Michelle Kwan, a former Olympic figure skater, married Coast Guard Lt. Clay Pell on Saturday at the First Unitarian Church on Benefit Street in Providence.
Providence Journal photo / Freida Squires
PROVIDENCE, R.I.-- Clay Pell, grandson of former R.I. Senator Claiborne Pell, on Saturday married Two-time Olympic medalist Michelle Kwan at the First Unitarian Church on the East Side of Providence.
The roughly 250 guests included Governor Lincoln D. Chafee and his wife, Stephanie; and Catherine T. Taylor, director of the state Department of Elderly Affairs and her husband, lawyer Robert K. Taylor.
Several uniformed police officers stood guard outside the church as Kwan, 32, emerged with her bridesmaid from The Hope Club, across the street from the church shortly after 3:30 p.m. About an hour later, guests gathered outside the church holding up giant sparklers as the bride and groom emerged.
Four uniformed officers of the Coast Guard held swords up high to form a saber arch under which the newlyweds walked. Pell is a Coast Guard lieutenant.
Pell, who is director for strategic planning on the National Security staff at the White House, is a lieutenant in Coast Guard.
The couple then headed with their guests to the Hope Club.