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Wood, Baker exchange vows Oct. 21
The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Steve Wood of Thomasville. She is the granddaughter of Mrs. Geneva Ott of Thomasville and the late Mayburn Ott and Ms. Jo Wood of Thomasville and the late Billy Wood. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Billy Alexander Sr. of Butler. He is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. James Lamar Baker of Diamond Head, Miss. and the late Mrs. Mary K. Baker and Mrs. Minnie Hendrix of Mobile. Upon entering, Trey Wood, cousin of the bride, and Jake Alexander, nephew of the groom, opened the church doors. Guests were then registered by Anna Ezell, cousin of the groom. Programs were given out by Ashley Anderson, friend of the couple. The altar was decorated with greenery, stargazer lilies and tulle, which were also used for the main church aisle. Located behind the altar were two large urns spilling with exquisite arrangements of calla lilies, springier greenery, ginger, white roses, belles of Ireland, curly willow, mixed tropical greenery, and stargazer lilies. The church's huge stained glass illuminated cross provided the backdrop for the ceremony. Prenuptial music was presented by pianist, Michelle Taylor of Butler and organist, Zach Smith of Thomasville. Karen Dean of Thomasville sang "How Beautiful" before the mothers were seated for the celebration. Erik Hill sang "God Bless The Broken Road" prior to the bride entering. To the right of the altar was the unity candle. The other side was fixed with a memory candle and pictures of loved ones who were with them in their hearts. This candle was lit by Tate Wood, cousin of the bride, and Justin Alexander, nephew of the groom. The bride entered on the arms of her father to "Trumpet Voluntary". Laken wore an ivory taffeta one-piece strapless gown with a corset back. The sweetheart neckline was sprinkled with pearl accents decorating the bodice. The couturier styling of the caught up skirt and gown's train was embellished with diamond shaped pearl motifs. A chapel length veil edged with the same diamond and pearl motifs matched her bridal gown. She carried a bouquet of white calla lilies, seeded eucalyptus, and ivory roses wrapped with ivory silk ribbon and pearl pins. Attending the bride as maid of honor was her sister, Courtney Wood. The bridesmaids were Chelsea Grimes, Brea Gunter, Peyton Lewis, all of Thomasville, Erica Jansen, Christine Clouser, both of Huntsville, Gina Tolbert of Auburn, and Shelley Wise of Birmingham. They wore a black European Satin two-piece strapless top with a double-sided two-tone sash accenting the natural waist. An A-line skirt with a short train complimented the dress. They carried calla lilies wrapped in ivory ribbon tied with pearl pins. Breelyn Garrick, daughter of the bride's friend, served as flowergirl. She wore a matching gown just like the bride's and carried a white satin basket with rose petals. Andy Flint of Pine Hill served as best man. Other groomsmen were John Allen of Chattanooga, Tenn., Phil Traver, Lafayette, Keith Cooley, Michael Loftin, and William Phillips, all of Auburn, Brian Norris of Notasulga, and Tyler Phillips of Thomasville. They wore Sam Stewart tuxedos and miniature calla lily boutonnieres. Cade Tarver, son of the grooms' friend, served as ringbearer. He wore a matching tux and delivered the wedding rings on a satin pillow. Immediately following the ceremony, Rev. Hal Taylor invited guests to join the family for an outside reception and continued celebration at the "Land". Antique checker cab cars were used for transportation for the wedding party to the reception. The bride and groom made their entrance in an antique white checker cab car. Hurricane lanterns draped with black and white tulle lined the entrance to the reception. White tents and tall columns accented with black and ivory tulle decorated the grounds. The reception tables were adorned with white cloths and black tie toppers. The bride's table held a four-tier octagon shaped wedding cake covered in ivory butter cream icing positioned on a silver base. The cake was cut and served with a leaded crystal service given to the couple by the groom's mother. Serving at the bride's table were Erica Doby and Ashley Wilkinson, friends of the