Real Arkansas Wedding: Marisa Shaloski & Craig Steeds

Marisa Shaloski & Craig Steeds
November 14, 2020 / Moss Mountain Farm in Roland

MARISA MET CRAIG on the first day of her current job. After more than a year of flirting, Craig finally asked her out for a cup of coffee. Little did Marisa know that her new job would also lead her to her future husband.

PLANNING DURING A PANDEMIC

When they got engaged in May 2020, no one knew how long the pandemic would last, so they went ahead and planned for a guest list of fewer than 50 people, which they could also easily convert into an intimate affair of just family if they needed to. Their planner, Katherine Shell Benson, made the process easy and fun, despite the hurdles of COVID-19 regulations.

With the idea of a small and intimate gathering, they chose to work with an old baroque-style church theme. They had traditional pew candles line the inside of the pews while facing an altar full of candles and a kneeler, where they could take communion after they said their vows. Under the draped kneeler, their church allowed them to borrow their marriage kneeling pillow made by hand from members of the church.

HOW THEY CUSTOMIZED

Marisa is a romantic at heart and loves old Parisian style decor. So when they went to decorate P. Allen Smith’s Moss Mountain Farm, they used a pastel palette of pinks, peaches, oranges and yellows and complemented those colors with dusty blue runners, velvet tablecloths and toile-patterned napkins. The floral arrangements were made in fine art style with different variations of roses and hydrangeas with pink pampas grass and yellow fall leaves.

The save-the-dates, invitation envelope liners and RSVP envelope liners all had custom watercolor paintings of the gardens at Moss Mountain Farm. The invitation suite was wrapped in a blue velvet ribbon, fall leaves and a wax seal.

When guests arrived at the venue, they were greeted by a cart with hot apple cider and programs, which they could enjoy as they walked to the ceremony location.

Afterwards, the cocktail hour was centered around a fountain between two gardens overlooking the Arkansas River at dusk. Candles lined the fountain and walkways and a harpist played in the background.

For dinner, they had a seven-course traditional French meal at one long table. The place settings and table décor reflected French traditions and made all guests feel like one big family. Candles and a string of lights added an element of romance to the late-evening meal.

When Marisa tried on her wedding dress, it had all the elements she had ever dreamed of, with a high neck, long sleeves and a matching mantilla veil. The only thing she never imagined was the blush color, but it was very unique and still so bridal.

She complemented the dress with flower-embroidered booties from Bella Belle Shoes. Her earrings, hairpin, belt and garter were all from Twigs and Honey. Her earrings and hairpin were handmade out of glass and she hopes that one day they will become unique family heirlooms.

Craig had originally planned to propose when they picked up their bernedoodle puppy, Waffles, from the airport. When Waffles arrived early and the ring arrived late, that plan changed, but they paid homage to that plan by incoporating their dog into the design of the cookies.

VIDEO

THE DETAILS

See this Real Wedding as it appeared in the 2021 digital edition of Arkansas Bride. Discover more inspiration in Arkansas Bride’s Real Weddings section.