Occupations Gregory is a program director; Russ is a business consulting executive
Wedding date October 18, 2025
Number of Guests 150
Number of Attendants 10
How You Met We met after Gregory had been living in Baltimore for just three weeks. Russ suggested a friendly date at the Outpost American Tavern, near where he was living in Federal Hill. We were both primarily looking for friends—but the sparks were instant!
The Engagement Russ proposed to Gregory in his car on a beautiful late summer evening. They were leaving an outdoor dinner where they were talking about their favorite songs to play when they got married “someday.” They had the windows down with Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” playing when Russ popped the question. After Gregory’s “Yes!” they instantly started calling their family members. The following week, they went to Charleston for an official engagement celebration.
Wedding Design Inspiration Gilded Age Baltimore opulence meets editorial glam.
What Was Unique and Special About Your Wedding Day We wanted to have super fun grooms’ cakes, and we were thrilled with how they turned out. We made a theme out of our names and queer pop culture. Gregory took his inspiration from Charli XCX’s Brat album–making a play on how everyone repeatedly shortens his name, no matter how he introduces himself or reiterates it. Russ did a word play on Rush brand poppers (thoroughly confusing half of our guests) and played the song “Rush” by Troye Sivan during the cake cutting. During the dancing, we replaced the wedding garter tradition with a “Jock Toss” and performed Joe Cocker’s “You Can Leave Your Hat On” a la Kim Basinger in 9 ½ Weeks. We were quite proud of our creativity.
Favorite Details We’re both big planners and this wedding was all about details. We love to entertain, so it felt right to greet everyone with a glass of bubbly upon entering the grandeur of the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion. We also had a poet who typed poems for guests during cocktail hour that we mailed afterwards. We knew we wanted outfit changes that made us feel like movie stars and found some glam costumes for the dancing and celebration. Our song selections were also essential! We chose to walk the aisle to “Forever Young” by Alphaville and kissed and exited to “Heaven is a Place on Earth” by Belinda Carlise. Our dinner entrance was “Rhinestone Cowboy” by Glen Campbell and first dance was “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper.
Most Unexpected Event On Your Wedding Day We have a high schooler with disabilities who isn’t always social. We weren’t sure he’d attend; luckily for us, he came and had an amazing time.
Piece of Advice It’s your special day—make it all about what brings you joy. Don’t be shy to ask or plan things exactly to your liking. We wanted a big editorial party vibe and felt like we and the people supporting us made that happen! Another tip: with a wedding at The Engineer’s Club, you will get a one-year membership effective immediately–this lets you get to know their amazing staff and the venue before your big day.
CAKES Graul’s Market CATERER The Engineer’s Club FLORAL DESIGN Good Sun Florals GROOMS ORTTU GROOMING Jessie Cooper HONEYMOON Torel Palace, Lisbon, Portugal LOCATION The Engineer’s Club MUSIC Bmore for the Record OFFICIANT Jill Vaslow PHOTOGRAPHER Barbara O Photography POET Words by DJ WEDDING PLANNER Allison Montgomery, The Engineers Club