Longtime customer and friend, Crispin Menefee, recently wed John Menefee, a wedding in which Walton's played an interesting role; Our very own Mike Walton helped to restore her family heirloom tiara that Crispin wore on her wedding day!
"The bride’s veil was made by the well-known French Designer Jean Dessés in the 1950’s. Due to the size and the intricacy of the Spanish Rosepoint lace, the mantilla would have taken anywhere from 3 to 5 years to hand make. It was hand delivered from France to the bride’s maternal grandparents Dorothy and Ernest Watkins in 1958 by their friend Charles Montegue. The bride’s mother Dorothy Watkins Davis, for her wedding to Francis Patrick Davis in 1966, wore the mantilla with its peineta (mantilla comb), which was its original Dessés design. Frank and Dorothy celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary this past September. In 1992 for their daughter Legare’s wedding to Hank Vest, Grace’s of Nashville removed the peineta leaving the mantilla to be worn with only the Dessés tiara. The veil was next worn by the Davis’s daughter Melanie at her wedding to John Van, in 2001 at Bear & Fox Farm. In September 2013, when the veil was brought out one more time in preparation for Crispin and John’s wedding, the yellowing of the fine fabric showed that time was taking its toll. We deeply thank Mrs. Erin Vaughan of Spring Hill, Tennessee for her work on this veil. Using her passion and knowledge of antique lace restoration, she spent a full week gently cleaning the mantilla by hand, section by section, using a gentle solution which has safely returned the veil to its original color. We also thank our dear friend Federica Grimaldi for introducing us to Mrs. Vaughan. To complete the team of individuals who worked together to bring the veil and its tiara back to life, we extend our sincerest gratitude to Mike Walton at Walton's Antique and Estate Jewelry for his personal help in cleaning and repairing the antique Dessés tiara."