Stephen Maurice Yates and Sara Elizabeth Smira were married Sept. 20, 2008, in an oceanfront ceremony at Fort Morgan, Ala. The Rev. Robert Hill officiated.

The bride is the daughter of Beth Webb Smira of Richland and Mr. and Mrs. Bob Smira of Monticello. She is the granddaughter of Beatrice Webb and the late Horace Webb of Florence and Frances Smira and the late Robert Smira of Jackson.

The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Dale Yates of Utica. He is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Yates and Dorothy Little and the late Maurice Little, all of Utica.

Vows were exchanged just before sunset in front of family and friends.

The bride was given in marriage by her brother, Kevin Smira. She wore a halter-style gown of crinkled chiffon accented by a crisscross bodice and sweep train.

She wore a pair of crystal chandelier earrings, a gift from the groom, and dendrobium orchids in her hair.

The bride carried a bouquet of miniature fire calla lilies, bright gerbera daisies and hypericum berries, all wrapped in double-faced, ivory-satin ribbon. With her bouquet, the bride carried a handkerchief given to her by the groom’s mother, which had been carried on her own wedding day and had belonged originally to the groom’s great-grandmother.

Maid of honor was Jilliane Montgomery of Nashville, Tenn. The groom’s brother, Lee Yates of Utica, served as best man.

Scripture reader was the Rev. Vivian Napier-Campbell, cousin of the bride.

Following the ceremony, parents of the couple hosted a reception on the Cabana Beach House deck in Fort Morgan. Guests were treated to an array of food and drinks.

The bride’s three-tiered cake, made by the groom’s mother, was iced in buttercream and featured a symmetrical dot pattern. The top tier held the couple’s monogram surrounded by dendrobium orchids.

A single-tiered, chocolate ganache cake served as the groom’s confection.

For a wedding trip, the couple traveled to Mount Desert Island, Maine. They will make their home in Florence, where the bride is a corporate recruiter for Comcast Cable and the groom is employed with Skyhawke Technologies.

Rehearsal dinner

On the eve of the wedding, the groom’s parents honored the couple with a dinner at the Original Oyster House in Gulf Shores, Ala.

Breakfast

Mr. and Mrs. Fred Yates and Laurin Yates treated family, friends and the bridal couple to a breakfast.

Dinner

Mr. and Mrs. Joe Bonelli honored the bridal couple with a dinner. Assisting in hosting were Dr. and Mrs. Don Jackson, Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Markle, Mr. and Mrs. Ricky Mitchell, Mopsy Thorne, Cheryl Israel, Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Buchwald and Mr. and Mrs. Allan Hudspeth.

Showers

Members of the Utica United Methodist Church honored the couple with a shower. Hostesses were Beckey Hinton, Dorothy McKeithen, Mary Lewis, Kristie Odom, Helen Price and Claire Purviance.

Dollie Harrison, Betty Thornley, Latoya Lumpkin, Nancy Rose, Betty Whitaker, Diane Emfinger, Jennifer Nelson and Julie Tillotson of Warren Central Junior High School honored the bridal couple with a shower.

The couple was honored with a shower given by Comcast Cable. Hostesses were Mrs. Scott Wilkinson, Je’Nea Jones and Jean Travis.