2 Couples Hear a ·Different Drummer · Snider. seated, is backed up by his gray-clad ushers, Bill...
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Staff Photos by Charlie Buchanan , , The new Mr. and.Mrs. Leo Dowell (left) show off their ''old South" wedding attire. For a properly -romantic . entrance to their reception, they traveled by horse and buggy,, above. ..f:. 2 Couples Hear a ·Different Drummer By Janice Gaston Staff Reporter The quaint little wooden church at Tanglewood Park, \fount Pleasant Methodist Church, has seen hundreds of couples married since it was built in 1809, with a gallery over the entrance to seat slaees. Perhaps many young women in hoop skirts came here to become the brides of young men in uniforms. Those days of old have been revived in the past several weeks by two couples who appreciate the romance and tradition of the old South. Leo Dowell and the former Karen Keeton, who were married Aug. 31, wanted to make their wedding "as old-fashioned as possible," Dowell said. Ray Snider and the former Diane Matthews, who were married Saturday, chose a Civil War theme for their wed- ding, complete with Confederate uniforms, hoop s'll.irts and music by Stephen ester, Mr. and Mrs. Dowell wanted their wedding to be different, she said, and that's why they chose the little white church, without air conditioning, in- stead of one of the big city churches. And when the couple saw a Mississippi gambler character in the movie, "The Apple Dumpling Gang," Dowell knew he had found his wedding attire. He went to a local tailor, who saw the movie and ordered still pictures from the movie studio in order to reproduce the gambler's two- button jacket with wide lapels. His bride chose a dress with an old-fashioned look and a wide-brimmed picture hat. The ushers wore top hats, tails and white gloves. For a final authentic touch, they rented a horse-drawn carriage to transport them from the church to the lakeside shelter where they held their reception. The wedding was more ex· pensive than it would have been if they had chosen a more conventional route, Mrs. Dowell said. "But we figure we're only going to be doing it once." And a year from now, when they celebrate their first an- niversary by eating the top layer of . their wedding cake, they'll be reminded once again of the individuality of their ceremony. Their white-frosted cake was white all the way through ex- cept for the top layer - which was chocolate, • • • Snider, a history buff, and his wife, who is "very much into the romance of the old South," had worn Confederate garb once before when they attended "Old South" weekend with the Kappa Alpha Order at Wake Forest University. Kappa-Alpha is a Southern· oriented fraternity supposedly founded by Robert E. Lee. Mrs. Snider had been married before, in a conven- tional ceremony given by her parents. "This is ours," Snider said. So his bride turned the planning over to him. And plan he did, down to the last detail. "A lot of people say we're doing this for a show," he said a few days before the wedding. "I don't. care if nobody comes, because this is our wedding and this is the way we want it done." Snider wrote the invitations and picked the music, all songs written before the Civil War. He chose baskets of colorful flowers for the bride and her attendants and ordered floral decorations for the church-potted plants, Queen Anne's lace, babies' breath and ivy-"nothing grown in a hot house," he said. He gave his bride an idea of the kind of gown he wanted her to wear. 1 She chose a powder blue dress with a deeply rounded neckline trimmed in lace and a lace-trimmed, tiered skirt. Her picture hat had long tulle streamers. Bridesmaids also wore pic- ture hats, and floral gowns in old-fashioned fabrics, with ruffled skirts and puffed sleeves. Snider and his ushers were resplendent in Confederate gray. He wore an artillery of- ficer's outfit with red sash and stripes, and the attendants were in cavalry uniforms with yellow stripes and sashes. All wore plumed hats with the CSA insignia emblazoned across the front. The men didn't carry sabers, Snider said, because "they would clank· furiously." It was all red, white and blue at the reception and the flag was prominently displayed. Not the stars and stripes- the Rebel flag, the stars and bars. And the days of chivalry returned, at le ast for a little while. Before the wedding Snider said, "Chivalry died, for all practical purposes, after the Civil War. This is a male chauvinist wedding, and I'm proud of it. All the women there will be put on pedestals." Snider. seated, is backed up by his gray-clad ushers, Bill Grainger, Willie Edwards and Ed Wooters. At right, Mr. and Mrs. Snider share a. romantic moment. Staff Photos by Tom Wood Bridegroom Ray Snider (above) strikes a somber pose appropriate for the wearing of the gray. At right, Mrs. Snider shows the hoop under her tiered, lace-trimmed gown.
