John & Deborah Ehlers

John L. Ehlers III, son of Patricia and John Ehlers of Sandy Hook, was married to Deborah T. Schoelwer, daughter of Linda Allen and Ronald Bass of Arlington, Va., and Michael and Lucia Schoelwer of Vienna, Va., on April 10, 2010.

The Reverend Andrew T.P. Merrow performed The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage with Holy Eucharist at St Mary’s Episcopal Church in Arlington, Va. A reception followed at the Fort Myer Officers’ Club in Arlington.

Kathleen Schoelwer of Reston, Va., was maid of honor. Julia Schoelwer and Melissa Alfano, both of Arlington, and Nora O’Reilly of Boston were bridesmaids. Cuyler Bryant of Boston was best man. Steve Danyew of Rochester, N.Y., Chris Abetz of Lincoln, Neb., and Paul Rozecki of Mechanicsville, Va., were groomsmen.

The groom is a 2002 graduate of Newtown High School; a 2006 cum laude graduate of James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va., where he met Deborah in 2003 and earned a BS in psychology; he received an MA in community counseling in 2008 from The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., and is a family counselor with Phillips Family Partners in Annandale, Va.

The bride is a 2002 graduate of Wakefield High School, Arlington; she is a 2007 cum laude graduate of James Madison University where she earned a BFA and is an art resource teacher at Keene Mill Elementary School in Springfield, Va.

John and Deborah first discussed getting married at a picnic underneath the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C. It was only fitting that their wedding take place at the height of cherry blossom season as well.

The couple spent their honeymoon at the Riu Palace Pacifico Resort in Riviera Nayarit-Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. They reside in Fairlington, a community named to the National Register of Historic Places in Arlington, Va.