By Carol McCracken (Post # 1,533)
Whitley Newman and David Marshall were married this afternoon in a ceremony at First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church. The Rev. Christina Sillar performed the 45 minute ceremony on the East End of Portland.
City councilor Kevin Donoghue served as best man and Ainsley Wallace, sister of the bride, served as best girl. There were seven bridesmaids and seven groomsmen attending the couple. The bridesmaids wore short, magenta gowns with bouquets of fresh flowers. The groomsmen wore apple green vests, green ties and orange sneakers. “We like color,” said David before the ceremony. “Our favorite colors are yellow, purple and green,” he said. Others speculated that the color green had more to do with the Green Party, in which they are both involved, than with anything else. One of those was Markos Miller who attended the ceremony with his son. Both sets of parents attended as well.
The bride wore a stunning gown of layered lace with a fitted bodice with corset lacing in the back and a satin bow. It was purchased in Portland and a seamstress altered it. The material left over from the alterations was used to make a fascinator which she wore rather than a veil. The groom wore a beige suit, green vest, green tie with blue sneakers and a fedora.
Whitley is a Hemotologist for the American Red Cross. She’s also a belly dancer who teaches Rawandan dancing and sings professionally. David is a Green City Councilor for the City of Portland and a well-known artist in the area. After they met about three years ago, David started attending church regularly. Almost two years ago, he joined the 425 Congress Street Unitarian Church where the ceremony was held.
State Senator Justin Alfond advised the newlyweds to: “Live Big!”
The couple will host a private breakfast tomorrow morning with family members and at a later date will honeymoon in Florida.
“We tell each other every day how lucky we are to have each other,” said Whitley as they prepared to ride to the ferry in Green PediCabs for a reception on Peaks Island.