Real Arkansas Wedding: Bailey Grissom of Conway & James Lacy of Texarkana

Bailey Grissom & James Lacy
April 7, 2018 • Conway
Legacy Acres

Bailey Grissom of Conway and James Lacy of Texarkana have a whirlwind type of love story that began on New Year’s Eve in 2016. The two met through mutual friends and that New Year’s Eve they both ended up at the same party in Dallas. Bailey and James knew they had something special. A little over a year later, he proposed on April 29, 2017.

The two were spending time at his family friend’s lake house in Hot Springs. It was just the two of them (and a photographer) there for the proposal, but after, Bailey and James’ parents showed up and spent the day together with the happy couple before everyone headed to an engagement party planned by James. “It was the most special day, all thanks to James and our family and friends,” Bailey says.

THE INSPIRATION

From day one, Bailey envisioned her wedding day as a modern, Southern affair with lots of white and greenery. She decided on light blue for her bridesmaids, which was a perfect complement to the neutral color scheme. The Zimmerman team installed a stunning asymmetrical floral arrangement framing the ceremony entry doors and once guests walked in, the aisle was lined with stone pots filled with spirea, foxglove, garden roses and smilax. During the reception, there was a huge crisscrossed hanging installation full of wisteria and smilax draped over the dance floor.

The wedding venue, Legacy Acres, held a special place in Bailey’s heart. Her wedding was the first at her family’s new venue in Conway. Bailey’s mother, Diana Kirkland, had been dreaming of building a space and once Bailey got engaged, the construction time frame was reworked to be ready for the wedding. The lovely space has a Southern plantation feel complete with a beautiful bridal cottage, chapel and ballroom. Bailey utilized all three for her big day.

HOW THEY CUSTOMIZED

James and Bailey are big dog lovers. So it only made sense for them to include their three pups in their big day. They wore cute floral collars, and the dogs made an appearance in their wedding day portraits.

The couple wrote and read their personal vows, which was one of Bailey’s favorite memories from the day. Bailey lost her dad when she was 10 years old. To pay tribute to him, she had a heart made from her dad’s floral tie sewn into the bottom layer of her dress with “I love you” stitched into it in her dad’s handwriting. Since her father wasn’t there to walk her down the aisle, she asked her brother and step-dad to do the honors.

Instead of having a receiving line during the reception, they greeted family and friends row-by-row as they left the ceremony. “This was one of our favorite parts of the wedding and was a way for us to personally thank each person for being a part of our big day,” Bailey says.

At the reception, James and Bailey splurged on lounge furniture. She says this was one of their biggest and most worth-it splurges because it allowed guests to relax when they needed a break from the dance floor. “It made our reception have more of the ‘chill’ feel that we wanted,” she says.

To cap off a perfect night, Bailey and James left Legacy Acres in a vintage rental car en route to the Capital Hotel. Guests held sparklers and a fireworks show sent the couple off in style.

VIDEO

MUSIC TO OUR EARS

RECESSIONAL

“You Make My Dreams”
Hall & Oates

FIRST DANCE

“Yours (Wedding Edition)”
Russell Dickerson

MOTHER/SON DANCE

“How Sweet It Is”
James Taylor

THE DETAILS

See this Real Wedding as it appeared in the print edition of ARKANSAS BRIDE

Discover more inspiration in Arkansas Bride’s Real Weddings section.