NATCHEZ — Robert Magee’s only thought was to measure twice and cut once when his soon-to-be wife told him she wanted a Western-style wedding a year ago.

The Natchez native, carpenter and all-around handy man didn’t question his bride’s request, but instead took to his woodworking shop to see what he could make for their special day.

The result was an arch, appropriately named “The Hitchin’ Post,” made from a red cypress tree a friend had given Magee.

And when The Dart landed on Brooklyn Drive Thursday, the arch was put on display for all to see in the front yard of the Magee house in honor of the couple’s one-year wedding anniversary.

“She wanted a Western-style wedding, so that’s what I made her,” Magee said, while pointing out the garden and other decorative pieces surrounding the arch. “This will stay out through the summer and then we’ll think of something else to do next year for our second year anniversary.”

A horse saddle, horseshoes and spurs adorn the arch, which sits behind a wooden cart surrounded by a variety of flowers and plants.

The display, Magee said, attracts the neighbors, who often stop to take a look.

“Everybody gets the biggest kick out of it,” Magee said, laughing. “They’ll be walking by and do kind of a double take.”

The arch was a simple way to give the small wedding some Western flair, Magee said.

The piece was built and brought to Memorial Park behind St. Mary Basilica last May when the couple tied the knot.

The idea for the Western wedding came from some research by Magee’s soon-to-be bride, Sybil.

“I had looked on the Internet for Western-style weddings and found a bunch of stuff like cowboy boots and everything,” Sybil said. “But I was looking on there and found something like the hitching post, and I told him that’s what I wanted.”

A themed wedding, especially Western, didn’t catch on with a few of Sybil’s family members. But she said it wasn’t a decision for them to make.

“I’ve been living in Mississippi for 53 years, and I wanted a Western wedding,” Sybil said. “I’ve just always been kind of different, so even my wedding had to be different.”

The two said the display outside is about the only thing they had planned for an anniversary celebration.

“We’re too old for all that,” Sybil said, laughing. “Even for the wedding, we got married, had the reception and then went to work the next day.”