The future of Arkansas weddings looks bright with burgeoning trends like these!
SUSTAINABILITY
We’re seeing a resurgence of environmentally friendly weddings in Arkansas—and we’re here for it. It’s been a treat seeing how couples are choosing to incorporate sustainable, eco-friendly details into their wedding day. Planners, florists and caterers go the extra mile to ensure food is sourced locally, flowers don’t get thrown out at the end of the night and all of the little details that matter the most are reusable!
15 Ways to Minimize Waste at Your Wedding
1. Rent as much as you can, especially plates, silverware, drinkware and linens to reduce the amount of things thrown away.
2. Re-think favors. Skip them altogether or consider gifts guests will actually use (or keep long-term). Ideas we love include honey, olive oil, seed packets, succulents and donations to sustainable causes. You can even buy carbon emission offsets for out-of-town guests.
3. Don’t serve a buffet. Hire a caterer who can manage the amount of food and not overbuy.
4. Turn to candlelight. Cut down on electricity use while also creating a dreamy setting with abundant candle use at your ceremony and reception. (Tip! Rent pearl wax candles from Ovation Weddings NWA for clean air and reusable candles!)
5. Gown shop mindfully. Consider buying a used wedding dress or a dress made from sustainable textiles. After the wedding, donate your wedding dress. We don’t blame you if you want to keep it as a treasured heirloom, but for the couples who don’t want to hold on to their wedding attire, there are so many ways to donate or re-sell those fits.
6.Hire composting/recycling vendors!
7. Arrange transportation for guests to minimize the number of cars going to and from your wedding (reduce CO2 emissions).
8. Check out Food Loops, an eco-conscious company that wants to make your event zero-waste! Any food left over at the end of the event is composted. Food Loops will also consult with couples to help make their wedding a zero-waste event.
9. Shop ethically-sourced jewelry. (Consider lab-grown diamonds.)
10. Use sustainable beauty.
11. Reuse decor from friends and family.
12. Send digital wedding communications as much as possible to guests. Though we’re still partial to printed invitations, those can be made mindfully with eco-friendly materials on recycled paper. Compromise with printed invitations but ask guests to RSVP digitally to cut down on your paper usage. Perk? It saves you money too.
13. After the wedding, donate your flowers to a local nursing home, charitable organization or let guests take them home so they don’t wind up in the trash. This is the perfect wedding guest favor!
14. Cut the guest list. A smaller wedding is certainly going to reduce your wedding’s footprint.
15. Choose seasonal flowers. Demanding hard-to-find blooms, or flowers not in season on your wedding date, might mean your florist is flying blooms from across the country or world. Seasonal, local flowers are a vibe and a totally sustainable option for your big day.
GUEST DRESS CODES
In 2023, the Arkansas Bride team gleefully spotted a surge in this growing trend—from couples inviting guests to dress in their “Kentucky Derby best” to chic minimalists asking their friends and family to wear only black. Whether these dress codes are created to help the couple’s wedding style stand out in the crowd more, or to add to the overall wedding aesthetic, we’re here for it! We can’t wait to see more engaged duos delegate clever themes for their guests’ wardrobe.
What the vendors say...
“‘Yellowstone’ meets bolo ties, wide-brim hats and suede with denim—what’s not to love? The welcome dinner was hosted outdoors under gorgeous aspen trees in the foothills of the mountains, so the guest’s attire set the scene perfectly.” — Soirée Events and Design Co.
“Wes Anderson theme—the colors, the textiles, the aesthetic!” — The Flowerslinger
“For one of my weddings in February, the couple requested ‘opulent formal’ along with a mood board for reference. The guests went all out! We’re talking sequins and feathers. The men wore colorful, shiny suits and embellished dress shoes, and the women wore long gowns in vibrant colors and fabrics. It was beyond fabulous.” — JLK Weddings
“I do a lot of weddings in Hot Springs near Oaklawn and absolutely love the idea of a ‘Kentucky Derby’ dress code wedding. I want to see all the fun hats!” — Madison Nichole Weddings & Events
“I have seen a lot of brides ask their guests to wear a certain color scheme ... I am dying to [photograph] a ‘white party’ theme. I think it's so fun and unique because, usually, no one wears white but the bride. Usually, brides will ask on their wedding website and add it into their invitations.” — Ryanne ODonnell Photography
From Mood Board to Dress Code
We love a good theme, especially when it comes to playing dress-up. If you’re loving this trend for your wedding too, here are some of the coolest guest dress codes we’ve spotted in Arkansas so far. Once you’ve landed on your own, be sure to create a mood board to get guests’ creative energies flowing!
