“We considered options back home (in New York and New Jersey), but Georgetown and D.C. are equally special for the two of us, and it was a thrill to share that with our friends and family,” says Marissa, who now lives in Hoboken, NJ with her husband.

Their Washington romance began at the start of sophomore year of college, when Dave's future best man, John, brought him to a party to see a girl he was dating at the time. Then, coincidentally, Marissa and David both happened to work for The Hoya, Georgetown’s student newspaper; Dave in sports and Marissa as editor of lifestyle section “The Guide.” They got to know each other as colleagues, eventually rising through the ranks to become senior sports editor and editor-in-chief, respectively. And, they officially began dating shortly after going to Barnes & Noble for Secret Santa gifts in December of their junior year.

With plenty of D.C.-centric memories between them, Marissa and David say that during their hunt for a venue, The Dupont Circle seemed like the perfect place to create some new ones. “It was the only potential venue we visited that simply felt right from the moment we arrived,” she remembers. “We loved the aesthetic of the hotel and its events spaces, the Irish heritage, the personalized feel of the big day's possibilities, and the location within D.C. David Houde was also the most impressive events manager we encountered and the thought of putting our wedding in his hands was a no-brainer thanks to his genuine interest in us, knowledge of how to get done what we wanted to get done, and enthusiasm for all of our choices.”

Those choices included a classic Catholic wedding mass on campus at Georgetown, reciting original vows before the traditional ones and incorporating some aspects of Marissa’s Filipino heritage into the ceremony.

“Dahlgren Chapel is one of the oldest buildings at the university and is situated in its own quadrangle behind iconic Healy Hall. The late October timing meant the trees in the quad looked beautiful and we were lucky enough to get sunny -- but not too sunny -- weather in the 60s. The flowers inside the chapel literally stopped us and our guests in our tracks. They were prepared by my godfather, aunt, mom and lifelong friends. There is a large stained glass window behind the altar and the light streaming through it made for a perfect atmosphere. Our wedding parties and parents sat in the front pews, with our families and friends filling in behind them -- the chapel was completely full, which added to the excitement. The two priests celebrating the mass have known Dave for years -- one used to be the president of Dave's high school, the other was his former teacher in high school -- and got to know me well in the months leading up to the wedding.”

Looking back, Marissa and David recall fondly just how their wedding weekend started with a moment of peace and contemplation.

“One of our favorite moments was sharing a quiet lunch on our balcony from our Level Nine Suite on Friday afternoon. It was just before we would both be swept into the hectic, non-stop weekend with greeting guests and running around. It was truly special to be able to enjoy lunch al fresco – just the two of us – with the view of Georgetown in the distance.”

That defining moment helped set the tone for the rest of the weekend and the newylweds’ flawless experience with The Dupont Circle team.

“The combination of location within the city, tastefulness throughout the venue, guest room quality, above-and-beyond hospitality and food selection makes The Dupont Circle very difficult to outshine. Everyone kept telling us not to worry about the details of the wedding on the day of and that things would inevitably go wrong – and that we would have to just go with it. But everything was truly perfect and we have no regrets about how the day and weekend came together, which we can only imagine is a rare thing for most married couples. We couldn't have asked for more.”

And, neither could their guests.

“The most consistent compliment from our friends and family was about the entire hotel staff and how welcome they felt the entire weekend.”

Get to know the happy couple

Hometown: Marissa was born in Manhattan and grew up in Great Neck, NY (Long Island) and David is from Bayonne, NJ. They currently live in Hoboken, NJ.

Occupation: Marissa works for the hospitality group Samba Brands Management, leading the PR and marketing for Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill's three locations in Brooklyn, Miami and Las Vegas. Dave works for Taylor Strategy, leading PR and digital/social media marketing programs for Guinness, IBM and DraftKings.

Fun fact: The special guest on Marissa and David’s wedding morning was Maggie, Marissa’s 5-year-old dog, who supervised and approved all hair and makeup choices. 

Marissa + David’s wedding dream team:

Wedding coordinator: Kim Newton Weddings
Hair & makeup: Updos for I Do’s

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