In the News

Rep. Connolly officiates the wedding of James Tsai and Cicie Sattarnilasskorn at the Jefferson Memorial.

Alex Gangitano

Virginia Rep. Gerald E. Connolly added to the dozens of marriage ceremonies he has performed for current and former staffers in his self-described role as “Irish Yenta.”

On Friday, the Democratic congressman officiated the marriage of two Northern Virginia residents, James T. Tsai and Cicie Sattarnilasskorn, at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington.

Connolly met Tsai and Sattarnilasskorn at his annual St. Patrick’s Day Fete in 2015, which was the couple’s fourth date. Connolly’s event usually draws a crowd of about 1,000 Virginia Democrats.

“Many good things come out of St. Patrick’s Day, the holiest day of the year, and I believe today’s marriage between James and Cicie is one of them. I wish them both a lifetime of happiness,” Connolly said at the ceremony.

Tsai is a patent examiner at the United States Patent and Trademark Office and Sattarnilasskorn is the director of the James Renwick Alliance, a nonprofit organization that supports the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery.

http://www.rollcall.com/news/hoh/connolly-married-a-couple-virginians