Date: May 2
Her story: Jessica Dolim, 28, was born in Bethesda and raised in Gaithersburg. She works as a pediatric intensive care nurse at University of Maryland Medical Center. Her parents, Barbara and Michael Dolim, live in Gaithersburg.
His story: Brian Masters, 32, was born in Las Vegas. He is a transplant pharmacist at University of Maryland Medical Center. His mother, Deborah Masters, lives in Las Vegas.
Their story: The two met while working at University of Maryland Medical Center. He was working as a pharmacy resident on the transplant floor. She was working as a nurse on the same floor.
"We both started around the same time," Jessica said. "But we really didn't hang out. Then one day in the break room we started chatting. He invited me to a party and I kind of blew him off a couple times."
It wasn't until after he had accepted a job in Houston that they went on their first date. They hit it off quickly and soon found themselves involved in a long-distance relationship for the next six months before he accepted a position back at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
The two live in Federal Hill.
The proposal: Brian proposed on Valentine's Day 2014. The couple were in Las Vegas visiting his family. Brian took Jessica on a helicopter ride above the Grand Canyon. The helicopter landed in the canyon, where he had food and drinks waiting for the two. While taking a photo, Brian got down on one knee and asked Jessica to marry him.
"I was so caught off guard," she said. "I didn't think he was going to propose."
Jessica explained that before getting on the helicopter, they were told to leave all of their belongings because there was limited room.
"We were just in shorts and a T-shirt," she said. "There was no place to put [the ring]. He had hidden it, and put it in the pocket of his cargo shorts."
Although she teared up a little, Jessica was more joyous than anything.
"I was very excited and happy," she said.
Venue: One hundred guests attended the ceremony and reception at the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court hotel in downtown Baltimore. The wedding occurred amid a citywide curfew in response to unrest in the city after the death of Freddie Gray who died April 19 from injuries suffered in police custody. The 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew was put in place Tuesday, after rioting and looting broke out on Monday.
"The week leading up to the wedding was very stressful," Jessica said. "We wanted people to come to Baltimore and experience it the way we live it — going to Orioles games and walking along the harbor.
"We had to change our plans and be really conscious of the curfew," Jessica said, adding that her guests couldn't attend an Orioles game because that weekend's home series against the Tampa Bay Rays was moved to St. Petersburg, Fla. "We wanted everyone to feel safe. The day of the wedding was great. People had so much fun despite what was going on during the week."
Some guests had to leave early to get home in time for the curfew, but those staying at the hotel could stay until the end of the evening.
Jessica's mother, Barbara Dolim, echoed her daughter's praise of the workers downtown.
"We had exceptional service," she said. "Every single one of our guests showed up. We had guests that came as far away as Hawaii, Arizona, Las Vegas, New York and Florida. It was just a little unusual looking out the window seeing National Guard as we were having a wonderful time."
Barbara also thanked the staff at the Pratt Street Ale House, which was the site of the rehearsal dinner.
"They were extremely happy we were there and that we didn't cancel," she said. "We had about 60 people there on a Friday night."
Flowers and decor: The colors of the wedding were bright purple and silver with sky-blue accents. The couple used white and light purple roses and stock from Potomac Floral, a wholesaler. They also did all of the arrangements.
Her dress: Jessica's dress was by Mori Lee from The Bridal Boutique in Columbia.
Bridesmaids' attire: Bridesmaids wore long, flowing dresses by Bill Levkoff from The Bridal Boutique.
Men's attire: Brian wore a black tuxedo from the Black by Vera Wang collection at Men's Wearhouse. Groomsmen wore dark gray tuxedos from Men's Wearhouse.
Music: The Wright DJ provided the music. The couple's first dance was to "You Are The Best Thing" by Ray LaMontagne.
Food and dessert: The Royal Sonesta catered the wedding. Appetizers included crab cakes and antipasto stations. Dinner consisted of chicken, lamb or salmon. The couple also served a three-tier lemon and amaretto cake from Sugarbakers.
Favors: Brian and Jessica handed out little containers of Old Bay as favors.
Special touches: The couple plan to take a two-week Mediterranean cruise for their honeymoon. They also plan to spend three days in Barcelona, Spain.