Miss Sarah Sturdivant Williams and Mr. Patrick Ryan Busby, both of New Orleans, were united in marriage Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, at six o’clock in the evening at Temple Sinai in New Orleans.
The bride is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Arthur Shelden Williams of Natchitoches and the groom is the son of Dr. and Mrs. Jay Busby of Winsboro. Officiating at the nuptials was Rabbi Emeritus Arnold Task of Alexandria, who presided over Sarah’s Bat Mitzvah 15 years ago. The bride is the granddaughter of the late James Arvin and Hazel Katherine Griffin Sturdivant of Norphlet, Ark., and late Dr. Arthur Victorius Williams and Mary Jane Mendelsohn Williams of Charleston, S.C. The groom is the grandson of the late Henry and Mae Kagawa of Honolulu, Hawaii, and the late Mary Alice Busby of Winsboro.
Escorted by her father, the bride wore an off the shoulder V-neck floor length gown highlighted by a beaded waistline. The back was accented with silk covered buttons the length of the gown and train. The bride carried a bouquet of calla lilies with the wedding rings of her maternal grandparents attached to lace from her mother’s wedding dress which covered the stems of the flowers. In her left shoe was a six-pence her mother’s twin sister placed in her shoe at her wedding.
The Maids of Honor were Kailey Couser of Fort Worth, Texas, and Anneleise Willett of Houston, Texas. Bridesmaids were Chloe Smith of Fort Worth; Sidney Jones Greer of Gainesville, Fla.; Laura Peterson Guy, Caroline Thomas White and Blair Whitaker, all of New Orleans; Ellen Stuchly of Houston and Katherine Townsend of Atlanta, Ga. The Maids of Honor and attendants wore sleeveless waisted ecru chiffon dresses. Ring bearers were nephews of the groom, Nathaniel and Sebastian Busby of London, England. Serving his brother as Best Man was Sean Busby of London, England. Groomsmen were Carter Dewey of Miami, Fla; Micky Oldham of Dallas; Clifford Mintz, Tim Burbach, Chris Lebato and Dustin Decker, all of New Orleans; Don Frazier of Washington, D.C.; and Brandon Johnson of Denver, Co.
The wedding music was provided by a strings quartet from New Orleans. The traditional “Here Comes the Bride” was selected by the bride as she and her father proceeded down the aisle. Kyle Dean Massey of New York City, New York sang “The Prayer.” The groom’s sister, Kalena Busby Cavannagh of Houston, read Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. The reception was hosted by the bride’s parents at Il Mercato and catered by Joel Events. Groovey Seven provided music for the evening. During the lively entertainment, the traditional Jewish Hava Nagala was performed by the band, while groomsmen hoisted the bridge and groom in chairs and guests danced the Horah around them. The groom surprised his bride with the playing of the Aggie War Hymn, also to the delight of other football fans. At the conclusion of the evening, local band Kinfolk provided music for a second line around the grounds of Il Mercato.
The bride is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in communications and of LSU Allied Health Sciences, New Orleans, with a Master’s in speech language pathology. She is employed by Ochsner Center in New Orleans. The groom is a graduate of Springhill College in Mobile, Ala., where he received degree in finance and received his Juris Doctorate and Master’s in business administration from Cumberland Law School and Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. He is an associate with the Herman, Herman and Katz law firm in New Orleans.
The couple is making their home in New Orleans. A delayed honeymoon was taken to Hawaii in December. The day before the nuptials, the bride’s aunts, Fran Williams Gunter of Mesa, Ariz.; Mamie Williams Ventola of Charleston; and Karon Sturdivant Mathews of Bryan, Texas, hosted a bridal luncheon at The Library in the French Quarter. The groom’s parents hosted the traditional rehearsal dinner at Muriel’s on Jackson Square.
