The Southern Debutante Assembly held its 2014 Presentation and White and Gold Ball on the evening of Dec. 30 at the Greenwood Country Club in Greenwood. Twenty-six debutantes were presented to society at the event.

    Flickering candles in hurricane lamps lined the drive to the clubhouse entrance. Twinkle lights entwined matching topiary flanking the double-door entry and the pine garland framing the entry. Matching sprays of white tuberoses, Fuji mums, antique hydrangeas, genestra and silver dollar eucalyptus were displayed on the doors.

Members of the assembly’s Governing Board greeted the honorees’ guests entering the foyer. Several hundred attended from around Mississippi and other states.

    On opposite sides of the foyer, consoles held matching arrangements of porcelana roses, white tuberoses, hydrangeas, bells of Ireland, dendrobium orchids, genestra and Australian eucalyptus on the lamp bases, uplit by votive candles.

    Between the two sets of double doors leading from the foyer to the ballroom, a tall silver-gilt garden urn on a gilt pedestal held a large arrangement of Eskimo roses, Vendela cream roses, bells of Ireland, Fuji mums, antique hydrangeas, genestra, pussy willow, curly pine and areca palm fronds.

    Along the walls of the ballroom, lighted sconces displayed compact arrangements of snowflake chrysanthemums, white stargazer lilies, genestra, areca palm fronds and sprengeri fern.

    The honorees were presented before a massive arrangement of white stargazer lilies, tuberoses, gladioli, bells of Ireland, Eskimo roses, Vendela cream roses, genestra, pussy willow and curly pine displayed in a silver-gilt garden urn atop a fluted terra cotta pedestal. The arrangement was backlit by twinkle lights entwined on a white garden trellis.

    At the opposite end of the ballroom, the debutantes took their places on a dais in front of a garden trellis lined with smilax and twinkle lights. In front of the trellis stood four tall white columns, each topped with an arrangement of Eskimo roses, Vendela roses, stargazer lilies and sprengeri fern. Centered against this backdrop was a large arrangement of gladioli, Fuji mums, bells of Ireland, Eskimo roses, Vendela roses, stargazer lilies, pussy willow and curly pine. Two complementary arrangements flanked the dais.

    The officers of the Cavaliers were introduced to the assembled guests. Serving this year were Mr. Myers Vaughn Falls of Minter City, son of Mr. and Mrs. Aubrey Falls; Mr. Andersen Champion Lucic of Greenwood, son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Thomas Lucic Jr.; Mr. Francis Anthony Ola II of Greenwood, son of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony James Ola; and Mr. Hugh Anslum Warren V of Madison, son of Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Wood Warren IV.

Hugh Anslum Warren III of Greenwood introduced the master of ceremonies for the presentation, Mr. Russell Haire Williamson of Memphis.

    Wearing white formal ball gowns, the debutantes carried hand-tied bouquets of porcelana roses, Vendela roses, genestra and Formosa fern.

    The pages wore long gowns of holly berry red silk and carried nosegays of magnolias and variegated holly hand-tied with white velvet ribbon.

    Throughout the presentation and introduction of the honorees, The Sessions of Jackson played traditional favorites. The band later played for dancing during the appointed hours.

    Following the presentation, the honorees and their guests enjoyed dancing and visiting at tables positioned around the ballroom floor at the White and Gold Ball.

    Each table was centered with an arrangement of dendrobium orchids and English boxwood, surrounded by flickering votive candles on a mirrored base.

    In the Garden Room, opening from the ballroom, buffet tables skirted in white linen and overlaid with gold embroidered silk organza offered an extensive array of heavy hors d’oeuvres. The focal point of the center table was a towering arrangement of antique hydrangeas, Eskimo roses, Vendela roses, Fuji mums, bells of Ireland, white stargazer lilies, curly pine and Australian eucalyptus in an oversized terra cotta garden urn. Smaller complementary arrangements in matching silver vases were displayed on three-tiered silver epergnes on the two end tables.

    In a separate area of the clubhouse, Johnny Jennings of Greenwood played current favorite tunes as the pages and page escorts enjoyed refreshments, dancing and visiting.     Tables skirted in holiday linens were positioned around the dance floor and centered with arrangements of Christmas greenery.

 

Among debutantes

presented  

 

    Caroline Janne Thomas, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Anthony Lee Thomas of Meridian. She was presented by her father and escorted by her brother, Mr. Robert Lee Thomas of Meridian.

    Savannah Layne Ward, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Granberry Holland Ward III of Meridian. Presented by her father, Miss Ward was escorted by her cousin, Mr. Austin Ward Sherman of Beverly Hills, Calif.

 

Pages to debutantes

 

    Morgan Brady Duggan, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Frederick Timothy Duggan of Meridian

    Lillian Coralee Graham, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hardy Poindexter Graham Jr. of Bailey

 

Escorts to pages

 

    Granberry Holland Ward IV, son of Mr. and Mrs. Granberry Holland Ward III of Meridian

 

Parties honor debutantes,

others in Golden Season

 

    In association with the Southern Debutante Assembly’s Presentation and White and Gold Ball, held in December, several parties honored the debutantes, pages, page escorts and others.

 

Luncheon at Delta Bistro

 

    Honoring five of the season’s debutantes, a luncheon was held on Dec. 29 at Delta Bistro in downtown Greenwood.

    Those honored were Carson Sturdivant Creasy of Lynchburg, Virginia, Lillian Moore Hines of Madison, Caroline Janne Thomas of Meridian, Mary Helen Kenyon Williams of Clarksdale and Barrett Elizabeth Wright of Inverness.

    The bistro was decorated with Christmas greenery. Each debutante received the Southern Debutante Assembly’s gift of a small pottery vase from Peter’s Pottery personalized for the assembly.

    Honoring their daughters with the luncheon were Ygondine Sturdivant Creasy, Mrs. Dwight Kirkland Hines, Mrs. Anthony Lee Thomas, Mrs. Peter Fairley Williams III and Mrs. Robert Young Wright III.

 

Dinner at Lusco’s

 

    Following a late-afternoon rehearsal of the Presentation on Dec. 29, a dinner party at Lusco’s in Greenwood honored 12 of the season’s debutantes.

    Sharing the honors were Amanda Josephine Ashcraft Austin of Winona; Elizabeth Herron Battle of Tunica; Caroline Kirk Brooks and Chloe Lane Bush, both of Greenwood; Margaret Montgomery Gannaway of Tunica; Anne Leland Graeber of Oxford; Guerring Faith Mapp of Greenwood; Maribeth Rose Morgan of Sunflower; Holly Ruth Pitts of Indianola; Juliette Lawson Ratchford of Demorest, Georgia; Mary Madaline Timbs of Indianola; and Savannah Layne Ward of Meridian.

    Tables were centered with hurricane lamps with candles surrounded by Christmas greenery.

    Hosting the dinner party for the debutantes and their dates were Lt. Col. Lawrence Bryant Austin and Mrs. Austin, Mr. and Mrs. William Houston Battle, Mr. and Mrs. John Miller Bush II, Hon. John Madison Brooks III, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Gorton Jenkins, Mr. and Mrs. John Miller Bush II, Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Montgomery Gannaway, Mr. and Mrs. Wilburn Barrett Smith, Mr. and Mrs. John Lawrence Graeber III, Mr. and Mrs. Clinton McKee Guenther, Mr. Claude McWilliams Mapp, Mr. and Mrs. Rex Allen Morgan Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Mark Jackson Cowart, Mr. Walter Coursey Pitts, Dr. and Mrs. Christopher White Ratchford, Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler Timothy Timbs III and Mr. and Mrs. Granberry Holland Ward III.