An Elevated Little Rock Wedding

Written By Miles Witt Boyer

I’d expect for the words curated, crafted, designed, and day dreamed to show up in this blog about a hundred times. The truth is this wedding day was all of those things. Little Rock sees some pretty remarkable weddings but this one was unique on a million levels. To have the chance to see artists come together inside the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts is special. Musicians, florists, photographers, videographers, designers, and even bar tenders collide at every wedding but perhaps it’s fair to say not always with this much flare. I’ll brag about the look, the flow, and the behind the scenes stuff in a moment but let me start where I start with every story I have the opportunity to tell.

The People.

Lauren and Collin are special you guys. From the moment I was called to photograph Collin proposing I knew this was going to be something different. In fact, I could back up and remind all of yall about arguably the wedding of last year - Hannah Claire + Lawson - and start there. Let’s do that quickly. Two of my very favorite humans and a bride that absolutely lights up the room Hannah Claire was absolutely magic to work with. I got to hang with Lawson a bit on their wedding day and perhaps what hung with me most about that incredible day at Crystal Bridges under also perfectly curated florals and details were the families. The stories that showed up on that day were powerful, real, raw and the relationships we built with both families were something special. Fast forward back to the call about Collin proposing to Lauren (who is Lawson’s sister) and I was immediately swept back into the family.

Terri Vassar met me at the door at the Walton Arts Center with a huge hug and complete trust.

Terri has been the most involved mom I think I’ve ever worked with, at least since my business grew to a point where I generally have a team of designers and planners at every event. Her vision has directed both Amanda Reed’s team as well as Tanarah’s to design something in a space that was nothing short of art and all with the total focus on giving her daughter the wedding of her dreams. Lauren’s a pretty laid back person and though her smile is infectious and she is absolutely full of spunk and energy I think she’s every bit as much at home curled up with a glass of wine in a hoodie as she was in her three designer gowns on her wedding day. She’s kind of amazing to watch and that’s exactly what Collin did, all day. He’s a charming dude, calm, confident, bold. His friends are loud and funny and he’s the ring leader but around Lauren Collin develops this quiet strength to him. Between huge moments of laughter and fleeting seconds of silence is a constant rotation of playful flirting and Collin simply watching Lauren be. It’s a special thing to watch and even amongst tens of thousands of dollars of flowers and decor, quartets and light shows, toasts and towering cakes built Lauren stole the show for Collin and really, for anybody else that was paying very close attention.

So why all of the extra then?

It’s a really beautiful question. I’ve been shooting luxury weddings for years now and it’s a question I get asked a lot. Why? 500 guests? 15 people in each bridal party? Multiple cars and dresses and bands and on and on and on… Why? Well the answer is really kind of simple when it comes to luxury weddings - the answer isn’t because they “can” but it’s because they “wanted to”. This wedding was an experience for every guest who was invited. A way to honor the friendships, the families and even the vendors with an invitation into the art itself. We became a part of the story as we wandered through tables with florals towering over head and even little rooms hidden from the main atrium with a private dj where the bridal party could unwind. Like getting a visual manicure this wedding gave us all something to awe about, to be enamored by and then just when it started to feel too big, too bold, too much there was the quiet centerpiece of it all - Lauren and Collin dancing their way down the aisle, across the landing, and over the crystal dance floor filled with florals underneath.

I said it before, Little Rock sees some lavish events but this one was different. Why? Because of the absolute love that went into it. The dozens of hours of day dreaming and studying the blueprints of the space, the hundred revisions of the schedule, perfectly thought through menu, and the absolutely wildly in love couple in the middle of it all. What blows my mind is simply the trust everybody had in my team to capture it and I’m so grateful to say - we did. And boy did we. I had a really special opportunity to bring in a buddy all the way from Denver to accompany Jared and I on this shoot. Alex is a talented dude, a pretty sought after photographer in his own right, and one of the most positive people I know. He jumped in like he’d worked with us for years connecting instantly with the wedding party, pouring liquid IV down my throat (did I mention it was 111 degrees during the first look?), and just helping to keep everything moving forward. Between him, and Jared doing exactly what Jared alway manages to do - consistently take incredible images under a lot of pressure in very little time we did it. I drove the ship, Alex managed the sails, Jared shot the cannons (NO CAMERA NERDS NO CANONS, still Fujifilm for us) and I finally get to share it all. So, now that you’ve read about it - check out a few of the brilliant minds who poured their hearts into it : 

THANK YOU for taking the time to read through this article! We’re humbled you did! If you’ve got a ring on your finger or one coming - we want to hear from you! CLICK HERE to get in touch!

Miles Witt Boyer
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