Real Weddings | Anthony Chapel, Hot Springs, Arkansas | Laura & Jim | By Little Rock Wedding Photographer Karen E. Segrave

Real Wedding Description

Jim and I both live in New York City, but I wanted to get married in my home state of Arkansas. We chose the city of Hot Springs, AR, for the destination and had our wedding ceremony at Anthony Chapel in Garvan Woodland Gardens, a location we fell in love with the moment we saw it. We came up with the idea of doing a tree-planting ritual during our ceremony to symbolize the roots two people put down when they marry as well as the care that must be given to the marriage for it to thrive. Garvan Gardens accommodated our request by providing a sapling for us to plant in a small plot that they will later plant on their grounds near the spot where we were married.

After our ceremony at Anthony Chapel, we joined our guests at the the Museum of Contemporary art in the historic Ozark Bathhouse for an evening of good ol’ southern barbeque and dancing. Hot Springs has a past of being a favorite getaway spot for Al Capone and other gangsters of his day, so we set up a photo booth backdrop with some gangster props and used a Fuji Instax instant camera to take pics of our guests for our photo book. My dad surprised us with a gift of Arkansas Razorback hats at the reception, which were a perfect addition to the photo booth pics.

We went for a vintage-glam style for the wedding, a decision that was basically made for us after I chose my dress. Black tuxes for the guys were the perfect compliment. Jim designed our invitations and chose our colors–classic black and white with a shot of hot pink for a modern edge. They were the perfect choice for the modern 50s vibe we were going for.

-Laura