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20 Brides in 91 Years - 1 Veil
Posted 7/29/2010 @ 9:50:18 am by bornfreetravel.com
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Grace Bell was the first bride to wear the imported Belguim antique duchess lace veil, in 1919, when she wed Annis McLean in Wisconsin. The veil has been worn in Texas, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, St. Petersburg, Tampa and Sarasota. Kelly Odom will be the 20th bride, who will marry Grace Bell's great grandson in November. Annis was bride number 4, she was daughter to Grace and married a coast guards man named Thomas Fluharty, in St. Petersburg in 1946. Thomas wore his uniform to the wedding. After Thomas died in 1978, Annis made arrangement to move the 1914 Episcopal chapel from Safety Harbor to Ellenton. The wooden chapel was named after St. Thomas and dedicated to her departed husband, therefore, she wanted it close to the family. Between weddings, Annis De Brigard, 86, bride number four, to Thomas Fluharty, is the keeper of the veil. She stores it in a pillow case in her St. Petersburg home. The veil has weathered many storms, such as dry cleaning, which turned it from pale yellow to white, drying on the lawn, and being left in a bar. Through all that, the tradition means a lot to these women. The tradition is a good one, only two of the 17 brides were divorced. That's an 89% winning average.