'Baby Jessica' marries

[mtlebay]

PeopleNews

MIDLAND, Texas – Jessica McClure, the toddler who captured the nation's heart and evoked its prayers 18 years ago from 22 feet below the surface of this oil patch town, is a married woman.

McClure – now 19 and a student at Midland College – was married Saturday to Daniel Morales, 32, at a Church of Christ in a small rural community outside of the town. The couple met at a day-care center where Morales’s sister worked with the bride.

Inside, the church sanctuary was decorated with loops of white tulle for the private afternoon ceremony. At the altar was a white archway, and suspended underneath were two open hearts, mirroring the interlocking hearts on the couple’s wedding invitation. Posted on the door was a request made to guests: "No Cameras or Picture Phones! No Video Cameras" – a message in step with the extremely private McClure family.

"She's always been that way, just laid-back and not a lot of fanfare," says Cedie Proctor, an aunt of Jessica’s.

McClure – known to the world as Baby Jessica – was 18 months old when she fell into a narrow, abandoned well in the back yard of her aunt's home in 1987. Within hours, scores of rescue workers were feverishly boring into the earth, hoping to reach her before she succumbed to the cold. After 58 hours and with a global audience, two paramedics plucked Jessica from the well and brought her to safety.

At 25, McClure stands to earn a trust fund reportedly valued in excess of $1 million, made up of contributions from well-wishers around the world.

"She's 'Baby Jessica,' everybody’s baby," Morales recently told PEOPLE.

Those who know McClure say she's a quiet person and that the family long ago decided to strongly resist attention for the famous event that occurred almost 20 years ago. One of the only clues to the impending wedding was a Wal-Mart registry.

"She hardly talked," says Abby Casas, who went to Greenwood County High School with Jessica, who graduated in 2004. "But everybody knew who she was."

www.people.com

OMG, I feel soooo old. I remember being glued to the tv set watching the drama unfold for the 18-month old to be pulled out. And now she's getting married. Wow. Times does fly.

[olivia720]

wish i wouldve fallen down a well! (for the trust fund)

[IceQueen]

Hmmm, I don't know if I would want my 32 year old husband, who is twice as old as I am, to say "She's 'Baby Jessica,' everybody’s baby,"
Also, remind me what she did again to warrant a $1 million dollar trust fund? Fall down the well for a million dollars? Sure, I'll do it. Hope she at least gets a prenup.

[heather.rn]

She's 19 and he's 32. I put money on in 7-8 months there is a baby born. Now where is that shotgun?

[UndercoverGator]

I hate to sound mean, trite and snobbish but I seem to remember her family being not just wrong side of the tracks but potential Jerry Springer material. As a social worker I always thought the story of how the baby ended up down the well seemed a little fishy but it sounds like she's done better than I ever expected, at least she finished high school. Is anyone really surprised she's marrying some stupid guy that much older than her? Wonder if he knew about the money long before they got engaged?

Next on Springer "I fell down a well for one million dollars but you married me and spent it on lapdances and new Caddies"