OnLove: Safie Kurt weds Julian Dayal

Safie Kurt
& Julian Dayal

Safie Kurt, 26, is studying for her medical boards. Julian Dayal, 27, is a lawyer at Arnold & Porter in Washington. The couple lives in Chevy Chase, Md.

Wedding date: Feb. 2, 2011

Location: Superior Court of D.C.

Guests: 2

How they met: One afternoon last June, Safie was studying from a textbook titled “General Pathology” near the Dupont Circle fountain. Julian saw her and said, “I’m partial to specific pathology myself.” They chatted, and he asked her to meet him that evening at the same place. Safie, an Uzbekistan native who had moved to Washington in 2009 and was eager to practice her English, agreed. They went for gelato at Dolcezza, followed by salad at Chop’t and wine at Bar Dupont.

The proposal: Inviting Safie home to Stockbridge, Mass., five months later for Thanksgiving was the turning point for Julian — his family loved her, and so did he. On New Year’s Day, he left his office and bought a crystal key necklace to symbolize the key to his heart. He asked Safie to meet him at the Metro stop near her house and proposed there on the street. She hugged him, put on the necklace and said yes.

The wedding: The couple wanted a private, simple ceremony and had two friends join them at the courthouse. The date was significant to Safie: Eight, the number you get when you add the digits of the month, day and year, is good luck in Uzbek culture. On March 5, they had a second ceremony with 25 friends and family members in Bayside, N.Y.

The honeymoon: In August, the couple will go to Uzbekistan for a third wedding in Safie’s home town, to be followed by a vacation in Europe.

— Janet Bennett Kelly