PBS News Hour White House correspondent Liz Landers and independent journalist Jim Acosta married last night at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, celebrating with 150 guests at a wedding the couple described as “classic but unfussy and fun.”
Quick Facts
- The couple got engaged on New Year’s Eve in Hawaii.
- Landers and Acosta met working at CNN before Acosta became an independent journalist.
- Landers’s grandfather was a retired Army general who spent time at the venue in his later years.
- John Lapin, a college friend of Landers’s, officiated the ceremony, which featured a string duet.
Landers and Acosta’s first impressions of each other set the tone for their relationship. Landers recalled that Acosta was “less serious and funnier in person than he was on TV,” while Acosta found Landers to be a “tenacious reporter.” The Army Navy Country Club held deep significance for the bride: her grandfather, a retired Army general, spent considerable time there in his later years. “I have so many memories of family meals and summer camp there as a kid,” Landers said. “It’s very special to be getting married there and I know my grandfather’s presence will be felt.”
The bride wore a Kyha dress paired with Christian Louboutin shoes and a custom veil designed by her godfather, hat designer Eric Javits. Acosta wore a tux by Geoffrey Lewis. Bright flowers, blue linens, and candles decorated the reception, with nods to the couple’s dog, Duke, appearing throughout the evening. An old-fashioned telephone “guest book” for well wishes and advice was Landers’s favorite design detail, while Acosta favored the custom cocktail napkins featuring Duke.
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The reception menu reflected the couple’s tastes and their upcoming honeymoon in Capri. Cocktail hour featured cilantro lime shrimp cocktail and artichoke beignets, followed by a poached pear salad and a choice of crab cakes with seasonal succotash or filet mignon with lobster mashed potatoes. Dessert included a wedding cake layered with strawberry cake and vanilla cream, plus vanilla cake with raspberry jam. Late-night bites included quesadillas and grilled cheeses. Signature cocktails included margaritas for the groom and an Aperol Spritz for the bride, a nod to their Capri honeymoon plans.
Sources
- Washingtonian — exclusive wedding coverage including the couple’s meeting at CNN, engagement details, venue significance, ceremony and attire details, and reception menu.
