Jenna Hargrave weds Benjamin Penton

MERMENTAU - Jenna Rae Hargrave of Morse and Benjamin Arthur Penton of Midland were joined as man and wife on Saturday, Jan. 19.

Rev. Fr. Neil McNeill officiated the 7 p.m. Nuptial Mass at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Mermentau.

The bride is the daughter of Lynn Hargrave of Morse and the late Burton Hargrave. She is the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Elie Benoit and the late Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Hargrave, all of Morse.

Jenna is a 2008 graduate of Midland High School and attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she obtained a degree in speech pathology/audiology.

The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Penton III of Midland. He is the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell Comeaux of Midland and the late Dr. and Mrs. Arthur Penton Jr. of Lake Charles.

Benjamin graduated from Midland High School in 2007 before earning a degree in kinesiology from Louisiana State University.

Guests were ushered to their seats by Mitchell Myers, brother-in-law of the bride, Aaron Woods, godfather of the bride, and Jordan Breaux and Bryson Louvierre, friends of the bride and groom.

Escorted to the altar by her mother Lynn, Jenna was gorgeous in a full-length gown with a classic A-line silhouette. The strapless fitted bodice featured a scalloped straight across neckline and flower-motif lace appliques encrusted with beads, seed pearls and crystals. A thin band of beads and crystals defined the natural waistline at the front of the dress before meeting at the corset closure in the back. The skirt, also embellished with lace flower-motif appliques and beads, seed pearls, and crystals, flowed into a cathedral-length train.

For her headpiece, Jenna selected an ivory tulle veil with pearl accents.

Jenna’s bouquet was a lovely combination of ivory-colored flowers and ivory ostrich feathers with a tiny white dove nestled among them. A small framed photograph of Jenna’s late father, along with a white pearl rosary, were entwined within.

Jenna incorporated all of the traditional “good luck” items into her wedding. Her wedding ring set, which came from her grandmother and the groom’s grandmother, was “something old.” Jenna’s wedding gown was “something new,” a pearl ring lent to her by her mother was “something borrowed” and her garter was “something blue.”

Megan Myers, sister of the bride, served as matron of honor, and Candace Juneau, friend of the bride, served as maid of honor.

Bridesmaids were Carli Thibodeaux, Heidi Boudreaux, Camille Gautreaux and Mollie Vincent, friends of the bride, and Ramsey Lalanne, cousin of the bride.

The attendants were clad in floor-length black gowns featuring ruffle-embellished one-shoulder straps.

They carried bouquets of ivory flowers accented with black feathers.

Londyn Blaire Myers, niece of the bride, served as flower girl.

Luke Breaux and Eric Gautreaux, friends of the groom, shared the duties of best man. Standing as groomsmen were Tyler Lapoint and Joel Roche, friends of the groom; Blair Hargrave, brother of the bride; and Brandon Thibodeaux, cousin of the groom. The groom’s cousin, Caleb Bolenbaucher, served as junior groomsman.

Liam Myers, the bride’s godchild, served as ringbearer.

For Jenna’s special day, her mother, the former Lynn Benoit, selected a slate gray floor-length taffeta gown embellished with beads and lace.

The mother of the groom, the former Christine Comeaux, wore a floor-length beaded gown in beige chiffon.

Brenda Williber, godmother of the bride, and Amber Thibodeaux presented offertory gifts.

Following the ceremony, the newlywed couple and their families and guests celebrated at a reception held at the Gueydan Civic Center.

The bride’s three-tiered cake was decorated with ivory fondant and edible pearls. The top and bottom tiers were encircled with strings of pearls at their bases, and the middle tier was wrapped in a black grosgrain ribbon. The top tier was made of red velvet cake, the middle tier was white cake with strawberry filling and the bottom tier was white cake filled with Bavarian cream. It was topped with an elegant black cursive initial “P,” along with ivory flowers and white peacock feathers.

The groom’s cake was split down the middle between sports and teams. One half of the cake was a Duke basketball court, with the other half made to look like a Louisiana State University football field.

Out-of-town guests traveled from various points throughout Louisiana, from Baton Rouge to Lake Charles.

On the evening prior to the wedding, the groom’s parents held a rehearsal dinner at Chef Roy’s Restaurant in Rayne.

Following their marriage, the couple is residing in Baton Rouge.