Erika Klaire Lilly and Avery Thomas Carter, both of Conway, SC, met through social media in November 2022, and went on their first date soon after, on December 10. As they say, sparks flew between them, and a couple of days later they wanted to get together again, so they drove to Charleston to see the Christmas lights.

According to Erika, the day was magical and a perfect way to begin their fairytale love story.

She and Avery “officially started dating” on January 20, 2023 and “from that day on we spent every second outside of work together. He was everything I had ever prayed for.” He began attending Bakers Chapel Baptist Church, the church Erika grew up attending, which meant the world to her. For the next several months, they went to the lake, Braves games, and hung out.

The proposal: On Friday, September 22, 2023, Avery got down on one knee in front of Kingston Presbyterian in downtown Conway. “It was perfect and everything I could have ever dreamed of,” Erika remembers.  Afterwards, they went to eat at Coppers, where unbeknownst to her, sat friends and family, making the day extra special. 

Erika and her mom have always had a knack for decorating, so they set about the task of preparing for the wedding. The dress they selected was Allure Couture, a strapless A-Line with sequined, beaded lace appliqués across the bodice. Erika wanted Avery clad in a velvet coat with a brackish bow tie and a flower pocket square.

Erika notes that her dad pitched in with lots of assistance, and at Bakers Chapel, she and Avery married in front of the cross that her father had built for the church years before.

The reception was an elegant affair held in the church’s fellowship hall with a sit-down dinner, custom white dance floor, with the couple’s champagne interlocking monogram in the center. Hung above the dance floor was a floating flower ring with glass fish bowl candle holders hanging from it. 

For her dress change, Erika wore a classic Justin Alexander satin mermaid dress with an accented tulle organza skirt and custom large bow on the back.

Guests and family threw rice “just like old times.”  The couple stood in front of the church as fireworks went off, lighting up the steeple. “It was the perfect fairytale ending.”

Erika, a cosmetologist, and Avery, who works at Coastal Comfort Systems, are in the process of building their dream home in Conway on the family farm. 

PHOTO BY SWEETE PHOTOGRAPHY