COUPLE ENJOYS INTIMATE WEDDING ON THE MARSH

Laura and Jayson Johnson know quite a lot about working through a challenging situation. Laura is an RN at Beaufort Memorial Hospital. Jayson is a drill instructor at Parris Island who will soon transfer to San Diego’s Camp Pendleton to serve as a combat engineer.

The two met and fell in love in March 2020 — right when the rest of the world was thrown into an unprecedented state of isolation and anxiety due to the global pandemic. 

DREAM WEDDING AT HONEY HORN PLANTATION

Both competitive golfers, Colleen Cully and Justin Imel met on a golf course in Jupiter, Fla., in May 2019.

Originally from Indiana, Justin had moved to Florida to play professional golf. Colleen was working for a golf club at the time. The two hit it off immediately.

BLUFFTON COUPLE CELEBRATES A HAIG POINT WEDDING

The coronavirus pandemic brought changes to Kristen Kopanda and Morgan Crutchley’s wedding plans. 

What started as an event for more than 100 guests was quickly altered as venues and providers shut down in response to COVID-19. There was a silver lining to the upheaval, however. The couple was able to marry on Daufuskie Island in an intimate ceremony, ending the night with live music by the ocean.

WEDDING INDUSTRY SPECIALISTS ENJOY THEIR DAY OF BLISS

After all those years of just missing each other — of being just a few minutes too early or too late — they finally met.

Michel Berda, an accomplished wedding photographer who has captured the joy of more than 500 weddings, and Linzie Davis, a wedding hair and makeup artist, had fleetingly crossed paths through the years at numerous events in Charleston and throughout the Lowcountry, but they’d never connected. Never had a chat.

HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEARTS SAVOR THEIR DREAM WEDDING

In high school, Abby Hicks greeted Parris Winstead as she was walking down the hall to class. Little did she know the impression she made in that moment. Parris was instantly in love.

“I knew I was going to marry her from the moment I saw her,” he said.

A SUNSET WEDDING CELEBRATES THE BLENDING OF TWO CULTURES

Alyssa Gillis and Humberto Garcia Cruz got lucky: their wedding took place just before South Carolina’s Gov. Henry McMaster prohibited large gatherings due to the coronavirus. But the bigger stroke of luck, according to the Hilton Head couple, is that they found each other at all.

Gillis grew up on Hilton Head Island with her twin sister and parents. Garcia Cruz grew up in Morelos, Mexico, just south of Mexico City. Her determination to become fluent in Spanish brought them together as co-workers at a Mexican orphanage in 2013.

Every destination wedding requires a fabulous wedding destination, of course. But it takes a savvy couple like Lucie and Kyle Duffy to truly honor and capture the magic of both. 

The Duffys, who met in Chicago and now reside in London, were married at Sea Pines Country Club on May 4, 2019. But playing the role of good Hilton Head Island hosts to their 130-plus guests began days earlier. From rounds of golf to beach outings, as well as a cocktail reception, an intimate bridal luncheon and a wedding-eve welcome dinner for 125 people at Dockside, the couple helped their loved ones take full advantage of the getaway and the island before the wedding day even dawned.

FRIENDSHIP FOLLOWED BY MARRIAGE IS A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS 

There is something to be said for marrying your best friend. Combining romance with companionship brings out the best qualities in both types of relationships. It seems couples that have this connection have it figured out — couples like Jennifer and Vinny Matalavage.

Jennifer and Vinny met in college at Penn State Hazleton, sitting next to each other in class and working together on group projects. They really connected as friends and when Vinny began looking for a roommate in 2014, he was excited to learn that Jenny had a job in the same area: “We cleared it with our parents first and then became roommates.”