Weddings
Marcia Cross & Tom Mahoney
June 24, 2006 * Pasadena, Calif.
by Kathy Passero
The Ceremony After a weekend filled with pre-wedding festivities (ladies-only luncheon, gentlemen's
golf outing), the nuptials officially began after limousines whisked guests from the Ritz-Carlton
Pasadena to San Gabriel's Church of Our Saviour Episcopal parish. There friends watched in delight
as seven flower girls - Cross's niece and the daughters of her closest friends, clad in white Reem
Acra dresses - carried silk douppioni baskets and tiny bouquets down the aisle. The bride, on the arms
of her parents, Janet and Mark, followed in a creamy strapless embroidered gown, also designed by Reem
Acra. Eagerly waiting at the altar for Cross, 44, was Mahoney, 48, in Hugo Boss. Although the ceremony
was suitably solemn, the guests erupted in cheers as soon as the minister pronounced the pair husband and wife.
The Celebration Considering the way the couple met, it seemed fitting that the flowers played a major role at the
reception. Julie Pryor, of Pryor Events, and Hidden Garden Floral Design Studio, both in L.A., transformed
the Ritz's ballroom into a breathtaking all-white "flower shop" where 232 guests, including Cross's co-stars -
Eva Longoria with boyfriend Tony Parker, Felicity Huffman with husband William H. Macy, Doug Savant, and
Housewives creator Marc Cherry - had cocktails on white ottomans and daybeds amid bursts of snowy
Casablanca lilies, tulips and peonies. While children enjoyed face painting, games and a balloon
artist's tricks in a nearby ballroom, custom curtains were drawn back to lead guests from the all-white
wonderland to dinner in an adjacent ballroom decked out in vibrant reds, greens and purples. At each
place setting was a green cymbidium orchid and a CD by the bride's sister, Ellen Cross; one of Cross's original
compositions served as the ceremony's processional. After guests dined on lobster bisque, sea bass and filet
mignon, and danced to a mix of contemporary hits and standards provided by the 12-piece Chuck Wansley band,
it was time for the bouquet toss. In a twist on tradition, married couples were asked onto the
dance floor, then eliminated one by one until only the pair married the longest (more than 50 years) remained,
and they were presented with the bride's bouquet of white peonies and lilacs. Thoughtful touches continued, even
after goodbyes were said: For the newlyweds, it was a trail of flower petals leading to a room aglow with candles.
Guests ready to turn in found pillows inscribed "Sweet dreams. XO. Marcia and Tom." The best and biggest
surprise of all? The couple are expecting twins in April.
