Grace Parker and Earl “Boy” LeCorgne became great friends while spending every summer on the Gulf Coast with their families. They went fishing, sailing, swimming and went to dances in Biloxi, Mississippi – they were “buddies!” Boy, who’s four years older than Grace, got serious and wanted to marry her, but Grace was a little afraid of getting married so early – she was having so much fun! She told him that she thought they should date other people. Boy decided that he would date other girls, but not Grace – she saw him at all of these deb parties and dances and missed him terribly. She finally, wrote him a note (it wasn’t proper for girls to call boys at that time) and said, “A little bird is watching you! Would you like to go to a movie?” Boy said yes, Grace said yes to his proposal of marriage and the wedding planning began.
Grace asked her sister Leslie Parker to be the maid of honor, and her bridesmaids were: Charlotte Parker, Leslie Parker, Eugenie Jones, Anne Soule, Jane Bright, Joan Smith, M.I. Richeson and Pam DePass. Boy asked his brother Bill LeCorgne to be his best man, and Killian Huger, John LeCorgne, Charles LeCorgne, Robert Grehan, Harold Grehan, Samuel Schwing, Guy Scoggin, Hunter White and John Pitkin to be groomsmen.
The wedding was at Holy Name of Jesus Church on St. Charles Avenue, and the reception took place at the bride’s home on State Street. Donald Heumann of Rohm’s Florist created the flowers at the church and the reception. Grace’s dress was made of satin and tulle, and came from Town & Country, as were the bridesmaids’ dresses, which were a bottle green color with peach rose accents. The cake came from Swiss Bakery.
The day of the wedding Grace and Boy went to Mass together at Holy Name so they could have communion together, and then went to Camellia Grill for breakfast – so much for not seeing the bride before the wedding! They also didn’t follow the norm on their honeymoon; instead of resorts or the beach, Boy and Grace got on the train and went to New York City. They had a ball going to the theatre, to clubs and to fabulous dinners at the Plaza. Her dad finally called and told Boy that the fish were biting at the Lakeshore Club, so the honeymoon was over.
Grace and Boy have been married for 63 years – I think being friends first seems to forecast a very happy marriage!
