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...
Lindsay and Andrew, who both grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, first met at the Charleston Animal Society’s Firefighter Calendar Debut party and auction. Yep, you read that right. A PG-version of a “Magic Mike”-style fundraiser for critters led to true love. (In case you need to look up Andrew’s pectoral pictorial, he was Mr. April, 2014.) As if that weren’t unlikely enough, four years later the two were on vacation in Iceland when Andrew popped the question as the Northern Lights pulsed overhead. “I was admiring the dancing colors and turned around to find him down on one knee, ring in hand,” Lindsay says. How to keep up with the pace of such a romance? To start, they chose The Historic Rice Mill, then they hired Cindy Zingerella of Engaging Events to transform the waterside venue downtown into celebration central. We’re nuts for the how their garlands took over and framed the couple during the ceremony, too. “Flowers have never been important to me in a wedding,” says Lindsay, “but I knew I wanted greenery.” If you’re wanting to follow suit, take a cue from Cindy’s team and mix a variety of textures, shapes, and hues for a lush look. (FYI, they used six different greens here.) And if you’re wondering about any good stories that might have come out of their Big Day, there’s this: “During our first look,” says Lindsay, “we were standing back-to-back, and when we turned to face each other, Andrew’s initial reaction was to break out laughing. I’m sure it was just nerves and excitement but it certainly was not the reaction I imagined.” Rest assured Mr. April was moved, though. The bride swears he shed a couple of tears as she walked down the aisle. Cheers to this fun couple, and enjoy the scroll, all.
Venue: The Historic Rice Mill | Photography: MCG Photography | Planning/Design/Flowers: Engaging Events | Ceremony Music: Clelia Reardon | Band: Super Deluxe | Catering: Good Food Catering | Videography: Artistic Eye Productions | Caricature Artist: Craig Delk | Beauty: Vanity Salon | Dress Designer: Theia | Rentals: EventWorks, Plants Alive | Stationery: Dodeline Design | Transportation: Charleston Style Limo
