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...
The Schraibman and Fawcett families have long been friends, so Caroline and Donald knew one another as kids. But that childhood bonhomie developed into something deeper when the pair began dating while at the same Columbia high school. Their romance took a short hiatus during college years and a move to New York City but reignited during a pandemic-era return home. Then, on a fateful December afternoon in 2024, Caroline discovered a special ornament hanging on their Christmas tree—a ring from Donald.
Having visited the Carolina coast regularly in their younger years (she to DeBordieu and he to Pawley’s Island), the couple considered just one place for their wedding: Caroline’s dream venue of the DeBordieu Club. “The Lowcountry is where we feel most relaxed and always have a good time with friends and family,” she says. With help from her mother and planner Haley Kelly of Haley Kelly Events, they set out to create a day at once classically elegant and uniquely colorful, anchored by a palette of chartreuse, pink, and deep teal.
With its trailing florals, delicate branches, and pair of blue herons, the liner art from Caroline and Donald’s save-the-date stationery quickly became a prominent motif. “The herons represent Donald and I as two lovebirds,” says Caroline, who hung a framed print of the artwork in their home. The botanical pattern, which also gives a nod to the DeBordieu logo, appeared throughout the reception, including around the four-tier cake from Flowerchild, across the vinyl-wrapped dance floor, and on water bottles and golf tees inside guest welcome bags.
From a floral perspective, bright collections of roses accented the day, including a romantic archway for the couple’s vows, a showering of petals as the newlyweds journeyed down the aisle, and a towering tree display boasting climbing blooms at the center of the tent. The reception proved just as colorful, with guests grabbing feather boas, party glasses, and hand-painted tambourines before taking to the dance floor. When the festivities drew to a close and the getaway car was nowhere to be found, the quick-thinking planner spun the couple ’round the block on a golf cart and then directed them onto a trolley with their bridesmaids and groomsmen, where the fun trailed the wedding party into the night.
