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

March 4 2019
Even though Anna, a Wilmington native, and Bobby, who is from Mount Pleasant, dated for over four years after swiping right on each other, they never really talked about getting married … they just...

March 1 2019
Kitty and Kyle met during their freshman year at Clemson, but they didn’t begin dating until they got to know each other as study partners a few years later. After two years, a move to Charleston,...

February 28 2019
Bissell and Jack may live in Atlanta, but Charleston has played a large part in their relationship, from their dating days through their engagement and now with their wedding. Bissell’s mother is...

February 27 2019
Today’s styled shoot takes place on the patio of 5Church, a downtown church-turned-restaurant that doubles as a wedding venue. Nicki Paige, owner of wedding planning company Nicki Paige Collection,...

February 26 2019
Christa met Andrew when she first moved into the same Charlotte, North Carolina, townhome complex as him in 2013. For a while, they were just passing acquaintances, until he asked her out for drinks...

February 25 2019
We’ve got the world of modern dating to thank for this gorgeous celebration at Boone Hall Plantation. Christiana and Bud met on Tinder, and after chatting on the app for a while, they met up for a...

February 22 2019
Nadja and Ryan both grew up in Sarasota, Florida, but they didn’t meet until they were in college (and on her 21st birthday, no less). A decade of dating later, he surprised her with a 10th...

February 21 2019
We so want to be friends with these two Charleston high-school sweethearts. Ask when they met and Jackie will tell you it was went they were 15 years old, she was in braces, and neither could drive...