A Glamorous, Traditional Wedding at Katzen Arts Center in Washington, DC

A confluence of serendipitous events led to the meeting of Jocelyn Smith (30 and a marriage and family therapist) and Cecil Lee (29 and an assistant men’s college basketball coach). Upon hearing Jocelyn was moving to Michigan for her postdoctorate fellowship, a parishioner at Jocelyn’s church in Maryland shared her information with her nephew, Cecil (CJ), who was living in Ann Arbor. “There were moments in our conversation where we simply locked eyes and nothing was said,” CJ says of their first dinner together. “I knew in those moments that my life would never be the same.” Jocelyn and CJ’s classically elegant ceremony and reception for 250 guests at Katzen Arts Center in Washington, DC, followed a glamorous black, white and gold suit-and-tie motif (inspired by the Justin Timberlake album). The couple said their vows before a three-paneled flower wall made with white and light pink hydrangeas, white roses and some moss greenery. The center flower wall contained a floral cross constructed with pink roses to honor Jocelyn and CJ’s shared faith. “The single element that best reflects us as a couple is grace. God's grace established us, sustains us and keeps us moving forward as a couple,” Jocelyn says. —Carolyn Meers