Photos by Paola Nazati Photograpy
The couple: Tania Golocovsky, 34, grew up in Potomac and graduated from Winston Churchill High School. She runs her own company, Integrative Wellness Management, which offers a holistic approach to healing through pain management, yoga, counseling and massage. Christopher Lanning, 34, grew up in Silver Spring and graduated from Springbrook High School. He works as a winemaker at the Olney Winery. They live in Silver Spring.
How they met: In March 2011, Tania and Christopher were on the same flight from D.C. to California, which included a layover in Philadelphia. When Tania found out the flight to California had been changed, she got worried that she would miss it. Christopher overheard her and reassured her. They started chatting about New Zealand, Christopher’s final destination, and she gave him her card. When they got on the plane, Christopher texted her, “This is Chris from 33C. I lucked out with an empty seat next to me if you want to continue talking travels and life.” They talked all the way to California.
The first date: Christopher was in New Zealand and France for several months after they met, but they kept in touch. “He wrote me letters and we had a pretty fun old-school courtship,” Tania says. When he got back to the States, the pair had their first date at Olazzo in Silver Spring. “It was really romantic and sweet and almost like we’d known each other for a lifetime,” Tania says.
The proposal: Four years after they met, Tania and Christopher took a trip to Muir Woods in California. “Anyone who knows me knows that I love trees,” Tania says. While on a hike, Tania crawled into a tree’s hollow. “He had to kneel in order to get into the tree and when he kneeled he proposed right there,” she says.
The wedding: May 21, 2016, in an afternoon ceremony at Seneca Creek State Park in Gaithersburg. A reception followed in the groom’s parents’ backyard in Silver Spring.
Number of guests: 125
Chapel in the woods: “We love trees and being in the woods, that’s like our church,” Tania says. The couple rented two pavilions, and used one for Tania to get ready in and the other for guests to sit under. They said their vows under an arch made of branches by their friend Howard Connelly, a sculptor. “It rained in the morning and then during the ceremony it didn’t rain at all,” Tania says. “It was so magical.”
Pitching in: Tania’s 28-year-old brother was the ring bearer, and Christopher’s sister did a reading. A friend officiated and read part of the poem “The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran. Another friend played the cello, and all the kids were given tambourines to play.
Family connection: Tania’s parents are both from Argentina. Right after the ceremony, guests snacked on brunch items from the Argentine restaurant El Patio in Rockville. At the reception, tango dancers entertained. Argentine-style steak was served at dinner, and dessert included alfajor, an Argentine pastry, with dulce de leche inside.