Published: July 10, 2009 10:50 am      

Irons, Belt wedding

CUMBERLAND — On July 12, 2008, Meredith Frances Belt and Jeremy Geary Irons were united in marriage. The double ring ceremony took place at First Presbyterian Church, Cumberland, with the Rev. John Dillon officiating.

The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Belt Jr. of Cumberland and the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Carl Belt Sr., Cumberland, and the late Mr. and Mrs. William Adkisson, Jr., Clover, Va. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Irons of Cresaptown and the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Geary, Cumberland, and the late Mr. and Mrs. Milton Irons, Cumberland.

The bride was escorted to the altar by her father and wore a strapless silk taffeta bridal gown with a sweetheart neckline adorned with crystal beading. The bride carried a bouquet of white roses, white stephanotis, white stargazer lilies and white calla lilies. The bride wore a pearl necklace and ring set which were a wedding present from the groom and matching pearl earrings which were a gift from the groom’s grandparents.

The bridal party wore strapless, two-piece tea-length taffeta dresses in turquoise complemented with a pearl and crystal fireball illusion necklace, earrings and bracelet set ,which were gifts from the bride. The flower girl wore a silk, taffeta white gown with turquoise sash from David’s Bridal, complemented with a pearl necklace which was a gift from the bride. The matrons of honor carried bouquets of white roses, white calla lilies, white carnations and pink stargazer lilies. The bridesmaids carried bouquets of pink roses, pink stargazer lilies, pink carnations and white calla lilies. Cathy Ewing, friend of the bride, provided hairstyling for the bride and bridal party and Lura Thompson, friend of the bride, provided Mary Kay makeup for the bride and bridal party.

Serving as matrons of honor were Mrs. Eleanor Belt Madden, Cumberland, sister of the bride, and Mrs. Jillian Snyder Fradiska, Cresaptown, longtime friend of the bride. Bridesmaids were Miss Margaret Mary Daly, Pittsburgh, Pa., college friend of the bride; Miss Kelly Lynn Fuhrman, Pittsburgh, college roommate of the bride; Miss Caroline Hallie Seely, Pittsburgh, college roommate of the bride; and Miss Sarah Elizabeth Konrad, Haddonfield, N.J., college roommate of the bride. The flower girl was Miss Quinn Caitlyn Madden, Cumberland, niece of the bride.

Serving as best men were Mr. Jonathan Lynn Irons, Cresaptown, brother of the groom, and Mr. Matthew Barrett Lumm, Summerville, S.C., friend of the groom. Groomsmen were Mr. Daniel Russell Armstrong, Lancaster, Va., cousin of the groom; Mr. Ryan Aldrich Rebuck, Mount Pleasant, S.C., friend of the groom; Mr. James Asa Simmons, Frostburg, friend of the groom; and Mr. Mark Leland Widmyer II, LaVale, friend of the groom. The ring bearer was Mr. Griffin Clay Madden, Cumberland, nephew of the bride. The ring bearer carried the rings on a cross-stitched pillow made by Mrs. Eleanor Paulman, close friend of the bride. The groom wore a black tuxedo with a white shirt, platinum vest and matching tie. The best men, groomsmen and ring bearer wore black tuxedos with white shirts, turquoise vests and matching ties.

The organist for the ceremony was Ms. Judie Brown. Program attendants were Miss Alyssa Renee Helmstetter and Miss Katie Ann Bennett, Cumberland, friends of the bride and groom.

The altar flowers were placed in loving memory of Mr. and Mrs. Carl Belt Sr., grandparents of the bride; Mr. and Mrs. William Adkisson Jr., grandparents of the bride; Mrs. Edna Frances Kennedy, aunt of the bride; and Mr. and Mrs. Milton Irons, grandparents of tile groom.

The bride and groom were driven to the wedding reception by the bride’s parents in a 1931 Chrysler adorned with a sign, made by the bride’s father, which read “Just Married, Meredith and Jeremy.” The wedding reception was held at Rocky Gap Lodge & Golf Resort, Flintstone. Guests were entertained by a picture slideshow of the bride and groom, courtesy of Commercial Video, at a pre-reception cocktail hour in the Green Ridge Ballroom. The Cumberland Ballroom was transformed by beautiful floral centerpieces of pink roses, pink stargazer lilies, pink carnations and white calla lilies. All floral arrangements for the day were made by Harvey’s Florist, Frostburg. The formal dinner included crab cakes with lemon mustard sauce and grilled beef tenderloin with shiitake mushrooms and wine sauce. The wedding cake was a four-tier round cake accented with strands of pearls and large capiz shell balls. The cake consisted of multi-flavored layers including cinnamon streusel, chocolate with peanut butter, white with raspberry filling, and yellow with buttercream icing made by Debbie Dunnivan, Frostburg.

Photography was provided by Michelle ZegIes of ChrisStudio, Cumberland, and videography was provided by Michael Helmstetter of Commercial Video. Music throughout the evening was provided by DJ Mark Stevens. The couple danced their first dance to “It Just Comes Natural” by George Strait. The bride danced with her father to “My Little Girl” by Tim McGraw and the groom danced with his mother to “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts. Toasts to the bride and groom were given by the best men and matrons of honor. The bride’s parents, who were celebrating their 39th wedding anniversary on the same day, were honored with a special dance at the reception.

A Sunday brunch, catered by The Oxford House Restaurant, Cumberland, was held in honor of the bride and groom by the parents of the bride at their home. Another Sunday brunch was held in honor of the bride and groom by the aunt and uncle of the groom, Rena and David Christopher, at their home. Following the brunches, the couple left for a seven-day honeymoon to the Sandals Grande Antigua Resort, Antigua.

The couple was honored by an engagement party hosted by the groom’s parents at their home. A bridal shower luncheon was given in the bride’s honor by the groom’s aunts at the home of Mrs. Rena Christopher. A luncheon shower was given in the bride’s honor at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Rex Burton and was hosted by Mrs. Sandra Burton, Mrs. Lynn Getty and Mrs. Eleanor Paulman. A bridal tea was given in the bride’s honor by Mrs. Patricia Livengood and Mrs. Kathy Livengood at the Gordon-Roberts House in Cumberland. The rehearsal dinner was hosted by the groom’s parents and was held at the Hen House Restaurant in Finzel. The groom was surprised at the rehearsal dinner with a groom’s cake in the shape of an Orioles’ jersey with the name Irons and the number 08 on the back, made by Debbie Dunnivan, Frostburg.

Guests attended the wedding from Maryland. West Virginia, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Jersey, Ohio, South Carolina and Georgia.

The bride is a graduate of Allegany High School and a graduate of Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pa., with a bachelor of science degree in early childhood and elementary education. She is currently working on her master’s degree in reading from Frostburg State University. The bride is currently employed by the Allegany County Board of Education as a kindergarten teacher at Cresaptown Elementary School.

The groom is a graduate of Allegany High School and a graduate of The University of Maryland, with a bachelor of science degree in accounting. He is currently employed as an accountant at Carl Belt, Inc.

The couple currently resides on North Woodlawn Avenue, LaVale.