Evening wedding unites Benoit, Albarado

A six-thirty evening wedding ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021, at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Rayne united Cecile Emily Benoit and Kristopher Ross Travis Albarado in holy matrimony.
The bride is the daughter of Kevin and Maureen Benoit of Rayne. Her grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. L.J. Moody III of Rayne and the late Mr. and Mrs. Gary Benoit of Crowley.
The groom is the son of Billy and Alexis Albarado of Lake Charles. His grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. James Albarado, Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Abate and Mark Travis, all of Lake Charles.
Following the guests being ushered to their seats by Conner, Wil and Jake Benoit, brothers of the bride, the double-ring ceremony was officiated by Deacon Tim Ledet.
As the bride arrived at the church in her great-grandmother Cecile Moody’s 1967 Dodge Coronet, affectionately called “Cecile,” musical selections were provided by organist Tori Gossen, violinist Brena Andrus, trumpeter Paul Morton and vocalist Kristi Anderson.
On the arm of her father, the bride was stunning in an original creation, designed by herself and made by her mother. The strapless, fit and flare silhouette featured a draped bodice of an Italian cloqué fabric in oyster with soft gold metallic abstract floral designs scattered over the gown. A large half bow and covered buttons down the entire length of train further accented the bride’s one-of-a kind dress.
Her headpiece and veil included a bespoke crown handmade in the United Kingdom of bisque flowers custom-colored to coordinate with the gold accents of her wedding gown. The bride also wore a cathedral-length veil of sheer bridal illusion.
She carried a large hand-tied bouquet of O’ Hara garden roses, quicksand roses, copper beech leaves and toffee roses fastened with a silk ribbon. Woven into the bouquet was her maternal great-grandmother’s rosary.
Attending the bride as maid of honor was Rachel Tenenbaum, with Camille D. Fitzpatrick attending as matron of honor
Bridesmaids were Annie Boudreaux, Claire Chapel, Lynn Sherwood and Lindsey L. Melancon.
The bridal attendants wore halter-style dresses, created by the bride’s mother, of silk crinkle chiffon in an English rose tone featuring A-line silhouettes and large, soft bows at the backs of the necks. Each carried a smaller version of the bride’s bouquet.
Serving as flower girl was Avery Carlin, the bride’s godchild, who wore a handmade Irish linen dress featuring horizontal tucks with vertical wide lace insertion accenting the bodice. A two-inch standup ruffle encircled the waist and complemented the large ruffle on the skirt’s hem and the edges of the three-quarter length sleeves.
Attending the groom as best man was Jack Fry, with groomsmen including Matthew Guidry, Alec Lafargue, Tyler Churchman, Jeremy Chafin and Peter McBride.
Ring bearer was Benjamin Neff, son of Shelly Neff and Spencer Neff.
Attire for the male attendants included formal black tuxedos with black vests and white shirts, complimenting the groom’s ivory dinner jacket and black tuxedo slacks.
Immediately following the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds were named honorees for the reception held at the historic Warehouse Event Center in Rayne.
Guests were greeted by four long tables for seating, each accented by floral arrangements of blush, Sahara, Quicksand and white Vendela roses and copper beech branches. Smoky glass candle holders, vases and modern black taper candle holders were also noted throughout the reception area.
The table for the bride and groom was set apart from the other tables and highlighted with a silver shimmer wall and balloon arch.
As guests danced the night away, a dozen disco balls were hung over the dance floor, from which draped party lights were noted.
Among the refreshments was the bride”s cake, a sleek white four-tier delectable masterpiece. White fondant irises trailed around the smooth, tall tiers. A large floral cloud of pampas plumes, roses, copper beech branches and orchids topped the white drapes behind the bride’s cake.
The groom’s cake was a three-tier square chocolate cake featuring the coliseum of the groom’s alma mater, the University of Southern California, where he played football.
Prior to the wedding, a rehearsal dinner, hosted by the groom’s parents, was held Friday, Oct. 15, at The French Press in Lafayette.
Following their wedding trip to Napa, California, the couple will reside in Covington.
The bride is a 2013 graduate of Notre Dame High School of Acadia Parish in Crowley. She is a 2018 graduate of Tulane University, where she earned Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture degrees with a minor in Urban Studies. She is employed as an architectural designer at Campo Architects of New Orleans.
The groom is a 2011 graduate of St. Louis Catholic High School in Lake Charles. He is a 2015 graduate of the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science degree in Policy, Planning and Development with an emphasis on healthcare administration. He is employed by Technical Recruiter at Focus Technology Partners.