Caitlin & Joseph

Caitlin Alderfer and Joe Morrissette met how many couples do these days—on Bumble. They matched the week before Thanksgiving 2023 and squeezed in a first date before the craziness of the holiday began. “I remember telling my mom afterwards that it was the ‘most interesting first date I’d ever been on,’ which was notable because he was my 20th first date in 2023,” laughs Caitlin, a graphic designer and illustrator.

They saw each other again a few days later on Thanksgiving, as Joe just happened to be passing by—“kind of,” quips Caitlin—on his way home from being with family in Washington, D.C., and asked if he could swing by her parents’ house in Arlington, where her family was all gathered. They had their first kiss standing outside in the cul-de-sac and the next day they went on their second official date, and that was that. They were both smitten.

So, it only made sense that a year later, Joe, a psychotherapist, proposed to Caitlin on Thanksgiving back at her parents’ house. As everyone went around and said what they were thankful for, Joe stood up, walked over to Caitlin, and asked her to stand up, too. “He said some sweet things about how thankful he was for me, and then hilariously, as he was trying to say something like, ‘Will you make me the luckiest man and let me be your husband?’ it came out as him asking me, ‘Will you be my husband?’ And immediately I’m cracking up and also crying, saying yes, and it was the sweetest moment having my parents there with us, in my childhood home.”

They wanted the same warm and familial feel for their wedding day and found Fingerboard Farm, in Ijamsville, which also had an inn that could house their family for the whole weekend. “I knew it was the perfect spot for our intimate, colorful, family-focused day in nature,” says Caitlin. 

Along with other more traditional animals, Fingerboard Farm also has peacocks, and Caitlin decided they were a perfect emblem to tie into the overall whimsical design of the day. They also used the programs as a small way to highlight the intimacy of the event, by listing all 36 guests in attendance and a few sentences about how they knew them and why they meant so much to them. “We were really able to spend time with everyone there and the whole day felt relaxed and flexible,” she says.

As it got darker outside, they lit the big firepit in the backyard and the guests gathered around to dance, drink, and chat. It was one of Caitlin’s favorite movements. “It was just the most fun, sweet day.”

BEAUTY Amie Decker Beauty CAKE Sage Cakery CATERER Canapés Catering FLORAL DESIGN EastTulip GROOM Suitsupply HONEYMOON Bali, Indonesia INVITATIONS Caitlin Alderfer Design, the bride LOCATION Fingerboard Country Inn MUSIC Playlist curated by the groom OFFICIANT Rev. Robert Schenck Photographer Urban Row Photography WEDDING COORDINATOR Bella Notte WEDDING DRESS Anthropologie