St. Ann Catholic Church

Rehearsal Dinner

Wedding Mass

Brookside Gardens

Cocktail Hour + Reception

If you can't make it to the ceremony, don't worry! We're livestreaming the Mass so you can watch it live or watch the recording later.

Carlos & Alyssa's Wedding Mass Livestream

Our Wedding

It's a Match!

How did we meet? The story goes that Carlos was hiking one day when he heard a high-pitched scream and came across a beautiful damsel in distress facing off against a bear. He managed to fight off the bear as they narrowly escaped together. As a reward for rescuing her, the damsel (Allie) allowed him to take her on a date.   (We met on Hinge the week after a priest encouraged Allie to get on the dating apps! Wild, right?!)

Some Stellar First Dates

Carlos planned our first date - Mass at the Basilica on Palm Sunday 2024 and brunch afterwards. He even made a reservation, which impressed Allie a LOT! A week later, Carlos got to work at 6:30 AM so he could leave early to take Allie on their second date, which impressed her a LOT. We played indoor mini golf and had a chance to show off our competitive sides. Allie won the first two rounds, but Carlos won the next three. He has not let her forget it. On our third date, Carlos took Allie to one of his favorite spots - the Grotto of Lourdes in northern Maryland. The long drive was perfect for getting to know each other better! We held hands for the first time and prayed a rosary together, which impressed Allie a LOT. Afterwards, we got burgers and ice cream and found a cute little bench to sit on. Carlos shared a poem he had written, which made Allie tear up. We spent about 8 hours together on this date, and have rarely spent less time than that together on each subsequent date.

Getting Closer

Our 4th, 5th and 6th dates were all pretty good (minus a few hiccups), but our 7th date is when things got REALLY good. Carlos came to pick Allie up and take her on a hike on May 11. When we were about to set off, it started to get a little misty, but we thought it would clear up. It did not. In the middle of our hike, it started pouring down rain! Which actually made for a pretty romantic date. Carlos thought Allie still looked beautiful with makeup dripping down her face and her hair all frizzy. After the hike, we sat in the Jeep waiting for the rain to stop and shared a couple shots of whiskey Carlos had brought. It was magical watching the sun come through the clouds and shine through the windshield... there was just something in the air that day. Carlos then took Allie out for waffles and drove her past a sunflower field on the way home, promising he would take her on a picnic there someday (he did, on July 26). Something about that date made things click for Allie, so she called Carlos after he dropped her off that night and asked if he wanted to make it official. She's been falling for him every day since!

Special Spots

On our 8th date, we went to Georgetown and spent a perfect evening swinging on a bench swing overlooking the C&O Canal (pic below!). It was so picturesque, and we felt so in love, we decided to make it our spot.   We picked our favorite spots by recreating some of our dates throughout the summer, so we went back to places like the Washington Monument (where we had our first kiss), Ted's Bulletin (where we had our first date), Bob & Edith's diner (where we could have our favorite meal - breakfast for dinner), and a handful of others. (Check out the section 'Things to Do' to find some more!)

Falling in Love & Dreaming about the Future

Allie left in the middle of May to travel back home to CO and to Europe for a couple weeks. It was during this time apart that we realized we loved each other. We kept making innuendos about it - “I have something to tell you, but it has to be in person.”   The day after she got back, Carlos made dinner and took Allie on a sunset picnic at the Kennedy Center. We finally admitted we loved each other, but really we had both known how the other felt for a while because we could see it in each other’s actions.   We had a lot of fun and loving moments, but we were both very intentional about our relationship from the very beginning. We knew since our first date that we were both looking for someone to grow in holiness and become a saint with. We spent lots of time at Mass and in Adoration together, praying with and for each other. This made it easy for things to progress after the L word, and we started to discuss our future more seriously. Before the summer was over, we both knew we had found The One.

The Proposal

After shopping for a ring and many serious conversations about the future, Carlos was determined to propose. There was a lot going on: two rough work weeks and pneumonia for Carlos, plus moving to a new apartment and family in town for Allie, so the plan kept changing. Finally, he had a plan he knew would be perfect. The day of the proposal, October 12, Allie thought we were finally getting some downtime together and a little trip to one of our favorite spots - the Georgetown swings.   We had just found a parking spot on one of the cute side streets when Carlos handed Allie our Field Notes book, where we had written love letters back and forth to each other for months. Carlos had been waiting to write a letter back until it was time to propose. While Allie was reading her love letter, he used the distraction to grab the ring box, set up a camera, and move to her side of the Jeep to let her out. Allie started reading and slowly realized what was coming.   Carlos helped her out of the car, got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. Before he could even open the box, Allie overwhelmed him with many “yes’s” and kisses. He finally managed to present the ring to his stunned brand new fiance and put it on her finger. There was much giggling, jumping up and down, and pure joy. She has been glowing with joy ever since that day.

