The marriage of Clara Grace Turner and Christian Alexander Shirley was held on December 5, at 6 p.m. at St. Richard Catholic Church. Father Nick Adam officiated the double ring ceremony.
The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Allen Turner of Vicksburg. She is the granddaughter of Mrs. Joe Noe Jr. and the late Mr. Noe of Clarksdale, and Mrs. Homer Allen Turner and the late Mr. Turner of Belzoni.
The bridegroom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Barri Alexander Shirley of Madison. He is the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. James Mayfield Steadman of Booneville, and Mrs. Gene Shirley and the late Mr. Shirley of Orlando.
Honorary mother and father of the bride were Dr. and Mrs. James Wesley Cook of Vicksburg.
Scripture reader was Hope Broadus of Gulfport. Wedding guests entered and were seated to nuptial music presented by Janette Sudderth, organist and Brent Carbello, vocalist.
Escorted by her father, the bride wore a designer lace and chiffon fit and flare gown with a V neckline bodice, and a chapel length train with hem lace. She wore her mother’s wedding headpiece and a cathedral length veil with genuine French hand cut lace in a floral pattern over the tulle edge. Her ivory satin shoes accentuated with flowers complimented her gown and veil.
The bride carried a bouquet of loosely arranged white flowers of tulips, hydrangea, Patience roses, Astilbe and eucalyptus. Tied to her bouquet were pins and medals of her late grandfathers. Her bouquet wrap and garter were handmade from her mother’s wedding dress. She wore emerald and diamond stud earrings given on her wedding day by her parents. She also wore her sister-in-law’s white fur stole.
Attending as maid of honor was Sara Jean Turner of New Orleans, sister of the bride. Matron of honor was Megan Cook Vincent of Naples, sister-in-law of the bride. Bridesmaids were Taylor Eleanor Davis of Dallas; Ciara Marie Dycus of Memphis; Heather Hayes Hewlett of Madison; Camryn Reese Kestenbaum of Madison, cousin of the bride; Anne Blakele Palmertree of Vicksburg; Courtney Morgan Richardson of Brandon; Cayden Leigh Shirley and Callie Shirley Tate of Madison and the bridegroom’s sisters; Ann Garrison Thomas and Elliott Rae Welp, both of Vicksburg. Their bouquets featured colorful flowers of Porcelina roses, Quicksand roses, Juliette garden roses, Anemone panda bear, Black Knight Scabiosa seed, blue thistle, and eucalyptus.
The bride’s proxy was Katherine Elizabeth Humphries of Ridgeland.
The bridegroom’s father was best man. Groomsmen were Toby Steven Roach of Madison; John Bennett Ross of Florence; Joseph Spencer Rucker of Brandon; Garrett Holman Sanders of Morton; Zachary Morgan Savell and Ryan Walker Smith of Canton; Raymond Norwood Strode II of Brandon; Peter Jeffrey Vincent II of Naples, the bride’s brother; Daniel Evans Warden of Dallas; Michael Brooks Warren and Wallace Bradley Wilcher, both of Madison. Ushers were Hunter Reed Hatcher of Cumberland, Va. and Dakota Ray Tate, brother-in-aw of the bridegroom of Madison.
Program attendants were Katherine Ross Black of Birmingham and Micah Lynn McPherson of Jackson.
Following the ceremony, the bride’s parents hosted a reception at The Faulkner.
The fifth floor’s gold mirrored wall showcased the bride’s four tier almond cake with butter cream icing atop a gold cake stand. It was decorated with complimentary wedding flowers. The bridegroom’s cake was a two-tier strawberry cake with cream cheese icing. The cake was on a wooden stand and the topper was a bass fish to depict the bridegroom’s favorite pastime.
Bully, the Mississippi State University mascot, made a surprise appearance and MSU game day stickers printed with “The Shirleys Love the Dawgs” were provided to the guests.
Guests were entertained by Musical Fantasy of Mobile. The couple left the reception in a 1962 white Lincoln Continental convertible passing through guests waving maroon and white pom poms.
On the eve of the wedding, the bridegroom’s parents hosted a rehearsal dinner at Albert’s at Parlor Market.
The bridal luncheon was held the day before the wedding at Char Restaurant and was hosted by the bride’s aunts, Angela Kestenbaum, Judith Martin and Jennifer Turner and her cousin, Carys Turner. An after wedding brunch was hosted the next morning by the bride’s parents for family and friends at Estelle Bistro.
The couple was honored with an announcement party in Vicksburg, at the home of Dani Kay and Gary Thomas. Hosts were Natalie and Bobby Bailess, Lisa and Sammy Childress, Jim and Naomi Cook, Lisa and Lee Grant, Brenda and Brett Hayes, Charolett and Greg Hayes, Cindy and Jamie Howington, Pat and Mike Humphries, Karen and Steve Mabry, Andrea Palmertree, Belynda and Howard Waring and Nan Miller and Tim Welp.
A honey do shower in Madison, was hosted by friends of the bridegroom and his family. A bridal shower was hosted by the bride’s coworkers from St. Dominic’s Hospital.
The bride was honored with a bridal shower at the home of Tammy and Barri Shirley in Madison. Hostesses were Ciara Dycus, Heather Hewlett, Katie Humphries, Blakele Palmertree, Courtney Richardson, Cayden Shirley, Callie Tate, Ann Garrison Thomas, and Ellie Welp.
After a wedding to the Caribbean island of Grenada, the couple is at home in Ridgeland.
