Noted New York pastor, Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, gives his daughter Orchid's hand in marriage

Jet, July 6, 1998

Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, Senior Pastor of the Grace Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon, NY, recently gave his daughter, Orchid Lopez Richardson, in marriage to Robert Burnside in a lavish wedding ceremony on a beautiful summer evening.

The 26-year-old bride wore a full-skirted silk gown with an off-the- shoulder, fitted upper bodice adorned with small silk flowers--each with a pearl in the center--by Ethiopian designer Amsale Aberra of New York City.

Richardson and the bridesmaids, who wore lilac tea-length dresses, carried bouquets of calla lilies which complemented the flower garden theme of her special day.

Approximately 400 guests filled Grace Baptist Church, the oldest in Mt. Vernon, to see the nuptials of the newly united Mr. and Mrs. Burnside, who met in August 1995 over a request for Grey Poupon on a very crowded FDR Highway in New York.

"She honked at me," said Burnside, also 26, "and asked, `Do you have any Grey Poupon?' I said, `No, I don't, but I'll take your number instead.' And we met up three months later and we've been dating ever since."

Notable guests included Mr. and Mrs. Earl Graves and their three sons, Michael Graves, John Graves (accompanied by their wives) and Earl Graves Jr., Rev. Wyatt T. Walker, Rev. Al Sharpton and former New York City mayor and first lady, Mr. and Mrs. David Dinkins.

The exclusive black-tie reception was held at the New Rochelle V.I.P. Country Club. Guests dined on hors d'oeuvres which included shrimp, crab claws, stuffed roasted pig, sauteed liver and chicken, beef and an assortment of salads, pastas and breads.

Once the bride and groom arrived at the picturesque country club in a vintage 1941 deep burgundy cadillac, they were presented to guests and danced together for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. Burnside to the Stevie Wonder tune, Ribbon in the Sky.

Finally, guests had their selection of dinner from the menu which included prime rib of beef, chicken florentine, and pan-seared salmon with wedding buttermilk cake for dessert. The rest of the evening was spent dancing and celebrating the unity of the new couple.

"I feel really good about their marriage," said Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, who has been pastor of the nearly 100-year-old church for 23 years, and proud father of the bride. "They are level-headed young people who love each other and have positive ambitions to make a contribution to the larger world."

Mr. Burnside, a graduate of Columbia University and a school teacher, and Mrs. Burnside, a graduate of Spelman College and a commercial real estate broker, spent their honeymoon in Jamaica; they plan to purchase a home in Mt. Vernon, NY.