Tommy Berner & Anthony Reto

May 9, 2019
A “Words With Friends” match that ended in a (rare) win by Anthony led to Tommy owing the victor a drink. After that initial meeting, weekly dates turned into daily ones, and the two have been inseparable since. On a trip to Greece, Tommy surprised Anthony with a yacht ride, and as the sun set asked his beloved to be his, forever. Because the Philadelphia residents are fans of historical architecture, they tried Charleston for a wedding site. As they tell it, they still hadn’t found “the” spot for their nuptials when, hours before the flight home, their planner pulled into Lowndes Grove. Love at first sight struck. “But as an interracial gay couple,” says Tommy, “we had a few things to consider given the nature of the venue. We ultimately decided that this is what brings change—people like us and our guests enjoying something at a location that originally would have no seat at the table for us.” The pair, who kept the wedding address a secret until hours before the ceremony, unveiled a waterfront celebration like few of their 100 guests had ever seen. “We wanted to give them a full Southern Charm Charleston experience,” says Tommy. Mission accomplished.
 
See their full wedding and read more on our blog, The Wedding Row. 
 
Image by Twisted Oaks Studio

The Wedding Row

October 23 2018
If how they saved their wedding foretells how they’ll live their marriage, we have every confidence in Jess and Geno. (And yoo-hoo to you other hurricane season brides, listen up extra close.) The...

October 22 2018
The Wedding Row: Tell us about how you two met. Kathryn: Hunter and I met through mutual friends in the fall of 2011 at a bar called Town Hall in Washington D.C. It was the “Clemson bar”...

October 19 2018
With couples getting anointed “Mr. and Mrs.” every weekend in the myriad nooks and crannies of Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, the site’s seen more than its fair share of wedding day décor. And as...

October 18 2018
Becca and Tanner started dating when she was at Sweetbriar College and he was at Hampden Sidney College. Seven years after they started dating, they were happily ensconced in Charleston while he...

October 17 2018
TWR: Where did you meet? Madison: At work. A role in my job “allowed” me to go to Paul’s desk every day. Four months of professional interaction and happy hours led to us dating. TWR: When did you...

October 16 2018
If you’re a bride-to-be whose addicted to happily ever after stories; if you’re a romantic looking for some fuel to add to your hope tank; or if you have a friend who falls into that category (and...

October 15 2018
Katie and Mike met through work (she was the chief of staff for the Republican National Congress and he was her predecessor), so it made sense that his proposal was touched by politics as well,...

October 12 2018
Wimberly Fair not only has one of the coolest names (yep, it’s her real moniker) in the wedding world, she’s also one of Charleston’s biggest, most whimsical talents. Today she shares about the...