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...
June 28, 2025 • Kiawah Island Ocean Course
One hot August day in Los Angeles back in 2022, Laura Silverman snuck into a condo building (where her parents own and rent out a unit) to take a dip in the pool. She had no idea that the clandestine cool-off would double as an introduction to her future husband. When a handsome stranger approached to ask if they were neighbors, she blurted, “I don’t live here—I just pretend to so that I can use the pool. Don’t tell on me!” Luckily, Daniel Refoua (said handsome stranger) found Laura’s honesty charming and asked her on a date. The serendipity behind their meeting only deepened when Laura later realized a friend had attempted to set her up with Dan months prior, convinced the pair would hit it off. Her friend’s intuition had been spot on.
After two years of dating, Dan popped the question during a getaway to the Rosewood Miramar in Santa Barbara. For their wedding weekend, the Los Angeles-based couple decided to trade the Pacific for the Atlantic. Laura’s grandfather was born in Charleston, and every summer, her family spends a week at the Sanctuary on Kiawah Island. “We wanted to do something completely different in a beautiful place that not many of our loved ones have experienced,” she says. They selected the famed Ocean Course for their ceremony and reception and enlisted the expertise of Chloe Ewing at A Charleston Bride to plan an unforgettable summer soiree.
The June celebration perfectly channeled the setting’s elegant and breezy charm. A classic sailcloth tent was punctuated by Tulum-style rattan lighting, soft sage-and-white draping, and blushing blooms by Festoon. Framed by a showstopping floral chuppah and in front of their closest loved ones, Laura and Dan exchanged vows, rings, and a kiss. After walking down the aisle together, they stole 15 minutes in private to soak it all in while sipping cocktails and nibbling on hors d’oeuvres, a choice that became their favorite moment of the entire evening. “We got to watch our guests enjoying themselves and share their excitement for us, and we got to enjoy our first few minutes as newlyweds before going out to the party,” Laura says. “It’s hard to put into words how much that moment meant to us.”
