Modern & Minimalistic Winery Wedding in Washington DC

Katelyn and Austin’s journey of love began when they initially met the evening before the first day of law school.

Realizing that they would be sharing classes, attending lunch together, and using adjacent lockers, a friendship quickly formed that continuously grew closer over time. As those around them noticed how well suited they were for each other, it wasn’t long before they too made this realization, taking their relationship to the next level and remaining inseparable ever since. Katelyn and Austin were married in a stylish, minimalistic modern winery wedding in Washington DC. Read about their love story and wedding details.

Bride & Groom: Katelyn & Austin
Occupations: Attorneys
Wedding Date: August 09, 2019
Wedding Location: District Winery in Washington DC

How did you meet? We first met at a DC bar the night before the first day of law school. (Only one of us remembers this encounter). We found out we were in the same classes and ate together after both bringing our lunches on the first day. Soon after, we were assigned adjacent lockers, and it became obvious we would be seeing a lot of each other. We teamed up to join a study group and quickly became friends. As friends, we gave new meaning to the phrase “50 first dates,” repeatedly finding ourselves together on frugal weekend adventures. On one memorable night, we attended a free wine tasting at a swanky local gym trying to sell monthly memberships, moved on to two-for-a-dollar shots at a local club, and ran two miles home to avoid the cab fare. We did night workouts on the national mall with a local running team. We went to concerts together. We drank three-dollar wine outside of Whole Foods. We talked at length about politics, music, society, and culture. We gossiped about the people we were dating, not-so-subtly competing about whose dating life was better. In a particularly heavy-handed piece of foreshadowing, we once debated whether marriage was a good public policy. One day, someone had the bright idea that we should be something more. Ignoring the wise counsel of friends, we took the plunge, and the rest is history.

Describe your wedding attire. Modern, minimal and millennial. Both dresses (ceremony & reception) that I wore were clean silhouettes from BHLDN and the groom’s tuxedo was from Suit Supply. We both wanted to look our best and to embody a timeless, classic look. However, we didn’t want any frill and we wanted everything to really be an accent to the purpose of the day which was the celebration of our love!

What was the wedding shopping experience like for you? At first, I (the bride) imagined I might rent a dress because wedding dresses can be ridiculously expensive. I checked out a few used dress stores (in NYC) and even a dress store that sold samples (in Chicago) at a discounted price. I found some great dresses too. I then checked out the Nordstrom wedding suite, because I was worried I would regret not looking there even if many dresses there were too expensive. However, I was really struck by the quality, diversity, and price of the gowns at BHLDN. There I found what I was looking for.

Did you incorporate any culture into your wedding? Yes! We are a multi-racial (I, the bride, am African American and my groom is Irish American) couple so we wrote vows to capture both of our heritages. We included an African wedding proverb and a quote from the bride’s uncle, who was a spiritual adviser, in our ceremony. We also borrowed some vows from traditional Irish ceremonies. We are both unabashed liberal progressives and it was important that we celebrate and incorporate that “culture” in our wedding–so we had multi-gendered wedding parties and we allowed our friends and family in our wedding parties to decide on an individual basis whether they wanted to wear a suit or a dress (e.g. the groom’s sister wore a suit and was a part of his wedding party).

Wedding Party Gifts: Groomsmen received a Barbour 4 piece flask set. Bridesmaids received pearl necklaces, kate spade bracelets, sage and protection crystals, personalized bags and more.
Ceremony Entrance Song: “Found a Good One” by Chance the Rapper.
First Dance Song: “That’s the Way of the World” by Earth Wind and Fire.

What is your best memory from your wedding? So hard to choose. But I think cracking jokes at the altar about sharing the first bite of a meal with the groom!

What is the best wedding advice you can give to engaged couples? Never let the “perfect” get in the way of the good! Small things will go wrong and unplanned things will happen but that’s ok! Enjoy the imperfections that are a part of what makes your day special!