Miss Merry and Mr. Parson exch ange vows in Char le st on

Grace Taylor Merry and George Bayne Parsons, both of Charleston, South Carolina, were married January 30, 2010, at Church of the Holy Cross on Sullivan’s Island. The 4 pm ceremony was performed by Rev. John Zahl.

Mrs. George Bayne Parsons The bride is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Richard Earl Umbach of Columbia and Walter Davies Merry III of Easley, South Carolina. She is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Franklin Milliken of Columbia; the late Mr. and Mrs. Arnold William Umbach Sr. of Auburn, Alabama; and the late Elma Garrison Merry and Walter Davies Merry Jr. of Columbia. The bride attended Heathwood Hall Episcopal School and the University of South Carolina in Columbia as well as Trident Technical College and the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. She also attended Officer Candidate School at the Palmetto Military Academy, Class 59, in Eastover, South Carolina. She is a registered nurse at Roper St. Francis Hospital and serves as a commission officer in the SC Army National Guard Medical Command.

The bridegroom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Dupree Foster of Easley and the late George Garvin Parson Jr. of Pickens, South Carolina. He is the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. Bayne Ellis McCrary of Stevenson, Alabama, and the late Mr. and Mrs. George Garvin Parson Sr. of Pickens. He attended Pickens High School and The Citadel where he was in Romeo Company. He is a training officer for the SC Army National Guard 1–151st Attack Recon Battalion in Eastover, where he serves as a warrant officer and aviator. He recently completed a tour in Iraq with the 2–149th Aviation Battalion as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot and was honored as SC Army National Guard Warrant Officer of the Year.

The matrons of honor were Mrs. Nancy Sammataro and Mrs. Susan Milliken Barden, both sisters of the bride. The bridesmaids were Mrs. Alicia Cinnamon Buffum, Mrs. Helen Lafaye Johnson, Amy Beth Kline, Mrs. Anna Milliken Truluck, and Mrs. Robin Tobias Williams. The flower girls were Brooke Milliken Merry and Lucile Milliken Sammataro, both nieces of the bride.

The father of the bridegroom served as best man. The groomsmen were Jonathan Patrick Foster, David Brian Edwards, Marion Moise Moses, Dionisios Zaffirios Tzouloufis, Charles Douglass Neely, and Robert Douglas Lance. The ringbearer was Thomas Otto Milliken III.

The honorary bridesmaids were Mrs. Jessica Huggins Collins, Ann Elizabeth Grubnich, Mrs. Jennifer Shirley Huff, Mrs. Marsha Richmond Merry, Mrs. Jessica Shirley Thompson, Mrs. Emily Mills Umbach, and Mrs. Jessica Leigh Umbach. The senior usher was William Francis Lamar III. The ushers were Walter Davies Merry IV, Alexander Hayes Umbach, and William Montgomery Umbach, brothers of the bride; and Daniel Franklin Barden; Anthony Kevin Pruett; and Carmelo Barone Sammataro. Serving as readers were Mrs. Francis Simrill McMeekin, Yancey Alford McLeod Jr., and Walter Davies Merry III.

A seated dinner followed the ceremony at The Citadel Beach House on the Isle of Palms. After a honeymoon snow skiing trip, the couple plans to reside in Columbia.