Elizabeth Thompson McCrary and Ben Samuel Godwin were married on Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. at Covenant Presbyterian Church. The Rev. William Luther Boyd and the Rev. Steven Alex Killough officiated the ceremony. A reception followed at Vestavia Country Club.
The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dan Hardy McCrary of Birmingham. She is the granddaughter of Mrs. Connie Neville Wise and the late Dr. Robert Harold Wise of Dothan and Mr. John Furniss McCrary and the late Mrs. Martha Hardy McCrary of Birmingham.
The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Albert Godwin of Birmingham. He is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Reuben Samuel Shelley Jr. of Headland and Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Franklin Godwin and the late Ms. Margaret Britt Godwin of Raleigh, N.C.
Given in marriage by her father, the bride wore an ivory French Alencon lace gown. The sleeveless dress was fitted through the bodice with a sheer lace back with tiny covered buttons from the neckline to the end of the train. The fit and flared gown, encircled at the waist with a silk satin ivory ribbon, swept to a chapel-length train. Completing the ensemble was a chapel-length veil of ivory illusion edged with an Alencon lace scallop, which was also worn by her sisters.
The bride carried a bouquet of ivory and white freesia, roses, hydrangea and lisianthus with accents of seeded eucalyptus, hand-tied with ivory ribbon and pearl pins.
The bride’s sisters, Mary Lauren McCrary Neel and Caroline McCrary Renfroe, were her matrons of honor. Bridesmaids were Shelley Britt Godwin, the groom’s sister; Elizabeth Hard Stone of Newnan, Ga.; and Katherine Bradshaw Ballard, Martha Elizabeth Manley, Caylen Lane Nevins, Sarah Campbell Novara, Lauren Beno Russo and Emily Eddleman Saunders, all of Birmingham.
The groom’s father was his best man. Groomsmen were Adam Kirkland Godwin, the groom’s brother; John Harrison McCrary, the bride’s brother; Michael James Fowler of Brandon, Miss.; John Thomas Gibson of Birmingham; John Wilbur Henderson of Alexandria, La.; Andrew Shaun Leonard of Enterprise; Randall Henry Liu of New York City; Jay Daniel Sanders of Madison; and Jeffery Douglas Shackelford of Helena.
Michael Alan Neel Jr. of Washington, D.C. and James Alan Renfroe II of Birmingham served as ushers. The flower girl was Paige Chanel Parker of Birmingham. Na’kharia Amethyst Clark, Aniyah LaChaun Parker and Julia Marguerite Salem, all of Birmingham, were program attendants. The vocalist was Alonza Jones.
Following a honeymoon trip, the bride and groom live in Birmingham.
