MOMS ALWAYS DREAM their daughters will marry the boy next door. Katie Landi's mom has to settle for the guy across the street. Upon spying Brad Jordan playing basketball the day her family moved to the neighborhood in 1994, the 10-year-old coyly caught his attention. "I grabbed my basketball and started bouncing it in our driveway so they would ask me to play." It worked. They became pals, but it wasn't until a decade later that their relationship turned amorous, when they caught an OAR show at Wolf Trap. "It started as a group of friends, but midway through the night, I realized I wanted to be, needed to be, more than friends," says Brad. Three and half years later at the National Gallery of Art's ice-skating rink, he took it a step further. "I pulled Katie to the center and told her she already had everything that meant something to me, and that I wanted her to have the only thing left — my last name." They'll wed Sept. 27 in Stafford, Va.
Brad, 26, is an IT project manager. Katie, 24, is a legislative aide. They live in Woodbridge.
Brian, 28, is a financial analyst, and Melina, 27, is a marketing writer. They live in Arlington.
» The Main Event: A semiformal evening ceremony and reception in Haymarket, Va., on Oct. 11. Melina will walk down the aisle to an instrumental version of Celine Dion's "To Love You More," and a mutual friend will officiate.
» Honeymoon: St. Kitts, where they'll hike the Mount Liamuiga volcano.
» How They Met: "Match.com. I tried it for a month, and Brian was just about to end his membership."
» First Impressions: "I dug how he paired green and yellow Onitsuka sneakers with a nice button-down shirt." For Brian, it's two words: "Nice legs!"
» First Date: Sushi at Nooshi.
» How He Proposed: The night before Melina was to run the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run, Brian stopped by her place to help her cook a pasta meal. "I was on my laptop, not paying attention to him and being frumpy. He had a packet of hot sauce from Taco Bell that said, ‘Will You Marry Me?,' on it. He said his roommates told him he should propose with it. I laughed. ‘Yeah,' he said, ‘I guess you would like something more like this.' He got on one knee with a gorgeous ring."
» Stupidest Fight: "We had a drunken rager about exes," says Melina. "It was annoying and stupid."
» Pet Names: Melina is Tinks, and Brian is Bri-Bri.
» Making It Unique: They wrote the entire ceremony themselves and plan to play DJ Shadow beats during dinner.
» When He Knew: "When I realized I had met my sarcastic match."
Brad, 30, is a video producer. Allison, 27, is a property manager. They live in Arlington.
» The Main Event: A formal Christian garden ceremony followed by a ballroom reception in Fairfax on Oct. 4.
» How They Met: At the Angry Inch Saloon through a mutual pal.
» First Impressions: "I was drawn in by his smile, laugh and his dancing." "She was dressed to kill and a lot of fun."
» First Date: Dinner at Arlington's Il Radicchio, followed by a stop at Dr. Dremo's, "where he proceeded to beat me in pool."
» How He Proposed: Following dinner at Adams Morgan's Little Fountain Cafe ("It's where he first told me he loved me," says Allison), they returned to their apartment. When she opened the door, she discovered six dozen roses, Chicago's "You're the Inspiration" playing in the background and Brad on one knee.
» Their Song: Lifehouse's "You and Me." "Brad learned to play it on the guitar. He serenaded me with it on a ski trip."
» When He Knew: After a year and a half. "I knew I wanted her by my side always. My grandfather had passed away a couple years earlier and had never met Allison. I proposed on his birthday. When she said yes, it felt as though he was giving his blessing."
Natalie, 24, is an account executive. Carlos, 28, is a mortgage consultant. They live in Rockville.
» The Main Event: A semiformal ceremony and reception in Gaithersburg on Sept. 26.
» How They Met: They were servers at Slade's Grill in Montgomery Mall.
» First Impressions: "He was cheesy but cute." "She was hot!"
» First Date: At a bar in College Park with a few co-workers. "We ended up staying up the whole night talking about our lives and laughing," says Natalie.
