Elizabeth + Christopher Tompkins’ Romantic Southern Wedding

Elizabeth Gorman & Christopher Tompkins
September 8, 2019
St. Thomas Catholic Church, Fayetteville
The Ballroom at I Street, Bentonville

Elizabeth Gorman and Christopher Tompkins first met at Fayetteville High School in 2008. They struck up a quick friendship and were soon very close friends. A year later, Chris asked Elizabeth to be his girlfriend and they’ve been together ever since. Their love withstood the test of long distance while attending colleges more than 300 miles apart and while Elizabeth briefly lived abroad in Spain.

Chris proposed to Elizabeth in August 2017 on her family’s annual vacation to Seaside, Florida. He lined the path to the beach with pictures of them throughout the years. At sunset, Elizabeth followed the path to find Chris kneeling in the sand. Her family cheered them on from the balcony of the beach house.

THE INSPIRATION

The two were married at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, which was the church they both started attending as a couple. When it came to the reception venue, Elizabeth wanted something very classic and traditional. Elizabeth fell in love with The Ballroom at I Street after she did a styled shoot at the venue a month before.

As far as a reception theme, the couple opted for a combination of Southern traditions, vintage touches and treasures collected during the couple’s travels.

HOW THEY CUSTOMIZED

Elizabeth, her sisters and mom took a trip to New York City to pick out the bridesmaid dresses. They visited the Jenny Yoo flagship store and picked out two different dresses — one for Elizabeth’s bridesmaids and one for her sisters/maids-of-honor. A custom floral hair piece was the finishing touch to the bridesmaids’ looks.

After the ceremony, guests were invited to The Ballroom at I Street for a cocktail hour complete with a champagne bar cart, custom cocktails and artisanal hors d’oeuvres. Guests found their table numbers on a beautiful seating chart framed with greenery and white florals.

Elizabeth has collected blue and white Chinoiserie dishes for years, so she decided to feature those pieces along with her aunt’s collection throughout the reception. The tables featured romantic candles, lots of greenery and a gorgeous circular installation with floating greenery inside. For the couple’s ninth and final dating anniversary, Chris gifted Elizabeth with a custom neon sign that they featured at the reception.

The couple’s classic five-tier cake featured delicately painted florals and their laurel wreath monogram. For the “groom’s cake,” Chris served pies from Gooseberry Handmade Pies in Bentonville — a spot the couple has frequented since it opened. Chris had been looking forward to his pie tasting for years. “One of the toughest parts of our wedding planning process was getting Chris to narrow down which pie varieties he wanted because he loved each one he tasted,” Elizabeth says.

VIDEO

THE DETAILS

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