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Julie Renee Chaisson and Thomas Ryan Duplechain, both of Lafayette, were united in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony at the beautiful St. Genevieve Catholic Church in Lafayette on Friday, Oct. 7.
Fr. Gilbert Dutel officiated the 6:30 p.m. ceremony.
The bride is the daughter of Don J. and Marlene Chaisson of Crowley. She is the granddaughter of Leo and Goldie Bergeron of Abbeville and the late Easton and Ella Chaisson of Crowley.
Julie graduated from Notre Dame High School of Acadia Parish before attending the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She is presently employed with Andrus, Boudreaux, Landry and Coussan in Lafayette as a closing secretary.
The prospective groom is the son of Robert and Vickie Duplechain Sr. of Port Barre. He is the grandson of Betty Stelly and the late Floyd Stelly and Helen Duplechain and the late George Duplechain Jr., all of Port Barre.
Thomas is a graduate of Port Barre High School and La. Technical College at Lafayette, and he holds a Commercial Rotorcraft Certificate from Bristow Academy. He is currently employed by The Wood Group Co. as an offshore production hand.
Given in marriage by her father, the bride was gorgeous in an elegant A-line gown of soft champagne tulle featuring a modified sweetheart satin neckline and cap sleeves. The illusion front and keyhole back bodice was covered with embroidery and beading made of rhinestones, pearls, Swarovski crystals and sequins. The back of the skirt was adorned with embroidery and beading that cascaded down the train.
The bride paired her gown with a single layer fingertip veil edged with delicate beading and vintage-inspired cluster earrings.
She carried a hand-held bouquet of white hydrangeas, gardenias, champagne roses and seeded eucalyptus with touch of bay leaf foliage.
In keeping with tradition, she carried, tucked in her bouquet, a small handkerchief that had belonged to her maternal great-great-grandmother and been loaned to her by her mother as “something old” and “something borrowed.” Her wedding dress was “something new,” while her traditional garter was “something blue.”
Lisa Chaisson Breaux, sister of the bride, served as matron of honor, with Kari Habbit and Brittany Hodges, friends of the bride, serving as bridesmaids.
The bridal attendants were clad in long, flowy sheath gowns of forest green crinkle chiffon that featured halter bodices and belted waists, and they carried hand-held bouquets of white hydrangeas and greenery.
Robert “Bobby” Duplechain Jr., brother of the groom, fulfilled the duties of best man. Standing as groomsmen were Mark Duplechain, brother of the groom, and Chuck Stelly, cousin of the groom.
Mallory Breaux, godchild of the bride, and Lane Duplechain, nephew of the groom, served as flower girl and ring bearer, respectively.
Ushers were Brad Duplechain, cousin of the groom, and Marcos Rangel, friend of the groom.
Music for the ceremony was provided by organist Jodi Bollich.
Selected scriptures were read by Kelly Wahl and Molly Duplechain, and offertory gifts were presented by Darlene Duhon and Mitch LaHaye.
Following the wedding, family and friends joined the newlywed couple for a reception at The Madison in Broussard.
The bride’s four-tiered round buttercream cake was accented with seeded eucalyptus and fresh gardenias and topped with a bride and groom. It was served by the bride’s godmother, Darlene Duhon.
Two square cakes were served on behalf of the groom - one a red velvet cake topped with a helicopter pad and helicopter and the other a German chocolate cake topped with a John Deere tractor and plow. They were served by Georgia LaHaye, godmother of the groom, with assistance from Myra Duplechain, aunt of the groom.
On the evening prior to the wedding, the parents of the groom hosted a rehearsal dinner at Alesi’s Pizza House in Lafayette.
Following a trip to Destin, Florida, the couple will live in Lafayette.

RAYNE - Bouncing back after a one-point loss is hard for any team during football season. But, the Wolves collected themselves after last week’s 15-14 district loss to LaGrange, dusted themselves off, and hit the field Thursday and claimed a 26-13 district win over Leesville. The win put the Wolves at 6-1 overall and 1-1 in district play.
“When you return after a loss like last week, you really don’t know how your guys will come out the next game,” stated Rayne High Coach Curt Ware following Thursday’s win over Leesville. “I think we were hesitant and still feeling the effects at first, but we quickly stepped it up and got things rolling, especially our defense.”
The Wampus Cats lit up the scoreboard first midway through the first quarter, but it was the Rayne defense that held that score to a feildgoal at 3-0.
An action-filled late first quarter saw both teams hit the scoreboard.
On a punt near the endzone, Rayne’s Tony Roberts got his hands on the ball for a block, which was recovered by Carl Davis for the touchdown. The extra point was wide and Rayne held a short-lived 6-3 lead.
