Congressional Country Club Wedding in Bethesda, Maryland

Congressional Country Club Wedding | Katie + Marcello

Congressional Country Club Wedding, Bethesda MD

Destination Wedding Photographers Maryland | Congressional Country Club

After several rescheduled dates, Katie and Marcello finally got to celebrate their love with a Congressional Country Club Wedding in Bethesda, Maryland!

Marcello and Katie met through an online dating app. Apparently, these two had matched on other dating sites but had never communicated. After they connected on Hinge, they ended up talking over the phone for hours. They bonded over many things, but the timing was off, and they decided to part ways.

If only they knew at that time, they would become husband and wife! A few months passed, and they decided to hike Old Rag in Shenandoah Valley as just friends. Ever since that hike, though, they realized they had something special! (Katie suspected that Marcello was impressed by her mad ‘billy goat hiking skills’ and he confessed that she was right!)

After being together for a while, marriage was inevitable, so Katie knew a ring was in her future. On New Year's Eve, they planned to go to the botanical gardens in Washington DC and then meet friends for dinner to celebrate Katie's birthday. The gardens were busy with people everywhere, so Marcello was frantically searching for the perfect private spot. When they got to the balcony that overlooks the foliage, Marcello got down on one knee, and Katie started crying happy tears and immediately said yes! It was the perfect birthday surprise for her!

The architecture at Congressional Country Club is magnificent. Its architecture is similar to a Spanish colonial. It was the perfect wedding venue for Marcello and Katie to celebrate with their friends and family finally. Katie had always known she wanted to get married there. Before her father passed away, he was a member of the club, and they enjoyed going on daddy-daughter dates there. It was an obvious pick for them to get married there.

They were initially supposed to get married in May of 2020, but of course, their plans changed. The first Save the Date card featured a photo from the couple's engagement session at Barboursville Vineyard, which read, "New date, same wedding." The second Save the Date featured not just a photo from the couple's 2020 elopement, but also Justin Timberlake's head popping into the frame. Its headline was a nod to Timberlake saying, "It's gonna be May!" because they'd pushed the date back a whole year from their original date. Finally, the last Save The Date included a photo of the couple with Britney Spears that read, "Oops. . . We did it again!" I'm sure these changes weren't easy to withstand, but I loved how they made their date changes humorous!

Katie and Marcello, along with their bridal party, were so much fun to be around! While the guys got ready for the day, they enjoyed time together during the traditional Jewish Tisch. The groomsmen gave toasts, drank bourbon, and heckled the groom a bit.

Once the girls were ready, they popped some champagne on the rooftop of the bridal suite. The couple shared a first look with just the two of them because Marcello has been waiting to see his lovely bride in her dress for well over a year! When he turned around, his mouth literally dropped open because Katie looked breathtaking!!

They held a lovely outdoor reception on the terrace overlooking the golf course. It was an elegantly romantic setting with bistro lights overhead, a champagne tower, and lots of candles. All of their guests were ready to party and finally celebrate these two!

Katie slipped upstairs during the reception to step into a second stunning wedding dress and change her hairstyle for her second look. The bride’s a talented singer, and her band performed at the reception. She delighted guests when she took to the stage with the band, grabbed the microphone, and sang a song, which was incredible! I loved seeing Marcello rocking out while his bride sang. And it was even more fun when he hopped up there just to be close to her while she performed!

Katie & Marcello, I was honored to be along for the ride with you both throughout your wedding season, elopement, and to follow along with your story as you partnered together to overcome health concerns, multiple surgeries, and a global pandemic not to mention 4 different rescheduled wedding dates. You two have already shown how supportive you are of each other, and I was thrilled to be there to finally capture your celebration!

Check out some of my favorites from Katie & Marcello’s Congressional Country Club Wedding!