Posted: Wednesday, February 6, 2013 8:00 pm

Laurie Beth Craddock and David Warren Kissell, both of Troy, were recently united in marriage at Troy First Baptist Church.
The bride is the daughter of Billy and Jennifer Craddock of Troy. Her grandparents are Don and Shirley Craddock of Troy, Bill and Linda Coker of Union City and the late Harvey Blurton of Obion.
The groom is the son of Dr. Vann and Norma Kissell of Troy. His grandparents are Virginia Kissell and the late Ed Kissell of Memphis and Karl Warren and the late Joyce Warren of Martin.
The groom’s father, who is pastor at Troy First Baptist Church, officiated the double-ring ceremony.
The front doors of the church building were decorated with red “K” letters. The aisles were draped with sheer ivory organza fabric and adorned with ivory rose kissing balls and red satin sashes. Columns, draped with sheer ivory organza fabric, were placed on the stage and held arrangements of snowy pine and silver ornaments.
Guests were greeted at the registry table by Kaitlyn O’Kelley of Troy. Program attendants were family friends of the groom, Madison Dismuke and Lindsey Dismuke, both of Memphis.
“Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” by Chris Rice was played prior to the seating of the bridal couple’s mothers and grandmothers to a violin solo of “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” by Lauren Conley of Germantown. Michael and Linda McNeely of Union City, great-uncle and great-aunt of the bride, were seated at this time. They held a special place during the ceremony, standing in for the bride’s grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Craddock, who were unable to attend.
Ms. Conley played “Cannon in D” as the attendants entered the sanctuary.
Lindsey Craddock, sister of the bride, of Troy and Corey Anne Youree of Union City served as maids of honor. Bridesmaids were Courtney Craddock, Emily McGee and Alex Rapp, all of Union City, Liesel Grossner of Troy, Olivia Johnson of Lexington and Emily Taylor of Rives. They wore one-shoulder, floor-length jersey dresses with cascading apple red silk back sashes and carried bouquets of ivory roses.
Serving as flower girl was Annabeth Blurton, cousin of the bride, of Union City. She carried a basket constructed from doilies made by the bride’s great-grandmother.
The groom’s brothers, Brian Kissell and Mark Kissell, both of Troy, were his best men. Serving as groomsmen were Craig Dismuke of Memphis, Cooper McKelvey of Sikeston, Mo., Jakob Perkins of Martin, Cory Workman of Troy, Chase Raines of Franklin and Stephen Williams of Columbus, Ga. They wore black Calvin Klein tuxedos with black bowties and red rose boutonnieres.
The groom wore a Vera Wang black tuxedo with a black bowtie and an ivory rose boutonniere.
Serving as ring bearer was Ingram Dismuke, family friend of the groom, of Memphis. He carried a pillow constructed from doilies made by the bride’s great-grandmother.
The bride was escorted down the aisle by her father as Ms. Conley played “The Bridal Chorus.” She wore an exquisite ivory lace chiffon dress, which featured a sweetheart neckline and a beaded lace side drape with a satin split front. The bodice was encrusted with pearls and sequins and the back featured a lace-up corset which flowed into a chapel-length train. She accented her attire with red velvet high heel pumps.
She carried a bouquet of fresh red roses, accented with rhinestones. As her “something old,” the bride carried gold rings belonging to her great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother tied into the bouquet. Her beautiful dress served as her “something new.” The garter she wore, which belongs to her grandmother, was her “something blue” and the earrings she wore, which belong to her sister-in-law Brittany Kissell of Troy, were her “something borrowed.”
After the exchanging of the vows and the blessings and exchanging of the rings, the parents of the bridal couple read blessings for their children and the father of the bride said a prayer. The couple was then pronounced as man and wife and presented to those in attendance. They exited to “The Way You Do the Things You Do” by The Temptations.

RECEPTION
A reception was held immediately followed the ceremony at the Moffatt Centré in Troy.
The tables were decorated with an assortment of clear cylinder vases, which were filled with clear marbles and LED lights and topped with red rose kissing balls.
Guests enjoyed an array of hors d’ oeuvres, punch and a hot chocolate bar. There was also a beautifully decorated candy buffet table.
The bride’s three-layered buttercream icing cake was topped with fresh red roses. The groom’s chocolate round layered cake was decorated with an orange and white checkered pattern. His table was decorated with the Tennessee Vols theme.
The bride’s bouquet was caught by Courtney Craddock and the garter was caught by Mark Kissell.
In lieu of wedding favors, the bridal couple made donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis in honor of Ingram Dismuke of Memphis and to the Rally Foundation in memory of Joseph Peabody.
The bridal couple left the reception by the glow of lit sparklers held by their guests. They honeymooned in Jamaica.
They are residing in the Clayton community.

REHEARSAL
DINNER
A rehearsal dinner was hosted by the groom’s parents in the fellowship hall of the church.
A catered meal from Lupo’s in Dyersburg was served to the wedding party and guests.
Prior to the meal, the couple played a video showing pictures of each of them growing up with their friends and family. Speeches were made by the guests offering the couple wishes for a happy life together.
The couple took this time to present gifts to their attendants.

Published in The Messenger 2.6.13