This article is not totally about a wedding gown and it not completely about an
excursion, this narrative is about promises made and promises kept, and a satin
ribbon known as love that has woven its way through our lives for more than
sixty years.
Our chronicle begins in the southwest Georgia town of Richland, where three
little girls formed a bond of friendship that has endured through achievement,
adversity, prosperity and pain. As children we matriculated through the local
school system together, pledged to be forever friends as teenagers, and have
remained close our entire lives; fulfilling the agreement that has followed us
through the mountains and valleys of our seasons.
Victoria Murrah Collins, I adored the name when I first heard it spoken and fell
in love with the beautiful newborn the moment I touched her, a blonde haired
blue-eyed beauty that she still is to this day. "Tori" is the daughter of
Marcia and the late Nick Collins, and they reside in Tallahassee; it is a long
distance to travel but we chat frequently and visit as often as possible.
It was an honor and privilege to be invited to participate in the pursuit of the
perfect bridal apparel, and witnessing the interaction of our blended families
during our visit was too poignant and precious to adequately describe. Arlin
and Brenda driving up for dinner and Carla and Minnie joining us for lunch added
even more delight to our excursion.
The bride-to-be Tori is like a daughter to Melba and me, because her mother
Marcia is our sister by choice, therefore the invitation to join them in
Buckhead a few days after Christmas was even more exciting.
Once we deposited our luggage in the hotel suite, Melba maneuvered the Atlanta
holiday traffic and we toured the city, while Tori made telephone inquiries and
appointments with bridal emporiums. The shops in Buckhead had numerous choices
of gowns, and we enjoyed participating in the searching and fittings, but it was
not until we discovered a bridal boutique in the Virginia Highlands that the
ideal gown was located.
Alencon lace or point d'Alencon sometimes called the "Queen of Lace," is a
needle lace named for the town of Alencon, France where it originated during the
sixteenth century. I cannot reveal a more comprehensive description right now,
the bride wishes to withhold the details, but I can declare that this precious
lace adorns her final selection and she looks stunning.
Therefore, as Charles officiates at the ceremony and Otto and Tom assist with
the intricate details, the YaYa's, Marcia, Melba and Brenda, surrounded by a
host of friends and family to include her brothers N ick Todd and Ian, will
direct, guide, participate in, and enjoy the nuptials.