Mary Cecile Cosby & Evan Yangfan Lu
April 26, 2025 | Hot Springs, Arkansas | Caitlin Wilson Photography
Rehearsal Dinner at The Reserve Experience
Cecile and Evan first met at their mutual friends’ engagement party in Austin. They were both living in Houston at the time, and were in town for the party. They hit it off immediately and have been together ever since.
After five years together, they tied the knot in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and the groom of that fateful engagement party officiated their wedding!
Cecile and Evan’s wedding weekend is the perfect Hot Springs guide for brides and grooms looking to get hitched in the Arkansas’ National Forest.
Q: Did you incorporate anything sentimental from your families?
A: “Our rehearsal dinner had red splashes and accents, from florals, to menus, to napkins and to wine that reflected that Chinese background,” Evan said. “In China (and many other East Asian countries), red symbolizes happiness, luck, auspiciousness and health.”
Wedding Professionals We Love
Florist
Tanarah Luxe Floral
Globe lighting and DJ Chad
Central Arkansas Entertainment
More Wedding Professionals
Planning and design: Jessika McCuin Weddings; Photography: Caitlin Wilson Photography; Videography: NiLo Productions; Jewelry: Ring Concierge and family heirlooms; Rehearsal dinner and welcome party venue: The Reserve Experience; Branding, stationery and signage: Dayflower Designs; Rentals: Eventology; Catering and bar: Secret Handshake
Q: What was your favorite part of the planning process?
A: “Looking back, the best part of the planning process was assembling our all-star vendor team,” Cecile said. “Everyone was so committed to helping us bring our vision for the weekend to life.”
Ceremony at Anthony Chapel at Garvan Woodland Gardens
Reception at the Arlington Hotel Resort & Spa
Q: What was your favorite part of the planning process?
A: “We used my family’s silver place settings at our rehearsal dinner,” Cecile said. “My mom, my aunts and my grandmother all contributed their silverware, a collection that was started by my great-grandmother. Having that on the table felt incredibly special. Our reception was held at Arlington, which carries its own sentimental weight for our family. My parents had their own celebration there after they got married, so continuing that tradition in the same place meant a lot.”
Q: What inspired your florals?
A: “For the reception, I knew from the start that I wanted lush, dramatic florals that felt rich and organic rather than overly precious,” Cecile said. “I also had my heart set on hanging amaranthus, which added that moody, cascading element that tied the whole room together.”
Q: What moment of the day do you wish you could relive over and over again?
A: “Without a doubt, the reception with our amazing band,” Cecile said. “There was a moment when Evan and I jumped on stage and were screaming Taylor Swift at the top of our lungs, it was peak energy with all our friends and family in the crowd. I felt completely overwhelmed in the best way, thinking this is exactly what I dreamed it would be.”
Q: Was there something about your day that felt very unique to you guys?
A: “The Easter eggs we hid throughout our printed goods were something we had never seen done quite like this before,” Cecile said. “We wanted the weekend to feel like a slow unraveling of details, where guests kept discovering something new around every corner. The ginkgo leaf from our invitation suite reappeared on the wedding cake and escort cards. The servers wore aprons printed with our custom toile that told the story of our favorite things. The toile was even on the tissue paper tucked inside the welcome bags.”
Wedding Professionals We Love
Ceremony venue
Anthony Chapel at Garvan Woodland Gardnes
Florist
Tanarah Luxe Floral
Custom stage facade, cold sparks, lighting and phone booth
Central Arkansas Entertainment
Photo Credit: Caitlin Wilson Photography
More Wedding Professionals
Planning and design: Jessika McCuin Weddings; Photography: Caitlin Wilson Photography; Videography: NiLo Productions; Wedding gown: Ivory Bridal Atelier; Getting-ready venue: The Reserve Experience; Reception venue: The Arlington Hotel & Resort Spa; Wedding gown alterations: Laura Couture & Alterations; Jewelry: Ring Concierge and family heirlooms; Branding, stationery and signage: Dayflower Designs; Hair stylist: Sara Redmon of The Dallas Stylist; Makeup artist: Haley Hanna of Lashout & Makeup; Rentals: Eventology; Catering and bar: Secret Handshake; Cocktail hour pianist: Marcus Sugg; Reception band: Georgia Bridgewater Orchestra with Jordan Kahn Music Co.; Wedding cake: Michelle Mayer; Transportation: Arkansas Destinations
Photo Credit: Caitlin Wilson Photography
The Little Details
“My personal favorite part of the wedding planning process was working with Amanda at Dayflower on our invitations, paper goods and all the fun accessories woven throughout the weekend,” Cecile said. “This is where our personalities really got to shine. From designing a custom toile for our wedding weekend details booklet to printing custom lampshades and poker chips for the after-party invites, every detail felt distinctly us.”
Photo Credit: Caitlin Wilson Photography
Incorporating Family Heritage
“Being an immigrant (I was born in China and moved to The States when I was five), I have always been keenly aware of the mixture and output of my Chinese background and American upbringing,” Evan said. “We wanted to make sure that my heritage, culture and values ingrained to me by my parents were represented in some way.”
Photo Credit: Caitlin Wilson Photography
A New Last Name
“We wanted the Chinese character of our new last name, Lu (吕), represented in some way,” Evan said. “I ended up asking my dad, who is a Chinese calligraphy hobbyist, to commission a painting of the character and we ended up using it as a ‘hidden in plain sight’ decorative icon in various places of our wedding.”
Day at the Races at Oaklawn Hot Springs
Q: Describe your style for the day at the races.
A: “For the day at the races, I went classic with a crisp white and black polka dot tea-length dress,” Cecile said. “For the after-party, I ditched the white entirely and went with a sequined gold dress and matching shoes. Let’s just say when someone at Oaklawn came up and asked if I was famous, I knew I had made the right call!”
Q: What was the day at the races inspired by?
A: “The day at the races at Oaklawn was classic and fun, exactly the kind of afternoon you picture when you think of Hot Springs,” Cecile said.
Wedding Professionals We Love
Florist
Tanarah Luxe Floral
Day at the races venue
Oaklawn Hot Springs
More Wedding Professionals
Planning and design: Jessika McCuin Weddings; Photography: Caitlin Wilson Photography; Videography: NiLo Productions
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