Cathy Lynn Gray and Benjamin Hill Thomas were married at 6 p.m. Jan. 1, 2011, at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, Tenn. The Rev. Patrick Wayne Sanders officiated at the ceremony.

The bride is the daughter of Mrs. Myra Lynn Gray and the late Mr. James Lamar Gray of Tupelo. She is the granddaughter of Mr. James Thomas Lyons and the late Mrs. Lyons of Guntown and the late Mr. and Mrs. Bud Gray Sr. of Tupelo.

The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest George Thomas of Vicksburg. He is the grandson of the late Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Randle Sanders of Lepanto, Ark., and the late Mr. and Mrs. George Thomas of Vicksburg.

Nuptial music was performed by string quartet, featuring violinists Craig Duncan and Toni Ferguson, violist Linda Davis and cellist Gary Tussing.

The bride wore a designer, silk-organza gown with a silk-taffeta bodice. It was fashioned with a strapless sweetheart neckline and natural waist, and the A-line skirt was adorned with silk floral detailing entwined with Swarovski crystal accents.

She carried a delicate white bouquet of gardenias, freesia blossoms, peonies and miniature calla lilies, handtied with double-faced satin ribbon and teardrop pearl pins.

The maid of honor, Lisa Gail Cory, and the eight bridesmaids, Emily Suzanne Bartlett, Rebecca Lauck Cleary, Melissa Newman Lesley, Melissa Grey Mesko, Roni Lenoir Rogers, Alexis Bullock Showah, Ann Blair Thomas Stovall and Virginia Marie Woodard, wore floor-length gowns of black satin and carried fragrant winter-white bouquets of peonies and freesia.

The two flower girls, Elizabeth Anne Lesley and Ava Frances Lesley, wore tea-length dresses of white satin with black satin sashes. They wore matching floral halos in their hair with satin streamers and carried petite bouquets of peonies and freesia.

The mothers of the bride and groom carried small, fragrant bouquets of gardenias, peonies and white roses tied with satin and pearls.

Best man was the groom’s father, Ernest George Thomas. The groomsmen were Donald Scott Davidson, John Albert Hennessey, German Eubank Jordan III, Philip Norman Little Jr., Brendon Thomas McCleod, Rhodes Warfield Scott, Steven Boyette Smith and George Randle Thomas.

Scripture reader was Joe Henry Stovall III, brother-in-law of the groom.

Ring bearer was Jonathan James Evans, and the program attendants were Elizabeth Grace Evans, Hannah Anne Marie Evans and Kassidy Kaye Orr.

The wedding director was Elizabeth James, Nashville’s premier event planner.

As the guests entered the West Lobby of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, they were led to the marble staircase of the elegant Main Lobby, which was illuminated by candles with white rose petals at their bases. The ceremony aisle was marked by tall glass cylinders containing white cymbidium orchids. Large arrangements of beautiful white flowers on iron candelabra created an intimate ceremony space.

After the ceremony, the guests were led downstairs to the Laura Turner Concert Hall, which had been turned into a winter wonderland. The room was anchored with large planter boxes with evergreen trees and a base of blooming white amaryllis. Guests were seated at tables covered in satin linens in shades of gray, silver and blue. The arrangements placed in silver mercury glass vases were filled with peonies, hydrangea, French tulips, garden roses, and amaryllis, all in varying shades of white.

The wedding cake was created by Jay Qualls of Maple’s Wedding Cakes. The five-tier organic sour cream almond cake (Maple’s signature flavor) boasted a satin, gray-white chocolate fondant with a beaded border and cascading pearlized petals with sugared pearl accents.

Entertainment was provided by the Jimmy Church Band, and guests danced the night away on the symphony center’s hardwood ballroom floor. The chandeliers in the concert hall, which were designed to represent champagne bubbles suspended in air, were lowered to maintain a soft, romantic atmosphere for the event.

The guests tossed white rose petals as the couple was whisked away in a steel-blue vintage Bentley. The newlyweds honeymooned in Belize.

The couple will reside in Nashville, where the bride is a CPA and the groom practices bankruptcy and foreclosure law.

Rehearsal dinner

On the eve of the wedding, which was also New Year’s Eve, the groom’s parents hosted a rehearsal dinner for the wedding party, family and friends in honor of the bride and groom. The dinner was held in the McKinley Room in Nashville’s historic Union Station Hotel in the heart of the city. The McKinley room, with its magnificent stone archways and paneled ceilings, created a warm and welcoming environment for this celebration of love and new beginnings.

Engagement parties

Cathy and Ben were honored with an engagement celebration at The Duff Green Mansion in Vicksburg. Hosts were Mrs. Barbara Biedenharn, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Blue, Mrs. Gerald Braddock, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Buelow Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Tom Cole, Dr. and Mrs. Bob Coleman, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Field, Mr. and Mrs. Steve Golding, Mr. and Mrs. John Hadad, Mrs. Lucy Harrel, Mrs. Linda Harris, Ms. Teresa Harris, Mr. and Mrs. John Hennessey, Dr. and Mrs. Briggs Hopson Jr., Ms. Patsy Humble, Ms. Marianne May Jones, Mr. and Mrs. Herb Jones, Mr. and Mrs. German Jordan, Mr. and Mrs. Stan Kline, Mr. and Mrs. Larry Lambiotte, Mr. and Mrs. Steven Marcus, Mrs. Marie McGraw May, Mr. and Mrs. James May, Mr. and Mrs. Robert McConnell, Mr. and Mrs. Ray McLaurin, Ms. Joy Mihalyka, Mr. and Mrs. Don Miller Jr., Mr. and Mrs. John Moss, Mr. and Mrs. Bobby D. Robinson, Mr. and Mrs. William Shappley, Dr. and Mrs. John Stepan, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Stoll, Mrs. Jack Thomas, Mrs. Peggy Thomas, Mr. and Mrs. Dan Waring, Mr. and Mrs. D.P. Waring Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Chick Warner, Mr. and Mrs. Wade West and Mrs. Robert Wilkerson III.

Cathy and Ben were also honored with an engagement celebration in Nashville at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Steven Smith. Hosts were Mr. Scott Davidson, Mr. John Hennessey, Mr. and Mrs. Philip Little Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Brendon McCleod, Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes Scott and Mr. and Mrs. Steven Smith.