"The bride, looking charming in her gown of soft white mull, lace-trimmed and fashioned princesse, entered upon the arm of the groom. She wore a half-wreath of white roses in her hair and carried a bouquet of the same flowers. Surrounded by the bevy of young maidens and stalwart youths the fair young bride was the central figure of a never to be forgotten picture." Wedding of Miss Edith F. Dixon and Robert Hannah Jones, June 9, 1908 (Erin Cross Livesay's great, great grandmother)

It was in this dress from 1908 that our daughter, Erin Cross, married Justin Livesay on October 4, 2025. Erin was the ninth bride to wear the heirloom dress. I was the eighth bride to wear it in 1989, and Erin's precious Aunt Beth, who sadly passed in June 2025, wore it in 1969 with six other family members wearing it throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

The weather was perfect for this small, family wedding out on the green at Lake Hickory Country Club, with Erin's identical triplet sisters standing up with her during the ceremony. Both Erin and Justin, along with their family, got ready at the Mitchell House at Corinth Reformed Church, and it provided the perfect backdrop for beautiful family photos taken by Beasley's Rustic Photography.

Justin is a graduate of the Citadel, and Erin received her Master's from Liberty University. They will be relocating to North Carolina for Erin's new job. 

One of the most beautiful parts of the wedding was the braiding of the cross--the Cord of Three Strands. A cord of three strands is not easily broken. The cords represent the bride, the groom, and God at the center of their marriage. Ephesians 4:1b-3 (NIV) "Live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." May their love become stronger because He is at the center of their marriage.

Michael and I pray that in their marriage they would "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to them." (James 4:8) May they walk every moment, every hour, and every day of their lives with Jesus at the center!