Attorneys Tess and Kevin met as students at Georgetown law school—they sat next to one another in a class, and she was notably unimpressed by his lack of note taking, while he was in awe of how many pens and highlighters were in active use while she took hers. Eventually, they connected over drinks at Kelly’s Irish Times one day after class, and four years later, Kevin proposed on New Year’s Eve in New Orleans—an impromptu proposal in an alley on the way to a bowling reservation, after his initial plans went awry.
The Brookland couple’s April wedding featured a “Brookland’s Finest” theme, with a color palette of lime cream, mauve, Prussian blue, and lilac. The best part of the day, the couple agrees, was the second line from the church to the reception venue. “We had so much fun dancing and singing through the streets of our neighborhood—it was joy incarnate,” says Tess. “We distributed streamers to our guests and celebratory champagne as they paraded through the streets. I got such a kick out of the neighbors who came outside to check out the musical commotion and join in on our celebration!”
Tess wore her grandmother’s wedding dress—which her mother had also worn, along with at least three other family members. “When my grandparents got married in the early 1950s, all of my Grandma Jo’s aunties pooled their money to buy her a new wedding dress, which was considered a real luxury for their family and their circumstances,” Tess says. “After they were married, my grandparents sponsored some of their cousins to emigrate from Ireland to Cleveland, Ohio. After their arrival in the US, these cousins lived with my grandparents for a while before moving out on their own or getting married. When three of the women got married, they asked to borrow my grandma’s fancy “new” wedding dress, which she, of course, graciously obliged. It was incredibly special for me to wear the same dress as my Grandma Jo and my mom. But it was also very moving for me to wear this dress that captures a small but tangible piece of my family’s immigrant story.” To go with the dress, she wore a lime-cream veil from Esty, as well as lime-cream shoes.
Other details that added to the aesthetic of the day, which they described as “joyful, funky, vintage vibes,” included vintage porcelain cake toppers from Portugal; a vintage-inspired photobooth; and to-go cups that were a nod to the Rock n’ Bowl bowling alley where their engagement began.
Check out the photos of their big day in Brookland below.
The Details
Photography: Joséphine N. Manet
Venue: St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church (ceremony); St. Francis Hall (reception)
Planning and design: Lizzie Noble Mistretta
Invitations: Minted
Caterer: Purple Onion Catering Co.
Cake: Sweet Crimes Bakery
Hairstylist: Hair by Shannon Marie
Makeup artist: Makeup by Shirin
Groom’s attire: J. Press
Music: Crush Funk (second line brass band); The Original Moonlighters (reception)
Rentals: Select Event Group and Purple Onion Catering Co.
Photobooth: Majestic Photobooth
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.
