The majority of my weddings are people that I just met through the internet or through a mutual friend, but sometimes I get the pleasure of shooting a friend or relatives’ wedding. Being a Fayetteville native and a Northwest Arkansas wedding photographer, these could be people that I met through work, went to college with, or even high school. With Christina, we knew each other from high school.
Christina’s day started at Central Methodist in Fayetteville where they did the majority of their preparations. After a few minutes of getting ready, we set up Whitney for their first look. Central Methodist has this side garden with arches in the background that was perfect. It was a little cold, but Whitney still toughed it out in the cold and was extremely excited and emotional when he saw her.
The ceremony was in Central Methodist’s main chapel, which is just beautiful. It has high ceilings and stain glass. Christina and Whitney both have a lot of friends, so the bridal party was pretty big. They did something different than I had seen at other times at Central. The bridal party was angled down on the floor and were looking up at the couple unlike the normal positioning where the bridal party can’t see as well. They also had a friend sing a song while they did a unity candle.
Northwest Arkansas Wedding Photographer: The reception
The reception was where most of the action happened, and it was at Willie James in the Springdale/Tonitown area. The decorations and details were lovely. The tables were decorated with flowers and floating candles. There was an entire cabinet decorated with items related to their love. Later in the night, they also made a candy bar. Christina’s cake yellow with alternating layers of spiral details and ribbon on the other. Whitney’s cake was creative. It was dedicated to the Razorbacks and was topped with a bride and groom hog.
After dinner and the toasts, it was dance time. Brock Entertainment was there, so it was a crazy time. There were always people out on the dance floor, especially the younger ones. They had so much energy and some really impressive moves.
Northwest Arkansas Wedding Photographer: The Exit
The end of the night was the most memorable. First of all, the Arkansas Razorback’s football team killed LSU, so everyone was just thrilled. Then, the exit was something this Northwest Arkansas wedding photographer has never seen…a helicopter exit! Yes, an actual helicopter landed in the parking lot and took them away. Christina and Whitney flew away like real time celebrities and ended the night in fashion.