Vicksburg Living Wedding Edition: Sacred ties

Published 12:10 am Friday, January 26, 2024

By Terri Cowart Frazier

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Photos by Katherine Horton Photography.

With the prompting from mutual friends, Matthew (Matt) Mims and Demetra (Demi) Leara met up at the bowling alley in Oxford. Little did the couple know rolling a ball down a lane would one day lead to them walking down the aisle.

Matthew, a Vicksburg native, met Demi in February 2021 and a year and half later proposed at Sunset Rock on historic Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tenn.

The wedding was held June 17, 2023, at Holy Trinity Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Birmingham, Alabama.

“This was my childhood church and where my parents got married,” Demi said.

The couple also wore Demi’s grandparents’ wedding crowns or stefana, as they are also called, during the wedding ceremony. The crowns symbolize the honor and glory given by God as the man and woman become king and queen of their home. And like the wedding rings, the crowns are exchanged during the ceremony.

An added family link to the couple’s wedding ceremony was Matthew’s connection to the Greek Orthodox Church. While he was raised in the Catholic faith, his paternal grandmother, Boop Nosser Mims, was Greek Orthodox.

“And she and my grandfather, Crawford Mims, got married in the Greek Orthodox Church, so it just felt special that I, too, was getting married in the Greek Orthodox Church,” Matt said.

During the reception at The Club in Birmingham, Demi and Matt were surrounded by both of their large families and all joined in when the Greek dancing began.

The couple traveled to St. Lucia for their honeymoon.

Demi is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Paul Leara. She is the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Peter Grammas and Mr. and Mrs. Paul Stephen Leara.

Matthew is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Lloyd Mims. He is the grandson of Mrs. Louis Richard Theobald Jr., the late Mr. Louis Richard Theobald Jr. and the late Mr. and Mrs. Crawford Mims Sr.

The couple are at home in Birmingham.

Demi works as a clinical pharmacist at Kirkland Clinic at the University of Alabama in Birmingham and Matt works with his father and family in the insurance business. His home office is located in Vestavia, Ala.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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