 Washington, DC 20007 –Dante White, thrown out of his mother’s home at the age of 14, has been living on the streets of Washington, DC for half of his life. Nine years ago, he met Nhiahni Chestnut, now 39, who is also homeless after a long battle with drugs and alcohol. They began talking and spending time together, finding safety and comfort in knowing someone in the same situation. The couple regularly attended a Bible study and meal program run by Grace Episcopal Church in Georgetown, an affluent neighborhood in the Capitol City. A few months ago, White confided in another parishioner that he would love to marry the woman who made his situation bearable for so long. According to Margaret Davis, another Grace Episcopal churchgoer, “In good Grace congregation fashion, everyone got behind the idea: one person managed flowers, I helped with wedding rings, one woman made the cake, someone helped with the tux and someone else with the bride’s gown.” Yet another parishioner paid for a two-night stay at the Key Bridge Marriott Hotel in Virginia. The couple’s wedding was much like any other wedding, but there was an element of sadness to it as well. After the service, the couple posed for pictures and fed each other chocolate layer cake. Two Washington jazz musicians played during the reception. The bride told an AFP reporter, “This is beyond my wildest dreams. This is exactly how I wanted my wedding to be.” However, once their short honeymoon is over, the couple will return to the streets, where, according to White, “You have to sleep with one eye open.” The Grace Church parishioners are not done yet, however. They are working now on helping the couple find jobs, affordable housing, and some furniture to start building for their future together. “There is a certain element of urgency to this,” said Davis. “Love will get them through so much, but at the end of the day they do need housing.” For a few short and wonderful days, however, Dante White and Nhiahni Chestnut got to feel like any other newlyweds, something they wouldn’t have dreamed possible.
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