Lindsay Burson and Austin Stultz met at a Halloween party during their freshman year of college at Louisiana Tech University. About a year and a half into their friendship, Lindsay realized she wanted to date her best friend. She says this is one of the few choices in her life that she's never second-guessed.
When it came time to propose, Austin popped the question in the cutest way. On December 15, 2017, Austin showed up to Lindsay's doorstep with her favorite latte and told her to get ready for the best day ever. They had a date planned to go to the annual Festival of Lights in Natchitoches, Louisiana, followed by a meal at a lakeside restaurant.
At the Festival of Lights, Lindsay noticed a path of candles. Austin led her into the candlelit circle, and at the end of the path and got down on one knee. Among the glow of the candles and Christmas lights, he asked her to be his wife.
When Lindsay began planning her wedding, she was in the middle of finishing up her bachelor's degree and applying to graduate school. She says planning was a welcome escape from the more stressful aspects of life. One element of wedding planning that came particularly easy was choosing the city they'd host their wedding in.
"Growing up in south Arkansas, I spent a lot of time in Hot Springs," Lindsay says. "I was never one to fantasize about weddings, but I remember thinking from an early age how dreamy it would be to get married in this glass chapel. All of Austin’s friends and family would be traveling to Arkansas, and I couldn’t think of a better way to showcase the natural beauty that Arkansas has to offer and that I was so fortunate to grow up with."
Here are a few snaps of Lindsay and Austin's dreamy August wedding (and the stories behind them).
On the wedding dress: "I tried on so many beautiful dresses, but it was this simple Stella York dress that captured my heart. The moment I put it on, I couldn’t stop smiling, I knew it was the one. The look felt clean, elegant, and completely bridal. Once I had a wonderfully talented seamstress in my hometown remove some of the fluff from the skirt, it was perfect." — Lindsay
On her wedding style: "When searching for inspiration for our wedding, I wanted to embrace a certain level of simplicity in our romantic garden wedding. I wanted to strike a balance between a traditional Southern wedding and a casual, light-hearted affair. In the end, our wedding really was the product of our two strong support systems coming together to make it the most joyful day." — Lindsay
On the ceremony decor: "This chapel was magical already, so my goal was to add a few personal touches without taking away from what the natural beauty. Our florists created two beautiful white and green arrangements that included touches of ferns to tie into the greenery of the garden. Outside the chapel, we opted for a large “Welcome” sign that also served as our program. At the altar, we had a beautiful unity sign gifted to us by sweet family friends with Ecclesiastes 4:12, honoring the covenant that we would be making to each other and to God. It was a special way of keeping our faith central to the ceremony." — Lindsay
On their first dance song: "'If I Ain’t Got You' by Alicia Keys — this song is a long-time favorite of mine. When it came time to choose a first dance song, we selected a few song options and danced to each one. Something about this one just felt right for us." — Lindsay
On the only wedding-day snafu: "We forgot the wedding dress! There had been a miscommunication about who was going to bring the dress, and we all know wedding days can be chaotic, so when we all arrived at Garvan Gardens to begin taking pictures, my bridesmaids realized the dress wasn’t there. They sent some of our crew to retrieve the dress, worked with our photographer to adjust our itinerary, and all the while I had no idea anything was wrong. They delivered the dress, and the news of what happened, with a bottle of wine in tow. I may never live down being late to my own ceremony, but it’s well worth sharing that memory with my closest people."
The Details:
Photography: Myranda Randle Photography
Videography: Olivia King
Day-of coordinator: Vicki Evans and Rosemary Richerson
Florist: The Willow, Smackover
Cake, caterer and drink service: Harps Foods
DJ: Justin Dino
Save-the-dates: Shutterfly.com
Invitations: Vistaprint.com
Wedding dress: Low’s Bridal & Formal, Brinkley
Bridesmaid dresses: David’s Bridal
Groom/groomsmen attire: Squire’s Formalwear, Shreveport, Louisiana
Jeweler: Kay Jewelers
HMUA: Tish McKnight, owner of The Big Tease, El Dorado
Rehearsal dinner venue: The Porterhouse Club, Hot Springs
