Maria, a congressional staffer from Washington, and Nate, a commercial real estate marketing professional from Bethesda, met at a masquerade birthday party for Nate’s cousin, whom Maria knew from work. They talked for a long time before Nate took off his mask and Maria said she thought, “Oh, good, he’s gorgeous.” They bonded over drinks at the Tortilla Coast one day after work, and then Nate planned their first official date: ice skating and Thai food at the Georgetown Waterfront.

Four years later, Nate proposed to her while the two were having a picnic with all their favorite foods in front of the Capitol on the Mall.

Their DC love story inspired their DC wedding, which they decorated with marble and black and white tones with soft pink accents. Special touches included Washington Capitals-themed save-the-date cards, a cocktail party with views of the DC skyline, real marble table numbers, a marble-clad dance floor and stage decorated with a cherry blossom pattern, and a lush floral chuppah.

Instead of a salad course, dinner began with a plate of the couple’s favorite international “dumplings” – potstickers, samosas, etc. For dessert: confetti wedding cake and crumble cookies. They chose their wedding date based on the availability of the band they had seen at another family wedding, and said they knew they wanted to have the dance party they envisioned.

The details

Editor for fashion and weddings

Amy runs Washingtonian Weddings and writes Style Setters for Washingtonian. Before joining Washingtonian in March 2016, she was editor of Capitol File magazine in DC and before that editor of What’s Up? Weddings in Annapolis.