Transcript of 2 Couples Hear a ·Different Drummer · Snider. seated, is backed up by his gray-clad ushers, Bill...
Staff Photos by Charlie Buchanan , ,
The new Mr. and.Mrs. Leo Dowell (left) show off their ''old South" wedding attire. For a properly -romantic . entrance to their reception, they traveled by horse and buggy,, above.
..f:.
2 Couples Hear a ·Different Drummer By Janice Gaston
Staff Reporter
The quaint little wooden church at Tanglewood Park, \fount Pleasant Methodist Church, has seen hundreds of couples married since it was built in 1809, with a gallery over the entrance to seat slaees. Perhaps many young women in hoop skirts came here to become the brides of young men in uniforms. Those days of old have been
revived in the past several weeks by two couples who appreciate the romance and tradition of the old South. Leo Dowell and the former Karen Keeton, who were married Aug. 31, wanted to make their wedding "as old-fashioned as possible," Dowell said. Ray Snider and the former
Diane Matthews, who were married Saturday, chose a Civil War theme for their wed ding, complete with Confederate uniforms, hoop s'll.irts and music by Stephen ester, Mr. and Mrs. Dowell wanted
their wedding to be different, she said, and that's why they chose the little white church, without air conditioning, in stead of one of the big city churches. And when the couple saw a
Mississippi gambler character in the movie, "The Apple Dumpling Gang," Dowell knew he had found his wedding attire. He went to a local tailor, who saw the movie and ordered still pictures from the movie studio in order to reproduce the gambler's two button jacket with wide lapels. His bride chose a dress with
an old-fashioned look and a wide-brimmed picture hat.
The ushers wore top hats, tails and white gloves. For a final authentic touch,
they rented a horse-drawn carriage to transport them from the church to the lakeside shelter where they held their reception. The wedding was more ex·
pensive than it would have been if they had chosen a more conventional route, Mrs. Dowell said. "But we figure we're only going to be doing it once." And a year from now, when
they celebrate their first an niversary by eating the top layer of . their wedding cake, they'll be reminded once again of the individuality of their ceremony. Their white-frosted cake was
white all the way through ex cept for the top layer - which was chocolate,
• • • Snider, a history buff, and
his wife, who is "very much into the romance of the old South," had worn Confederate garb once before when they attended "Old South" weekend with the Kappa Alpha Order at Wake Forest University. Kappa-Alpha is a Southern· oriented fraternity supposedly founded by Robert E. Lee. Mrs. Snider had been
married before, in a conven tional ceremony given by her parents. "This is ours," Snider said. So his bride turned the planning over to him. And plan he did, down to the
last detail. "A lot of people say we're doing this for a show," he said a few days before the wedding. "I don't. care if nobody comes, because this is our wedding and this is the way we want it done."
Snider wrote the invitations and picked the music, all songs written before the Civil War. He chose baskets of colorful flowers for the bride and her attendants and ordered floral decorations for the church-potted plants, Queen Anne's lace, babies' breath and ivy-"nothing grown in a hot house," he said. He gave his bride an idea of
the kind of gown he wanted her to wear. 1 She chose a powder blue
dress with a deeply rounded neckline trimmed in lace and a lace-trimmed, tiered skirt. Her picture hat had long tulle streamers. Bridesmaids also wore pic
ture hats, and floral gowns in old-fashioned fabrics, with ruffled skirts and puffed sleeves. Snider and his ushers were
resplendent in Confederate gray. He wore an artillery of ficer's outfit with red sash and stripes, and the attendants were in cavalry uniforms with yellow stripes and sashes. All wore plumed hats with the CSA insignia emblazoned across the front. The men didn't carry sabers,
Snider said, because "they would clank· furiously." It was all red, white and blue
at the reception and the flag was prominently displayed. Not the stars and stripes- the Rebel flag, the stars and bars. And the days of chivalry
returned, at le ast for a little while. Before the wedding Snider
said, "Chivalry died, for all practical purposes, after the Civil War. This is a male chauvinist wedding, and I'm proud of it. All the women there will be put on pedestals."
Snider. seated, is backed up by his gray-clad ushers, Bill Grainger, Willie Edwards and Ed Wooters. At right, Mr. and Mrs. Snider
share a. romantic moment.
Staff Photos by Tom Wood
Bridegroom Ray Snider (above) strikes a somber pose appropriate for the wearing of the gray. At right, Mrs. Snider shows the hoop
under her tiered, lace-trimmed gown.
