State of the Union: governmental affairs give way to a Capitol-sized wedding celebration at the Governor's Mansion.

Every girl dreams of a fairy-tale wedding, the kind with romance and history and beauty and love in every detail. Where family and friends gather to share in that most special of ceremonies and, when the nuptials are officially tied, celebrate joyously by dancing and dining until the canapes and cake are all enjoyed and the happy couple is properly whisked away on their honeymoon. Lots of girls dream about a wedding like that, but for Jackye Gray, it was a dream come true.

You see, Jackye accepted a proposal of marriage from Reeves Barbour, son of Governor and Mrs. Haley Barbour, so a fairy-tale wedding at the Governor's Mansion was no dream, but a beautiful reality. Reeves even popped the question in the mansion, in a bedroom named for former governor Theodore G. Bilbo, Jackye's great-great-great-uncle. Once the date of May 13, 2006, was set, the planning began in earnest.

Because Jackye and Reeves live and work in our nation's capital, they depended on Jackye's mom, Cynthia Gray, and sister, Renee Davidson, for most of the planning.

"With us living 1,100 miles away, we couldn't do very much to help," says Reeves. "We went to all the meetings and put in our two cents' worth, but Jackye's mom did most of the work."

Jackye agrees. "My mom and sister planned it all. Every time I saw something in a magazine, I would rip it out and send it to them, and they made everything happen."

Cynthia called on Jim Wilkirson and Pat Cothren at Top It Off Party Rentals in Jackson for help with the flowers, tents, chairs, and other items that transformed the back quadrant of the mansion grounds into an idyllic wonderland. She relied on the culinary talents of mansion chef Luis Bruno to create memorable dishes that would delight their guests. And she called on photographer Marianne Todd, who took more than 700 pictures to capture the event for future generations.

"Because I'd had shoulder surgery in February, planning Jackye's wedding was stressful at times, but it was a lot of fun," says Cynthia. "We had very talented people helping us, so I knew it would be beautiful. And I'm glad Marianne took so many pictures, because the day was just a blur to me!"

The wedding ceremony, which took place in the mansion's Rose Parlor, featured a hand-carved gilt cross that Jackye says had "never been out of Galloway (United Methodist Church)." On both sides of the altar area stood arrangements of garden roses, hydrangeas, lilies, stock, French tulips, spray roses, and lisianthus bound together with mixed garlands of lemon leaf, bay magnolia, and ruscus accented with miniature French smilax. Some 75 family members and friends watched as the bride, on the arm of her father, Jim Gray, entered the room from the mansion's spiral staircase, which was draped with mixed garland swags of lemon leaf and magnolia.

Though there have been nine Governor's Mansion weddings over the years, most have been weddings of governors' daughters, the most recent being the 1982 wedding of Elise "Lele" Winter, daughter of Governor and Mrs. William Winter, and Guy Gillespie Ill. The mansion waited 65 years, from the 1941 wedding of Paul B. Johnson Jr. and Dorothy Power, to see another governor's son married.

After the ceremony, guests were invited into the mansion's Gold Parlor and State Dining Room for a ceremonial toast. The bride's cake, designed by Richard Bailey of That Special Touch in Jackson, was a four-tier Italian cream cake creation featuring handpainted calla lilies and roses in various shades of coral that covered the tops of each tier and randomly cascaded down the layers. The cake was displayed on an antique silver plateau adorned with miniature French smilax and a table covered in gold damask overlaid with a handmade French cutwork topper accented with seed pearls.

The bride and groom, along with their families, greeted guests in the formal East Garden to the soothing sounds of a jazz ensemble. Tables draped with sheer butter organza and pastel dupioni plaids adorned with fresh garden bouquets encouraged guests to sit and visit while sampling some of Chef Bruno's delectable appetizers.

The main reception was just a few steps away, through the garden gate. Set amid orchid trees and floral arrangements created to complement the historic grounds, a series of tents created a beautiful space to dine and dance to the sounds of These Days and Jewel Bass.

Bruno prepared a veritable feast for the reception's nearly 700 guests. Two huge tables were loaded with delights including mini black bean cakes with chipotle sour cream sauce; crawfish fritters with remoulade sauce; blackened baby shrimp with fried cheese grits; mini Jamaican burgers on cheddar cheese biscuits; grilled chicken and andouille sausage skewers with barbecue sauce; Southern tea-marinated duck breast with apple chutney on pumpernickel croutons; sliced pork loin with pepper jelly cream cheese with homemade rolls; and tiered vanilla cupcakes with buttercream icing.

The groom's cake, prepared by Edna Welch of Edna's Cake Creations in Natchez, was in the shape of the nation's Capitol. Because the Capitol is very special to Reeves, Jackye searched far and wide for a baker who could replicate the building.

"Reeves loves the Capitol," says Jackye. "He insisted on having our engagement pictures taken there, so I knew I had to find someone to make a 'Capitol cake.'"

While this might be a dream wedding for some, was it the wedding of Jackye's dreams?

"I never thought I'd get married," says Jackye softly, "and then I found Reeves. It was the wedding of my dreams because I married him."