Edwin Edwards, Trina Grimes Scott marry in private ceremony
Published: Friday, July 29, 2011, 12:55 PM Updated: Friday, July 29, 2011, 11:48 PM
Moments after marrying for the third time, former Gov. Edwin Edwards did on Friday what comes so naturally: He stepped before the cameras.
The couple had just been united in marriage, in a 14th-floor suite, by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Catherine "Kitty" Kimball.
That ceremony, viewed by about a dozen family members and friends, was the only part of the day that was private.
From the lobby, the 14-member wedding party headed into the 90-degree midday heat on Royal Street to stroll around the corner to Galatoire's Restaurant for lunch.
Among the retinue were two young boys with Justin Bieber-style bangs that nearly covered their eyes. As the group turned onto Bourbon Street, beneath the big sign proclaiming "Desire" -- the name of the Royal Sonesta Hotel's oyster bar -- the bride playfully put her hands over the boys' eyes as they passed provocative posters of barely clad strippers.
Along the way, spectators occasionally applauded when they spotted the four-term former governor and his new wife, a Republican from Alexandria who was born during his second term.
"Everything is cool," said the silver-haired Edwards, who seemed to embody that attribute as he stood, smiling, in the Hotel Monteleone lobby, wearing a black suit, white shirt, gold tie and a white lily in his lapel.
Her strapless, knee-length white dress was "Italian silk, with a Cajun twist," Edwards said.
In discussing their relationship, he quipped, "I have yet to figure out what she's interested in."
It started while he was serving time in federal prison for racketeering -- first with letters, then with visits that became frequent.
"Everybody in prison was in love with her," Edwards said.
The two have been living together in Gonzales since June, when Edwards, who is on probation, received permission to move in with her.
On Friday, the couple held hands as they headed to Galatoire's, paying no attention to the jostling reporters and photographers who preceded and followed them.
At the Bourbon Street restaurant, they headed toward a 14-seat table in the crowded main dining room, where customers were already well into the heavily indulgent ritual of Friday lunch, an occasion that can easily segue into happy hour, dinner and beyond.
For the newlyweds, lunch consisted of soufflé potatoes, fried eggplant with powdered sugar, shrimp remoulade, oysters en brochette, a rich concoction called crabmeat maison, filet mignon for the bride and lamb chops for the groom.
A few customers seemed nonplussed by the hubbub as the wedding party, reporters and photographers threaded their way between the tables.
Bob D'Hemecourt, a longtime Edwards aide and friend who helped set up the lunch, preceded the gaggle to explain the commotion.
"You never know," he said. "Some people might not want to be seen with him."
John Pope can be reached at jpope@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3317.
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