”After David Houlihan, a consultant, made several attempts to invite his future bride, Laura Beyer—director of partnerships at TED—to different social events after first meeting at a welcome barbecue at Georgetown, he decided to stop asking. Little did he know that right after making his last invitation, Laura would apologize for not responding—which prompted them to connect in real time and go on their first date.
The two bonded over unique shared interests, one of which ultimately inspired David’s proposal. They love Thomas Jefferson and often visited the memorial in Washington, D.C., throughout their relationship; he decided that that would be the spot to pop the question. After guiding her to the right area of the memorial and enlisting her brother to take pictures, David asked Laura for her hand in marriage and surprised her with a party with their loved ones to celebrate. “We stayed that weekend at the Jefferson Hotel which was on theme and absolutely perfect,” she says.
When brainstorming wedding venues, Laura and David knew they wanted a location with personal meaning. They found exactly that in the Vizcaya Museum, which they landed on with the help of Jennifer Buono Events. Their planner showed them the historic property and they almost immediately knew it was theirs. “We had actually been to Vizcaya on March 17, 2016—so four years almost to the day of our wedding—on a trip with David’s family, so when Jennifer brought us there on a site tour it felt like fate,” Laura says. Just ahead of country-wide COVID-19 shutdowns, the pair welcomed about 100 guests to the waterfront estate for a celebration in classic Miami style on March 14, 2020.” – Martha Stewart Weddings
To read the full Martha Stewart Feature click here
