Beautiful Outdoor Arkansas Wedding with Greenery & Black De

What a treat I have for you today with this gorgeous real wedding. Hayden and Hayden’s Arkansas wedding was nothing short of spectacular, they were married on the 7th December 2019 at The Venue at Twelve Oaks. Firstly they had an outdoor ceremony framed by a moon gate flower arch, followed by a rustic barn reception.

Their wedding day styling was super chic, think black attire and greenery everywhere. I also love Hayden’s elegant gown and the tree watering ceremony, what such a meaningful and special touch. I just adored reading their love story, it sounds super romantic too.

Monisa J. Photography thank you so much for sharing these totally beautiful images with us.

Arkansas Wedding

First Date

Hayden (groom) took me to a sushi place in Fayetteville called Tokyo to eat on our first date. We had an instant connection at dinner and decided we didn’t want the night to end there. I was pretty new to Fayetteville so after we ate, Hayden showed me some of his favorite spots around town. All night, we just talked and got to know each other. At one point, we laughed about how we had the same name. Hayden even jokingly said “If I ever married you, we’d have the exact same name.” What a funny thing to look back on now!

To wrap up the date, Hayden took me to a spot where you can look out and basically see all of Fayetteville. It was breathtaking. We looked up and it was 2 a.m. so we decided we better call it a night and he took me home. When we got to my house, Hayden walked me to the front door and I was hoping he would kiss me goodnight. Well, he didn’t! He basically sprinted off the front porch after saying goodnight. I was convinced he thought the date had gone bad!

Now that I know Hayden, that is exactly like him. He is a slow mover, thinking and planning everything out perfectly. He wanted our first kiss to be thoughtful and meaningful, and eventually, it was! After that night, Hayden and I hung out all summer and fell in love. Hayden and I grew up thirty minutes from each other but didn’t meet until we both lived in Fayetteville and I think that’s exactly how it was supposed to be. The experiences we had individually leading up to us meeting shaped us into the people we needed to be for each other.

The Proposal

One weekend this past July, Hayden and I were going down to Benton to stay with his sister, Ashley, and to hang out with his friend, Andrew. Earlier that week, he asked me if I had ever been to Petit Jean. I told him I hadn’t so we agreed to stop there on our way back to Fayetteville. When we got there, we went to what we thought was the trail you hike to get to Cedar Falls. It turned out to be just the overlook of the waterfall.

I was tired and it was hot so I was perfectly fine with just seeing the waterfall from the overlook. Hayden, however, insisted we hike down to the waterfall. So, we did some more research and found the actual trail. The trail is a two-mile hike and once we made it down there, we were sitting on the rocks in front of the waterfall, just talking about the hike and how gorgeous the area was.

Hayden then asked, “Would you go on hikes with me forever?” When I responded that I would, Hayden then pulled out the ring and asked if I would marry him. I of course said yes! Hayden then told me that ever since he knew he was going to propose, Cedar Falls was the exact spot he wanted to do it. No wonder he was so adamant about getting down there! Hayden is my best friend and I’m so excited we get to spend the rest of our lives together!

The Wedding Day

Hayden’s Williams (groom) mom and sister planned and designed the entire wedding, including florals and the archway, which was built by the sister.

The designed invitations, ceremony cards, and his grandmother baked large bundt cakes to go along with Nothing Bundt Cakes minis. They really showed their love in every intricate detail of the venue; party favours, the archway, cake stand, everything.

The groom and bride were both so emotional reading their letters to one another and the father of the bride gave such an incredible speech at the end of the night. There were so many emotions and laughs and you could feel the ambience of friends and family genuinely being happy for the union of these two.

During the ceremony, they poured soil from each of their grandmother’s garden into a vase for a tree they will plant in the backyard of their new home. I’ve known Hayden (the bride) since 6th grade so it was super special for me to document a day they’ll remember for the rest of their lives. At the end of the night, I took a long exposure of the night sky, so they will always have an image of the stars on their wedding night.

Monisa J. Photography