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...
When the bride owns a wedding and event planning company, you know her Big Day will be something remarkable. Such was the case for Liz, owner of Elegant Aura in Boston, Massachusetts. After her sweetheart Kevin, along with his two daughters from a previous marriage, popped the question as a trio, she planned a Folly Beach elopement for the whole crew. Why Folly, when she’s so versed in Bean Town options? “Because of the privacy, the views, and the natural driftwood forest,” she answers. During the ceremony, an intimate affair with 16 guests and officiated by the Mayor Tim Goodwin himself, Liz recited vows to Kevin and to her stepdaughters as well. (She also gifted the girls a pineapple charm each to “welcome” them into her heart officially.) And about that stunner of a bouquet: One of Liz’s best floral friends packed them into his carry-ons for the flight from Boston to Charleston, stored them in buckets of water in his hotel room, and made the bouquet on-site the day of the wedding. The result? As Liz describes it, “a nine-foot-long bouquet filled with tropical flowers, feathers, mini pineapples, and greenery.” She says she wanted something as different as possible from the bouquets she normally sees brides carry, and we’d say she certainly succeeded.
Wedding Planner: Elegant Aura | Florals: Flou(-e)r Specialty Floral Events | Photographer: Shannon Oleksak Photography | Venue: Folly Beach | Officiant: Mayor Tim Goodwin | Invitations: Minted | Dinner: High Cotton | Dress Alterations: Altar’d State | Bride’s Shoes: Manolo Blahnik | Beauty: Pampered & Pretty | Transportation: Lowcountry Valet & Shuttle Co.