» How He Proposed: On the way to dinner at L'Auberge Chez Francois in Great Falls, Carlos' plans were nearly foiled. "I hired a driver to pick us up and take us there," he says. "When we got there, he congratulated Natalie. I thought I was busted." Luckily, Natalie "just assumed it was a random comment." So, when Carlos brought her to an outdoor gazebo after their meal and dropped to one knee, she was still surprised. "I freaked and jumped on him!"
» Pet Names: "There are too many to list," says Natalie. "It started out as Pugs, then Pugsley, C-Boog, C-Los and Cahlo."
» When He Knew: "The summer we started dating, we had gone down to the beach together. ... On our way home, she fell asleep in the car. I remember looking over at her and thinking she was the most beautiful person I had ever seen."
When Jennifer Brostek took Alan Thornhill's graduate-level conservation ecology course in 2006, she didn't know the assistant professor at the chalkboard would one day be the man waiting for her at the end of the aisle. "I was struck by how young he was," she recalls. Wait a sec: Even though Alan "noticed her right away ... she was a student at that point. I would never ask a student out!" But when the semester ended, and Jenn asked to meet up for some career advice, a friendship quickly formed. Their relationship bloomed into romance several months later. While they vacationed in Hawaii in March, Alan found inspiration while buying Jenn a necklace — that had a matching ring. "It suddenly struck me I'd like to give her it as an engagement ring." He did just that on another trip (this time to Costa Rica) as they dined outdoors on a cliff overlooking the ocean. "I was shocked," says Jenn. They'll wed Sept. 20 in Sandy, Utah.
Jenn, 33, works for the National Science Foundation. Alan, 42, works for the Society of Conservation Biology. They live in D.C.
Ryan, 29, is a director for a sporting goods company. Heather, 26, is a marketing manager. They live in D.C.
» The Main Event: A semiformal ceremony and reception in Annapolis on Sept. 20.
» Honeymoon: They'll jet to Hawaii.
» How They Met: At a bar in Annapolis. "He offered to buy me a drink, which I declined. After several attempts, I finally gave him my number."
» First Impressions: "He was super-cute and a little cocky." "She was so beautiful. I had to meet her."
» First Date: A dinner date at Paolo's in Georgetown.
» How He Proposed: When they traveled to Italy, Ryan made the most of a gondola ride on Venice's Grand Canal. "To be honest, I didn't even think, ‘What if I fell in?' When I did get down on my knee, Heather wasn't sure what was going on and grabbed my arm. But it all worked out perfectly. If I had fallen in, it would have made a great story."
» Most Hated Clothing Item: "Her oversized gold belt. It reminds me of a WWF wrestling belt."
» Stupidest Fight: "We argued as we were trying to catch a flight," says Ryan. "I like to be early, and Heather gets distracted by every magazine stand."
» Making It Unique: "Everything about the wedding is very customized and personable," says Heather. "I designed everything from the save-the-dates to the welcome bags and the maps of Annapolis."
» When She Knew: "After our first date. I came home and told my roommate I was going to marry Ryan."
Amanda, 27, is an administrative assistant. Ryan, 27, is a consultant. They live in Centreville, Va.
» The Main Event: A ceremony and reception in Annandale on Sept. 20. After exchanging vows, the couple will walk up the aisle to "Peanuts'" "Linus & Lucy."
» How They Met: At Rhino Bar's happy hour, through a mutual friend.
» First Impressions: "She was really fun to hang out with and really cute." "He had gorgeous eyes and a great smile."
» First Date: "I took her to her first Major League Baseball game, at RFK Stadium. I bought her a Nats hat. I still thinks she looks cute in it."
» How He Proposed: Ryan planned to pop the question on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, but his plan was thwarted by busloads of tourists there. "So, I had to improvise and did it next to the columns on the back side of the memorial instead." (She still said yes.)
