A day in the Life of Marion Jones ... and Ato Boldon
Our Day in the Life series continues with..two special days. Sprint stars Marion
Jones and Ato Boldon got married on the same day and share their wedding days with us.
Marion and CJ - a special day
My day began at 6:30 the morning of October 3. It was our wedding day and the ceremony that special Saturday was in Raleigh, North Carolina. The first chore of my day was a hair appointment in Chapel Hill at 7 am - a thirty minute drive away.
On my way back to the hotel from the hairdresser at 8:45, I decided to stop at my house to make sure that everyone in my family was doing all right. While I was there, CJ called and said that he had forgotten: 1. the marriage license 2. the ring 3. His socks 4. and his shoes - so I picked up all these things and headed back to the hotel.
By 10am, the girls in the wedding party (four in my immediate court, three hostesses and CJ’s daughter, the beautiful flower girl) began to dress in their lilac chiffon gowns for wedding photos. CJ and his court of four were already dressed and downstairs in the lobby having their photos taken prior to leaving for the ceremony.
At 10:30, I was being attended to again. Make-up was applied by the wife of my coach and a friend was "painting" my nails ivory to match my gown - and then came the finishing touches: the ivory lace gown, shoes, stockings, headpiece and jewelry. I then headed downstairs to the lobby where my court was waiting with the photographer and some family and friends. We took picture after picture and then some more pictures.
Three long stretch limos took the group to the ceremony. I was in one with my brother Albert, who gave me away, my court was in the second and the others, flower girl and CJ’s son, who was the ring bearer, in the third. We arrived fifteen minutes early and had to wait in the limos!
The ceremony was held on an outdoor patio which was beautifully adorned with calla lilies, lilacs and other flowers. My intention when planning the wedding was to make the area look as much like a natural garden as possible. I believe we totally achieved this goal.
And then, at 1pm the ceremony began. When it was over, more photos were taken. Friends and family were introduced and we all headed to the reception. From then on it was party time, with the usual wedding protocol - I tossed the bouquet and we cut the cake - and CJ and I danced our special dance, surrounded by our family and track friends Antonio Pettigrew, Trevor Graham, Jearl Miles Clark, Kim Batten, Jerome Young, Frankie Fredericks, Derek Mills and Derek Adkins. While the sounds of Brian McKnight singing "Never Felt This Way" echoed through the crowded room, at that moment it seemed as if we were the only ones in the room.
It was time to leave the reception at five o’clock. Everyone filed out and CJ and I walked hand in hand while guests tossed birdseed at us. We then ducked into the limo and headed back to the hotel.
Later that evening, we ended our special day spending time together with some close friends in the hotel lobby.
That was pretty much how the day went. It was a beautiful day. The weather that day was about 80 degrees and sunny - not a cloud in the sky. What’s funny was that the day after the wedding, it rained cats and dogs - and was about 50 degrees. It was definitely a blessed occasion.
Ato and Cassandra’s Day
Prior to my wedding day, several internet track friends posted a series of
"Top Ten’s" in honor of their favorite sprinter! Some of these have been
excerpted to share with you.
Clues that Ato’s wedding will have a track and field feel to it:
1. The wedding is sanctioned by the IAAF as a Golden League event
2. The wedding rehearsal is called a "semi-final"
3. The official wedding photography is supplied by Lynxx
4. The participants are pinning on numbers instead of flowers
5. All participants in the wedding party must first check in with the clerk of course
6. The "final call" for the start of the wedding is announced over loudspeakers
and Ato gets butterflies like he’s never had before
7. A starter’s pistol is used to signal the wedding will begin
8. The bridal procession is being timed and they are passing a baton as they come down the
aisle
9. Halfway down the aisle someone is monitoring a wind gauge
10. Ato raises his hands when he gets to the alter because he’s in front of Mo
11. Carol Lewis accompanies Cassandra down the aisle with a microphone in her hand
12. Mo Greene yells "stick" when he passes Ato the ring
13. When the bride and groom leave the alter they must break the tape together
14. Rival shoe companies hire their own people to serve food
15. The punch is Powerade
Well, that is not exactly how things happened on October 3, my wedding day, even though I did meet Cassandra, an entertainment executive and manager, at UCLA when she was working out!
That memorable Saturday morning I got ready at 10 am in my white tuxedo for a photograph session with the three groomsmen, outfitted in black tuxedos, which included Jon Drummond and Maurice Greene. A red rose was pinned to our jackets.
Our wedding ceremony was set for 2pm on the rooftop terrace of the luxurious L’Ermitage Hotel with a 360 degree, breathtaking view overlooking beautiful Beverly Hills, California . The distinguished wedding party included Hollywood celebrities Vivica A. Fox (Set It Off, Getting Personal), Stacey Dash (Clueless), Holly Robinson-Peete (21 Jump Street, Hangin With Mr. Cooper) and Grammy Award winning producer Bryce Wilson along with Jon and Mo, who was the Best Man.
Cassandra looked exquisite in her elegant fitted white satin gown, golden tiara and lace vail. She carried a beautiful spray of vibrant red roses. My most memorable moments of the ceremony occurred while watching my wife walk slowly down the long aisle towards me on the arm of her proud father. Her three bridesmaids wore fitted black gowns and carried matching bouquets of brilliant red roses.
It was a wonderful day shared by other notables Martin Lawrence and Kareem Streete Thompson. The best thing about the reception was having all the Boldons together at the gala party for the first time in forty years.