Woodland Fantasy



WRITER CREDIT: 
PHOTOGRAPHER CREDIT: 
Woodland Fantasy | Wallis Ronchetti & Brooks Morris; November 11, 2006, The French Huguenot Church & Carolina Yacht Club

When Wallis Ronchetti met coworker Brooks Morris in the breakroom of their Atlanta office, she was suddenly convinced of love at first sight. After that first coffeebreak together, a tender romance blossomed, and following a year-long courtship, Brooks drove to Charleston to ask Wallis’ father for her hand in marriage. “He showed up unexpectedly,” recalls a laughing Wallis, who, like her parents, knew nothing of the covert trip. Nonetheless, the Ronchettis gave Brooks their blessing, even though for pleased papa Joe, “It carried the serious connotation that my little girl was no longer my little girl but rather someone’s intended.” He and wife Cindy kept the formalities from Wallis, so she was duly surprised when Brooks popped the question right before Thanksgiving. “He proposed to me in the house we had decided to buy,” says Wallis. “It was vacant at the time, and he asked me to meet him there. He’d put candles in the backyard, and it looked amazing.” As for the nuptials, Wallis wished for a forest theme, which sprang to life with the help of event designer Kristin Newman, flower guru Heather Barrie-Ahern, and Wallis’ style-maven mother, who oversaw the coordination. “It was great having my mother in Charleston to make decisions while I was in Atlanta,” says Wallis of their long-distance teamwork. “She and I had a style file that we had kept for a long time, plus, we share the same taste. It turned out exactly as I wanted.”

Location: French Huguenot Church & Carolina Yacht Club; Planner: Kristin Newman Designs; Photographer: Taylor Stewart; Florals: gathering: event + design; Catering: Carolina Yacht Club; Cake: Ashley Bakery; Rentals: Snyder Event Rentals

The Wedding Row

July 29 2019
Happy Monday, friends.  We are sitting down with our cup of coffee and with lovely Kelly, the owner of Paper Meets Pearl, a one-stop shop boutique wedding and event planning company based in the...

July 26 2019
It’s confirmed: Heather and Chuck absolutely let the dogs out. The pet lovers (and now newlyweds) met back in Gainesville, Florida, while in veterinary school. Chuck was getting his PhD in animal...

July 25 2019
These days, it’s pretty common to meet your S.O. on a dating app, but Tanya and Joe met in real life, sans any electronics. Can you believe it? While checking out a new store opening in Crown Town (...

July 24 2019
Back again, but this time it’s official! We fell hard for Abby and Grant’s love story back when we shared their engagement session a few months back. For a refresher, their romance began when Abby...

July 23 2019
Not everyone is fortunate enough to meet their future spouse as early as middle school, but Caroline and Robert sure lucked out. Although these two grew up together, they only began dating after...

July 22 2019
Alicia and Cameron, Maryland dwellers, may not live in our zip code but they certainly know how to throw a shindig, Charleston-style. We will get to that bit later but for starters, how about a...

July 18 2019
Now this is a wedding story full of fun, food, and … fish. (Wait for it. You’ll see.) Arkansas natives Elle and Miles met in college and dated for four years before this groom seriously reeled in a...

July 17 2019
After meeting online and sensing that this could be something special, Carolyn and Jeff found themselves falling head-over-heels IRL. Four years later, the duo vacationed in Grand Cayman for the Ritz...