Teressa Madrid + Jeremy Karaskevicus
Story by Alexandria Lindstrom | Photography by Antonette Dimaiwat Photography
First comes love, then comes marriage…”
It’s a familiar schoolyard chant, and one that fellow teachers Teressa Madrid and Jeremy Karaskevicus probably heard many times during their days at Cameron Elementary School, where the two were working when they first met in 2013. Naturally, the divide between their grade levels didn’t lead to much more a passing knowledge of one another; but when serendipity stepped in and Madrid’s classroom was moved to the same building as Karaskevicus’, the former work acquaintances became more than colleagues.
“Once my classroom was moved, we began to see one another on a daily basis,” Madrid said. “We passed each other every day and greeted each other every morning, and we had lunch together sometimes.” And when it was clear that spending the lunch period together wasn’t going to suffice, Karaskevicus asked Madrid to meet him for happy hour – a move that set the rumor mills running at the small school and led the pair to keep their relationship as quiet as possible for the next year. After finally going public with their romance, Madrid decided to move to a new school and they prepared to move in together.
Over the next year, Karaskevicus’ and Madrid’s commitment to one another deepened, strengthening their bond and proving that, in this simple equation, one heart plus one heart equals one love. When moving Karaskevicus’ belongings to Madrid’s house one weekend in July 2018, he presented her a housewarming gift far more heartwarming than she could have imagined. “Jeremy had bought me an engraved silver album filled with pictures of us, and in the middle of all of the chaos of having a house filled with boxes, he gave it to me and asked me to sit down with him and look at it. When we flipped to the last picture, he asked me to take it out and turn it over. On the back, it said, ‘Kind woman, I give you my heart.’ When I looked up, he was on one knee, asking for my hand. Of course, I screamed yes! In keeping with his traditional ways, he had gotten permission from my dad and stepdad, as he’d wanted us to be engaged before living together and to enjoy each step of our journey.”
'We stood in the middle of the living room and said ‘I do’ in front the people that meant the most to us.' - Tess
As traditional as his proposal was, their wedding was anything but, as the happy couple eschewed the expected walk down the aisle in favor of a simple exchanging of vows with a justice of the peace named George – in his vintage 1960s-style living room. Karaskevicus’ and Madrid’s parents looked on with joy in their hearts. “We stood in the middle of the living room and said ‘I do’ in front the people that meant the most to us,” Madrid said.
Being as social as they are, the newlyweds then put their full attention on what mattered more to them: the party. The day after exchanging vows, they celebrated with 130 of their closest friends and family at Virtue Feed and Grain in Old Town. Wearing a long-sleeved lace dress with an open back, Madrid looked every bit the princess for her special day, and guests danced and ate to their hearts’ content, feasting on a delicious buffet. The cake and an accompanying array of cupcakes from Bakeshop in Arlington were accompanied by more sweets from Virtue. Meggrolls delivered late-night snacks, one of the couple’s guilty pleasures.
Perfect as the day was in so many ways, there were a few hiccups along the way – one of which was a flood that diverted their route back to Virtue after having their portraits taken offsite. Nevertheless, Madrid and Karaskevicus considered their day to be everything they could have dreamed of, thanks to the many talents involved. “Everyone made it such a memorable day – Charles Koch, the bakers at Bakeshop, Megg at Meggrolls, Party Favor Photo, the florists at Fleurelity, and of course the entire team at Virtue. I have so much gratitude for all of them,” Madrid said. It was an epic day for an epic couple, just one more lesson proving that, while things may not always go to plan, the most important part of the equation is the love that goes into it.
THE DETAILS
THE VENUE
THE SNACKS
THE CUPCAKES
THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Antonette Dimaiwat Photography
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