of songs. They had practiced the routine for three months. “It was his idea,” Meagan says. Brendan and Meagan had a second dance to “Time of My Life” by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes from the film Dirty Dancing. “It was a spur of the moment thing,” Brendan says.
THE ULTIMATE D.I.Y.: After deciding against hiring a videographer, Meagan and Brendan selected 10 of their most video-savvy friends to change the settings on their phones to production-quality 4K video. Each took their own videos from different parts of the night. There are around 80 videos that Meagan plans to piece together herself. “This felt more personal,” she says.
THE CEREMONY: The couple had a traditional Catholic ceremony that was officiated by Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, a friend of Brendan’s family. Blessed Sacrament is Brendan’s family church and where his grandmother was married and his father went to school.
THE FOOD: Cocktail hour fare included oysters and lamb lollipops. The couple 202
also made sure to serve a Maryland classic—crabcakes. At the reception, filet mignon and Maryland rockfish were served, and chocolate-covered strawberries were offered along with the cake.
THE RECEPTION: Meagan hired her favorite band, Go Go Gadjet. She has been following them for 11 years, after seeing them in college. The band brought along a light-up drum show and kept the party going with covers of the couple’s favorite songs. “It was just
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 | BETHESDAMAGAZINE.COM
awesome,” Brendan says of the ballroom reception.
DANCING UP A STORM: During the couple’s first dance to “Sit Next to Me” by Foster the People, Brendan, who loves to dance, gave his own performance and stole the show. He did a kick-up, which is an acrobatic move he taught himself after doing karate as a kid. Brendan and his mother danced to “La Bamba” by Ritchie Valens, then Meagan and her father performed a synchronized dance to a mashup
VENDORS: Band, Go Go Gadjet; cake, JennyCakes; catering and wedding planning, Columbia Country Club; flowers, Wildflower Weddings at Bend in the River Farm; gown, designed by Anne Barge and purchased at Love Couture Bridal in Potomac; hair and makeup, Claudine Fay; photography, Christie Heimbach Photography; transportation, Senate Transportation Services/Carey Limousine. n
PHOTOS BY CHRISTIE HEIMBACH
THE WEDDING: Meagan and Brendan were married on Aug. 17, 2019, at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Upper Northwest D.C. The reception was at Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, followed by an after-party at The Avenue in Upper Northwest D.C. They had 250 guests.
THE HONEYMOON: The couple went on an eight-day honeymoon to the Amalfi Coast in southern Italy. They took a cocktail class and a cooking class and went for boat rides to remote islands. “We both love the Italian cuisine, so it was also about eating,” Meagan says. “It was the trip of a lifetime.”