Mr And Mrs John R. Helms

Rachel Elizabeth Cole and John Robert Helms were married on September 25 in Norfolk, Va. The Rev J. Wayne Helms, father of the groom, performed the ceremony, which was held in the Renaissance Garden at the Norfolk Botanical Garden.

Parents of the couple are Philip and Joanna Cole of Sandy Hook and Wayne and Claire Helms of Dothan, Ala.

Serving as maid of honor was Teresa Flagg of Norfolk, Va.

The bridesmaids were Meghan Gargano of Newtown; Vanessa Casteneda of Hamden; and Elena Faber of Philadelphia, Penn.

Flower girls were Meghan and Lauren Lauhoff, and the ring bearer was Ian Stevens Cogan, all cousins of the bride.

Rachel, who will keep her maiden name, graduated from Newtown High School and is now a high school and middle school teacher at The Virginia Beach Friends School. John is a chemist at K&M Environmental Inc., also in Virginia Beach. Both are graduates of Virginia Wesleyan College.