Back in 2017, Justus Bobbitt and Brandon Salters met during a post-work happy hour at a lounge in Washington, D.C. “I was there with some co-workers, and he came in with a friend,” Justus remembers. “We talked for several hours that night and he asked me out on a date.” She quickly responded with “Sure! When?” He said, “Tomorrow.” And they’ve been inseparable ever since.
The two got engaged on September 14, 2020. “This date also happens to be the anniversary of my mother’s death,” Justus says. “I had told Brandon that I always wanted that day to be replaced with a more happy memory. He made that happen—while in the middle of a pandemic!” Brandon proposed to Justus at The National Harbor in Maryland in front of an intimate group of their family and friends.
After the proposal, the two began planning their dream wedding for November 5, 2022, at a private family residence in Jupiter, Florida. “It was the most perfect day,” Justus remembers. “Our wedding planning process was literally a dream. The incomparable Jennifer [Zabinski, who also planned aunt Serena Williams’s wedding in New Orleans] and the JZ Events team made it a joy. It was such a treat to be able to just be present during our wedding rather than having to worry about all the details of the day. Now, I miss our bi-weekly planning meetings!”
A longtime Say Yes to the Dress fan, Jusutus had always dreamed about a Kleinfeld’s bridal experience, but she went to her first appointment with very little tangible inspiration in hand. Even with only a little to go on, her bridal consultant Candance was able to find the perfect dress. “It was a traditional gown that my family loved,” Justus remarks. “It was important to me that they love my dress as much as I did. I also had an after-party look because I wanted to dance the night away comfortably.”
The bride’s jewelry pieces, meanwhile, were all gifts from her aunts. “I wore the most beautiful sapphire earrings paired with diamond and sapphire tennis bracelets,” Justus says. “I felt simple, sophisticated, and beautiful.” For Brandon’s suit, he had an outfit custom-made by Suitsupply, and the wedding party all wore Bari Jay gowns from Bella Bridesmaids.
The ceremony took place in the garden just before sunset. The wedding theme was “Derby Day”—all Brandon’s idea—and almost every one of the 150 guests wore a hat or fascinator. “During the ceremony, I felt like time stood still,” Justus remembers. “It was the most clarifying moment of my life. I felt so loved and honored. The entire wedding day also had a truly charming Southern flair to it.”
After the ceremony, guests mingled during cocktail hour before making their way into the reception for dinner and speeches followed by dancing. “The Sound House band was incredible,” Justus says. “Somehow they knew all my favorites, and we danced the night away!” Even many months later, Justus can’t stop looking back at the photos and videos on her phone from the big day. “I can still feel the energy,” she says. “It was the best day of my life, and I am so grateful to my family for giving me the wedding of my dreams. My heart is so full.”
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