» Their Song: Rascal Flatts' "God Bless the Broken Road."
» Making It Unique: "Our pastor asked us to come up with a ‘Top 10 Reasons You Love Ryan/Amanda' and will incorporate it into the ceremony," says Amanda.
» When He Knew: "I was really sick in January. The way she took care of me was more than anyone had ever done for me."
Aiyana, 29, is a customer service rep. Errol, 38, is a truck driver. They live in Capitol Heights.
» The Main Event: A formal ceremony and reception in Greenbelt on Sept. 19. Aiyana will walk down the aisle to "You for Me (The Wedding Song)" by Johnny Gill. The bride's uncle will officiate.
» How They Met: While singing karaoke at Vie De France.
» First Impressions: "She was tall, thick, sexy, energetic and outgoing." "He was shy and conservative, but cute."
» First Date: A trip to the movies.
» How He Proposed: Last November, Errol "walked in our home and said he had a surprise for me," Aiyana recalls with a laugh. "I knew what it was. I just wanted to see what the ring looked like. He then got down on one knee."
» Their Song: Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely?" says Aiyana. "It symbolizes our 2-year-old daughter's birth."
» Most Hated Clothing Item: "His raggedy T-shirts." "Her small jackets."
» Stupidest Fight: "Over him tuning the radio in my car. He won't let me turn his dial, so I decided one day not to let him turn mine."
» When He Knew: "When we separated for a few months. I realized I couldn't live without her."
» With an Infinite Budget: The couple says they "would pay for everyone to go overseas and have an island wedding."
IN THE 1990s, both Rishi Hingoraney's and Jessica Wilkie's parents lived in Saudi Arabia, so the self-dubbed "Aramco Brats" grew up together on the same company compound. But when their families later moved back to the United States, the two lost touch — until November 2004. Jessica was walking to Arlington's Guarapo when Rishi pulled up at a light and spotted her. "I rolled down my window and yelled her name," he recalls. "Funny thing is, it wasn't my usual route home." When they met up a few weeks later at Russia House for drinks, reminiscing quickly turned into romance. Three years later, Rishi popped the question on a pier while they vacationed in Montreal.
"Rishi Pie" and "Pookie" will wed Sept. 13 in an outdoor Hindu ceremony in Chevy Chase. "We've hired a drummer to play an Indian dohl for his entrance and a sitar player for mine," says Jessica. Nothing too fancy, says Rishi, except, "I'll be riding a freakin' horse!"
Rishi, 30, is a lobbyist. Jessica, 31, is a real estate agent. They live in the District.
Matt, 26, is a production coordinator. Amy, 26, is a theater arts teacher. They live in Germantown.
» The Main Event: A formal outdoor wedding in Frederick on Sept. 13.
» How They Met: During a production of "The Rocky Horror Show" with the Landless Theatre Company. "Fate stepped in, and the actor who was originally cast as my love interest dropped out of the show," says Amy. "Matt was asked to play the role."
» First Date: "We sat through 20 minutes of 'Pirates of the Caribbean,’" says Matt. "We were talking so much, we were annoying people around us."
» How He Proposed: While performing "Red Herring" last September, they once again played love interests. "On the final night, after the curtain call, he surprised me with a proposal in front of the entire audience."
» Their Song: "Can’t Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley. "We were at the Silver Diner in Rockville when we first started dating. Matt put a quarter in the jukebox at our table and requested it."
» Pet Names: Amy is "'Strega Amelia,’" says Matt. "I don’t know why." Amy calls Matt "'My Heart.’ I started doing it after I watched the awful 'Saved by the Bell’ episode where Screech calls his girlfriend, Violet, 'My Heart.’"
» Stupidest Fight: "Anytime we are deciding where or what to eat," says Matt.
» Mmm, Cake: Two flavors: red velvet fudge and lemon mousse.
» When He Knew: "When I saw her in a hospital room without any makeup on. She looked like an angel."
Addison Road