1. Space Cowboy — Disco with a Western twist! AKA, “Cowboy Carter”-core.
2. Malibu Barbie — Pink is a forever-popular wedding color, but even more so now after the “Barbie” movie took Hollywood (and the world) by storm. Guests donning an array of pink hues seems perfectly apropos.
3. Kentucky Derby — Hats, pastels and punchy summer colors! What’s not to love about this oh-so-Southern theme?
4. Garden Fairy — We love seeing couples embrace the ethereal and challenge their guests to dress like what can only be described as woodland fairies.
5. Come As You Are — Only for the most laid-back and carefree couples. Sneakers, jeans and fanny packs, only!
6. All black — Your gown is sure to pop, and guests will feel chic and confident. Who doesn’t looks good in black?
WEDDING CONTENT CREATORS
In an era when our online presence has never mattered more, couples are hiring not only photographers and videographers but also content creators for their wedding day! These social media-savvy vendors capture raw photos and video throughout your wedding day so you can focus on getting married—then create engaging Instagram posts, Reels and TikTok videos using the footage they’ve gathered. If you’re hoping for your love story or wedding style to go viral, these pros are your best chance.
Arkansas already has a growing number of businesses offering this service. We caught up with three wedding content creators to get the inside scoop on this popular new trend—and asked fellow vendors what they think about the craze.
Former blogger Kasey Kenniston launched her wedding content creation business Content by Kasey in August 2023 after planning her own wedding and falling in love with the industry. She now serves the Northwest Arkansas and Branson markets, going behind the scenes for newlyweds
“Being a May 2023 bride myself, I understand first-hand just how overwhelming your wedding day can be,” Kasey said. “As my own wedding day quite literally flew by, I realized there were moments that I missed and didn’t have documented amidst the madness.”
“I document every detail in real-time so every part of the day can be soaked up phone-free. Not to be confused with a professional wedding photographer or videographer, I…deliver high-quality [smartphone] content to look back on right after your wedding is over.”
Molly Little is another content creator Arkansas couples can hire for their big day. Her business Weddings with Molly launched with the emerging trend in 2023.
“A wedding content creator is a member of your media team who uses their phone to capture and edit photos and videos throughout the wedding day,” Molly said. “I work alongside the couple’s photographer and/or videographer to capture their big day from every angle. My favorite part of the job is easily being a part of the best day of someone’s life. Wedding days are filled with so much love between my couples, their families, their friends – getting to witness that firsthand and capture that in real-time is really special.”
Vidi Qualls of Weddings with Vidi is yet another Arkansas pro at the ready to capture and produce viral-worthy wedding content.
“It is a new and upcoming wedding trend that I wish I had for my wedding day,” Vidi said. “We [are] a generation that wants Instagram-worthy Reels or TikTok videos. This is what a wedding content creator does. When a couple hires me, not only are they getting someone who is capturing the moments from behind an iPhone, but they are also getting a friend and personal assistant.”
Vendors dish on this trend
“Wedding content creation is such a creative way to relive your wedding day over and over again.” — Madison Nichole Weddings & Events
“It allows you and your friends/families to ditch their cell phones and to be present during the wedding day.” — Jenny Martin Photography
“These creators are capturing authentic and fun moments with a touch of levity that [is] often missed (with a quicker turnaround), so couples can post the same night or the next day.” — The Flowerslinger
“I’m booking my first content creator this year! I’ve never worked with one, but I LOVE the concept, especially if it works for the client's budget.” — Ovation Weddings NWA
MORE TRENDS WE LOVE RIGHT NOW!
Multiple-day Weddings
More and more couples are making their weddings a weeklong affair, and we’re here for it. Local or destination, doesn’t matter. Just be sure to plan a killer itinerary!
Non-traditional Flower People
Fanny packs. Flower petals. The occasional dance move. What’s not to love? We adore seeing your grandmothers as “The Flowers Girls” too!
Cutting Your hair!
Walking down the aisle with a surprise look for your partner (“The Wife Chop”) is a brave new trend flying under the radar, but we hope it goes viral.
Basque-waist Wedding Gowns
This Victorian style is staging a huge comeback.
The Newlywed Post
Extra! Extra! Create a cheeky newsletter for your guests to read before the ceremony!
Weddings Themed Around a Favorite Movie, Object, City, Song
These highly specific themes make for memorable wedding details that guests (and editors!) love.
Skip the Wedding Party
Give your friends the day off.
Private Ceremonies
To be followed by a big, extravagant celebration.
