“I definitely thought he was one of the hottest guys in the room,” says Daisy Bowman of the night she first met Benjamin “Ben” Swift at The Austin Grill, a local watering hole frequented by the Washington, D.C., residents. After Ben introduced himself to Daisy, the pair began a five-year courtship. On a trip to North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Daisy woke up to find a ring under her pillow. After a slightly groggy “Yes!”, she and Ben shared their first engaged moments sipping coffee and watching the sunrise over the beach. When choosing her wedding location, Daisy, who had attended the College of Charleston before transferring out of state, knew the waterfront offerings of the Holy City fit what she was looking for. “The first time I laid eyes on Charleston, I was mesmerized by its romantic beauty,” says Daisy. After she brought Ben down for the annual Cooper River Bridge Run, he was sold, too. So Daisy, an interior designer for Marriott International, began planning a “homegrown wedding,” and recruited her mom, Nancy, and sister, Lacy, as co-designers for the 120-guest affair. They teamed up with Charleston-based florist Thuy Patterson of Jade Water Designs to complete the look. “Daisy had the design mapped out, so I worked with her to find the elements that fit the textures and organic look she loves,” says Thuy. Overlooking the sparkling water along the I’On Creek Club courtyard, Daisy and Ben wed in a ceremony bedecked in chartreuse and mossy greens, taupe, and chocolate brown. Afterward, the celebration moved indoors, where dinner and dancing awaited. “The whole day was just as we hoped,” says Daisy of her Lowcountry fête, “a casual yet sophisticated wedding that put everyone at ease.”
