Romance began senior year in College Park
DATE: Sept. 3 HER STORY: Alexandra Marie Chagouris, 30, was born and raised in Baltimore. She is the director of communications and marketing for the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce. Her parents, Tommy and Theresa, live in Cockeysville.
HIS STORY: Paul William Thompson, 29, was born and raised in Norwood, Mass. He is a consultant to the federal government at BDO. His parents, Mark and Ann, live in Norwood.
THEIR STORY: Alex and Paul met at the University of Maryland, College Park during their senior year. Alex was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority and Paul was a member of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity; they lived right across the street from each other. The two reside in Falls Church, Va. THE PROPOSAL: To mark the sixth anniversary of their relationship, Alex and Paul traveled to New Orleans for a long weekend. On the second night of their trip, they planned to go out to dinner and explore New Orleans’ famous French Quarter.
Before heading out, they decided to exchange anniversary gifts.
Alex gave Paul a “sappy” card and a framed picture of the two of them at a wedding they had recently attended. Paul turned to get his gift from his suitcase, and before Alex knew it, he was down on one knee asking her to marry him.
Alex said she started crying uncontrollably and ran to the bathroom to get a tissue, leaving Paul to wonder out loud, “Was that a yes?”
She did indeed say yes, and they proceeded to call friends and family to share the good news.
Alex said she was touched to learn that Paul had asked her parents’ permission for marriage — a gesture that meant a lot to her.
VENUE: The couple hosted 108 guests at the wedding and reception at the Lord Baltimore Hotel.
FLOWERS AND DECOR: The colors of the wedding were purple, cream and gold. Simply Beautiful provided the flowers, which were cream and ivory with bursts of green.
HER DRESS: Alex wore a dress by Matthew Christopher that she got at Francesca’s Bridal Salon.
BRIDESMAIDS’ ATTIRE: Bridesmaids wore lavender floor-length dresses by Jenny Yoo from Bella Bridesmaids Georgetown.
MEN’S ATTIRE: Paul and the groomsmen wore classic tuxedos from Generation Tux.
MUSIC: DJ Stylus with DJ D-Mac and Associates provided the music. The couple’s first dance was to “Let’s Stay Together” by Al Green.
FOOD AND DESSERT: Classic Catering provided the food. Appetizers included bacon-wrapped scallops, grilled shrimp, braised beef on polenta and shiitake mushroom skewers. There was also an oyster raw bar during the cocktail hour. Dinner was filet and Maryland crab cakes.
The couple also served a chocolate and vanilla cake with white chocolate mousse filling and European buttercream icing from Classic Catering. FAVORS: The couple had a photo booth. SPECIAL TOUCHES: The couple plan to travel south for their honeymoon and visit Wilmington, N.C., Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga.