Real Bride

#EnzoaniRealBride: McKenna & Matt

Gorgeous Bridal Elegance in South Carolina Splendor

For McKenna and Matt, a freshman-year friendship at university blossomed into a nine-year relationship, as the couple went from best friends to gorgeous newlyweds. After the most romantic and unexpected proposal, McKenna and Matt tied the knot in an impossibly gorgeous ceremony held at the Magnolia Plantation in Charleston, South Carolina. Read on for all the beautiful details of their elegant wedding, McKenna's bridal advice...and how she knew her Dakota wedding dress was perfect:

THE DRESS

The Dakota is EVERYTHING. I explained to the owner of the boutique what I was looking for, and she said "I know JUST the dress for you!" She brought me the Dakota, I slipped into it...and my sister and mother and I all knew that it was the one. I felt amazing!! All my fiancé told me was, "I hope your dress will be tight on your tush." Well, he got his wish!! It hugged in all the right places and flared out perfectly at the bottom. The BUTTONS down the back. The lace. It was the perfect combination of sweet, sassy, and sexy....exactly the type of bride I wanted to be, and the Dakota made that happen for me!

Elegant and classic, just like my wedding. I am going to put it back on in a year and do a photo shoot with my two best friends (all wearing our wedding dresses again!) Counting the days until I get to put her back on!! Thank you for making the most perfect gown to complete my wedding dream.

THE LOVE STORY

We both attended UNC-Asheville from 2006-2010. He played baseball and I played soccer in college, and the athletes tended to stick together! We became friends freshman year, and two of my teammates--and now bridesmaids--and I were always hanging out with him and his group of friends. I always seemed to have a boyfriend, and Matt patiently waited until February of our senior year in college when I was finally single and he asked me to dinner for Valentine's Day.

We have been together for five years since then, and I am so lucky that I was able to call Matt my best friend for the past nine years, my boyfriend for five, my fiancé, and now my HUSBAND!

THE PROPOSAL:

We were spending New Year's and celebrating a late Christmas in Miami with Matt's family as we usually do, since we have been together for over five years. Part of my Christmas present from Matt was a trip to Key West because I had never been there before, and he knew I would love it. We booked to go the morning of New Year's Day. We got on the road early and had a 3.5 hour drive. During that drive, I recapped the conversation of the night before which revolved around people getting engaged and married, and so on and so forth. I said, "We just aren't like everyone else, I guess -- we aren't a traditional couple! We will just probably get married later in life."

He quickly changed the subject to our amazing dinner; we had reservations at Latitudes on Sunset Key...the ring was in the back seat and he was starting to sweat! We could NOT be late or we would miss the sunset and we had to take a private boat to the island at a certain time or we would miss it! I shrugged, thinking, "Wellll...I am always late, soooo.....hope we make it!" We arrived at the Westin at Key West where we had a beautiful suite, had a pre-dinner drink and just barely made our boat!

We had the best seat in the house at Latitudes -- a table about 20 yards from the water overlooking the sunset and the beautiful sailboats passing by -- pure bliss! "Great job," I said, "Did you call ahead or something?" I was clueless. Matt asked our waiter to take some pictures of us with the sunset.The waiter told me to fix my hair because it was "sorta messed up" (he knew what was about to go down, thank God!) We took three pictures and Matt asked him to take just one more. I turned to pose, and when I turned back around again, Matt was on one knee with the most beautiful ring I had ever seen in my life (which he nervously hauled around in his pocket all evening) and said "Will you marry me?" I was in absolute shock, didn't see it coming and answered with..."What? Are you kidding? Seriously?" Then the tears came and continued to come.

Finally he got off his knee and said...."So is that yes??" I said, "YES" and he put that ring on my finger and the restaurant cheered us on. I was covered in eyeliner and mascara. Cue the bottle of champagne, lots of phone calls to our loved ones, and the happiest boat ride back to our hotel! It was the greatest moment of my life! We spent two more days in Key West getting massages, saying "fiancé" as many times as we possibly could, and smiling more than we ever have in our life! 1.1.15 was the most perfectly amazing day of my life!

THE WEDDING DAY

The most memorable moment of our wedding day was our first look in the historic Flowerdale Garden at Magnolia Plantation. It was the best feeling walking up to him and when he turned around and had immediate tears of joy. We couldn't stop smiling after that. Perfection.