Claire Conerly & Alexander Kiamie, III – Oxford, Mississippi
By Sarah Christine Bolton
Claire first met A.J. through mutual friends in 2005, she went home and told her roommates that she had met the cutest guy. Her roommate, who knew A.J., invited him over for dinner the next night. “Of course, I did the cooking,” Claire says. “He and his best friend came over for dinner on Sunday, and on Tuesday, we had our official“first” date at the Two Stick restaurant.”
While A.J. and Claire were celebrating Christmas with her family in Louisiana, he took her hand and led her around the house until he got the courage to ask her a very special question. “He looked at me and said, ‘I have something very important to ask you, are you ready?’” Claire says. “I think everyone can guess what happened after that!”
Claire said she had some ideas about what she wanted for her wedding day. “We had to change some things, like having the wedding in Oxford instead of my hometown,” she says. “So while many ‘little girl dreams’ of the perfect wedding still made it to the big day, I learned a lot about shifting gears. And it turned out perfectly!”
Claire met with her wedding planner, Kate Barron of A Bash. “I knewI would need help since my mom and I lived in two different towns now andshe was not as familiar with Oxford vendors,” Claire says. “Kate helped mestay focused and on a timeline.”
When it came to choosing her wedding gown, Claire knew exactly what she wanted. “I wanted something traditional and more fitted, not a ball gown,” she said. “It took me several weeks and trips out of town to find the perfect dress. My mom and I finally found it at Lowe’s in Brinkley,Arkansas.” Her dress was a Stephen Yearick design with a sweetheart neck, chapel length train, and as she describes, “more beads than I thought I wanted originally!”
Claire actually found her bridesmaid’s gowns before her own. “They were taffeta, A-line gowns in a combination of jasper green and gunmetal blue/gray with a silver sash.” The groom and groomsmen wore elegant black suits with ties that matched the bridesmaid’s gowns.
The couple was married in the Oxford University United MethodistChurch. The decorations played off the gorgeous stained glass windows andbeautiful wood floors and pews. The altar was full of lit candles. The antiquecoloredflowers softened the dark red and browns of the church interior,and decorated the front doors of the church, the aisle, and the altar.
The music before the ceremony had selections that were played at Claire’s parent’s wedding 25 years ago. At the chiming of the hour, her friend Jenny, sang “What a Wonderful World.” A family friend who is a cancer survivor and vocalist at Claire’s home church sang “Amazing Grace,My Chains are Gone” and “Sunrise, Sunset,” from the musical Fiddler on the Roof, a movie that had special meaning to Claire and her father. The couple lit memory candles for their friends and family who had passed away.
Claire tucked one of her great-grandmother’s handkerchiefs in her bouquet. “It’s a tradition I hope to pass on to my daughters,” she says. Claire works as a tennis coach and decided to incorporate some unique and fun elements related to her profession. “Some of my young students entered the church in groups of two and sang ‘Chapel of Love,’” she says. “Their bouquets were made of tennis balls and satin ribbon.”
After the announcement of marriage, Claire and A.J. turned around to walk out. “My mom and my wedding planner had planned a very special surprise for us,” Claire says. “They got the Second Baptist Church of Oxford gospel choir to see “Oh, Happy Day” from the balcony. I didn’t even know they were up there until they started singing!
A Double Decker bus transported guests from the church to the reception site at the Lyric. “We wanted our ceremony to be a celebration and we wanted to carry that into the reception with a great party for everyone,”Claire says. “Our band, Almost Famous, was beyond words. Truly there are not many bands that can get everyone from my grandmothers to my little tennis students all out on the dance floor. They even got A.J. shaking his tail feather!”
The reception food was catered by Tallahatchie Gourmet and featured dishes from the couple’s home states of Mississippi and Louisiana, including fried chicken, boiled shrimp, shrimp and grits, mini muffalattas, tomato sandwiches, meat pies, and sushi.
A.J. played football for Ole Miss, so the groom’s table had an ice sculpture of Colonel Reb beside the groom’s cake, which was a massive 3-D replica of the Ole Miss football field. Claire’s cake was displayed on a table hand-crafted by her florist. The glass-topped table was supported by water and orchid-filled cylinders and set against a backdrop of white wood with white lights. A 14-foot ice sculpture created the centerpiece of the reception, complete with cascading white flowers from the top.
The Classic Photo Booth Company brought a photo booth into the lobby of the Lyric so guests could take pictures and write in a memory book.
Claire says her favorite moment was when she and A.J. kissed for the first time as husband and wife. “I never thought he could kiss that good!” Claire laughs.
Claire says that her wedding day was perfect. “I could not have dreamed of a wedding that spectacular,” she says. “It was a wonderful beginning to a happy marriage. We achieved what I wanted, a celebration with style and personal touch.
Acknowledgements and Special Thanks from the Conerly/Kiamie Wedding
Ceremony Site
Oxford University
United Methodist Church
Oxford, MS
662-234-5278
Photographer
Scott Burton
Photography
662-801-2273
www.ScottBurtonPhotography.com
Wedding Planner
/Invitations
A Bash Events
Kate Barron
Oxford, MS
662-801-0340
www.ABashEvents.com
Wedding Cake
Ole Miss Catering
Oxford, MS
662-915-7041
Wedding Gown
Lowes Bridal
Stephen Yearick
Brinkley, AR
870-734-3244
Bridesmaids Gowns
Lowes Bridal
Jim Hjelm
Brinkley, AR
870-734-3244
Tuxedos
Guys Tuxedos
Oxford, MS
662-234-1262
662-234-0691
Florist
Oxford Floral
David Naron
Oxford, MS
662-234-2515
www.OxfordFloral.com
Reception Site
The Lyric Oxford
Shannon Wall-Mason
Oxford, MS
866-92LYRIC (925-9742)
www.TheLyricOxford.com
Favors
Classic Photobooth Rental
877-452-6684
www.TheClassicPhotoBooth.com
Transportation
Double Decker Bus
662-232-2306
Reception Entertainment
Jason Derrick- Organist
Oxford, MS
662-832-6879
2nd Baptist Church Gospel Choir
662-832-1810
Almost Famous Band
Ram Entertainment
Memphis, TN
901-757-4900
Rehearsal Dinner
The Powerhouse
Wayne Andrews
662-236-6429
Reception Caterer
Tallahatchie Gourmet
Oxford, MS
662-316-2565
The bride and groom and/or third party supplied all vendor information to Southern Bride. Southern Bride cannot take responsibility for misinformation that was provided. This is not a paidadvertisement but simply a courtesy to share as a resource to Southern Bride readers.
