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...
It was all fun and games the night Atlanta residents Marissa and Robert first met. One evening at Play Date, a monthly event in which singles (along with food, music, and cocktails) get together to play Jenga, Connect Four, Monopoly, and other board game classics, Robert, a teacher, asked Marissa, a portfolio manager for a commercial real estate banking firm, on an official first date.
That date led to another (and another, and another!), and after a two-and-a-half-year courtship, Robert took things to the next level. On November 11, 2010, after dining out at the eatery where they spent their first date, the couple took a stroll in Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta. There, amongst a crowd of fellow walkers, Robert bent to one knee and asked Marissa’s hand in marriage, to which (of course) she said, “Yes!”
For Charleston native Marissa, picking the place for the ceremony wasn’t too difficult. They chose to marry in the bride’s home church—the Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston—and to have a reception at the Sand Dunes Club on Sullivan’s Island. “We both love the beach,” Marissa says. “With the bride being raised in Charleston and the groom being of Jamaican ancestry, it was only fitting that we had a venue on the water.”
Wanting “a tropical destination wedding without having to travel internationally,” the couple served Jamaican fare and rum punch at the reception, which was colored by a palette of fuchsia (Marissa’s favorite shade), black, and gold (to flatter the groom’s affinity for gold jewelry). And while the dinner and décor were spot on with their vision, the couple says that it was the 125 guests that made the evening perfect. “We are thankful to God for blessing us with our union and to our family and friends for celebrating with us,” says the bride.
Vendor List
Bride’s gown: Essense of Australia; www.essensedesigns.com
Bride’s shoes: Pour La Victoire; www.pourlavictoire.com
Bridesmaids’ attire: After Six; www.aftersix.com
Caterer: Camelita McLean
Ceremony location: Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church
Groom’s attire: Ralph Lauren; www.ralphlauren.com
Reception location: The Sand Dunes Club
Rentals: Snyder Event Rentals; www.snydereventrentals.com
