Castle wins over princess

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Jul 27, 2003 by Capital-Journal

The couples below are proof that life has many surprises. All are pictured here.

Del Wales plotted with friends and family members of Shannon Davis --- and even her boss at work --- to arrange for an unusual marriage proposal.

Shannon's boss sent her to deliver an unmarked envelope to a friend's home, which resembled a castle. "I didn't suspect anything, even with some lit torches lining the walkway," she said.

She was surprised when her sister answered the door. She seated Shannon in a candlelit room. Their other siblings came in and acted out a shadow play in the style of "The Princess and The Peasant Boy." The play was written by Del. It was the story of Del and Shannon's courtship.

After the play, Del appeared with a dozen roses. "After a few precious words, he retrieved my ring from the envelope my boss had sent with me!" Shannon said. "I could hardly restrain my excitement enough to eat a candlelit dinner served by my siblings and accompanied by live piano music from one sister."

The couple married on May 17 in Ozark, Mo. They met in a Bible study group.

John and Ermyl Broyles, married 50 years, met as students at Silver Lake High School. They married after John served two years in the Army.

Elizabeth DuMortier and Cedric Devin Jr. met as the result of a bad blind date.

Liz went on a blind date "with a guy who was so charming on the phone that I agreed to go out with him on both Friday and Saturday nights. But it was such an awful date that I ditched him," she said.

Then she went to a bar in Lawrence where a friend was playing in the band. The band member told Liz he had a friend at the bar from out of town and asked if she would keep him company. The friend was Cedric.

That was seven years ago. They have been together ever since.

Cedric eventually moved to Lawrence, where he and Liz bought a pet grooming salon. Last Valentine's Day, Liz overslept. She called Cedric at the salon. "You can have the day off," he told her. He suggested she look at her jewelry box. On top of it was a diamond ring and a Valentine that read, "Would you be my Valentine today and forever?"

Liz and Cedric decided to have some fun with their wedding. Cedric's son will be best man. Their four daughters will escort four canine members of the wedding party: a Dalmatian groomsman, a Chesapeake Bay retriever ring bearer, and two Dalmatian flower girls. The dogs will wear little tuxedos, Liz said.

Soon after Angela Milliken met Trent Allison, she tried to pair him up with a girlfriend.

Trent and Angela met at a local restaurant, where both worked. Angela introduced him to a friend. "I thought they'd be a good couple," she writes. "It didn't last through one date. So I decided to give him a try."

Eventually, Angela thought Trent might propose on her birthday. Or Christmas. Or Valentine's Day. It didn't happen. Trent preferred to catch her off guard. He proposed one day while she was cleaning house.

Before their wedding, they celebrated with a bachelor-and- bachelorette night. They and 40 friends piled into a yellow school bus and visited Topeka bars.

They married on June 21.

On their honeymoon while aboard a fishing boat in Minnesota, "It started lightning and raining so hard we had to pull over to shore," said Angela. "We froze and waiting out the rain, Trent said it was proof we could weather any storm." Trent and Angela believe destiny brought them together.

Nancy Tompkins can be reached at (785) 295-1297 or at nancy.tompkins@cjonline.com.