Vernona Dawson Becomes Bride

 

Vows were read for Miss Vernona Kaye Dawson and Dwight Purtee at 8 p.m. Friday in the Meridian Park Church of the Nazarene in Oklahoma City with Rev. Clyde C. Dawson, uncle of the bride, officiating and Rev. Noble Hathaway assisting. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Dawson, 4603 N. Wheeler, Bethany, Oklahoma, and the bridegroom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. William R. Purtee, Jonesboro, Arkansas.

 

The bride, given in marriage by her father, wore a dress of bouquet taffeta. The fitted bodice dipped to a point at the waistline, and the long, fitted sleeves were pointed at the wrists. The sweetheart neckline was adorned with appliques of jeweled alencon lace. A bustle accented the back of the bouffant skirt, which extended into a chapel train. Her veil of illusion fell from a jeweled coronet, and the bridal bouquet was stephanotis with cascade streamers centered with a white orchid. The bride's mother wore pink with matching accessories and the groom's mother wore brown with matching accessories. They each wore gardenia corsages.

 

Miss Kerry Dawson and Miss Janis Dawson, sisters of the bride, served as her attendants. Each were identically attired in blue taffeta sheath dresses with an overskirt of white lace and matching lace gloves. They carried colonial bouquets of yellow mums. Serving as best man was Ford Hubbert and Johnny Rayburn was groomsman. Ushers were Mark Hubbert and Bobby Hall. Mark Hubbert lighted the candles. The church was decorated with an arch of candles and jade palms with urns of yellow and white gladiolas. Nellinda Purtee, sister of the groom, sang "O Promise Me" and "Because,” with Robert Nielson at the organ.

 

At the reception which followed the ceremony, the bride's table was covered with blue taffeta and the three-tiered white wedding cake was touched with yellow and blue. Miss Jeanette Purtee served the punch, and Miss Linda Butts and Miss Gloria Zimmerman cut the cake. The guests were registered by Miss Shirley Moose. Miss Janis Dawson sang "Hawaiian Wedding Song” and “Indian Love Call," assisted by Miss Jamie Hubbert at the piano.

 

The bride's travel ensemble was a brown and white seersucker suit with white accessories, and she wore a white orchid corsage. After a wedding trip the couple will establish a home in Bethany.

 

Out of town guests were: Mr. and Mrs. William R. Purtee and daughters Jeanette, Nellinda, and Sharon of Jonesboro, Arkansas, Mr. and Mrs. Carlos Purtee and sons from Jonesboro, Arkansas, Mrs. Mary Ann Kitchen, grandmother of the bride, from Ottawa, Kansas, Mrs. Sylvia Loehr, Mrs. Ruby Tonn, and Mrs. Stella Schoepf, aunts of the bride, from Haven, Kansas.

 

–Newspaper clipping saved by Verna (Dawson) Karns.

[The wedding took place 3 Aug 1962.]