The engagement of Margaret Elizabeth Pikul of Vicksburg to Seth Reynolds Hester of Hattiesburg is announced today. Vows will be exchanged at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 22, 2009, at Escape to the Shores in Orange Beach, Ala. A reception will follow.

Miss Pikul is the daughter of Peter Pikul of Vicksburg and Melissa Sasser of Brookhaven. She is the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Peter Pikul of Vicksburg and Grace Salter and the late Mike Salter of Philadelphia, Miss.

Mr. Hester is the son of Robert and Marsha Hester of Hattiesburg. He is the grandson of the late John and Josephine Hoelting of Carlinville, Ill., and the late Robert and Mildred Hester of Greenwood.

The bride-elect graduated with high honors from St. Aloysius High School in 2005. She was a Student Council officer and varsity cheerleader.

She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in speech communication from the University of Southern Mississippi. She was selected to Who’s Who and was a member of Kappa Delta sorority and Southern Style 2007.

Miss Pikul is employed at Trustmark National Bank in Hattiesburg.

The prospective groom is a 2003 graduate of Hattiesburg High School, where he was a member of the golf, soccer and swim teams.

He received a Bachelor of Science degree in finance, economics and international business from the University of Southern Mississippi. He was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity and Southern Style 2006.

Mr. Hester is a sales representative for Puckett Machinery of Hattiesburg.