Mary McDermott, an executive at a New York startup, met William “Cam” Weir, an investment banker at Evercore, at Trinity College over eight years ago. Mary’s twin sister had befriended Cam and had a feeling the two would hit it off. Needless to say, sister knows best because the two quickly became inseparable. “Maggie passed along my number and Cam immediately reached out to have dinner at the one restaurant on campus and we’ve been together ever since,” says Mary.
As the saying goes, “distance makes the heart grow fonder” and that certainly was the case for this couple. Cam graduated two years before Mary and moved to New York City to pursue a career in banking. During her remaining two years at Trinity, Mary spent many weekends visiting Cam in the city and eventually moved there after graduation. “Funny as it was, shortly after I moved to New York, Cam decided to get his MBA at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business,” she says. “Even through the extended long-distance we remained committed to our relationship and determined to make it a priority.”
Fast-forward to March of 2017, Cam was gearing up to graduate from Darden and decided to organize a weekend at Mary’s family home in McLean, Virginia as a nice halfway meeting point for the couple between Charlottesville and N.Y.C. Little did Mary know, Cam had also flown his family in and was planning to propose at sunset. “Cam had our families run off and hide in the distance, so I had no idea any of them were there,” Mary remembers. “Then, just as we were taking in the view of the Jefferson Memorial, he got down on one knee and began to read me a letter about our relationship over the years. Once he finished reading our families came out from their hiding places and we celebrated over dinner at the University Club.”
For the wedding, Mary and Cam knew they wanted to celebrate in Boca Raton, Florida at The Delray Beach Club, where Mary frequented as a child and the couple spent a few spring breaks together. “Given the natural beauty of the beach club’s ocean views and oasis-like vibe, I thought a simple, elegant and understated look would be best suited for the wedding. We worked closely with the club’s staff and vendors from the beginning, and my mother and I did almost all the planning but hired Kathleen Megan as our day-of-wedding-planner,” says Mary.
For her dress, she sought out a Lihi Hod gown which she found at Gabriella Bridal in SoHo, New York. “I had done some research and had my eye on this particular dress. I loved the uniqueness of the high neck, racer back with scallops, and details of lace throughout” the bride says. She finished off her look with her grandmother’s antique diamond and emerald cocktail ring and a pair of Tiffany & Co. diamond and pearl earrings. For shoes, she opted for comfortable scalloped wedges from Loeffler Randall.
The groom donned sand color pants and a custom blue blazer from Suit Supply, accessorizing with a custom Bird Dog Bay tie which he gifted to each of the groomsmen. To complete the bridal parties beachy-attire, the bridesmaids wore white crepe BHLDN dresses and Lele Sadoughi blue statement earrings.
For the ceremony, guests sat in chairs facing the ocean and a hydrangea and rose arch, where the couple exchanged vows they each wrote. “It was challenging to keep it together through the ceremony. I felt like I was floating, so much so that guests mentioned it was thundering the entire time and I didn’t hear a thing,” Mary says with a laugh.
After the ceremony, guests enjoyed a cocktail hour outside with appetizers including coconut shrimp, bruschetta, and crab cakes. The reception was held in the club’s Ocean Room with 280-degree views of the ocean, and over 800 votives of floating candles and white hydrangeas in blue and white ginger jars. The couple opted for minimal color in their floral arrangements and tablescapes to not distract from the gorgeous beach sunset. Guests enjoyed Chilean seabass and filet for the main course, followed by a night of dancing to CK Entertainment, a six-person Motown band that had everyone on their feet the entire evening. The couple arranged for an ice cream bar to surprise guests with a sweet treat at the night’s close and exited the still-roaring party in a sparkler send-off. The next day, they jetted off to Positano, Italy, and Florence for their honeymoon.
