Real Arkansas Wedding: Erin Hohnbaum & Jackson Farrow of Little Rock

Erin Leigh Hohnbaum & Dr. Jackson Mott Farrow
July 22, 2017 • Little Rock
Second Presbyterian Church & Junior League of Little Rock Building

Fate can be a funny thing. E. Leigh’s Boutique owner and CEO Erin Hohnbaum met her future husband while on a blind date with someone else. After dinner with her blind date, the two went to a friend’s house to hang out and there Erin met Dr. Jackson Farrow. Erin was immediately drawn to Jackson, but the two didn’t exchange since Erin was on a date. A friend noticed Erin and Jackson’s connection and invited them both to her birthday party a few weeks later. After their first date, Erin remembers telling a few of her employees that she thought Jackson was “the one.”

When it came time to propose, Jackson tied in part of his family’s Christmas tradition of using special embroidered Neiman Marcus stockings. Jackson ordered the couple the exact stockings with his name on one and Erin’s on the other. When Erin woke up on December 13, 2015, she found the stockings hanging in her living room and inside her stocking was a letter from Jackson and an engagement ring. “It wasn’t until a few minutes later I was able to get out ‘yes’ as I was sobbing tears of joy,” she says. “Every time I get the stockings out, it’s a reminder of that perfect morning.”

The Inspiration

Erin’s overall inspiration for her wedding day was a light and airy garden party. She wanted it to feel upscale, without being overdone. The goal was to marry her and Jackson’s tastes in the wedding décor, while maintaining a timeless look and feel. “We both wanted our reception to be guest-centric, ensuring our guests truly felt the joy of the day,” she says.

This vision was carried out by the four massive floral installations created by Tanarah Luxe Floral that anchored the reception ballroom. Each installation was surrounded by three stilted 60’’ round tables adorned with gold marble linens that had acrylic, ghost bar stools around them. Erin and her dad drove three hours to purchase the massive lucite head table that stood in the middle of the ballroom. “It added a contemporary element that worked perfectly with the other décor,” Erin says.

How They Customized

Erin and Jackson kept the reception intimate, while still feeling grandiose. Personalized gold foil letterpress thank-you notes were placed at each seat, letting guests know how much their presence meant to the newlyweds. Erin and Jackson decided against a seating chart, but made sure there was a full place setting for every guest.

The entire wedding was open bar, but the couple chose to include a special “Bartender’s Choice” custom cocktail bar. Erin and Jackson brought in two talented mixologist from northwest Arkansas to bartend the specialty bar. “We had custom printed acrylic signage that listed different words (spicy, sweet, floral, smokey, etc.),” Erin says. “Guests would choose two words and the bartenders would make them a custom cocktail to whichever two words they chose. No two drinks were the same. They were lighting drinks on fire, using a smoking tools, etc! It was super fun!”

The couple’s wedding cake was designed by Natalie Madison of Art Is In Cakes. The top layer had an excerpt from the E. E. Cummings poem “I Carry Your Heart” handwritten in gold script around the entire layer. The poem was also read during the ceremony.

One of Erin’s favorite splurges of the entire wedding was her Vera Wang gown with a custom neckline from Neiman Marcus Bridal Salon. “I loved the idea of having a high neck, but was concerned about the heat with our wedding being in July,” she says. “The bridal buyer suggested I change the height of the neck to something that I was able to manage, and I ended up having a beautiful mock neck that truly made the dress.”

The Details

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