Mark caught Leanna’s eye as soon as she walked into the bar; he was handsome, charming, and mysterious. Mark’s first impression of Leanna was witty, a little feisty and very beautiful.

Leanna and Mark went on a long weekend getaway to Playa del Carmen Mexico in late October 2017; the trip was Leanna’s birthday present from Mark. Leanna was hopeful that Mark would propose to her this trip but as they got to the last night, with no ring (and no ring in the resort room safe), Leanna thought it wouldn’t happen. Their last night they had a romantic private seafood dinner on the beach with lobster tails and champagne. After dinner they went for a walk on a secluded beach. Mark told Leanna how beautiful she was and how much he loved her, got down on one knee and proposed.

Mark and Leanna make each other better people. They have similarities but also many differences in their personalities that complement each other. One very important similarity is family values they share. They cannot wait to be married and raise a family together.

Leanna and Mark had the most perfect weather they could ask for, rare for August in DC, left a smile from ear to ear on everyone’s face the entire day. It made the view of the Capitol & Union Station wonderfully enjoyable.

They dated 4.5 years before getting engaged and were engaged for 10 months before getting married.

The wedding included calla lilies, a family tradition, and featured white linens, gold candles, and gold plates. The DC cityscape rooftop view was romantic and such a highlight.

Leanna and Mark went to Greece for their honeymoon. It started in Santorini for 5 nights. The first couple nights in Santorini were spent in Oia, which is the best area to watch the sunset over romantic seafood dinners near the water. One day they took a catamaran around the island stopping at the black-, white-, and red-sand beaches.

The following two nights were in the quiet town of Imerovigli with beautiful cliffside views looking over the Aegean sea. One day they hiked up Skaros Rock. It was quite an adventure to get to the top because they didn’t have any rock climbing skills to use! At the top they had scenic views of the island; the fortress was built to offer protection from pirates.

The last night in Santorini was spent at Kamari beach, a black-sand beach made from the stone from the volcanic rock. They went to one of Santorini’s vineyards, then flew off to Kefalonia, island in the Ionians, to get a local feel of Greece for 3 nights. Leanna and Mark rented a car to take through the luscious mountains, having to stop for the occasional goat and sheep crossing. Once or twice they pulled over to stop and buy honey from a local’s stand on the side of the road. They also made several stops at the many beautiful beaches, clear sea water filled with little fish.

The last two nights of the trip were in Athens exploring the city by foot, going to the Acropolis, and taking pictures in front of the Parthenon.

Their favorite part of the trip was the food. They had a routine of finding local shops serving 1 euro souvlaki and 2 euro gyros for lunch, then fresh grilled seafood or lamb with a Greek salad for dinner, with of course the 4 euro 1/2 liters of local house wine. Their favorite treat was frozen greek yogurt with fruit on top!

The newlyweds currently reside in Washington, DC.

Invitations – Minted by Smudge Design, minted.com
Makeup Artist – Shirin Ratner, makeupbyshirin.com
Veil – Vintage Veils, vintageveils.net
Dress Designer – Essense of Australia, essensedesigns.com
Dress Boutique – Majesty Bridal, majestybrides.com
Bride’s Shoes – Badgley Mischka at Nordstrom
Groom’s Tuxedo – Brimble & Clark, brimbleandclark.com
Groom’s Shoes – To Boot New York at Nordstrom
Bridesmaids Arrire – Bill Levkoff, billlevkoff.com from Bella Bridesmaids, bellabridesmaids.com
Groomsmen Attire – Lapel Tuxedos, rentlapel.com
Florist – Jenita G. at Safeway in Northwest DC, petalpushin4@gmail.com
white calla lilies, light pink roses, lavender dianthus, greenery
Transportation, Uber, uber.com
Ceremony Venue – Holy Rosary Church, holyrosarychurchdc.org
Officiant – Father Ezio Marchetto at Holy Rosary Church, holyrosarychurchdc.org
Reception Venue – The Capitol View at 400, capitolviewat400.com
Venue Coordinator – Delmy Palmer at The Capitol View at 400, capitolviewat400.com
Day-of Coordinator – Glow Weddings & Events, glowweddingsandevents.com
Favors – Luggage tags, Currys Leather, etsy.com/shop/CurrysLeather
DJ – Brian Jones at MyDeeJay, mydeejay.com
Cake, Catering, Linens – Corcoran Caterers, corcorancaterers.com
Signature Cocktail – Mojitos
(Passed hors d’oeuvres of lamb lollipops with honey, chicken satay with peanut sauce, seared ahi tuna kabobs, bruschetta on crostini; plated dinner of watercress, sweet pear & walnut salad; beef tenderloin with red wine reduction, grilled salmon with caper, sun-dried tomato, and lemon white wine sauce, or stuffed portobello mushroom, mushroom risotto, grilled garden vegetables; dessert of mini vanilla cake with raspberry filling and vanilla icing, mini assortment of key lime pie, tarts, cream puffs, and chocolate covered strawberries; ice cream sundae bar with vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and coconut flavors with a variety of D-I-Y toppings)

Leanna is a Consulting Technology Manager from Danbury, CT and Mark is a Lawyer from Upper Marlboro, MD

#markedforlife