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...
TWR: How and when did you meet one another? Was it love at first sight?
Daisy: Brent and I met through mutual friends on Halloween night at the University of North Carolina Delta Kappa Epsilon house. (I was visiting from North Carolina State and was just there for the night.) We danced a few songs in the basement and then headed out with our friends separately. Once I got back at NC State the next day, I told my friends I met this really cute boy but would probably never hear from him again. That night, I got a Facebook message asking for my number, which followed with a request to hang out the next day. I would say we moved pretty fast with officially dating after a couple days.
TWR: Now on to the engagement. Was that quick as well?
Daisy: Every year after Christmas, we take a vacation with Brent’s family. That particular year, they decided to switch it up and do a skiing trip to Chamonix, France (we usually went somewhere warm!). Well before the trip, Brent made sure I was good with skiing. I said, “Absolutely, I haven’t in a few years but will be totally fine!” When we got there, I quickly realized that we were taking the gondola with a guide all the way up and spending the day skiing down. As we got higher and higher, I started to think that these people are nuts and begun backtracking on my skiing ability. When we got to the top, I looked down, lost all confidence, and quickly realized there was no way I was skiing down that steep, icy, mountain. Brent, who is a great snowboarder, had this great plan to ski/board all day with everyone and on the last run, would ask to do one more, just the two of us, and propose. I think he quickly realized that I had other plans (AKA would not be skiing that day) so he had to resort to plan B. Brent and I slowly made our way to a restaurant to regroup and decide what to do. We sat down, had a quick drink and I noticed that Brent looked a little spacey. I told him how sorry I was for ruining his day and said that I would get an instructor the next day. He then said, “Alright before we take the gondola back down, we have to take a selfie up on the mountain.” (He knows I love my selfies.) We took our skis off and walked up to a little crevice where skiers take a break. Taking in the views, Brent reached into his backpack to grab his “phone,” got on one knee, pulled out the most beautiful ring, and asked me to marry him. I was screaming “I’m engaged!” while coming down the mountain (kind of like Monica from “Friends”).
TWR: What a story! You guys are definitely an active couple. We want to hear about these precious golf tee place cards at the wedding. What was the inspiration behind those? Are you all big golfers?
Daisy: Brent is a huge golfer. You can find him on the golf course any chance he gets. The River Course is one of his favorite courses so the golf tee place cards were a surprise for him that turned out amazing!
TWR: Can you tell us the story behind these fun foam hats we spy at the reception?
Daisy: These were the absolute best and it was my sister-in-law’s idea. She spent time hand picking all of the hats to go along with our personalities, the holidays, and cute ideas. There were Christmas trees, football helmets, snowmen, flowers, goofy wigs, and of course, the bride and groom top hats. They brought them out about halfway through the reception and everyone just swooned over them. One guest even offered $20 for a trade!
TWR: Describe your absolute favorite moment from the reception. We are all ears.
Daisy: Dancing on stage with my husband with those giant top hats. The stress was off and the band was absolutely amazing, so we jumped on stage to let loose. There was no greater feeling than having my husband twirl me with everyone cheering. We even got into a hula hoop competition, which I won.
Photography: Olivia Griffin Photography | Florals: Roadside Blooms | Hair & Makeup: Paper Dolls | Band: ECE Entertainment | Transportation: Charleston Style Limo | Cake: Cakes by Michele | Planner: Intrigue Design & Events | Wedding Dress: Modern Trousseau | Bridesmaids dresses: Hayley Paige from Bella Bridesmaids | Rings: Lamine Fiaki (private jeweler; NYC) | Venue: Kiawah Island Club
