Elizabeth and Paul married at Saints Peter and Paul Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church in Potomac, then celebrated with a reception at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda on August 28, 2021.  Their wedding was originally featured in the January 2022 issue of Washingtonian. See the details below.

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After meeting through mutual friends on the W Hotel rooftop and later a Paris proposal, Lizzy, a US Senate counsel and former Miss DC USA, and Paul, president of a government-contracting company, planned an elaborate wedding weekend.

The black-tie ceremony and two reception tents—one for dinner and first dances, one for after-dinner dancing and festivities, each with three unique table designs—featured shades of neutrals and mauve. Fourteen-foot trees flanked the nuptials, six-foot spherical arrangements adorned tables in the dining room, and a roses-and-ribbon installation hung over the circular dance floor. The aesthetic was based on the bride’s two gowns: a custom cream-and-nude Vera Wang design with gray flowers, which influenced the invitations (delivered in hand-painted velvet boxes) as well as the place settings, and a pink-and-white floral Monique Lhuillier dress (from Carine’s Bridal Atelier), which inspired pink accents, including the flooring in the dance tent. The couple cut a seven-tier, sequined cake and sent loved ones home with sterling-silver display-box keepsakes.

Photographer: Abby Jiu Photography • Planning and design: Lauryn Prattes Styling and Events • Florals and decor: Birch Event Design • Stationery: Kara Anne Paper • Cake: CrumbCoat Bake Studio • Hair and makeup: Kara Knudsen • Groom’s attire: Saks Fifth Avenue • Music: The Big Beyond, Capitol Harpist, PopCulture Strings • Videographer: Aaron Novak Films • Tent: Sugarplum Tent Co. • Lighting: Technical Event Co. • Rentals: Luxe Event Rentals, Maison de Carine, Nüage Designs

This article appears in the January 2022 issue of Washingtonian.

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.