A Timeless, Fashion-Forward Wedding at Anderson House

Joanna, an attorney from Nigeria by way of Texas, and Stephen, an engineer from Arkansas, were teammates on their college track team. Joanna thought he was kind of a goofy guy; Stephen saw her as quiet, mysterious, and way cooler than him. By senior year, though, something clicked. They dated for eight years while Joanna finished graduate school, then law school. Eventually, Stephen proposed in the National Mall’s Mary Livingston Ripley Garden.

Their fashion-forward two-day wedding began with a vibrant Nigerian celebration decorated in shades of pink, orange, and red, followed by an American wedding with green-and-white decor that Joanna describes as romantic and timeless. Their weekend wardrobes, they say, were a highlight. Stephen wore a custom jacket and then a semi-bespoke tuxedo from a fifth-generation Savile Row tailor. Joanna had five looks: On Saturday, a short isi agu dress, then a long, embellished green George-lace gown. On Sunday, she walked the aisle in a chic ballgown, danced in a sparkly gown with a detachable skirt, and waved goodbye in a short, pearl-embellished dress for the newlyweds’ chic bicycle getaway.

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.