If you’ve ever wondered what a true modern DC love story looks like, it might just start with a green tea, a maple latte, and a cafe on F Street.
Maggie and Ian met on Hinge (as many great 2020 love stories do), but they didn’t stay in the app long. “He was quick to be like, let’s go on a date,” Maggie told us, laughing. “We didn’t talk on the app very much.”
That first date? Compass Coffee on F Street, right by Capital One Arena.
They were both regulars at the cafe but had never crossed paths until that moment. “We still argue about who paid for the drinks,” Maggie smiled. “I swear I bought my tea and he bought his, but he probably did buy mine.” Tea or no tea, sparks flew. After their coffee, they walked the National Mall together—just days before the world shut down.
“March 1st, 2020,” Maggie recalled. “And then, boom–COVID.”
Instead of letting things fizzle, they found a new rhythm. With Maggie working as a nurse, they started FaceTiming, then eventually took to socially distanced walks around the city. “We walked the Mall like all the time,” she said. “Walks were our thing. I mean, what else was there to do?”
When the world reopened and the Compass on F Street did too, the couple had a full circle moment. “We saw the sign that said it was reopening and were like, we have to go back,” Maggie said. “We told everyone ‘we had our first date here!’ And whoever was working reposted it on the Compass Coffee story. It was so cute.”
They kept coming back. Through post-pandemic life, through work and daily rituals, Compass was their go-to.
So when it came time to plan a proposal, Ian knew exactly where to begin.
“He told me we had lunch plans and said, ‘we’re early, want to get a coffee and walk around?’” Maggie said. “He took me back to Compass. We got coffee and then walked to the MLK Library, he proposed right there.”
And in March 2025, they tied the knot in Charlottesville, Virginia, surrounded by cherry blossoms, sunshine, and not a single thing out of place. “Literally nothing went wrong,” Maggie said, knocking on wood. “Cherry blossom petals blew over us during our first kiss. It was like someone in heaven was looking out for us.”
Naturally, Compass Coffee made an appearance there, too.
Maggie had reached out before the wedding asking if Compass sold mini coffees to include in guest gift bags. Instead, the team created custom-designed tins with the couple’s story, wedding colors (pink, blue, and green), and a sweet note penned by Ian himself on the side.
“He’s the writer in the relationship,” Maggie said. “He wrote the paragraph for the tin, and we shared our story and favorite drinks, green tea for me, maple latte for him. Everyone was obsessed with them.”
Each guest received a tin in their welcome bag, along with a card explaining the story of Maggie and Ian’s first date. Some guests even stopped by a Compass cafe on their way to Virginia just to experience a piece of the couple’s journey firsthand.
“It became a huge conversation piece,” she said. “And something people could actually use and keep. I put ours in my wedding trunk.”
Now, they live right across from the Compass on 82 I Street, a cafe that opened just before their wedding. “It felt like a gift,” Maggie laughed.
She still stops in before night shifts, keeping the tradition going.
“You guys are such a big part of our story,” Maggie told us. “From the first date, to the engagement, to now being right next to our house. It just feels really full circle.”
And honestly? We couldn’t be more honored to be part of the journey.
Planning a wedding and want Compass Coffee to be part of it? We’d be honored—email us at hello@compasscoffee.com to get started.
