The “driven and independent” daughter of Monaco’s ambassador celebrates her wedding with an intimate, non-traditional affair, and reflects on her mother’s influence.
KIMBERLEY DOYLE
AND JOHN PASZTERKO
HER EXCELLENCY, MY MOTHER “My mother has always been an incredible role model for me,” Doyle says. “She had a huge influence on my life and significantly shaped the person I am today.” Amb. Maccario-Doyle first came to America from Monaco at age 22, armed with what Doyle describes as incredible work ethic, courage and perseverance. The bride, now a senior director and consultant for a non-profit group focused on workplace gender, reflects on the example her mother set and other life lessons learned.
When Maguy Maccario-Doyle, the current and first female ambassador of the Principality of Monaco to the United States, spoke into the microphone atop the courtyard staircase of her Embassy Residence in Kalorama in a black and white leopard print dress, her words took on a jocular mood. “Always keep a sense of humor,” she advised her daughter and future son-in-law, in front of approximately 80 guests gathering on the wedding eve. “It’s important to laugh and not take yourselves too seriously.” It was veteran diplomat wisdom (wink). An overall aim for ease embodied Kimberley Doyle’s wedding to John Paszterko.
The couple met at Georgetown University as graduate students and started dating after a bus-ride home together when Doyle mentioned her mother’s post. “He started speaking French all of a sudden. I was floored,” Doyle recalls. “He didn’t have an American accent and spoke extremely well … That’s when I knew, this guy was special.” The two bypassed a large, formal wedding celebration with bridesmaids, groomsmen and any semblance of a princess-style gown in exchange for an “intimate, warm and inclusive event”—complete with the bride in a modern white pantsuit and simple wedding bands exchanged by Doyle’s maternal grandparents 70 years previously.
ON LEADERSHIP & EQUALITY: “My mother first sparked my interest in gender equality and women’s leadership when I witnessed the challenges she had to navigate working in a predominately male field. Every time she faced an obstacle, she found a way to do what was right for not only for her country—but also our family. The lesson I learned as a young girl by watching her was that if you work hard and aren’t afraid, anything is possible.”
