Allen, McGowin united in marriage

Published 12:00 am Thursday, November 2, 2006

Alinda Guynes Allen of Greenwood, Miss. and Sumpter Milligan McGowin of Greenville, Ala. were united in marriage on June 3, 2006 at Westminster Presbyterian Church.

The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Meredith Baird Allen of Greenwood.

She is the granddaughter of Mrs. Robert Julian Allen Jr. of Indianola and the late Mr. Allen, and Charles Wilson Capps Jr. of Cleveland and the late Mrs. Capps.

The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. James Earle McGowin II of Greenville.

He is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. George Stone Eastwood II of Birmingham and Mr. and Mrs. Sumpter Milligan McGowin of Greenville.

The Rev. William Lester Newman of Oxford officiated at the ceremony.

Music for the ceremony was provided by Jewel Bass and Marsha Tindall, vocalists; Susan Lee, organist and Paul Hankins, trumpeter.

Given in marriage by her father at the sound of the trumpet, the bride wore a white couture gown of English net over duchess silk satin.

The fitted, dropped-waist bodice and princess skirt featured delicate hand embroidery embellished with Austrian crystals, bugle beads, and rocals with a scalloped hem of embroidery that encircled the chapel train.

She wore an heirloom Spanish lace mantilla that was also worn by her mother on her wedding day.

She carried a hand-tied bouquet of white expression Oriental lilies wrapped with white satin ribbon and strands of tiny white seed pearls.

Tucked into the bouquet were handkerchiefs from the couples' great-grandmothers.

Serving as maids of honor were Rebecca Lauren Jabour and Carter Anne Payne, both of Jackson.

Bridesmaids were Olena Serhii Allen, sister-in-law of the bride; Katherine Perry Allen and Karen Perry Allen Blackburn, cousins of the bride; Margaret Brooks McGowin, sister of the groom, Mary Anastasia Ballas, Mary Elizabeth Bridgers, Mary Howard Freeman, Elizabeth Baskin Fisher, Jo Ann Seale, Lyn Hamilton Brown and June Kristen James.

Flower girls were Mary Katherine Allen and Cordelia Thomas Capps, cousins of the bride. James Earle McGowin II served his son as best man.

Groomsmen were Peter Eastwood McGowin, brother of the groom; William Ledyard Williamson and William Kessler McGowin, cousins of the groom; Meredith Baird Allen Jr. and Charles Julian Allen, brothers of the bride; and Richard Alexander Moore Avery, Hudson Andrew Maddox. Carroll Turnley Patton, Jonathan Gabriel Carpenter, Rober Joseph Dowdle Jr., Peyton Broadnax Rodgers and Joel Rush Childs.

Samuel Hobbs Caps, cousin of the bride, was the ring bearer.

Following the ceremony, the bride's parents honored the couple with a reception at the Greenwood Country Club, where guests dined and danced to the music of These Days, featuring Jewel Bass. The couple left the reception in a horse-drawn carriage.

Following a wedding trip to the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas, the couple is at home in Tuscaloosa, where the bride is a third-year medical student and the groom is a second-year law student at the University of Alabama. Prior to the ceremony, the couple was honored with celebrations given in their honor.

On the eve of their wedding, the groom's parents hosted a rehearsal dinner and dance at the Greenwood Country Club.

On the morning of the wedding, family and friends of the bride hosted a wedding day brunch at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Mark Barger.