Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Frigerio!

Congratulations to BHS’68 classmates Tonia Szilagyi Mapston and George Frigerio who developed a romance 49 years after high school graduation and tied the knot last Thursday before family and many friends from Burbank High. Go back and read all about it here: A BHS Love Story and 49 Years in the Making.

Jodi Tillotson Huddleston said: “It was great fun to reconnect with friends from high school again since none of them had been able to make it to the reunion. I am so happy for Tonia and George to be able to find each other again and to make a new life for each other. I had a great time going to Waco with Tim Tolnay and his wife Kat Wyatt (both class of ’69). Tonia’s family are so nice and were very welcoming to George and all of the friends that came. A great time was had by all!

Burbank friends at Toni and George’s wedding. (L-R: Sharon Anderson McEntire, Thomas McEntire, Paul Hernandez, Tim Tolnay, Kathleen Wyatt Richardson, Janis O’Brien, Tonia Szilagyi Mapston, George Frigerio, Larry O’Brien, Jan DeJaegher, Jodi Tillotson Huddleston, Gary Marca, Teri Hill Clark)

Jan DeJaegher wrote: Attended a truly Hallmark Style wedding today! Old friends Tonia Szilagyi Mapston and George Frigerio got married in one of the nicest wedding ceremonies ever. Dinner and dancing followed. Many people from elementary school through Burbank High school were there, a wonderful reunion for all of us.

Since many of us wanted to be there but circumstances did not permit it, I asked Jan to send me her impressions of the celebration.

A whole bunch of us got to the hotel at the same time, and the staff was nice enough to let us commandeer the breakfast area and we just sat and talked for hours on the day before the rehearsal dinner. We left it neat and tidy so they couldn’t say anything!

The next morning, the date of the rehearsal dinner, they let us linger as long as we wanted to after breakfast. The lady that took care of the breakfast area was just so nice, and it turns out she is from Fullerton. She even made waffles for us! She has a daughter and grandchildren in Corsicana, so that’s where she is now to be near them.

The rehearsal dinner was a delightful affair, a sit down dinner provided by George’s mom. She’s a great lady and quite on top of things. We (Teri Hill Clark and I who collaborated on the quilt) presented it and Teri made us sing a song before the unveiling with Janis Bustrum O’Brien, who was my close neighbor growing up. We wrapped (the quilt) in brown paper and tied it up with twine.

Quilt made by Jan DeJaegher for newlyweds Toni and George.

George and Toni were quite surprised. After that, they gave out the groomsmen’s gifts and bridesmaids and attendants’ gifts.

The one thing that Teri and I were able to do was to take the booze from Mom Frigerio’s house and deliver it to both the rehearsal dinner site and the wedding site. Wel also delivered all the gifts for the attendants. We saved Toni about two hours of running stuff around, so she could concentrate on getting read. Toni is the total opposite of a bridezilla and hated asking anyone to do anything. We were so happy to have errands to run.

Wedding day was fun… The wedding was held in the observatory build of Navarro College. There was beautiful stained glass of those who looked to the stars: Galileo, Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and John Goddard—impressive. We all sat anywhere we wanted as many of us were friends with both bride and groom. There were three ringbearers, one of whom was a baby (he wore George’s cowboy boots from when George was a baby) and two flower girls. Three bridesmaids, all of whom are Toni’s daughters, four groomsmen. Two sons-in-law walked Toni up the aisle. When asked who gave her away, they indicated that the whole family did! The vows were repeated and then everyone recessed. The reception was a buffet, and there was a champagne fountain as well as a chocolate fountain.

There were three wedding cakes. One was white with red roses cascading down, a birthday cake and a groom’s cake. There wasn’t any cake left at the end, I think! It was also Toni’s birthday so George won’t forget either date.

Kathy, this wedding was the best I’ve ever been to. We, the Facebook friends, saw this little spark start between the two of them, and it just kept growing! All of Toni’s family, including the grandkids, just adore George. They call him Papa Georgio, a combination of his first and last names. He’s a true romantic and Toni just adores him. 

Toni’s boots were a hit! They were sparkly as all get out, and a perfect color match to her beautiful red dress!

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If there were any other Burbank friends at the wedding, or if you wish to send your congratulations, write your messages in the comments box below.

Congratulations, Toni and George!