(February 14, 2005) —
After a long-distance telephone proposal, two postponed wedding
dates and a last-minute civil ceremony — the bride held up a cell
phone so her parents could hear the vows — Michael and Cathy Parsons
will walk down the aisle in style.
The couple won a wedding
contest worth more than $20,000 from the Nuptial Network of Greater
Rochester, a consortium of bridal specialists who wanted to honor
someone who had served in Iraq. Their story of commitment through
years of military separation beat out 24 others, earning them the
chance to reaffirm their vows next Jan. 22, followed by a lavish
reception at the Harro East Ballroom.
"I bought my dress about
two years ago, and it's been sitting in my closet ever since, the
poor thing," says 23-year-old Cathy, in a phone interview from
California's Camp Pendleton, where her husband is stationed. "I'm on
Cloud Nine. I can't believe it."
Michael, 24, a native of
Piffard, Livingston County, quit college after the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks to join the Marines. He proposed just before being
shipped off to Iraq for the first time in 2003. Their plans to marry
nine months after his return were nixed when Michael, home four
months, got word that he was heading back overseas.
Plan B was a quick civil
ceremony. Cathy, from Byron, Genesee County, flew to San Diego on
Christmas Eve 2003, and they tied the knot with strangers as
witnesses. The newlyweds spent eight days together before Cathy had
to head back to college. She saw him only five more days, in
February 2004, before he
left for the Middle East.
A proper honeymoon is
part of the prize package.
Contest organizer and wedding planner Angela Hall hopes to increase
donations by about $30,000.
"Every time I talk to her, I cry," she said. "Their story really
makes you want to do everything for them."
Especially now that
Michael is scheduled for a third tour in Iraq.
RFLANIGA@DemocratandChronicle.com
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Copyright 2005 Gannett Rochester Newspapers,
Democrat and
Chronicle
