Wedding Gown

Amanda Claire Hodo and Thomas Bradford Garraway were married on March 10, 2007, in an outdoor ceremony at Luckett Lodge in Brandon. Unseasonably warm weather and clear skies allowed guests to be seated on the lawn beside the lake for the five o’clock ceremony. A Mississippi Symphony Orchestra string quartet provided the prelude and wedding music.

The bride’s parents are Mr. and Mrs. James W. Hodo (Emily) of Jackson. The groom’s parents are Ms. Trudye Garraway of Madison and Mr. Vic Garraway of Brandon. Escorted by the groom, Trudye wore a long teal blue silk brocade gown and Emily wore a gown of green silk.

The wedding party entered to “Air on the G String.” Bridesmaids Sherry Yockey, maid of honor; Jennifer Sistrunk Rawlings, the bride’s cousin; Beth McLellan; Jeri Lynn Ostrander; and Terry Marsden wore champagne taffeta dresses and carried bouquets of cream roses and garnet callas. Groomsmen were Jeff Allison, best man; Michael Campbell, the groom’s cousin; Ware Hodo; Alex Joiner; and Martin Quick.

Flower girls were Madison Hodo, the bride’s niece; Ivy Gleason, and Skylar McLellan. They wore ivory dresses with garnet sashes, and they scattered garnet rose petals.

Amanda was escorted by her father as the quartet played her much loved “Ave Maria.” She wore a long champagne strapless satin gown with a tulle overlay adorned with crystals and pearls. Her bouquet of garnet callas, cream roses, and a single sprig of her grandmother’s woodland phlox was wrapped with long cream satin ribbons. All the bouquets were made by the bride’s aunt, Berkeley Sistrunk Ostrander.

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Hon. Ken Warren officiated at the simple ceremony. The bride’s nephew, Robert Hodo, carried the groom’s ring on a pillow Amanda’s mother had made for her when she was a child.

The reception hall was decorated with gladioli and carnations, and the chandelier over the bride’s cake was draped with greenery and miniature white lights. The three-tiered cake was Italian cream embellished with pearls and fragrant stargazer lilies. Silver goblets, one once belonging to Amanda’s fourth great-grandmother and one to Brad’s parents, were used for the toast. The groom’s cake was chocolate and bore an image of Brad enjoying his favorite pastime, bass fishing. Guests were treated to hors d’oeuvres served with wine and beer and entertained with jazz played by The Vamps. The first dance played for Amanda and Brad was “Sweet as Tupelo Honey.”

Friday evening, the mother of the groom hosted a rehearsal dinner for friends and out-of-town guests at Luckett Lodge.

Splendid photographs of the wedding and reception were captured by Allison Muirhead.

Amanda and Brad enjoyed a honeymoon on the beach in the Dominican Republic. They live in Jackson where Brad is a manager for Cowboy Maloney.