Written By Melissa Reardon
Photographs By Lucy Cuneo
A transplant from Virginia, Weston “Wes” McAfee vividly remembers the first time he saw his future bride-to-be. Charleston native Dana Elaine...
When Elizabeth’s brother brought his best friend and college roommate, Will, to their family beach house over spring break one year, he couldn’t have known that he was about to make a big, HUGE difference in the lives of both his friend and his little sister. Read on for the full rom-com of a story:
The Wedding Row: Tell us about how your relationship turned from family friends to something more.
Elizabeth: When I was at College of Charleston, Will was clerking at a local firm the summer before [he started] law school. We spent the summer going to RiverDogs games, eating at our favorite restaurants, and, ultimately, falling in love. As the summer ended, Will headed back to Columbia to start law school and I began my senior year at College of Charleston. We tried long distance, but we ultimately couldn’t make our schedules work.
TWR: Something must have changed, or we wouldn’t be having this conversation. What happened next?
Elizabeth: After graduating, I moved to Columbia to get my master’s degree at the University of South Carolina, where Will was in law school at the time. We both graduated two years later and reconnected when my brother was in town for my graduation. It felt the same as it did years ago. I never expected to stay in Columbia after graduation, but all the pieces fell into place at the perfect time. We were engaged two years later!
TWR: Sounds like fate to us. Now we want to hear about the proposal.
Elizabeth: Will and I had been talking about getting engaged for about a year, so I knew it was coming but had no idea when. One day we were heading to Charleston to get lunch with my mom. I never even thought twice about any ulterior motives. We got to Charleston early and walked King Street, did a little shopping, and eventually ended up at the Battery. It was a beautiful day and we were people watching when I noticed Will was looking a little nervous—something very rare for him. Next thing I know, he’s on one knee proposing and all I remember is saying “Yes!” Looking back, I should’ve seen it coming …
TWR: Tell us about your pooch, Emerson. Will he play a role in the wedding?
Elizabeth: Emerson is our fur baby and such an important part of our family. We knew he had to be involved in the wedding somehow, but thought he might be a bit much at the wedding, so Jill encouraged us to bring him to the engagement session. We were all dying laughing as we tried to get Emerson to cooperate. He would sit facing the wrong direction or see a bird out of the corner of his eye. At one point, we were trying to have a cute, picture-perfect moment and Emerson decided to find a huge pile of pollen to roll in. I’m surprised you can’t tell how yellow he was by the end of the session!
Photography: Aaron & Jillian Photography | Hair and Makeup: Pampered & Pretty
