Rehearsal Dinner

Perry Belmont House

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception

Farewell Brunch

Our Wedding

MATT: Our first date was at Shenandoah Joe’s Coffee Shop in Charlottesville, where we were both finishing graduate school. Our morning coffee date turned into lunch, then late afternoon, and dipped into dinner. Mariel immediately struck me as engaging, hilarious, and enthusiastic about life, and I wanted her in mine. MARIEL: He enchanted me with his warmth, humor, listening skills, and hand-made watercolor postcards of bar toilets. I couldn't believe how much I liked him. That feeling hit like meeting your best friend on the school bus, someone totally new but immediately familiar, an immediate unfurling of inside jokes, rituals, and understanding. An epic sleepover that's never ended.

HOW WE MET

MATT: It was a blustery, rainy day - her favorite kind. On the anniversary of our first date, after cooking seared scallops over a bright summer risotto (which will forever be referred to as ‘ringsotto’), I proposed just in time for dessert. I’m glad she said yes! MARIEL: In case I had any doubts (and I didn't), those mushroom umami bombs spread over a vibrant green "Ringsotto" would have blasted them out of the water. Matt pulled the ring box from his pocket and asked me the most beautiful question. Then we ran into the rain, to stare at the blue-green sapphire in the storming sunset.

OUR ENGAGEMENT

Our Story

Photos

Wedding Party

WHAT IS THE DRESS CODE? We encourage you to attend our wedding in your finest black-tie attire. For gentlemen, this typically means a black tuxedo with a white shirt or a smoking jacket in velvet or silk. For ladies, this means gowns in evening-appropriate fabrics (velvet, chiffon, silk, or lace). Please avoid anything close to white. But do not stress over this.We would rather you come than not! If you’d like, help bring our turn-of-the-century venue to life by wearing vintage and antique-inspired clothing, shoes, and/or accessories. Complement the eclectic Beaux-Arts aesthetic of the Perry Belmont by referencing Renaissance, Rococo, Gilded Age, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Old Hollywood. Think baroque details, beading, velvet, fringe, feathers, ribbon, luster, pearls, patina... Your great-grandmother’s necklace(s) will never feel more at home.

Q + A

When booking, make sure to select "Matt and Mariel Wedding Room Block" (code: EBS). Our room block closes for bookings by October 3rd, so try to book before then. Please reach out to the hotel, our planner, or to us if you have any questions!

Kimpton Banneker Hotel by IHG

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

Dulles International Airport

Dupont Circle North Metro Station

Dupont Circle Metro - South Entrance

Travel

This grassy pedestrian mall is surrounded by our country’s most iconic memorials and meaningful history. Matt and Mariel’s favorite free museums are the Archives, National Gallery of Art, Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the Air and Space Museum. We believe there is a Smithsonian museum for everyone!

National Mall

This historic district near where we live is full of colonial architecture, places to eat, and things to buy. The town square has hosted a Saturday morning farmer’s market for three hundred years. Our favorite restaurants in Old Town are Tatte Bakery and Cafe, the Turkish Coffee Lady, and Josephine’s. We love thrifting at Look Again Resale Shop (which raises money for people with blindness) and checking out the many antique stores that line King St, like Gossypia -- where someone has found antique formal gowns spanning the last hundred years.

Old Town Alexandria Waterfront

We love this small chain of bakeries you can find in Washington D.C. and Boston. The Perry Belmont happens to be equidistant between 2 locations, each within half a mile of the venue. A convenient and tasty place for breakfast!

Tatte Bakery & Cafe | Dupont Circle

This ticketed museum in the DuPont Circle area is less than half a mile from the Perry Belmont. The Phillips collection contains great works of modern art, including an intimate Mark Rothko exhibit Rothko helped to design.

The Phillips Collection

Things to Do

Registry

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS FRIDAY 10/31 Trick-or-treating / Bar hopping (optional of course!)  9 - Late NightOld Town AlexandriaSATURDAY 11/1The Wedding  5 – 11PMat THE PERRY BELMONT HOUSE11PM - Late Nightat TBASUNDAY 11/2Farewell Brunch  (optional of course!)10:30-12:00at THE KIMPTON BANNEKER HOTEL