Cristina + Rob

STORY BY LIESEL SCHMIDT PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHELLE JONES PHOTOGRAPHY WEDDING BY CARLYLE HOUSE HISTORIC PARK

Some say that online dating works, some say that it doesn’t. But Rob McFadden and Cristina Santos are proof that meeting online can lead to a true relationship. Seven years after meeting online, they actually began dating—and then they fell in love. Fortunately, it didn’t take another seven years for Rob to realize what he had in Cristina and that he wanted her to be his wife. “I helped design my ring, so I knew it was coming—but he definitely surprised me!” recalls Cristina, an account manager at ChurnZero, while Rob is an engineer manager at Micron. “Because Halloween fell on a Sunday, I figured it was a great idea to have a get-together and dress up. Rob ended up proposing in front of my parents and family with a lovely speech while I was wearing alien antennas!”

Alien antennae replaced by a one-shoulder ivory gown, Cristina walked down the aisle on December 4, 2021, in the back garden at the Carlyle House in Old Town Alexandria to meet Rob at the altar. They exchanged vows in front of a small gathering that included only their parents and their son. After being pronounced married, the wedding party adjourned to Blackwall Hitch for an intimate dinner set against the romantic lights of the boat parade.

After dining and toasting their new life with champagne, the couple cut into a small vanilla sponge cake with wild berry filling and buttercream frosting. With the future ahead of them, the newly married McFaddens look forward to a honeymoon in Mexico set for April.