Summer Sizzle
Gorgeous summer weather and the presence of family and friends combined for the perfect celebration at the beach when
Matt Suissa and Bryan Catalano took their vows last summer in Bethany Beach, Del.
The couple
Matt, 35, was born and raised in Potomac and runs a finance business in North Bethesda. Bryan, 27, a Pennsylvania native who later lived in Monkton, Md., expects to graduate in May with a law degree and a master’s in business administration from the University of Maryland. The couple live in North Bethesda.
The wedding
July 19, 2014, at a family beach house in Bethany Beach, followed by a reception at Salt Air restaurant in Rehoboth Beach.
How they met
On Match.com.
First date
Matt and Bryan met for the first time on Oct. 27, 2009, for dinner and drinks at the Owl Bar in The Belvedere hotel in Baltimore. “We talked until closing time and that was that,” Bryan says.
The proposal
Matt surprised Bryan with a weekend trip to The Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Va., under the guise of a celebration for Bryan’s 26th birthday. Before dinner the first night, Matt ordered Bryan’s favorite champagne and a platter of cheeses to be delivered to the room. When Bryan came out of the dressing room, Matt was waiting on one knee with a ring and popped the question. Bryan says Matt was preparing to put on his own ring when Bryan got right down on one knee and asked him back.
Wedding theme
Summer celebration at the beach
Number of guests
48
What made the event so special
“It was an incredible weekend full of amazing people, amazing food and a lot of love. We are so lucky to have had our wedding in such an intimate place, and it made for a spectacular backdrop,” Bryan says. “From the rehearsal to the wedding, and the reception at Salt Air in Rehoboth, it was truly representative of our favorite place on Earth…our beach!”
Favorite moment
A toast by Matt’s stepfather, Robert Plotkin, was an emotional highlight, reducing many guests to tears.
Something to laugh about
Matt and Bryan were too busy socializing to eat at their rehearsal dinner. After the event, the couple found themselves sitting on the floor of the storage room in the beach house, eating leftover crab claws and beef filet out of the refrigerator.
Apparel
Bryan wore a suit designed by John Varvatos and Matt wore a Hugo Boss suit.
Photographer
The honeymoon
The couple were planning to spend a week in the Swiss Alps in December.
The details
Flowers provided by Peggy Smalley; catering, by Nage Catering; rentals, by Dover Rent-All; and transportation, by Jolly Trolley Rehoboth Beach.
