I had been buying my clothes from the same dress shop for the past two years. As a wedding present, they sold me my gown (White Spanish lace), hoop and veil at cost. I purchased a $500 wedding gown and accessories for $65.

I had purchased my shoes from the same shoe store for 20 years (only place that could fit me because I have long narrow feet). I went in to purchase shoes to go with my gown and the owner presented me with white snake skin hills and a matching purse as a wedding present.

Growing up in First Baptist Church Buna was a blessing. The families there sort of adopted our family after Dad died when I was 11 years old. They made sure we were taken care of. They were our family.

Mama's Sunday school class gave me a wedding shower the week before I got married.

Unknown to us our Church Family put together a wedding for us and invited our friends and relatives through the press.

Al was coming into Houston on the train from boot camp late Thursday night before we were to be married on Sunday. I was going to borrow Mama's VW to go pick him up. It broke down and I was in a dilemma as to how to go get him (Beaumont is over 100 miles from Houston).

Mr. Alexander, my boss, came over and asked me if I needed transportation to go get Al. He then offered me a new Olds 98 to make the trip. He told Bette (I was training her to take my place) and me to take off early and go get Al.

Al was aghast when he saw the car I was driving. He was afraid I had bought it and knew we could not afford it. He sure was relieved and flabbergasted that my boss had loaned it to us.

I returned the car Friday morning and Mama picked us up in the VW. We went to the new hospital in Buna and got our blood tests. The technician was an old friend and backdated our blood test so we could get married on Sunday. The hospital gave us the blood test for free because we were the first couple to get a blood test at the new hospital.

We went to Jasper and got our marriage license and found that we were the first couple to apply for one in June that year in Texas. They gave that to us for free also. We went to the church and talked to Bro. Oglesbee and then went and talked to Lonnie about being the best man.

Mama had remarried when I was 16. Fred was like a father to me and I loved him dearly. He refused to give me away when I got married. I asked him if I married a millionaire and lived next door would he care if I got married to anyone." He said he just didn't want his little girl to get married. He liked Al a lot - he just sincerely didn’t wont me to get married at all. My boss agreed to give me away.

The night before our wedding, Dad (Fred) gave me $50.00 for a wedding present. That $50 paid for our honeymoon.

James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Background picture of First Baptist Church Buna Texas scanned from the church bulletin June 6, 1965