A broken leg derailed Mark Wiltse’s European soccer career and landed him back at his alma mater, the University of South Carolina—this time to earn his master’s degree. “It was heartbreaking, but little did I know that months later I would be meeting the girl of my dreams,” he says. The lady in question? Lisa Joyner, a fellow master’s student and part-time bartender at the student haunt where they met. “Asking for her number may have been one of the scariest moments of my life,” says Mark. But the risk paid off: when Lisa’s shift ended the two tackled a few rounds of Photo Hunt at the bar and within 24 hours had planned another date.
Five years later on a trip to Charleston (the pair lives in Dallas, but Lisa is a Holy City native), Mark proposed at their favorite local restaurant, Sermet’s Courtyard on Daniel Island. With family nearby—Mark’s New Jersey native parents retired to Daniel Island—hosting their Big Day in the city was a “no brainer,” says Lisa, who wanted to let her hometown shine without the typical trappings of a Lowcountry wedding. Read: no plantations and nothing over the top. “We wanted a place that met our modern taste yet also maintained the Charleston charm and character we both adore,” says the bride.
A friend pointed her in the direction of the design mavens at Ooh! Events, and, with the news that the Gibbes Museum of Art was set to reopen following renovations to restore it to its Beaux Arts architectural roots, Lisa, Mark, and their planner, Megan Chandler, donned hard hats for a tour and secured the first available date seven months out. When the day arrived, Ooh! Events and their floral division, Out of the Garden, set the scene for a black-tie fête with Lucite furniture and sleek white calla lilies in keeping with the couple’s streamlined vision.
After the ceremony in the Rotunda gallery, guests headed out back for cocktail hour, a sit-down dinner, and the much-anticipated cutting of the cake. About that cake—the towering Jim Smeal creation was neatly placed on a “ghost” pedestal and set in the middle of a pebbled garden path. We crossed our fingers, says Megan, that the seemingly floating buttercream confection wouldn’t be knocked over ... or melt. After an early cake cutting, the party ramped up to the tunes of Sol Fusion. And was the discerning couple happy? Absolutely. “From the attire to the food to the band, décor, and venue—everything about the wedding was a representation of our style and personalities,” says Lisa.
Jaye and John fell for each other when both were students at the College of Charleston. Soon after they began dating, the pair headed to Savannah for a short trip and dinner at The Olde Pink House,...
“My incredibly witty introduction goes here.” With that one liner, sent to Emilie over Match.com, Brian caught her attention, made her laugh and set off the relationship that led to this gorgeous Big...
Elopements keep cropping up with good reason here: not only can wedding venues be hard to come by in Charleston these days (especially during weekends and on short notice), but also can you blame a...
Houston, Texas, natives Haylee and Charlie have known each other since childhood; their families have been friends for years, and the two were even on the same swim team when they were eight years...
Kristen didn’t know many people in Charleston when she moved here for a three-month rotation during medical school. Neither did Morgan, who had recently moved here to begin his residency at the...
We welcomed in the New Year in a big way with these photos that popped up on our feeds. Two of them aren’t only among our most-liked ‘grams of the month, but are also among our most liked. Of. All....
Here’s some good news for anyone struggling with that pesky mid-week slump: Your future hubby may be sitting next to you … at this very moment. At least, that was how it went for Abigail and Grant....
McKenzie and Ryan met during their junior year at the University of Toledo in northwest Ohio, when she moved in across the street from him. She already knew of a few of his roommates, who invited her...
