Taylor Swift Lyrics, Two Cats, and a Frank Sinatra Tribute Band: Inside This “Nancy Meyers-Chic”-Themed Wedding

A month after connecting on Hinge, Charlie and Brandon, federal workers from Illinois and Connecticut, respectively, met up in person for an “intimate and thoughtfully planned” first date that included old fashioneds, effortless conversation, and the sharing of their favorite music. Three and a half years later, Brandon proposed on a walk to the Tidal Basin. After some photos, they say, the newly engaged couple went to brunch at Petite Cerise—their favorite restaurant—where both immediate families, who’d flown in for the occasion, were waiting to celebrate. Afterwards, they met up with more loved ones to continue the merriment.

For their August wedding a year and a half later, the Bloomingdale couple chose a “Nancy Meyers-chic” theme decorated in navy blue and white.

The escort wall, which featured the Taylor Swift lyric “One single thread of gold tied me to you,” was one of Charlie’s favorite wedding-day details not only because of its reference to an artist both he and Brandon love, but also because he says having the lyric on the escort wall was a subtle expression of the gratitude he felt towards the guests for all the ways they indirectly supported and helped him and Brandon find one another.

Among Brandon’s favorite details was the 12th-floor ballroom in which they held their cocktail hour. The space itself overlooked the Tidal Basin where the couple got engaged, and the cocktail hour paid homage to their cats, Augie and Attie, with signature cocktails named for each, napkins and bar signs with their image, and photos of the cats displayed around the room. There, the menu kicked off a decadent one for the evening starting with mini beef wellingtons, mini gazpacho shooters with burrata, peking duck, crispy calamari, and Brazilian beef with chimichurri sauce—plus a raw bar of oysters, clams, Maine lobster, and colossal shrimp cocktail. For dinner, there was a choice of herb branzino paired with a petit filet or a full filet paired with a petite jumbo lump crab cake, and for dessert, a wedding cake layered with alternating flavors of strawberries and cream and banana Nutella.

Other highlights of the evening included a custom monogram that was carried from the stationery suite to the bathroom hand towels, the bars, and the dance floor; handwritten notes the couple left for each guest at their seat; orchids that were featured throughout the day in memory of Brandon’s late grandmother; and the various elements of live music—including a string quartet for the ceremony and cocktail hour, a Frank Sinatra/Rat Pack band that played during dinner, and a DJ for dancing. After the I dos, the couple honeymooned at the Four Season Hualalai in Hawaii. See the photos of their big day below.

Wedding 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.