Published: October 01, 2008 10:26 am         

Coleman-Chapman ceremony pledged

Mary Elizabeth Chapman and Kem Thorpe Coleman Jr. were united in marriage in a ceremony pledged at First Baptist Church in Amory. Dr. Alan B. Simpson officiated.

The bride is the daughter of Johnny Frank and Vicki (Fikes) Turman of Amory and James E. and Adielaide (Burge) Chapman of Jackson. She is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ragan Fikes of Amory, the late Mr. and Mrs. E.E. Chapman, the late Dr. John Burge of Kosciusko, and Mrs. Rosemary Burge of Jackson. The groom, is the son of Ms. Serena Lusk Coleman of Amory and Mr. and Mrs. Kem T. Coleman Sr. of Pearl.

Attending the bride as maid of honor was her sister, Ginny-Claire Turman of Amory. Bridesmaids were Lindsay Smith Abbott of Starkville, Kacy Lea Coleman and Sarah Kate Coleman, both sisters of the groom, of Amory, Ashley Gandy Jensen of Hattiesburg, Melissa Marion Reeves of Oxford, and Jessica Tomlin Welford of Lucedale. Serving as junior bridesmaid was the bride’s surrogate sibling, Elizabeth Diane Higgins of Amory.

Serving the groom as best men were Marshall Thomas Bell of Ecru, Joshua Ryan Enis of Tupelo, George Lucian Hargrove Jr. and Justin Kane Hargrove, both of Hueytown, Ala., Stephen Ray Malone of Mooreville, Matthew Patrick Mitchell of Fayetteville, Ga., Daniel Lee Preston of Saucier, and Jason Ryan Roberts of Starkville.

Ushers were Dustin Ryan Burnett of Pontotoc and the bride’s surrogate sibling, David Adam Higgins of Amory.

Following the ceremony, the bride’s parents hosted a reception at Riverbirch Country Club in Amory, where a barbeque dinner was served in rustic elegance.

Selected pieces of the bride’s childhood pig collection were used to decorate the tables, and a ceramic pig bride and groom figurine, a gift from the bride’s ‘othermother,’ Adielaide, adorned the top of her cake. The five tiered cake was embellished with Virginia and Blizzard roses, and featured Italian meringue buttercream icing over layers including pound cake with strawberries, coconut, lemon with lemon curd filling, and chocolate with chocolate meringue buttercream filling

The groom’s cake was seven layers of chocolate peanut butter cup cake adorned with chopped peanuts and Charlotte roses and red Gerbera daisies. In lieu of punch, the couple served iced down miniature bottles of milk from LuVel Dairy (located in the bride’s dad’s and stepmother’s hometown of Kosciusko).

Distributing confetti bags at the reception were were Anna Reese Chapman, niece of the bride of Lansdowne, Va., Robert Walker Dean, cousin of the bride of Madison, Elizabeth Anne Mitchell, cousin of the bride of Pontotoc, and Kelby Elaine Howell, bride’s family friend, of Amory.

Following an evening of dancing to the music of “The Gents,” (the bride’s stepfather is a band member) the couple left the reception on a motorcycle.

Following a honeymoon trip to Destin, Fla., they now reside in Anderson, S.C. He is a sales representative for First Data and is employed with Dick’s Sporting Goods. She is serving her graduate school internship as a school psychologist with the Anderson 5 School District. She will complete her EdS in School Psychology from Mississippi State University in May, 2009.