The celebration and blessing of the marriage of Iris Virginia Ball and Taylor Nathaniel Dean was held at half past four o’clock in the evening on January 4 at the Jefferson in Oxford.
The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Keith Ball of Madison. She is the granddaughter of Sylvia Duck Clark and the late Robert Earl Clark Jr. of Louisville, and Dixie Smith Ball and the late Dr. Otis Gene Ball of Jackson.
The bridegroom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Nathaniel Dean. He is the grandson of Jackie Lynn Sartain and Judy O’Neill Sartain of Water Valley, and Brenda Ellis Dean, and late Michael Edward Dean of Cleveland.
The Reverend Hal Clark officiated at the ceremony. Reverend Clark is currently the pastor of Antioch Church in Bruce. He shared a message of the meaning of marriage and read a prayer that was written for the couple by a member of the Dean family. The writer of the prayer was left a mystery to the couple. Two violinists and a cello presented the nuptial music.
Given in marriage by her father, the bride entered the church to “The Goodness of God” wearing a Mikado trumpet gown with neckline cuff and peek-a-boo back, accented with buttons to the hem. Covered by a lace long-sleeved overlay, the dress had a long train with buttons along the backside. Her cathedral-length veil was trimmed in lace. She wore drop pearl earrings that resembled the shape of flowers. The bride’s bouquet was a mound of yellow and pink peonies, ranunculus, roses, and sweet pea flowers.
Matron of honor was Amzi Ball Johnson and maid of honor was Story McDaniel Ball, sisters of the bride. Bridesmaids were Callie Keith Ball, Sara Ellis Dean, Jenna Dawn Beasley, Morgan Elizabeth Evans, Anna Kate Adkins, Anna Ware Brown, Hannah Hess Bradford, Grace Elizabeth Massengill, and Anne Wilkes Skipworth. They wore a butter yellow dress with sashes that laid across their shoulders, along with pearly white gold dangle earrings, gifted by the bride. The bridesmaids carried bouquets that resembled small versions of the bride’s bouquet.
The bridegroom’s father was the best man. Groomsmen included Drew Sartain Dean, Jonathan Brett Bain, Watson Clark Ball, Grant Mitchell Burress, Blayne Winstead Clark, Ryan Lane Johnson, William Beau Pullen, Eli Ellis Robb, Jack Parker Todd, and Robert Jakob Wilkinson.
Following the ceremony, the bride’s parents hosted a reception at the Jefferson. The couple opened the reception with their first dance to “Forever Like That” by Ben Rector, followed by a father/daughter dance to “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison and then a mother/son dance to “Sunshine On My Shoulders” by John Denver.
The three-tiered almond-flavored bride’s cake was surrounded by a meadow of yellow and pink flowers. The bridegroom’s cake was a three-tiered chocolate cake that included logos from Ole Miss, Atlanta Braves, and the Masters, all of the bridegroom’s favorite things.
A buffet dinner featuring fried chicken, sliders, spinach and artichoke dip, buffalo chicken dip, sausage and cheese, and bruschetta was served. Throughout the Jefferson were arrangements of yellow and pink flowers including peonies, ranunculus, irises, lilies, carnations, roses, smilax, sweet pea, tulips, and snapdragons.
Over the dance floor was an arrangement of smilax and starburst lights. Style Entertainment provided music. As the reception was coming to a close, guests created a dance circle for the bride and bridegroom to stand in the middle and see who all was standing with them.
The couple left the reception through a tunnel of bubbles leading to a blue antique Chevrolet Bel Air. They departed for a wedding trip to Punta Cana.
The morning before the wedding a bridal brunch, hosted by Iris O’Brien and Gwen Clark, was held at McEwens. On the eve of the wedding, the bridegroom’s parents hosted a cocktail hour and seated rehearsal dinner at City Grocery on the Oxford Square, which was filled with Christmas lights.
