Weddings

From Bethesda Magazine: A North Bethesda couple’s engagement, ceremony and reception by the water

A Walter Johnson High teacher and a nurse practitioner tied the knot in October 2024

June 19, 2026 3:00 p.m. | Updated: June 16, 2026 11:43 a.m.

Irene and Chase ceremony — Photo credit: All-Pro Reel

THE COUPLE: Chase Rieder, 34, works as a special education teacher and head coach for the boys varsity basketball team at Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda. He grew up in North Bethesda and graduated from Walter Johnson in 2009. He has worked as a team attendant for the Washington Wizards for 19 seasons. Irene Rieder (maiden name Burgos), 33, was born in Japan and moved to Germantown in 2006. Irene graduated from Clarksburg High School in 2010. She works as a nurse practitioner at a primary care and pulmonology office in Chevy Chase. They live in North Bethesda.

Irene and Chase — Photo credit: All-Pro Reel

HOW THEY MET: Chase and Irene matched on Tinder in February 2021. At the time, Irene, who had been undergoing treatments for lung and thyroid cancer, was recovering from a surgery that removed part of her lung. Their first date was on March 9, 2021, at Yard House at Gaithersburg’s Rio, where they met for happy hour and ended up staying for five hours. The pair bonded over their mutual love of WWE wrestling—something Irene didn’t usually admit on dates, she says. “I’ve watched WWE since I was 6, and he was into it a lot when he was younger. That’s something that we both shared,” Irene says. At the end of the date, they went for a walk along the Rio lakefront and when Chase got cold, Irene offered him her jacket, which he wore for the rest of the date, the couple says.

THE PROPOSAL: On Sept. 3, 2023, the pair took a water taxi from the Wharf to the Georgetown waterfront in Washington, D.C. Irene expected to meet a few friends, but when they neared the Georgetown waterfront, 65 of their friends and family were waiting for them. Chase took Irene’s hands and popped the question. Irene says she wasn’t wearing glasses and didn’t recognize anyone at first. After she said yes, the group celebrated at Nick’s Riverside Grill. The middle stone in the engagement ring belonged to Chase’s grandfather.

Irene and Chase writing — Photo credit: All-Pro Reel

THE CEREMONY: Chase and Irene wed in front of 153 guests on Oct. 5, 2024, at the Anchor Inn, a waterfront venue in Pasadena, Maryland. The ceremony took place outside on a covered porch overlooking the water and was officiated by Chase’s friend Tim Heidenberg. Chase was raised Jewish, and Irene was raised Catholic. Honoring Jewish tradition, the couple exchanged their handwritten vows beneath a chuppah made of birch branches and topped with Chase’s grandfather’s prayer shawl, and Chase broke a glass at the end of the ceremony. In a nod to Irene’s Filipino heritage, a veil and cord were draped over the bride and groom, and the couple had godparents light the same candles that were lit at Irene’s parents’ wedding. “I didn’t grow up around a lot of Jewish people … so it was important that we had both of our moms write the significance of each ritual and we had our officiant say it, so each side understood what was being done and why,” Irene says. In their vows, Chase spoke about Irene’s strength through her medical challenges and her care for his family as her own. Irene shared that Chase’s sense of humor and support carried her through her treatments for cancer. Irene says she has now been cancer-free for five years.

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THE RECEPTION: At the cocktail hour, guests enjoyed lobster bisque and beef Wellington while mingling on a wraparound porch. For dinner, guests moved inside the reception hall lined with bay windows overlooking the water. The couple had their first dance to a cover of “You’re Still the One” by Teddy Swims. The night included details paying homage to Chase’s love of basketball and the couple’s shared enthusiasm for WWE. “We have two WWE belts that we took pictures with,” Irene says, and Chase’s parents tied basketball puns into their joint speech. The decorations were simple—Irene says she wanted the focus to be on the natural beauty of the scenery. Centerpieces included florals from Floral Impressions and floating votives. The DJ got guests onto the dance floor with 2000s pop music, the hora and line dances. The hashtag for the wedding was #Riederdie.

THE OUTFITS: Irene says she went to Love Couture Bridal in Park Potomac with her friend Janelle Mizera, who was also the wedding planner. She says she fell in love with a spaghetti strap dress with pearl details and a lace bodice that was discounted as part of an end-of-year sale. “I didn’t even have anyone with me. Like, I didn’t have my mother, I didn’t have my cousin, I didn’t have anyone with me. That’s how much I didn’t think I was going to find the dress that day,” Irene says. Chase wore a gray suit from Macy’s with a blue floral tie he says he ordered from Amazon.

THE FOOD: For the plated meal, guests enjoyed an appetizer course of mesclun salad with bell peppers and thinly sliced cucumber drizzled with ginger-soy dressing, followed by a dual main course of grilled salmon with lemon dill sauce and chicken au poivre, a filleted chicken breast served with peppercorns and a vermouth sauce, along with asparagus bundled in yellow squash rings and garlic red skin mashed potatoes. Chase and Irene’s wedding cake had tiers of chocolate cake and yellow cake with a chocolate mousse filling. The couple’s shared sense of humor was on display in the cake topper they chose: a custom metallic cutout with a silhouette of a bride dragging a groom away from a basketball hoop over the words “Mr. & Mrs. Rieder.” Chase’s mom, Shelley Rieder, made more than 200 “magic cookie bars” in milk chocolate and peanut butter, macadamia and white chocolate, and M&M flavors, which were also served.

THE HONEYMOON: After enjoying Sunday brunch with family at Bagels ‘n Grinds in Hanover, Maryland, the newlyweds headed to Turks and Caicos the following morning. They spent six days relaxing on the beach, parasailing, riding Jet Skis and horseback riding. “It was funny, because it was hurricane season, like early October, but we had the best weather. It was like 80 to 85 [degrees], sunny the entire week,” Chase says.

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine