Olivia + Alex
North Little Rock // January 13, 2018
These high school sweethearts incorporated many meaningful elements into their day—including a few fun nods to their years as Razorbacks
For their January wedding, Olivia Coleman and Alex Gosser’s plans started with the colors they would use throughout the day. “I’ve always loved the elegance of a gold, white, and ivory color scheme,” Olivia says. “This turned out to be the perfect winter wonderland color palette.” Custom invitations from By Invitation Only set the tone for guests with elegant script and a playful envelope liner.
“It was also very important to me to incorporate some Razorback Red splashed in throughout,” Olivia adds, noting that Alex was on the Arkansas baseball team while she was a member of the pom squad. “I knew I wanted to incorporate this aspect in a fun yet classy way, and Dale and his team at Silks A Bloom created florals that included small hints of red perfectly,” she says. Olivia also brought the hue into her look with velvet shoes in a deep maroon and Hollywood-inspired red lipstick.
Olivia and Alex’s day was packed with meaningful details. One of these included a tradition all of the grandchildren on Alex’s side have followed involving a locket and handkerchief: “The locket has pictures of Alex’s grandparents, Dr. Bob and Mrs. Marianne Gosser. On my wedding day, I had the locket attached to my bouquet along with Dr. Bob’s handkerchief,” Olivia says. “The handkerchief was sewn into a bonnet that Alex wore home from the hospital when he was born and was to be given to his bride to carry on her wedding day. The cycle will continue on through our children. This is my favorite family tradition that was introduced to me by the Gosser family. It was so special to get to carry these items on my wedding day!”
The groom had sentimental pieces woven into his attire, too, including Olivia’s grandfather’s cuff links. “The cuff links are gold knots that perfectly symbolized ‘tying the knot’ while honoring my late grandfather,” Olivia says. She also had Alex’s wedding band custom made to incorporate a ring that belong to his late grandfather. “Alex now gets to wear a wedding band every day that has sentimental value around the man he looked up to the most.”
When deciding on venues, the location of the ceremony was a no-brainer for the couple. “Alex and I always knew we wanted to be married in my home church, Central Baptist Church North Little Rock. That part was easy!” Olivia says. “The hard part was accommodating 500 guest for a reception. We toured many different venues, and Next Level Events was just so charming and inviting.” The venue’s exposed brick walls, dynamic layout, and feeling of intimacy made the location a perfect fit.
After the ceremony, it was time to party. “Our favorite memory is being announced into the wedding reception,” Olivia says. “It was so exciting to see all of our closest friends and family cheering for us. We felt so loved and couldn’t wait to get the party started!”
The couple’s Razorbacks inspiration continued into the reception, where the entire area around the grooms cake—shaped like a Razorback, of course—was turned into a tailgate tent complete with pom-poms, ballpark popcorn, baseballs, and bats. “I wanted it to feel like a montage of our years as Razorbacks,” Olivia says.
One more personal detail capped off the night: “Alex and I started dating when we were 16. We went on our first date in his first car, a 1972 Red Chevelle, and we used this same car as our get-away car!” Olivia says. “It was so special.”
Resources
Bride’s gown Inverness
Cakes Cupcake Factory
Flowers Silks A Bloom
Invitations By Invitation Only
Photography Molly Anne Sandefur, ma.Designs
Rentals Eventology
Venue (wedding party photos) Curran Hall
Venue (ceremony) Central Baptist Church
Venue (reception) Next Level Events
Videographer Shrewsbury Creative