Just over two years ago, Maria Christian Simon and Adam Benjamin Kushner logged onto Tinder and swiped right. They chose a bar, American Ice Company, for their first date on the Super Bowl Sunday 2014. They thought they’d have a drink or two and go their separate ways, but they ended up talking for hours and arrived late to their respective Super Bowl parties.
The two had begun discussing marriage when Maria, browsing Trulia.com the next spring, came across a gorgeous home and emailed it to Adam with a note: “Wouldn’t it be great to live in a house like this someday?” Adam opened the listing and gasped. He noticed that there would be an open house the following day; the couple saw it, loved it and, impulsively, submitted a bid. A few days later, on a previously planned trip to Italy, they learned they’d gotten the house. They were ecstatic. But they realized they’d gotten a head of themselves: They didn’t want to buy a house without being engaged. So, they informed their families that they were!
The bride and groom hosted a rehearsal dinner at the now closed Musee Conti Wax Museum that was catered by Lil Dizzy’s.
The ceremony was held at The Felicity, a decommissioned church in the Lower Garden District, on January 23, 2016. It began in the basement with an oyster happy hour hosted by Two Girls One Shuck. Then the two wed upstairs. Eve Fairbanks, a friend of the couple, sang and played the mandolin at the ceremony.
After the ceremony the Smitty Dees Brass Band second-lined with guests to the reception at Il Mercato. Guests boogied all evening to The NOLA Dukes Band and dined courtesy of Joel Catering. The wedding cake was a chocolate-peanut-butter pie from Cochon. Photographer Edmund Fountain captured all of the evening’s special moments.
Out-of-town guests were given welcome bags (assembled by family friends) full of goodies from Detroit, Maria’s hometown, and New Orleans.
Due to a busy work schedule, Maria and Adam planned a two-week honeymoon for May 2016, when they’ll visit Tokyo and Hawaii. The two reside in Crestwood, a neighborhood in northwest Washington, DC.
Maria is a senior partner and co-owner of the Geller Law Group in Fairfax, Virginia while Adam is the editor of the Sunday Outlook section at The Washington Post, where he also oversees the Post’s nonfiction book coverage and PostEverything, a daily digital magazine.
Coordinator: Lulu Alexander
Celebrant: Rabbi Shira Stutman, Washington, DC
Wedding Gown: Anna Maier; Hitched Salon, Washington, DC
Groom’s Attire: White dinner jacket by Ralph Lauren
Best Mens' attire: Their own black-tie attire
Engagement Ring: Family heirloom diamond set by Tiny Box Jewelry, Washington, DC
Wedding bands: Rachel Pfeffer Designs
Invitation: WeddingPaperDivas.com
Florist: Fat Cat Flowers
Hair & Makeup: Nicole Klein, The Parlour Salon & Blush and Bashful
TOP: Frederick Kushner, Gloria Kushner, Ivy Kushner, Jared Kushner, Adam B. Kushner, Jack Simon Robbins, Maria Simon, Tommy Simon, Bernice Sommerstein, Elle Gotham, Andrew Simon, Evey Simon and Basil Simon. BOTTOM: Basil Simon, Tommy Simon, Andrew Simon, Jack Simon Robbins, Adam B. Kushner, Frederick Kushner and Jared Kushner
