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...
Sara Detweiler & Josh Funk
April 27, 2012
Folly Beach
When Josh Funk was in physical therapy school at St. Louis’ Washington University, he wrote a song about fellow student (and friend) Sara Detweiler and sang it to her. That nudged their
friendship into romance-land, and after graduating a few years later, the Missouri natives moved to Charleston’s Folly Beach together. Not long after relocating, on a routine evening walk by the water with their dogs, Josh popped the question to Sara.
Sara’s answer led to a DIY beach wedding near the very spot where Josh had proposed. Their homegrown theme was borne of necessity, Sara says. “I have a hard time paying for something I could do myself with just a little research and effort,” she explains. “Plus, doing all the planning and lots of the décor ourselves made it ‘our’ wedding and not ‘a’ wedding. That guided us the whole time.”
Sara wanted “a lot of color,” she says, so a base palette of ivory, gray, and marigold was sprinkled with purple, green, and blue. From the rainbow-hued bridesmaid dresses and groomsmen ties to the ribbons on the backs of the ceremony chairs and the hanging lanterns, splashes of cheery color added a fun, playful spirit.
Toward the end the night, Josh surprised Sara by serenading her with another original song, kicking off their married life the same way their relationship began. “I think it was the only time I cried all day,” says Sara. On par with that memory? “Seeing our guests truly enjoy themselves and knowing they were there because they love us was the best,” she says.
Vendor List
Baker: The Cake Stand; www.TheCakeStandCharleston.com
Caterer: Mosaic Café and Catering; www.MosaicEdibles.com
Flowers: Fifty Flowers; www.FiftyFlowers.com
Hair: Casey Hoffman of Clare’s of Clayton in Clayton, Missouri; www.ClaresofClayton.com
Linens and rentals: Snyder Event Rentals; www.SnyderEventRentals.com
Make Up: Stella Nova Salon; www.Stella-Nova.com
Musicians: The Green Levels; www.Facebook.com/GreenLevels.com
Photographer: Benjamin Jackson; www.BenjaminJackson.com
Planners: Sarah and Josh Funk (the bride and groom)
Stationery: Josh Funk (the groom)
Venue: Folly Beach County Park (Note: due to erosion, the Folly Beach County Park picnic shelter closed in 2012; for alternatives, rent a beach cottage on Folly or check out Tides Folly Beach Hotel; www.TidesFollyBeach.com)
