Jewelry For Bridesmaids

Seven months ago, the Rev. James Meeks of Salem Baptist Church issued a challenge to the unmarried couples in the congregation: If 25 of you tie the knot, I'll foot the bill for the wedding expenses.

The result was a mass wedding Saturday in which 17 couples said "I do" inside the 10,000-seat House of Hope on the city's Far South Side.

The event, aimed at promoting marriage in the African-American community, was part of a series of initiatives celebrating the church's 25th anniversary. Salem members have also written 25,000 letters to U.S. troops overseas and donated $25,000 to Haiti relief efforts.

Each couple received a reception for 25 friends and family, wedding photography, premarital counseling and a one night stay at Swissotel -- all free of charge. Church members also donated wedding dresses, jewelry and flowers.

That made Meeks' offer a no-brainer for groom Cornell Pierce, who married Gloria Rush, his girlfriend of two years.

"If [Meeks] is paying for everything, and we're already together, why not take advantage? I love her with all my heart," Pierce said of Rush, whom he serenaded before the ceremony.

And while most brides wouldn't be happy sharing the spotlight on their big day, Sylvia Gordon said getting married alongside 16 other couples made the experience "better than I could have pictured it."

Each wedding party had a designated area in the sanctuary where they could pose for pictures with family and friends. Then the couples went up on stage to exchange their vows all at once.

When the time came for the grooms to kiss the brides, Meeks paused so dozens of bridesmaids, parents and other wedding guests could run up to the stage to snap pictures.

Meeks called the wedding the most "magical" moment" he could remember in 31 years of preaching.

"I said to [the couples] last weekend that every one of them are heroes to me because they decided to do what we at the church believe is the right thing to do," he said.

Even a broken toe couldn't spoil the day for one bride.

Khalilah Howard-Willis, of South Shore, wore sparkly pink and white sneakers to go with the pink and white wedding dress she made for herself, and her new husband, Garland Crenshaw, wore sneakers, too, as a show of solidarity.

She and Crenshaw said they were pleasantly surprised by how normal the wedding felt, despite the unusual setup.

"It ended up being a little more intimate than we expected," Howard-Willis said. "It was exciting."

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