As seconds wound down in the first quarter, Leesville’s Cory McCoy took a handoff and sprinted down the left side line for a 67-yard touchdown. The extra point putthe Wampus Cats ahead, 10-6.
As both teams struggled to find the endzone in the second quarter, Wolf quarterback Donald Doucet found Johnny Deculit with a touchdown pass for a Rayne score. The two-point conversion failed and the Wolves held a 12-10 lead with only two minutes remianing in the first half of play.
But, that was all Leesville need to lineup in the redzone for a Wampus Cat record-breaking 38-yard fieldgoal by Jacob Adams, sending both teams into the locker room with the Wolves just short, 13-12.
“They (Leesville) are not real big, but they are quick,” Ware noted of his opponents. “We had a hard time blocking them in the first half. As the game continued, we kinda wore them down and our defense picked things up.”
“Our guys basically prevented three scoring drives that ended in their (Leesville) red zone,” Ware continued. “They really came through, especially in the second half.”
Rayne opened the second half right out the gate as Trent Winbush hit the right sideline for a 57-yard touchdown run on the first play of the drive. Jaylon Reed connected with Trent Winbush for the conversion on a swinging gate route, placing the Wolves up, 20-13.
The Wampus Cats were able to penetrate  the red zone once again midway through the final quarter, reaching the nine. But, a quarterback sack by Antonio Gabriel and an offensive penalty forced Leesville to turn the ball over on downs to close out the third quarter.
After a three and out by the Wolves, Leesville once again saw themselves inside the ten and knocking on the door of a touchdown. But, Johnny Deculit had another thought with an interception.
A couple of drives later, Doucet found Jaylon Reed in the endzone for a Rayne score. A failed conversion put the Wolves up for the 26-13 win.
“I was glad to see our defense step it up when we needed them to,” stated Ware. “But, we need to be more consistent. Sometimes we wait and play when we our backs are up against the wall. We need that at an earlier stage in the game. It might not provide an exciting game for the fans, but would sure help us.”
Leading Rayne tacklers were Jaylon Reed, Marlon Foreman, Tony Roberts and Zach Fontenot. Reed had four tackles with 3 solos, while Foreman, Roberts and Fontenot had 3 each.
Finishing off the Rayne defenders were Trent Winbush, Johnny Deculit, Jamien Evans, Darien Harmon, Torin Benoit, Tyreece Beverly, Darrin Wilridge, Grant Trahan and Antonio Gabriel.
When asked about Rayne’s throwing game late in the ballgame, Ware noted, “We were wanting to throw earlier and stay ahead of the change. We then had a chance to make a big play with a couple of catches and it worked. That last touchdown was a good throw and good play for both our guys -- worked great.”
In the air, Doucet recorded four completions for 91 yards and two touchdowns.
Rayne receivers on the night were Jaylon Reed (2-for-54 yards, 1 TD), Darien Harmon (1-28) and Johnny Deculit (1-9, 1 TD).
Of Rayne’s 175 rushing yards, Trent Winbush led the Wolves with 25 carries for 132 yards and a touchdown. Johnny Deculit was 8-for-43 yards, while Darien Harmon was held to 12 carries for 28 yards.
“They (Leesville) really held Darien down on yards tonight,” Ware noted. “He is usually good for at least 100 yards, but their defense stepped it up on him all night. Just glad we had good games from our other leaders.”
“This was a mature win for us,” Ware concluded. “They made us work hard for this win. I told our guys at halftime that if they wanted this win they would have to take it, Leesville was not going to give us anything. They composed themselves and pulled out the win. Something you like to see as a coach.”
The Wolves will hit the road this week traveling to DeRidder for another district contest. Kick-off is at 7 p.m.

Reynold J. Thibodeaux, 70, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 27. He was laid to rest in the Houston V.A. National Cemetery in Houston.
Reynold was born on May 31, 1946, to Edith and Newman Thibodeaux of Morse. Reynold was a native of Morse and a resident of Murphy, Texas. Reynold was a graduate of Midland High School and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. He served in the Vietnam War as a computer programer. He later retired as a data administrator with Kinder/Morgan Company in Houston.
Reynold is survived by his mother, Edith Thibodeaux of Morse; his wife, Cathy R. Thibodeaux of Houston; his two daughters, Laura (Thomas) Hayden of Murphy, Texas, and Janice Thibodeaux of Livingston. Texas; one grandson, Cody T. Hayden of Murphy, Texas; one brother, Newman M. (Darlene) Thibodeaux of Morse; and two sisters, Cheryl (Shelby) Simon of Gueydan and Charlotte (Anthony) Suire of Crowley.
Reynold is preceded in death by one daughter, Tara Thibodeaux; and his father Newman Thibodeaux of Morse.
A Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, Oct. 22, at 10 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Church in Morse with Fr. Clint Trahan officiating.