Andrea Gomez & Daniel Cardenas
March 21, 2015
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens
Leave it to Miami natives Andrea Gomez and Daniel Cardenas to balk at Charleston’s cool season: “It was in the mid-60s—that’s chilly for us!” Andrea laughs. The readings had their fellow Floridians donning furs as the sun set on Magnolia Plantation & Garden’s spacious back lawn, an oft-overlooked spot that had stolen the bride’s heart. “It was a blank canvas and felt so secluded,” she explains. While décor-wise, she and Ooh! Events opted for understated pieces that complemented the natural beauty, the festivities were anything but mild. It may have been cool, but between her mom’s famous habanero-pineapple jam (jars of it served as escort cards) and his mom’s sizzling moves (she and Daniel performed to “Uptown Funk”), guests were fanning themselves all night long.
Top Tips Take It from the Cardenases ...
• Spell check! Daniel “outsourced” his luxury hotel room rose petal proposal and ended up asking Andrea “Will Yuo Marry Me?”
• Call in family for wedding favor help. The bride’s aunt supplied dozens of her company’s “Chiqui’s Chocolates” sampler boxes.
• Create outdoor “rooms” using arbors, greens, and curtain sheers.
• Hosting an outdoor fête before spring strikes? Pick a venue with cold-weather blooms, like camellias.
• Advise the female guests to wear heel guards, wedges, platforms, or flats for lawn parties.
Check out these all-time best engagement rings from our vaults
Does your SO need a little hint-hint, nudge-nudge in the engagement ring department? Have no fear, because we’ve rounded up our top...
During the summer of her junior year at College of Charleston, Lauren studied abroad with a pair of fellow Cougars who kept telling her she had to meet their friend Dante when they all got back home...
One Monday night, at an East Carolina University bar in Greenville, North Carolina, Pirates Nina and Brett bonded over, as she sheepishly jokes, their love of a good deal on beer. But there was...
The Wedding Row: Start us at the beginning. How did you two meet?
Kate: Edward and I met through work in 2014. We were both living in Washington D.C. and Edward needed some software configured on his...
We love a groom who goes above and beyond for his bride-to-be, and JP did just that when he scooted down to Charleston from Charlotte, North Carolina, and back again in the same day to ask his...
For shutterbug Kate Timbers, the 200-year-old The Unitarian Church in Charleston is the perfect location for romantic portraits, timeless ceremonies, and more. With the church’s pastel-blue arched...
We love a pair who embrace big, bold statements and big, bold flavors with all the mannerly trappings in their Big Days. Enter Amanda and Preston, who not only hosted a posh wedding at The River...
Some of the best romances we know of are rom-coms, and Amanda and Will’s story is no exception. While Will tried to stage the world’s dreamiest proposal, complete with a romantic dinner,...
