By Staff
Cassandra Lynn Williams and Robert William Stedman were married in a private family ceremony at the Cathedral of Saint Peter the Apostle on Saturday, April 27, 2002, in Jackson.
The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Houston Williams of Collinsville. She is the granddaughter of Bertha Williams Young and the late Joe M. Williams, Dot Fagan and the late Wesley W. Fagan, all of Stonewall.
The bridegroom-elect is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Edwin Stedman of Jackson. He is the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Franklin Hodges Sr. of Tupelo, and the late Mr. and Mrs. P.E. Stedman of Natchez.
Officiating the wedding mass were the Revs. P.J. Curley of Yazoo City and John Bohn of Jackson.
Nuptial music was provided by James Scoggins, organist; Dr. Paige Black of Brandon and Dennis Bailey of New Orleans, soloists. Scriptural readers were Nancy McGhee and Lisa Familia.
Given in marriage by her father, the bride were an ivory strapless gown of silk satin. The bodice featured seed pearls and sequins adorning the neckline and waistline. The back of the dress featured covered buttons to the waistline that fell into a straight shirt with a sheer overlay.
Her veil of ivory illusion with scattered pearls and corded edge, fell from a tiara of crystals and pearls. She carried a bouquet of white Virginia roses with hydrangeas accents hand-tied with an ivory organdy bow.
Jill Stedman Strickland of Jackson, sister of the bridegroom, served as matron of honor. Melissa Stedman Massey of Jackson, sister of the bridegroom, and Karen Matthews Williams of Meridian, sister-in-law of the bride, served as bridesmaids.
Flower girls were Jacquelyn Eve Massey and Elizabeth Sanford Strickland, nieces of the bridegroom.
The father of the bridegroom served as best man. Joseph Brennan Williams of Meridian, brother of the bride, and Shelby Venable Johnson Jr. of Jackson served as groomsmen.
Following the ceremony, a reception was held at the Edison-Walthall Hotel. Music was provided by Dan Michael Colbert and Dennis Bailey, family friend and renowned opera tenor.
Stedman Alexander Strickland and Katherine Pera Massey presented bubbles to the guests for the couple's departure.
On the eve of the wedding, the parents of the bridegroom entertained the wedding party and out-of-town guests at Miller's Grocery.
The day before the wedding, the bride was honored with a luncheon in the home of Melissa Stedman Massey and hosted by Jill Stedman Strickland.
Following a honeymoon to Ochos Rios, Jamaica, the couple resides in Jackson, where the bride is a registered nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at River Oaks Hospital and the bridegroom is operations manager at Stedman Prints.