Virginia Boyd Tyson, John Adkins James marry

Virginia Boyd Tyson of Columbia and John Adkins James of Corinth, Mississippi, were united in marriage April 1 at Shandon United Methodist Church in Columbia. The Rev. C.E. Kanipe Jr. officiated the 6 o’clock ceremony.

The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Emmon Tyson Jr. of Columbia. She is the granddaughter of Dr. and Mrs. James Russell Dumas of Prentiss, Mississippi, and Mrs. Robert Emmon Tyson of Holly Springs, Mississippi. She earned a bachelor’s degree in public policy leadership from the University of Mississippi, and she will be employed with The Alliance in Corinth as the director of community development.

The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ricky Earl James of Corinth. He is the grandson of Mr. and Mrs. Lester Baxter James of Corinth and Mrs. Billy Gordon Morton of Ripley, Mississippi. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accountancy from the University of Mississippi, and he is employed with Commerce Bank as assistant vice president.

The bride was escorted by her father and given in marriage by her parents. Soloists Kay Martin Johnson and Marian Montgomery Taylor provided music.

Maids of honor were Jessica Phillips Tyson of Washington; Anne Watkins Tyson of Oxford, Mississippi; and Ruth Emmon Tyson of Columbia. Bridesmaids were Elizabeth Douglas Baird, Caroline Cleo McCormick, and Cameron Burgess Martin, all of Jackson, Mississippi; Chappell Laird Gaw, Lucy Morrow Jackson, and Virginia Haynes Tracy, all of Nashville, Tennessee; Katherine Elizabeth Kneece of Columbia; and Lauren Elizabeth Gabriel of Charleston. Pearson Sue DiBiase of Columbia was flower girl.

Best man was Ricky Earl James of Corinth. Groomsmen were Jed Ellis James and Bryson Barker Avent, both of Corinth; Christopher Felder Brantley and Alexander Warren Hood, both of Jackson; Ben Griffin Long of Charleston; Jess Logan Rush of Little Rock, Arkansas; Luke Corrigan McCullen of Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Patrick McLean Steelman of Atlanta.

Program attendants were Rachel Gibson Griffin of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Lucia Alise Murff of Nashville. Ushers were Wallis Graham Williams and Michael Brent Allred, both of Memphis, Tennessee.

A reception followed at Forest Lake Club.

After their honeymoon in Antigua, the couple will reside in Corinth.

In her own words

Q: How did you meet?

A: Through mutual friends at Ole Miss over Double Decker Weekend in April 2015.

Q: When did you know your fiance was “the one”?

A: After living in County Cork, Ireland for six months and keeping our relationship going long-distance, it took a little while to adjust to being just one time zone apart. But we were intentional about seeing each other as much as we could and are very thankful for FaceTime. A couple of months after I returned to the States, he told me that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. I knew right then that I wanted the same.

Q: Tell us about the proposal.

A: We were at Hilton Head for our family’s annual August beach trip. John asked me to go for a walk on the beach. After walking for a while, he stopped and gave me a letter to read right then. The letter was beautiful and ended with, “I love you Virginia Boyd and have just one question to ask you.” He got down on one knee and asked, “Will you marry me?” I said yes! My sister, Jessica Phillips, was following us and captured the entire proposal with her camera. We walked back to my family, and I was wonderfully surprised that his parents and brother were there from Mississippi to celebrate with us.

Q: What part of the wedding day are you most looking forward to?

A: I am most looking forward to marrying my best friend and celebrating with all of our closest family and friends.

Q: How did you choose the venue where you will be married?

A: I grew up going to Shandon United Methodist Church and knew as soon as I got engaged that that was where I wanted to get married.

Q: What was the significance of the music played during your ceremony?

A: The ceremony music is special because several of the pieces were also played at my parents’ wedding on June 4, 1988.

This story was originally published April 2, 2017 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Virginia Boyd Tyson, John Adkins James marry."