Benjamin Martin & Sydney Bavis
March 8, 2020
Hamp Williams Building, Hot Springs
Benjamin Martin and Sydney Bavis are a match made in dating app heaven. The two swiped right on Bumble and from there went on a first date to the movies. The rest, as they say, is history. The two knew they didn’t want a long engagement and planned their entire wedding day in three months.
“Our planning experience was a whirlwind,” Ben says. “We knew we didn't want a long engagement, and initially only planned on a small ceremony of 25 people. After we picked the date, the guest list continued to grow — as did the overall plans. Randi Slick of Signature Events was a lifesaver and helped put together the wedding of our dreams with just a couple of months to work with.”
THE INSPIRATION
The entire day was based around a glamorous Vegas theme. The couple had a custom “‘Til Death” neon sign, a temporary tattoo bar where guests could get custom Ben & Syd heart tattoos and a disco ball-style dance floor. After the ceremony, Ben and Sydney changed from their velvet tux jackets to hand-painted leather jackets that had “Just Married” on the back, painted by one of Ben’s talented bridesmaids.
The couple wanted to mix a lot of different elements together for wedding party fashion to match their theme. They wanted all the bridesmaid's dresses to be bold, whether it be the color, material or texture. They spent hours finding the right mix of dresses so that everyone stood out but still blended well together. Kelly Efird of Kelly Efird Flower Events took the couple’s color scheme and put together a gorgeous array of blooms for the wedding party in a variety of bold colors and navy and maroon ribbon to match Ben and Sydney’s tuxes.
HOW THEY CUSTOMIZED
• • •
The wedding party entered the ceremony to Kacey Musgraves’ “Velvet Elvis,” which guests went wild over. Ben and Sydney both escorted their moms down the aisle and Sydney walked with his 2-year-old son Remington. Being pronounced a married couple was a surreal moment for them both. “I sobbed during the entire ceremony and barely made it through my vows,” Ben says. “Syd held things together though (one of us had to be tough!).”
After the ceremony, the room was flipped during the cocktail hour to prepare for the reception. Guests were able to grab a drink and appetizer before heading next door to Big Axe Battleground to grab a drink, appetizer and throw axes, which was a huge hit among everyone.
Once guests re-entered Hamp Williams, the room had been transformed into a Vegas-style nightclub. The ceremony arbor became the backdrop for the head table and the dance floor was moved closer to the DJ booth. Tables were draped in a luxe navy velvet and a beautiful black marble cake with luscious florals was suspended from the beams of the historic venue.
Ben is a Lady Gaga superfan, so it was a no-brainer that their first dance song would be to “Shallow,” but they went with an acoustic version by Lewis Capaldi, which still gives Ben chills every time he listens to it.
Looking back on their big day, Ben says every moment was his favorite wedding moment. “As a wedding photographer, I've been on the other side so many times and wondered what it would be like as a groom,” he says. “It was truly the most magical day of my life.”
THE DETAILS
| WEDDING VENDORS WE LOVE | |
|---|---|
| Planning, rentals, lighting, photo booth | Signature Events, Hot Springs |
| Florist | Kelly Efird Flower Events, Hot Springs |
| Cakes | Taste of Eden Bakery, Hot Springs |
| MORE VENDORS | |
|---|---|
| Photographer | Stephanie Parsley Photography |
| Custom dance floor | The Dancefloor Man, Little Rock |
| Caterer | SQBX Pizza, Hot Springs |
| Drink service | Valerie Ramsey |
| DJ | DJ Mario Luna |
| Wedding stationery | Minted.com |
| Grooms' and groomsmen attire | JCPenney |
| Bridesmaids dresses | David's Bridal and Dillard's |
| Hair | Bailey Little |
| Makeup | Katie Davis |
See this Real Wedding as it appeared in the print edition of ARKANSAS BRIDE.
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