MORGAN CITY, La. — The Southern Debutante Assembly introduced the honorees for the year 2007 at a garden party on May 25 at Smithfield Plantation, the lakeside home of Mrs. Fitz Robert Morgan Jr., of Morgan City, La.

Mary Virginia Morgan, the granddaughter of former Natchez resident Mrs. Barney Lewis Boyles Jr., was a debutante.

This was among the first courtesies of the “little season,” which will continue throughout the summer months.

The debutantes, pages and page escorts will be presented formally by the Assembly at the Gold and White Ball in December.

The tree-lined circular driveway led to the entrance to the home, which was flanked by baskets of potted ferns on and around verdigris pedestals of varying heights.

Receiving with Mrs. Morgan were Mr. and Mrs. Fitz Robert Morgan III of Greenwood and their daughter, Mary Virginia Morgan, who is one of this year’s debutantes.

Also greeting guests were Mr. and Mrs. John Savage Morgan of Southaven. Mrs. Frank Lorrain Tindall of Indianola assisted guests at the registry table.

Skirted tables situated around the spacious lawn were centered with arrangements of daisies, white oriental lilies and leather leaf fern in silver Revere bowls.

A complementary arrangement centered the table in the screened summer house and was encircled by a wrought-iron candelabrum holding white tapers.

The debutantes, wearing afternoon dresses and carrying the traditional baskets of daisies, received along the breezeway leading to the summer house.

Concial baskets filled with daisies and asparagus fern hung from the square columns.

The assembly pages wore afternoon dresses and wrist corsages of white florets to receive in an area enhanced by palms, ferns on pedestals and hanging baskets of asparagus fern.

Morris Hubbard of Grenada furnished background music during the appointed hours for the guests from cities throughout Mississippi and other states.