Audrey Stanton
Fans of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis won’t want to miss the latest event planned at Glade Springs Resort.
It’s not really about her, though. Actually it’s about Spa Orange at Glade and the one-year anniversary of Studio M, both run by Monte Ray Durham, an Oak Hill native who has made his mark on the international world of wedding planning, bridal consulting and style.
In the last year, not only has Durham managed to run a successful hair and spa business at the Daniels resort, he’s been featured on national television, on the WE Network program, “Platinum Weddings.”
He’s also managed to add to his impressive collection of Jackie Kennedy memorabilia. Most recently, he’s been loaned an original Bachrach portrait of Jackie the bride. It’s the perfect complement to his exact replica of the wedding gown and veil she wore when she married John F. Kennedy. And it goes nicely with a duplicate version of the stemware the former first lady purchased from a West Virginia glass company to place in the White House; Durham has his own set.
All of these items and more will make an appearance at the Studio M anniversary celebration, set for 6 p.m. Sept. 6 in the resort’s rotunda. In fact, they’ll be the centerpiece of this event to which everyone is invited.
The reception will also feature live music from Joe Dew and Lady D, demonstrations of B. Kamins facial products and Halia Jewelry and fine champagne supplied by Beaver’s own Tobacco Town.
Durham, considered by many to be an expert on Jackie O., will present bits of trivia about his idol throughout the even-ing.
For instance, he said, “Her gown was designed by Ann Lowe, an African-American from Clayton, Ala.,” and “they danced their first dance to ‘I Married an Angel.’ ”
He knows the details from the orange blossoms she wore in her hair, right down to the fact the couple had two different cake-cutting ceremonies to accommodate the large number of photographers on hand. He even knows which of her bridal portraits she preferred and which her mother liked best.
It so happens that the anniversary of the famous Kennedy wedding is Sept. 12, so Sept. 6 seems like an appropriate time to celebrate it along with the anniversary of Studio M and Durham’s own birthday, which takes place that weekend, he noted.
“I can’t believe it’s been a year of doing hair at Glade,” Durham said. “It’s been so successful. It’s something to celebrate, and Jackie will help us do it.”
— E-mail: bnaudrey@register-herald.com
