Danyel & Elliott: An Outdoor Wedding in Monterey Hills, CA

Danyel and Elliott's wedding was informal but sophisticated, and filled with whimsical touches. The Bride Danyel Smith The Groom Elliott Wilson The Date June 11 Danyel, 40, and Elliott, 35, are driven, hardworking people. She’s from California, he’s from New York. They’re both accomplished authors and journalists, and they also have a competitive streak. As colleagues at Vibe magazine, they would sometimes argue (“loudly,” Danyel says) about assignments, and they later became rivals when she was promoted to editor-in-chief and he left to be music editor at The Source. Competition eventually turned into chemistry when Danyel called Elliott to get together under the pretense of things “work-related.” Elliott took it further and asked her out for drinks. Drinks turned into dinner. And about a year later, the two got engaged in their New York City apartment one chilly winter night. Danyel admits she had a hunch that Elliott was going to propose, especially after he complained that the guy gets nothing in an engagement. To make things equal, she bought him a silver pendant engraved with their initials on one side, and “Yes.” on the other. When he “surprised” her with the ring, she gave him the pendant, and the former competitors called it a draw.