A Modern, Elegant Wedding at District Winery in Washington, DC

Channing Martin (29 and a strategic planner) and Bobby Jones (32 and an IT director) settled on a universal theme when planning their DIY wedding: the circle. “It represents notions of infinity, eternity, unity, wholeness and safety,” Channing says. During a ceremony at District Winery, the couple exchanged personal vows in front of a circular huckleberry and rose altar and held a four elements tasting, a Yoruban ritual of sampling bitter, sour, hot and sweet flavors to represent the cycles of a marriage. The bride held peonies, roses, hypericum berries and silver dollar eucalyptus for the ceremony, while salal, carnations and wisteria hung above reception tables topped with candles and single flower stems. Channing surprised Bobby with a new car on their wedding day. “I wanted to do something special because he’s always gifting others,” she says. The couple poured District Winery’s unoaked chardonnay to enjoy with roasted chicken, stone-ground polenta and Brussels sprouts. Sweet potato cake with pecan cream cheese icing finished off the meal before the newlyweds danced to “Touching Heaven” by Johnnyswim.