and mini space-themed legos.
See the photos from the wedding day below.
The Details
Photographer and photo booth: Roma Vista Photography
Planning and design: A Fine Fete
Venue: Smithsonian Air & Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center
Florals: Love Blooms Floral Design
Invitations: Zola
Catering and cake: Occasions
Hair and makeup: DC Elite Image
Bride’s attire: Jacquelin Exclusive from Fairytale Brides (Rockville)
Bridesmaids attire: Azazie
Groom’s attire: Brooks Brothers (tuxedo); Blue Ridge Design Co. (Yankees shirt)
Groomsmen’s attire: Men’s Wearhouse
Music: DJ Welvin at Bialek’s
Rentals: Frost DC (lighting) and Kundan Events (dance floor)
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.
