Smooth Sailing
Diane Andrae, with two sons, knew she would never be mother of the bride, but longed for the day her first son would marry and bless her with a delightful daughter in law. Chad did just that when he married Mollie McCrary. Tall and blond, like his father, Don, Chad’s choice was a lovely, lively, articulate brunette and Diane knew they would give her something she’d talked about for years:  beautiful grandchildren.

Mollie’s mother, Suellen, traveled from Pensacola to help select the wedding gown and they invited Diane along for the fun.  Their thoughtfulness cemented an already cordial relationship, particularly important because the Andraes are a very close family. Diane said she was encouraged to help with the planning and Mollie’s parents specifically asked if there were things she felt important.  Since she was with CSU’s Schwob School of Music for 23 years, Diane was certain that the music had to be live. It was, and it was good.

Diane and Don hosted the rehearsal dinner at Ruth Chris’ flagship Steak House in New Orleans. The Andraes are ardent about cruise vacations, so Chad and Mollie had decided to marry at the Port of New Orleans aboard the Carnival Sensation. Twenty-five of the wedding party and other family members stayed aboard for the cruise to Cozumel.  “The ship is so big and there’s so much to do, everyone had all the privacy they wanted, but we also enjoyed some meals together. It was a great opportunity for the families to build a closer relationship.”

A few months after the October 2005 wedding, Chad was offered a professional opportunity in Pensacola, where he also has relatives, and he and Mollie moved to her home town. Diane and Don were constant visitors, even as Don commuted to work in Denver. Diane was there when her dream came true: Luke was born on February 11, 2008, Chad’s 30th birthday.

“I’ve heard horror stories, but wasn’t our case. We’re all family.”

As Easy as Plan B
Molly and Claude Scarbrough’s son married Allison Sheppard last October 25. A tiny, effervescent woman, Molly was delighted. “I loved every minute of it and my involvement was pretty great, thanks to Allison. She involved me in the very beginning, she was always inclusive.” Like Diane Andrae, she has no daughters so it was a special pleasure to help Allison shop for her gown. “We talked almost every day, sometimes when she just wanted to run something by me. We truly didn’t have one Bridezilla moment.

“The rehearsal dinner of low country boil was at home overlooking the water. Two days of rain forced us into Plan B in the garage with a tent in the driveway. The reception was also on our property in Harris County so we had lots of communication between our families.

The Wedding That Almost, but Not Quite Exactly, Didn’t Happen
Sara Cummings and Casey Carter were college sweethearts at Georgia Southwestern. Casey’s parents, Roy and Brenda, live in Savannah, where Brenda teaches third grade.  When Sara and her mother Jane went to Savannah to select her wedding dress, they narrowed the choice down to four, then called Brenda to meet them at the bridal salon to help made the final call. Brenda said, “I guessed right and chose Sara’s favorite. Even though we were across the state from each other with Sara and Casey in Atlanta, we worked very closely for 11 months on planning the wedding to be held at the beautiful Oakhurst Farms in Harris County.”

The bridesmaids’ luncheon was on Friday, October 5 at the Chattahoochee River Club.  “Sara was beginning to feel a little icky, but went through the day’s plans. The families and the wedding party stayed in the chalets at Callaway Gardens Friday night and Brenda and Roy hosted the rehearsal dinner at Carriages and Horses in Pine Mountain. “Sara wasn’t feeling any better, just picked at her food and didn’t even sip champagne. We all chalked it up to the jitters.”

At around five o’clock on the morning of the wedding, Sara called out for her mother, in acute pain. Jane could see she was deathly sick and called their doctor in Columbus, Dr. Richard Wood, who phoned in a prescription into a Pine Mountain pharmacy. Her father, Jimmy went to pick it up and Jane called Brenda to come to their chalet and help her with Sara. “I took one look and was scared to death. Her temperature was 102.” The prescribed Phenergan made her very tired and had no other effect, so Dr. Wood was called again. He said to keep her in bed, as comfortable as possible, and he would arrive early for the wedding to check her out. By the time he arrived, her abdominal pain was so intense, she could only hold her stomach and moan. He made the judgment call that the 5:30 wedding could take place, but she must immediately after be taken to Doctors Hospital in Columbus.

The ceremony was shortened and Dr. Wood hovered nearby. Sara couldn’t walk well, so a tractor was brought to drive the barely-weds to the reception. She was able to stand long enough to cut the cake with Casey and share a mock toast. She danced briefly with her father, Casey and her father-in-law, then was taken to rest upstairs. Brenda said, “I couldn‘t believe that was my son. He was calm, organized and quickly worked out the logistics with his father-in-law. They drove Sara to Columbus and Jane and I stayed at the reception. The guests drank, ate and danced while we just sat at a table and cried.” 

When Sara was settled in and getting medical attention, Casey and Jimmy returned to Pine Mountain at 2 a.m. and began cancelling St. Lucia honeymoon reservations. Fortunately, Casey had taken travel insurance. “He was simply amazing,” Brenda kept saying. “Suddenly, he had all of these unexpected responsibilities, and he stepped right up. I’m so proud of him.”

On Sunday, Sara underwent numerous diagnostic tests and the result on Monday showed full-blown Crohn’s Disease. On Monday, she had extensive intestinal surgery.  “Casey left her side only to shower and change. He slept at the hospital every night,” his mother recalled. “The hospital staffers were great, they even brought in a wedding cake.” When Sara was released from the hospital, she recuperated in Columbus with her parents while Casey commuted each week to work in Atlanta.

A few months later, Casey’s new job moved them to Columbus, where they live in the house where Sara grew up. On July 30, she had another, more severe attack, requiring another extensive surgery, and was hospitalized until August 23. After a long recovery, Casey planned a Deja Vu party at the RiverMill Event Centre to celebrate their first anniversary. Amazingly the entire wedding party, scattered around the country, was able to attend. This time the bride really danced.

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