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...
Lanier and Luke met in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, during a Friendsgiving supper one November along with some 30 pals. That run-in led to a friendship that turned into a romance and by 2017, the two were at his parent’s Florida condo on vacation. Luke, who had just picked up the ring from the jeweler that week, says Lanier had cooked some of the best pasta he’d ever had and they sat on the porch eating and looking out over the ocean. (If you think it’s funny he remarks on the meal, just remember they do say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach …) As they took in the full moon—and even watched a sea turtle come ashore to lay her eggs, he says—they danced to Sam Cooke, and Luke popped the question because, as he tells it, the moment just felt right. For the wedding, the pair headed to another shoreline, that of Kiawah Island, where Lanier’s parents have a home. With some 250 guests looking on, they exchanged vows on the terraced steps on the back of the waterside house—the exact spot where Luke had first told Lanier he loved her—while classical musicians played. From there, everyone headed to the Cassique Club where they celebrated amid a reception dressed with family heirlooms like china, silver, and even chandeliers. Enjoy all the glamour, and get the scoop on on how Lanier and her mom were able to compromise and marry their styles (boho for the bride and black-tie formal for the MOB) for a seamless day here.
