On Love: Kimberly Panicek weds Andrew Trueblood

Kimberly Panicek
& Andrew Trueblood

Kimberly Panicek, 29, is an analyst for the Treasury Department. Andrew Trueblood, also 29, is a financial analyst at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. They live in the District.

Wedding date: Oct. 20, 2012

Location: Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar, Capitol Hill

Guests: 90

How they met: Panicek and Trueblood met during a Treasury Department fellowship program in the summer of 2009. After a night of dancing with coworkers, they found their friendship shifting toward something more. For their first date, they grabbed coffee at Peregrine Espresso and Trueblood took Panicek on a walking tour of the neighborhood. They bonded over their love of family, golden retrievers and public service. The afternoon ended with Trueblood saying, “We could have a nice life together.”

The proposal: On July 9, 2011, Panicek’s 28th birthday, the couple made their usual early morning stop at Peregrine Espresso. To distract her, Trueblood put his old Garmin watch in a wrapped box and handed it to her; when she opened it and looked perplexed, he slid a ring box across the table.

The wedding: The couple wrote their own vows for the ceremony at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, then led their guests down the street to the reception. “We looked back and saw all the most important people in our lives,” Panicek says. They chose to celebrate at Sonoma, a neighborhood spot they frequent. Dessert macaroons came from nearby Sweet Lobby.

The honeymoon: They visited Newport, R.I., and Boston, exploring both cities by foot and celebrating with oysters and champagne.

— Janet Bennett Kelly