Margaret Roland Cross and Forrest Lee Rogers Davidson were married on December 13 at six o’clock in the evening at the Paris-Yates Chapel at Ole Miss. The ceremony was officiated by Pastor Wes Ingram of Oxford. The bride chose the chapel for a sentimental reason. A stained-glass window there was donated in honor of her maternal great-grandparents, Leah and Roland Adams, when the chapel was built. Her maternal grandmother and her brothers gifted the window to Ole Miss.
The bride is the daughter of Lea Deterly Cross of Jackson and Ian McNeill Cross of Ocean Springs. She is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Henry Deterly of Jackson and the late Dr. and Mrs. John McAlpine Cross of Charleston.
The bridegroom is the son of Lisa Moore Davidson and Robert Dudley Davidson of Jackson. He is the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Moore of Cleveland and the late Mr. and Mrs. Dennis R. Davidson of Hannibal, Mo.
The front door of the chapel was adorned with a large spray of all white flowers, hydrangeas, three varieties of roses, ranunculus and larkspur interspersed with cedar and pine. Floral arrangements on the altar and inside mirrored the theme of all white blossoms with winter greenery accents. Nuptial music was presented by Linda Taylor, chapel organist.
Given in marriage by her parents and escorted by her father, the bride wore a designer vintage inspired fit and flare gown with intricate floral lace. Her long sleeves were illusion fabric with lace flowers and leaves applied to the sheer fabric. An overlay of illusion on the bodice formed a high neckline. The lined bodice revealed a sweetheart neckline on the front of the dress and a deep V on the back of the bodice and skirt which was covered in lace and was closed with pearl buttons. Her dress featured a cathedral length train with heavy appliques of the flower and vine lace. The bride wore a two-tier waltz length white silk veil with scalloped satin piping.
Her bouquet was a long-stemmed, hand tied bouquet of white hydrangeas, rose garden alabaster white roses, white ranunculus, white delphinium, white playa blanca roses, spray roses, white lisianthus, orchids, hypericum berries and winter greenery. Her bouquet was tied with long white ribbon streamers.
Maid of honor was Regan Crawford Reardon of Jackson, the bride’s sister. Her matron of honor was Holland Hearn Torrence of Brandon. Bridesmaids were Emalyn Grace Adams of Boulder, Margaret Pepper Adams of Charleston, S.C., Anna Helen Blount of Jackson, Kara Alaine Edwards of Carthage, Elizabeth Pauline Hammons of Birmingham, Georgia Gibson Hughey of Jackson, and Christian Carter Richardson of Ogden, Utah.
They wore champagne double-faced satin twill gowns and matching gold and pearl earrings gifted by the bride and carried smaller versions of the bride’s bouquet. The bride’s proxy was Breanne Marie Hunter of Nashville.
The bridegroom’s best man was his father. Groomsmen were Thomas Bo Bickerstaff of Houston, Texas, Jack Arthur Hoffman of Jackson, Michael Boyce Holleman of Dallas, Michael Clifford Portner of Oxford, Jamey Cooper Reid of Jackson, Brian Scott Rippee of Oxford, James Randall Shell of Jackson, and William Colby Walter of Madison. They wore traditional black tuxedos accented by white lisianthus boutonnieres.
Ushers were Brett Stewart Davis and Frederick West Garraway III. Program attendants were Anna Gail Dillon, Elizabeth Grace Dillon, Madeline Forbus, and Sarah Katherine Forbus.
Following the ceremony, guests were invited to a reception at the Powerhouse. Floral arrangements continued the classic design of all white flowers accented with greenery throughout the venue. The black and white dance floor featured a floral chandelier wrapped with smilax, pine, and cedar and covered with white hydrangeas, white roses, spray roses, stock, orchids, larkspur, delphinium and lisianthus. Dandelion pendant lights were hung in the middle of the chandelier as well as on the sides. The 901 Band of Memphis provided the entertainment for the evening.
The couple opened the reception with their first dance to “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley. The bride and her father then danced to “My Girl” by the Temptations followed by the bridegroom and his mother dancing to “You are the Sunshine of my Life” by Stevie Wonder.
The bride’s wedding cake was a four-tiered vintage style almond cake with almond buttercream icing. Each of the layers showcased a feature combining many different styles of ornate piping individual to each layer. The vintage porcelain bride and bridegroom wedding cake topper was surrounded by white flowers on the top layer. The bridegroom’s parents, maternal grandparents as well as maternal great-grandparents all had the cake topper as a part of their wedding, making the couple the fourth generation. A vintage lace tablecloth covered the cake table topped with flowers and candles as well as on the floor surrounding the hem of the lace table skirt. Eight white ceiling drapes completed the scene as the backdrop.
The bridegroom’s cake was a two-tiered chocolate ganache square layered cake with chocolate-covered strawberries. The table was covered in turf from Vaught Hemingway Stadium because of Davidson’s love for Ole Miss. Framed pictures of the couple attending various sporting events, stickers, pins as well as the sign from his grove tent “The OleMisfits” covered the table. Guests also enjoyed tastings of bourbon at a rustic bar adorned with red roses alongside the bridegroom’s cake table. At the end of the reception, guests were served Chicken-on-a-Stick, the traditional late-night food of Oxford and received caps monogrammed with “From Oxford with Love.” The couple who are both Rebel fans had a celebratory departure from the Powerhouse through a tunnel of guests waving shiny red and blue pom-poms while everyone repeatedly chanted the Hotty Toddy cheer.
The day before the wedding a bridesmaid’s luncheon, hosted by Ashley Lane Adams, Carla Adams, Teresa Adams, Peggy Adams Stacy Algee, Mary Margaret Brewer, Christi Gardner, Elizabeth Hearn, Rosie McDavid and Christy Richardson, was held at McEwan’s. The bridal party and family members enjoyed the food, mimosas and festive decorations.
On the eve of the wedding, the parents of the bridegroom hosted a seated dinner at Tico’s of Oxford. The floral arrangements in tall glass vases together with crystal candelabra topped each table. The evening continued with a post-toast celebration at the Graduate Hotel with entertainment provided by Bo Adams.
Following a wedding trip to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the couple is at home in Jackson.
