On March 1, an Arlington couple renewed their vows at Boccato Gelato, the venue of their first date. The secret wedding was a complete surprise to their combined six children.

That story alone was sweet enough, but Catherine and Terry Bingham’s vows also have a connection to Capitals hockey.

Bob McDonald, who regularly performs the anthem for the Capitals, hosted the couples’ original civil ceremony in his kitchen on January 26.

It was the second ceremony McDonald has officiated over the past year.

Last spring, McDonald was first approached by Harrison and Amanda Mudd to officiate their summer wedding. Harrison is the grandchild of legendary journalist Roger Mudd – a family friend of Bob’s.

At first when they asked, McDonald wasn’t quite sure what he was agreeing to.

“Officiant? I immediately thought of zebra stripes. ‘Two minutes for tripping,'” McDonald joked. “I really thought inside my head, ‘I’m going to be the guy that announces the couple is married.’ Then my wife told me, ‘No, you’re actually marrying them.'”

After that harrowing conversation, McDonald looked into how to get ordained in Virginia. He filled out an online request. Then he went through the Arlington court house to make it official.

Photo via Bob McDonald

“There was a lot of pressure,” McDonald, who has sung in front of sitting presidents and 17 thousand people at Capital One Arena, said of the wedding.

After the Mudd’s ceremony, McDonald was approached by Terry Bingham, a friend since college in the ’90s.

“‘Did I see something on the internet where you can marry people? I want you to marry me,” McDonald recalled Terry saying. “I’m like, ‘What?'”

McDonald and Bingham are also a part of the prestigious US Army Band. McDonald called Bingham “one of the finest trumpet players on the planet.”

The Binghams married in secret in the McDonalds’ kitchen, with Bob, his wife Anna, and four of the Bingham’s friends the only ones privy to the exchange of vows until their renewal at Boccato Gelato.

A couple that had their first date at Boccato many years ago, decided to renew their marriage vows this evening !
Precious 👰🤵🏻 pic.twitter.com/cFOMbkvvCc

— Boccato Gelato (@BoccatoGelatos) March 2, 2018

“We didn’t really have a plan until the last minute because we kept wanting to make it special and surprise the kids,” Catherine said to Arlington Now. “But everything else that we came up with just didn’t feel right.”

While McDonald wasn’t at the gelato shop, he was happy for his friend.

“Everything about it was certainly unorthodox,” McDonald said. “The way it played out was perfect.”

He even now has a newfound confidence in his officiant skills.

“Now I’m getting cocky like I’m getting good at this,” McDonald joked.

Donya Abramo also contributed to this article.

Headline photo: Catherine Bingham