bride. The punch table was adorned with a large water dish containing calla lilies. Punch was served from a silver bowl by Abbie Drinkard and Rachel Simmons, friends of the bride. The groom's table held a chocolate cake in the shape of a tree stump. Moss and raccoon hunting memorabilia from the bride's late grandfather highlighted the table. Serving at the table were Danaka Friddle and Anna Hudson, friends of the groom. The main serving table was decorated with a magnificent swan ice sculpture. The guest enjoyed a Southern menu of shrimp and grits, roast beef sandwiches, chicken strips, boiled shrimp, chicken salad puffs, hot wings and various dips. Served also on the serpentine table were various fruits and vegetable trays along with a chocolate fountain with rice krispies and strawberries. Beneath the large white tent, guests enjoyed an evening of dancing with music provided by John Bodiford of Auburn. Laken chose to dance with her Daddy first and chose the perfect song, "I Loved Her First" by Heartland. The couple's first dance, "She's Everything To Me" by Brad Paisley was played as the lights were dimmed and the couple was showered with bubbles. During the reception, Morgan Pugh and Mariah Green, cousins of the bride along with Alexandria Huckabee and Keali Deason handed out wedding favors. In keeping with the outdoor theme, guests were also given John Deere koozies stamped with the bride and groom's names. A matted framed picture of the bride and groom was signed by all the reception guests. The wedding was directed by Robin Maroney and Darnelle Lewis served as coordinator.
Parties and Showers On Saturday, September 16, Abbie Drinkard, Brea Gunter, Chelsea Grimes and Cherie Browder hosted an around-the-house shower for the bride. Several friends exchanged gifts and well wishes for the new bride. A bridal tea was held on Sunday, September 17 at 1 o'clock in the lovely home of Mrs. Mike Ledkins honoring Miss Wood. Hostesses for the occasion were: Beverly Walker, Teri Overstreet, Reba Clayton, Hazel Parden, Rosa Lee Overstreet, Sydney Smith, Bonnie Parten, Nina Kennedy, Wilma Day, Peggy Patrick, Vanita Cannon, Dawn Collins, and Stephanie Messer. Saturday, September 23, 2006, a Porch and Patio shower was given in honor of Laken and Lamar. The Champion House in Thomasville was decorated with red checked gingham cloths and daisies adorning each table to carry out the shower theme. Hostesses for the occasion were: Ida Duncan, Diane Draper, Carolyn Drinkard, Sandra Williams, Candy Thompson, Julia Milstead, Carol Ann Day, Robin Maroney, Vickie Crowley, Cindy Hare, Danielle Morton, Shirley Wallace, Pam Fendley, Debbie Duncan, Gwen Grimes, Deborah Vick, and Becky Knight. Mount Vernon Baptist Church was the setting for a Sunday, September 24 bridal tea honoring Laken. Family and friends enjoyed watching as the new bride received her gifts. Hostesses included: Mary Huckabee, Helen Ruth Morgan, Angie Bradford, Linda Taylor, Kim Braggs, Faye Salmond, Geraldine Smith, Bonnie Jackson, Martha Sheehan, and Michelle Giles. On September 27, 2006, Laken was honored with a miscellaneous shower in the home of Kathy Spates in Auburn. At this time, Laken was presented with several gifts from her yaya friends. A bachelorette/lingerie party was held the weekend of September 30 through 31 at Fins West in Gulf Shores. Those attending were bridesmaids and friends honoring Miss Wood. On October 7, at the Talledega Speedway Park Grounds, Laken and Lamar were honored with a Nascar shower/cookout. The couple enjoyed receiving many Earnhart "Jr." items, tributing their favorite Nascar driver. On the eve of the wedding, the couple was honored by his parents with an after rehearsal dinner held at Ezell's Fish Camp in Lavaca. Appetizers were served before the evening seafood buffet at 8:30 p.m. Following the traditional bride's and groom's toasts given by Chelsea Grimes and John Allen, Lamar chose this time to present the groomsmen with their gifts. At 10 a.m. on her wedding day, Laken and her bridesmaids were honored with a brunch held on Darnelle Lewis' patio overlooking historic downtown Thomasville. At this time, the bride chose to give her attendants their gifts. The couple will leave the week of Thanksgiving for St. Lucia for their honeymoon.
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