Amanda Mawhinney & Bradley Shuffield
June 28, 2019
Hot Springs Country Club
Amanda Mawhinney and Bradley Shuffield hit it off at a leadership camp in high school and they’ve been together ever since. After five years of dating, Bradley and Amanda were on their way to the 2019 PGA Championship when they stopped at Big Cedar Lodge in Branson, Missouri, for dinner at Top of the Rock. The couple walked down to the chapel before their reservation and Bradley got down on one knee to ask her to marry him at the altar in front of both of their families.
Since the couple had been dating since they were 16, Amanda had been "planning" on Pinterest for several years. She knew what she wanted when it came to florals, photography and the overall atmosphere. Since Bradley’s family owns a music store and are very musical people, Amanda also began building a custom wedding playlist to play as guests arrived and during cocktail hour, which ended up being one of her favorite aspects of the wedding.
THE INSPIRATION
• • •
Growing up in the Hot Springs area, Amanda had always admired the beauty of the Hot Springs Country Club. Her original dream was to get married at the Wedding Pavilion in Disney World, but knowing that important relatives might not be able to make the trip for a destination wedding, the couple decided to bring the magic of Disney to Hot Springs.
“Not only was the wedding everything we could have hoped for, but my Mimi, one of the reasons we got married locally, passed away from Alzheimer's just five months after the wedding and spoke often of how happy she was to witness it,” Amanda says.
As for the big day itself, Amanda wanted it to be her very own fairytale of a day. She went all-in on florals with the help of family friend Kelly Efird of Kelly Efird Flower Events. The show-stopping ceremony arch was filled to the brim with blooms and greenery that featured every one of the wedding colors.
HOW THEY CUSTOMIZED
The couple paid homage to their families in a variety of ways on their big day. Amanda had the honor of wearing a bracelet that had been passed down through her family since the early 1800s and has been worn by nearly every woman in her family on their wedding day. The couple’s stationery also had family ties and was inspired by Amanda’s parents’ wedding stationery from their 1996 nuptials. Even the groom’s cake served a double purpose. Bradley is a guitar player, so his Reese’s-flavored groom’s cake was modeled after a guitar amp, with his real guitar on display right next to it.
After the ceremony, guests were led to the lobby and veranda of Hot Springs Country Club where they dined on appetizers, enjoyed the open bar and documented the day in the photo booth. There was even a kid’s room featuring games, special snacks, crafts and a showing of “Cinderella.”
Amanda’s favorite wedding moment actually came a few months after the wedding when their photographer Benjamin Martin had sent them their wedding gallery and Amanda was going through the pictures from the ceremony.
“There is a black and white picture of Bradley and I walking back down the aisle after we said "I do" and the way he is looking at me still makes me stop and smile,” she says.
VIDEO
THE DETAILS
| WEDDING VENDORS WE LOVE | |
|---|---|
| Photography | Benjamin Martin Photography, Benton |
| Venue | Hot Springs Country Club |
| Florist | Kelly Efird Flower Events, Hot Springs |
| Ceremony Chairs | Signature Events, Hot Springs |
| Caterer & Drink Service | Hot Springs Country Club |
| MORE VENDORS | |
|---|---|
| Videography | Sharpe Videography, Conway |
| Day-of Coordinator | Donna Bryant |
| Cakes | PattiCakes Bakery, Conway |
| Invitations | Kwik Print, Hot Springs |
| DJ | Doug Kramer, Little Rock |
| Photo Booth | Arkansas Selfie Stand, Little Rock |
| Lighting | Shuffield Music Company, Arkadelphia |
| Wedding Dress | Inverness Bridal Couture, Conway |
| Bridesmaid Dresses | Bella Bridesmaids, Little Rock |
| Jeweler | KelZek Fine Jewelry & Gifts, Arkadelphia |
| Hair | Afton Oelmann (bride) Melissa Bradley, Megham Littlepage (bridal party) |
| Makeup | Abby Rose |
See this Real Wedding as it appeared in the print edition of HOT SPRINGS WEDDING PLANNER.
Discover more inspiration in Arkansas Bride's Real Weddings section.
