CNN’s Eva McKend tied the knot with Dennis R. Bates Jr. in an intimate east coast wedding over the weekend.
Eva McKend and her husband Dennis R. Bates exchanged vows on Aug. 6 at a private, 300-acre estate in Frederick, Maryland, in front of 170 guests.
“I love Vermont, where I previously worked as a journalist and where we got engaged, but we wanted to get married closer to home,” Eva McKend explains ahead of her big day. “This area of Frederick, about an hour and a half outside of Washington D.C., with its farmland, ponds and rolling hills was the perfect fit.”
“For us, a ceremony outdoors was key. We wanted to feel connected to nature but paramount is for people to be able to attend and feel comfortable. I’ve encouraged friends to ditch the heels and wear flats!” she added.
McKend first met Bates, a CPA and real estate investor, on the dating app Bumble in 2019 before the two got engaged in July 2022. They value the same things and their personalities work well together.
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“Went to Vermont a girlfriend, came back to DC a whole fiancé 💍💍💍Dennis surprised me over the weekend with a proposal in Burlington in front of Lake Champlain. I feel so loved. We are excited and grateful to have each other.” Eva McKend captioned on her Instagram page.
“Dennis is smart, kind and easygoing,” McKend shares of her husband. “The best feeling is when I see him come in through the door from work or when I come home and I meet him waiting for me. I feel a near instant sense of relief as he has a calming and nurturing presence.”
Bates adds that he is “excited to build a life” with his wife, who he describes as “warm, outgoing, affectionate, intelligent and aware of the important issues of our times.”
“When we visited, we drove up a winding road through miles of corn fields,” McKend recalls of her first trip to the inn. “It felt majestic.”
Eva McKend wore a Wtoo by Watters Austin Corset Tulle wedding gown from Anthropologie, a gown she found while shopping in New York City with her mom.
At the ceremony, Bates and his groomsmen walked down the aisle to a song by his favorite music group, “The Fire” by The Roots. The beautiful bride McKend followed in her charming gown as the “Goodness of God” by CeCe Winans played.
“Getting married means cementing our relationship, for life,” says McKend. “It was important to us to have our families and friends in attendance to witness the commitment we are making to each other.”
Instead of a cake, the couple opted for a late-night order of Insomnia Cookies.
Looking ahead, McKend and Bates plan to go on a “minimoon” to Savannah, Georgia, before heading to the beach on nearby Hilton Head Island for the first time.
“I spent a lot of time in Georgia on the campaign trail last cycle and Savannah is a dream,” she says, adding, “We can’t wait to try new food.”
