A Christmassy Wedding at the Willard

Julianna, an auditor from Potomac, and Marco, a data analytics consultant from Virginia Beach, met on the dating app Hinge. Four years after getting to know one another over sushi at Rakuya in Dupont Circle, Marco proposed in Blagden Alley—the scene of the couple’s many coffee dates—in from of the Lisa Marie Studio “Love Mural.” Afterwards, the couple celebrated with dinner at Sushi Nakazawa before Marco’s final surprise of the night: an engagement party with friends on the rooftop of their apartment building. All, Julianna points out, on a Tuesday.

For their December wedding, the couple says their focus was to blend their Lebanese and Italian heritages, whiled leaning into the festiveness of the holiday season. “We both love winter and knew that we wanted to lean into cozy warm colors with pops of holiday spirit,” Julianna says. “We chose the Willard partially because it was going to be so beautifully decorated for the holidays, and we didn’t want to compete with the holiday vision they already had planned!” Julianna’s favorite wedding-day detail was the welcome sign, which her dad and friend worked together to create as a surprise, featuring a photo of Julianna and her mother, her paternal grandmother, and her late maternal grandmother, in front of the Willard’s Christmas tree. Marco’s favorite parts were the Lebanese drum band—a delight to much of his family that had traveled to the wedding from overseas—and the cufflinks he gifted to his groomsmen, which featured their respective last names in Arabic. Other personalized details included matchbox favors that featured an original sketch of the venue; a dinner menu that paired Willard classics like short rib and halibut with Mediterranean favorites like lamb lollipops, baklava, and Italian cookies; the gin-basil smash signature cocktails that the couple says are also popular in Lebanon; and cake flavors that were chosen by each set of parents—chocolate cake with Bourbon ganache and Earl Grey. See the details of their big day below.

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.