Washington, D.C. couple gets married on `Today' show

Jet, Sept 30, 2002

Wedding bells rang and millions of TV viewers tuned in as a Washington, D.C., couple recently said, "I do" on the popular NBC "Today" show.

Marcus Landry, 26, and the former Cynithia Slay, 24, shared their first kiss as husband and wife on "Today."

The newlyweds were among 3,000 couples who entered the "`Today' Throws A Wedding" series. Lucky couples who are chosen for the annual series have their weddings planned by "Today" viewers.

Every detail of the weddings, from invitations, the bride's $10,000 designer gown to even the location of the reception were determined by votes cast weekly on the Web by "Today" viewers.

The Landrys' $60,000 wedding was hosted by "Today'" show hosts Katie Couric and Matt Lauer.

The elegant ceremony concluded with champagne toasts, the announcement of a honeymoon trip to Bali and a horse-drawn carriage ride to their reception at Central Park's exclusive Tavern on the Green in New York City.

The couple are both graduates of Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, AL. The Landrys were the only Black couple to marry as part of the show's 12-week wedding series. The new Mrs. Landry is a 1999 elementary education graduate from Tuskegee's College of Liberal Arts and Education and a 1995 graduate of Martin Luther King High School in Detroit. She is now a special education teacher at Kingsbury Elementary School in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Landry, a veterinarian, is a 2001 doctor of veterinary medicine graduate from Tuskegee's College of Veterinary Medicine, Nursing and Allied Health. He graduated from Ida High School in Ida, MI.

They met at a Tuskegee homecoming football game in 1997, and began dating in 1998.

Tuskegee University President Dr. Benjamin F. Payton was among the millions who tuned in for the ceremony. "It was an extraordinarily beautiful ceremony for two wonderful and loving people. We are proud of them as graduates of Tuskegee. We truly wish them well."

Payton said he appreciated the "solemnity, dignity and beauty of the occasion. "It is wonderful," he said, "to have this type of faith-based session on national television as they join, not just in matrimony, but in holy matrimony. It should send a message to millions, young and old, about the importance, seriousness and potential for joy in marriage."