Our Story

Photos

Alyssa's little sister and best friend <3

Rebecca Dunbaugh

Kerry and Allie have been best friends since being locker buddies their freshman year of high school (10+ years!)

Kerry Corbett

Michaela was Allie's first friend in DC, and they have been dear friends for the past 4 years. Allie even went to visit Michaela in England while she got her master's degree from the University of Sussex!

Michaela Becconsall

Savannah and Allie became best friends after moving in together after their volunteer missionary year (Allie served in DC and Sav served in Oregon!)

Savannah Kleeman

Christina and Allie became close friends when Christina began her journey towards the Catholic faith! Allie is delighted to be Christina’s sponsor when she enters the Church at Easter 2025:)

Christina Revolus

Carlos and Nate have been best friends since college when a girl they both liked invited them to a joint study date (neither of them ended up with her, but they did end up with each other)!

Nate Frederique

Nate Revolus

Michael Gilday

Wedding Party

Don't worry, you can watch the ceremony live!

What if I can't make it to the wedding?

Q + A

Hotel

Visit <a href="https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1731590987934&amp;key=GRP&amp;guestreslink2=true" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">this link</a> to book your hotel with our reserved block! Monday, September 22, is the last day to book your hotel room with the special group rate!

AC Hotel Bethesda Downtown

Transportation

We recommend renting a car, but you can also take the metro from the airport to the hotel, and from the hotel to St. Ann's Catholic Church.

Airports

You can fly into Reagan National (DCA) or Dulles International (IAD) Airport. You can easily take the metro from either of these airports to the hotel.If you fly into Baltimore (BWI), you would not be able to take public transit as easily.

Travel

Maps

Welcome to the Nation's Capital!

The White House

Washington Monument

Lincoln Memorial

United States Capitol

Thomas Jefferson Memorial

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Smithsonian's National Postal Museum

National Gallery of Art

Recreate Carlos & Allie's Favorite Dates!

Check out the exact street corner where Carlos proposed - 35th and P!

Georgetown Waterfront Park

This is where we went on our second date (although this photo is from when we visited the Christmas Market on the same street in December).

Puttery

Our first date! These photos are from our first date re-creation last fall :)

Ted's Bulletin

This is where we went the day we made it official.

Weverton Cliffs

Our 3rd date and one of Carlos's favorite places!

The Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes

Kennedy Center Rooftop Terrace

Gravelly Point

Bowlero Arlington

Check out Little Rome!

Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Saint John Paul II National Shrine

Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America

Things to Do

Our Favorite Places to Eat Around DC

Breakfast & Bakeries

Ted's Bulletin (Logan Circle)Bob &amp; Edith's (Arlington)Founding Farmers (Foggy Bottom)Bread &amp; Chocolate (Chevy Chase)Urban Roast (Penn Quarter)Crepeaway (Downtown)Point Chaud (Glover Park)Unconventional Diner (Mount Vernon Square)Praline Bakery (The Wharf)

Ethnic Cuisine

Chinese Food - Mr. Chen's (Cleveland Park)French Food - Boulangerie Christophe (Georgetown)Greek Food - Zorba's (Dupont Circle)Irish Pub Vibes - Union Pub (Capitol Hill)Italian Food - Ristorante Piccolo (Georgetown)Latin American Food - Chicken &amp; Whiskey (U Street Corridor)Mediterranean Food - Zaytinya (Penn Quarter)Mexican Food - Lauriol Plaza (Dupont Circle)Thai Food - Soi 38 (West End)

All American Eateries

Clyde's (Georgetown)Not Your Average Joe's (Bethesda)Ben's Chili Bowl (U St Corridor) - historic DC spotChef Geoff's (Wesley Heights)Annie's (Dupont Circle)

The Best Bars

Mr. Smith's (Georgetown) - Allie's favoriteThe Piano Bar (Georgetown)Mellow Mushroom (Adams Morgan)Board Room (Dupont Circle) - board game bar!Proper 21 (Penn Quarter) - sports barCleveland Park Bar &amp; Grill (CP) - dive bar

Ice Cream & Desserts

Levain (Georgetown) - cookiesJeni's (Logan Circle) - ice creamIce Cream Jubilee (Navy Yard) - unique flavorsLarry's Homemade Ice Cream (Dupont Circle)Georgetown Cupcake - overrated but a classic