June 19, 2009 10:25 pm
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special to The Star
Honorees for 2009 were introduced by the Governing Board of the Southern Debutante Assembly at a garden party on May 29 at Nebo Plantation, the home of Mr. and Mrs. James Pierce Cole Jr. of Schlater. The late afternoon event was among the first of the “little season,” which will continue through the summer.
The debutantes, pages and page escorts will be formally presented at the Assembly’s White and Gold Ball in December.
Seated at the registry table were Mr. and Mrs. Frank Lorrain Tindall of Indianola.
Shaded by ancient oak trees, the manicured lawn behind the red brick plantation home, whose name, Nebo, refers to the mountain where Moses viewed the Promised Land, was the venue for the gathering of guests and honorees.
Under a large tent, punch was served from a silver punchbowl flanked by two arrangements of pink Vogue roses in silver vases on a center table skirted in white linen with a pink overlay. Selections of hors d’oeuvres were arrayed on two tables centered with complementary arrangements of the Vogue roses in silver bowls.
Dotting the vast expanse of lawn, skirted guest tables held centerpiece arrangements of magnolia blossoms from Nebo’s stately trees, which were in full bloom. Other points of interest included an arbor of Cecile Brunner climbing roses, a goldfish pond with a fountain, and benches with backdrops of boxwood.
Assisting Mr. and Mrs. Cole with receiving were Katherine Ann Cole of Greenwood; Mr. and Mrs. James Pierce Cole III and Mr. Robert Sewell Cole, all of Schlater; and James Howard Evans and Andrew Wade Evans, both of Greenwood. Also assisting were Mrs. Richard Cunliffe McBee III of Minter City, Assembly advisor, and Mr. McBee.
Wearing afternoon dresses in pastel shades, the debutantes received in small groups, each young lady holding a single Vogue rose hand-tied with pink satin ribbon. Similarly attired, the Assembly pages each carried a pink gerbera daisy, also hand-tied with pink satin ribbon.
Morris Hubbard provided background music during the appointed hours.
Among those serving as pages to the debutantes were:
Carrie Horn Atkins, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hudson Atkins of Memphis
Kinsey Nicole Thornton, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Lee Kinsey Thornton of Meridian
Sarah Brodnax Williamson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Russell Haire Williamson of Memphis
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Photos
Pages honored at the garden party were: front row, from the left, Sarah Brodnax Williamson of Memphis, Tenn., Airston Louise Small and Alexandria Katherine Evans, both of Greenwood, and Meri Macrery Lucas of Madison; back row, from left, Elizabeth Alice Hey of Greenwood, Merritt Montgomery Belk of Minter City, Mary Hayden Walcott of Montgomery, Ala., Marielle DuPre Mosley of Dallas and Anna Elizabeth Fuente of East Northport, N.Y.
Pages receiving garden party guests included, from the left, in front, Kinsey Nicole Thornton of Meridian, Mary Paige Pilkinton of Columbus and Elisabeth Carinna Butgereit of Powder Springs, Ga.; in back, Ashley Megill Imes of Columbus, Carrie Horn Atkins of Memphis, Tenn., and Lindsey Nicole Killebrew of Columbus.