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.
Although Heather and Peter grew up in the same town in New Jersey, they didn’t officially meet until he noticed her wearing a Ridge High School lacrosse sweatshirt at a Lafayette College fraternity...
High school romances can be so very, very awkward. Take Chapin, South Carolina, natives Lindsay and Tyler, for example. “He claims he charmed me when I fell up the stairs to our Spanish class and he...
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Happy Friday, brides! Do you remember these two? To trigger your memory, here’s a link to when we posted Sara and Colin ’cycle-centric engagement photos by shutterbugs Aaron and Jillian. Well, now it...
You know we’d only share a gorgeous wedding with you. So we’ll pause on the descriptors of this couple’s Big Day for a moment and tell you a little about the pair themselves, because when...
You know about “designated travel companions,” right? It’s when someone who works for an airline gets to pick a “buddy” who can travel at the same nominal fees (we’re talking taxes and regulatory...
Today’s couple hit it off one night at a Baltimore bar. Credit for the first move goes to Olivia, who made her intentions mighty clear on her way out by hip-checking another girl out of the way so...
Two foodies—he’s worked at Oceana, The Obstinate Daughter, and Wild Olive and she’s penning her first cookbook—tie the knot on All Hallows’ Eve at the bride’s family home on Sullivan’s Island
