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KRISTEN + WESLEY

July 1, 2021 by weddingsar Leave a Comment

Kristen + Wesley
Little Rock // 7.11.20

Mardi Gras will always hold a special place in Kristen (Warfield) and Wesley Coleman’s hearts; it was the day of their first date. Mutual friends had been trying to set up the two for a while, but with Kristen living in Jonesboro and Wes in North Little Rock, it proved to be a difficult task. Dinner was lined up for the evening but Wes was unable to attend. Kristen went on with her friends and afterward they decided to head to the train station for a Mardi Gras party. Kristen called Wes and asked if he was coming to meet her or not. “I’m on my way” was his response, and the two hit it off instantly.

After two years of dating, Wes was eager to propose and wanted to catch Kristen off guard. Kristen asked him to join her on a work trip to New York, and he seized the opportunity to plan a surprise during the getaway. On their first day in the city they had dinner at a restaurant under the Brooklyn Bridge. “Afterwards, we decided to get a picture under the bridge. We started to take a selfie and all of a sudden he got down on one knee,” she says. “I was completely shocked and could not say ‘yes’ fast enough.” 


Once home, the two began planning for a spring wedding. After touring Goodwin Manor, they knew they had found their ideal location. “I always wanted an outdoor wedding with a beautiful view and perfect weather,” Kristen notes. “The whole place was just a dream.” Originally scheduled for the first weekend of May, the two pushed the big day to July 11 when the pandemic began. “An outdoor wedding in July would not have been our first pick, but we were so anxious to finally get married,” Kristen says. 

After the ceremony, dinner, and dancing, guests lined the path where Kristen and Wes made their exit amidst sparklers to a honeymoon in Destin, Florida. Shortly after, they finished building their first home together and now reside in Little Rock. 

One of the best things I did was take a look at the entire setup before the ceremony. Once everything starts you don’t really have time to take it all in.”  —Kristen


Natural Beauty

Kristen selected a palette of white and pink for the floral design, which was created by Silks A Bloom. “They did an amazing job making my dreams come true,” she says, noting the installation on the tree and a garland of blooms that draped to the floor on the head table were two of her must-haves. During the ceremony, the two also planted a unity tree together that is now at their new home. 

The tiered cake featured layers of traditional wedding cake, strawberry, and lemon. The same flowers seen throughout the celebration cascaded down its sides. 

On the balcony of Goodwin Manor, overlooking their guests, Kristen and Wes shared their first dance to Ray LaMontagne’s “You Are the Best Thing.”

Resources 

Bride’s gown, bridesmaids’ dresses, groom’s and groomsmen’s suits She Said Yes Bridal Cake Michelle Linda Mayer Custom Cakes Catering Crave Catering Entertainment (ceremony) John Jarboe String Quartet Entertainment (reception) Central Arkansas Entertainment Floral design Silks A Bloom Hair Kristina Loesch, The Fix Salon Makeup Carly Westerman, Pout Photographer Meredith Benton Fine Art Photography Rentals A Perfect Bloom Florist & Wedding Rentals Rings Sissy’s Log Cabin Venue Goodwin Manor b MWB Films Wedding coordination Shannon White 

LEAH + STEPHEN

July 1, 2021 by weddingsar Leave a Comment

Leah + Stephen
Floral // 10.3.20


Love was in the air one winter day when Stephen Longinotti walked into Leah Wallace’s workplace to find her decorating a Christmas tree. “We immediately hit it off in the short amount of time we spoke, and eventually exchanged numbers,” she says. 


Years later, the holiday season also played a part in their engagement. After attending a church service with Stephen’s family in downtown Little Rock, they decided to go see the iconic Christmas tree at the Capital Hotel. His parents asked to get a picture of the two of them in front of the tree. Stephen took the opportunity to tell Leah he loved her, then dropped to one knee to ask her to marry him. “It caught me so off guard,” she says. “I was thrilled.”


However, perhaps the biggest surprise came in finding the venue for their big day. Leah’s aunt and uncle approached her with the idea to build a minimalist-style, open-air chapel on their farm. “With a team of guys, they made my wildest wedding venue dream come true,” the bride says. 


Leah had lost her mom years before and wanted not only to honor her memory but also feel a closeness to her on this special occasion. A framed sign that read: “Reserved for Mother of the Bride: Cheryl Wallace” sat on the front row of the bride’s seating side. 



Music also played a big role in the couple’s day with non-traditional choices like “This Feeling” by Alabama Shakes and “I’m With You” by Vance Joy for wedding party entrance songs and “Somewhere Only We Know” by Simply Three for Leah’s walk down the aisle. “We absolutely live and breathe music, so having our unique taste intertwined in our ceremony allowed us to make the wedding truly our own,” she says. The two, who are now part owners in The Chapel at RidgeRunner Farm where they were married, are at home in Batesville and planning a delayed honeymoon to Greece. 


Leah’s vision of a colorful, bohemian-style soirée came to life with deep-hued florals, pampas grass, and greenery along with vintage-look rugs.



Rather than a traditional groom’s cake, Stephen opted for fried pies from Millie’s in Cave City. 

Resources
Bride’s gown Low’s Bridal Cake Love+Flour Catering The Anderson Sisters Catering (Sweets) Millie’s Entertainment (reception) PartyTime Productions Favors RidgeRunner Farm Floral design and rentals A Perfect Bloom Florist & Wedding Rentals Groom’s and groomsmen’s suits Men’s Wearhouse Hair Larkin Young, Hair by Larkin Makeup Yoseline Selena Roy Perez, Leenna’s Make-Up & Beauty Photographer and videographer Key Moments Photography Rings Jonathan’s Fine Jewelry Venue The Chapel at RidgeRunner Farm Wedding design and coordination Melissa Etheridge, Weddings By Melissa E

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