Rich Colors and Lush Flowers Filled This Summer-Meets-Fall Wedding

Ashley, an HR professional from Connecticut, and Hampton, a federal police officer from New York City, were introduced by one of the bride’s coworkers (who happens to be the groom’s sister). They started to get to know each other over dinner in Alexandria; four years later, Hampton proposed at the end of a five-mile hike around Burke Lake.

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Their September, seasonal-flower-filled, “summer meets fall” wedding at Stone Tower Winery featured a rich palette—Ashley’s favorite detail of the day—pairing cranberry red, mustard yellow, and slate blue with neutral tones that popped against the scenery at the outdoor ceremony and continued inside for the reception. There, signature cocktails were a marshmallow-toasted old fashioned and a smoky blended sour topped with both dehydrated pear and pear caviar. The Southern- and Caribbean-­inspired food, the couple says, was a key part of the celebration. Cocktail hour included passed bites such as chicken and waffles, plantain fritters, and fried mac-and-cheese poppers. Choices of dinner entrée included Caribbean-style fried chicken, filet mignon, and butternut risotto cake. In addition to the dessert bar, guests sampled wedding cake layered with chocolate cake with cookies-and-cream icing and bourbon cake with vanilla icing—both with salted-caramel filling.

The Details

This wedding originally appeared in the January 2023 issue of Washingtonian.

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.