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...
When Wallis Ronchetti met coworker Brooks Morris in the breakroom of their Atlanta office, she was suddenly convinced of love at first sight. After that first coffeebreak together, a tender romance blossomed, and following a year-long courtship, Brooks drove to Charleston to ask Wallis’ father for her hand in marriage. “He showed up unexpectedly,” recalls a laughing Wallis, who, like her parents, knew nothing of the covert trip. Nonetheless, the Ronchettis gave Brooks their blessing, even though for pleased papa Joe, “It carried the serious connotation that my little girl was no longer my little girl but rather someone’s intended.” He and wife Cindy kept the formalities from Wallis, so she was duly surprised when Brooks popped the question right before Thanksgiving. “He proposed to me in the house we had decided to buy,” says Wallis. “It was vacant at the time, and he asked me to meet him there. He’d put candles in the backyard, and it looked amazing.” As for the nuptials, Wallis wished for a forest theme, which sprang to life with the help of event designer Kristin Newman, flower guru Heather Barrie-Ahern, and Wallis’ style-maven mother, who oversaw the coordination. “It was great having my mother in Charleston to make decisions while I was in Atlanta,” says Wallis of their long-distance teamwork. “She and I had a style file that we had kept for a long time, plus, we share the same taste. It turned out exactly as I wanted.”
