Though the pair lived nearly a hundred miles apart, when then-Myrtle Beach resident Tiffany Waldorf and Charleston dweller John DeLucas both became single in 2013, Tiffany’s sister-in-law insisted they meet. Thanks to the matchmaker’s coaxing, a first date at Brookgreen Gardens led to a long-distance courtship until Tiffany moved to the Holy City a few months later for a new job. And although the pair took a short break from dating just before John moved to Pennsylvania last year to attend physician assistant school, that time apart only made their hearts grow fonder and proved to both that their relationship was the real deal. So on December 31, 2015—just before they left Tiffany's apartment for the Rose Ball New Year’s Eve celebration at The Citadel—John handed Tiffany two gifts. Unwrapping the larger one first, Tiffany found a picture frame accompanied by a note that read, “Take a picture tonight to put in here.” Puzzled, she moved onto the smaller, less-quizzical gift: a diamond ring paired with a proposal. Following a “Yes!” from Tiffany, the couple rang in New Year’s as a newly betrothed pair. They will exchange vows in Charleston next May.
Photograph courtesy of the couple