Spring arrived in beautiful form on Friday. For Carolyn Kirk of Natchez, the day &045; March 21 &045; signaled much more than the beginning of a season that brings with it the rebirth of earth’s best dress.

Friday would have been her granddaughter Brandi’s wedding day. Today Brandi and her new husband, Brett Baker, might have been in Jamaica on their honeymoon.

A storybook romance culminated last year on Valentine’s Day, when Brett, on his knees, asked Brandi to marry him. As Brandi’s mother, Linda Kirk Hulbert, now of Gilbert, Ariz., formerly of Natchez, puts it, &8220;The wedding plans began the very next day. The perfect gown was found within the month. It was a whirlwind of a summer &045; the place, the photographer, the music, the cake, food, flowers Š&8221;

Rumors of war began to grow. As an Army reservist, Brett had to acknowledge the possibility that his unit, the 348th Transportation Company, might be called to take part in an invasion of Iraq.

What to do? The young couple and their families faced a dilemma. Should they take a chance and leave plans in place, hoping that the wedding might go on as scheduled? Should they postpone the wedding until they could foresee a more certain future?

The decision was not an easy one in many ways, but the young couple had no trouble agreeing on one thing. They wanted to spend every moment they could with each other &045; and the sooner, the better.

In early October, Brett indeed received notice that the unit would depart for the other side of the world within weeks.

On Oct. 12, the wedding took place, five days after Brett’s notification by the Army Reserve.

It was not the fancy occasion the mother and daughter had been planning. The bride-to-be relinquished the picture-perfect affair that had been in the making. It was the fall, not the spring. But it was a day filled with hope, dreams and great expectations.

Mother Linda describes the backyard wedding this way:

&8220;A swing set and monkey bars were transformed into wedding arches by yards of tulle and flowers. Brandi looked beautiful in her wedding gown, and Brett was very handsome in his suit, which had been purchased that day. As violin music played sweet and pure, two hearts were joined as one with hardly a dry eye in sight.&8221;

The celebration featured food and flowers from a large discount store and a three-tiered ice-cream cake from Dairy Queen.

Still, even the mother, who might have harbored a smidgen of disappointment in her heart, admitted no wedding could have been more beautiful. &8220;A wedding should be about the love two people share and not the planning of details and fanfare,&8221; she said.

Brett left his bride for active duty on Jan. 15.

Now, two days after the wedding date that might have been theirs, Brett is in Iraq, driving a huge tanker truck that refuels Apache helicopters.

Brandi is in Arizona with her mother. The Natchez grandmother keeps in regular touch and marvels at how the new wife, 21, and her husband, who had his 21st birthday after arriving in Kuwait, have strengthened one another.

Theirs is one of tens of thousands of stories that touch the hearts of all who watch, wait and pray for the troops, perhaps most of all for the very young ones like Brandi and Brett &045; so fresh, so brave and so much life ahead of them.

Joan Gandy

is community editor of The Democrat. She can be reached at 445-3549 or by e-mail at

joan.gandy@natchezdemocrat.com

.