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...
Photograph by Dana Cubbage Weddings. Crest by The Fox and Bloom
It’s been said that Southerners will monogram just about anything they can pin down. (No lie—from rain boots to car windows and baby bloomers, nothing’s safe.) And while choosing your style of intertwined initials remains a right of passage for newlyweds, in this age of Instagram, where every bride is a princess, crests and heralds are rivaling their ABC-styled cousin.
Just ask Allison Davis, who married Christian Leveque at The Governor Thomas Bennett House last year. After their planner, Lindsey Boyce of A Charleston Bride, shared links to Australian artist Betsey Weir of Lemon Tree Calligraphy & Illustration, there was no turning back. The couple’s crest was such a part of their celebration, it showed up on the invitation suite, atop their sign-in book, and was even projected onto the dance floor as they twirled the night away. Since then, the two have used it on stationery and holiday cards, and today the watercolor is being converted into a painting that will hang in their Los Angeles home.
“We plan to hand it down to our children and grandchildren one day,” says Allison. Sound like what your wedding and newlywed nest need? A host of Charleston stationers, graphic artists, and illustrators have embraced the genre, so all that’s left is for you to pick your favorite style and artist, and share some of your personal history and predilections with them.
