Favorites from 2010!

2010 has been our best year yet at Finishing Touch and we're so grateful to each and every couple we've worked with. You have made this year unbelievable! While each and every wedding we do is fantastic, there are several throughout the year that stand out for one reason or another. And as the year draws to an end, I love to look back on my favorite details and moments throughout 2010.

Lets start with the first wedding of 2010, Lauren & Ryan Davenport's Vintage European wedding on January 2nd. Their first look is still one of my favorites ever! {see below}  It was so sweet and emotional and Eli Murray captured it perfectly!

Another of my favorite details of the year, also from  Lauren & Ryan's wedding was the bouquet wrap on Lauren's bouquet {above}. We used raw silk and created a gorgeous ruffle detail that wrapped up into the blooms at the front. To finish the look, we attached a beautiful vintage cameo, a wedding gift from Ryan which they intend to use as an heirloom to pass down to their children some day. Such a sweet sentiment! All images from Lauren & Ryan's wedding were captured by Eli Murray Photography. For more of their wedding, check out our old blog posts here, here, and here.


Michelle & George Khamis were married in February in traditional Greek Orthodox ceremony. Their wedding was full of the best cultural elements! Fabulous Assyrian traditions woven into every aspect of the reception by George and his entire family. A belly dancer entertained the guests during dinner {top, below}, every 20 minutes or so the DJ would play a traditional Assyrian song and the guests would do a traditional dance, and throughout the evening guests threw money at the newlyweds as they danced. At the end of the night the bills were woven into sashes for the bride & groom to wear {bottom, below}.

Photos by Melody Hubbell Photography

For more from Michelle & George's wedding, check out their previous posts here, here, and here.


Ashley & John Rausch were married in the largest wedding we've done to date! 725 guests watched them take their vows in March at the Convention Center in downtown Fort Smith, Arkansas. Working with a warehouse type space presents challenges not faced with a traditional ballroom venue. Because of this challenge and the incredible results, their wedding is by far the best transformation of 2010!
Here, you can see the convention center before we began, and the ceremony space after we finished...

{Forgive the iPhone quality of the above images!}

Regardless of the transformation that we accomplished in the space, Ashley & John's candle lit ceremony space was the most beautiful we've created. It literally brought tears to Ashley's eyes when she entered, and still takes my breath away when I look at the images! Everything came together perfectly from the custom fireplace altar pieces, to the floor to ceiling drapery, the candle lit aisle, and the gorgeous lighting. It couldn't have been more perfect. What do you think?

photo by Benfield Photography

Ashley & John made an incredible entrance into their reception. After the cocktail hour, guests awaited their arrival in the dinner space. The newly weds were introduced by the father of the bride, and as they entered the room fireworks erupted on either side of the door! That's how you make an entrance!

Photo by Benfield Photography, Fireworks by Riverside Fireworks

Ashley & John's Get Away was equally as fabulous! As their vintage car drove away, fireworks lined the drive and exploded over head. Their guests were ecstatic at the display! I cannot wait to do this again in February!

Photo by Benfield Photography, Fireworks by Riverside Entertainment, Vintage Car from Exquisite Valet.

For more from Ashley & John's fabulous wedding, check out our old blog posts here, here, and here.

Marion & Clark Donat were married in early April in a wedding full of the most amazing family heirlooms and traditions. Marion wore the same gown worn by her mother and grandmother and she wore it flawlessly! They exchanged rings that had belonged to each of their grand parents, and every little detail had meaning.

photos by Benfield Photography

They also had such a fantastic party, that we had our first wedding crasher! {see above} He was loving the Memphis Soul Revue! As we were kicking the crasher out, Marion was laughing about it. It's wonderful to have a sense of humor about your wedding when you're in the moment. Enjoy it!
For more from Marion & Clark's wedding check out our old blog posts here, here, and here.


Tyler & Kevin Williams, who had been together since Junior High school, were married in May in their hometown of Greenwood, Arkansas. Melissa McCrotty did an amazing job on their wedding photos, and I especially loved their bridal party shots. Usually the posed pictures are my least favorite, but I'm crazy over the lighting, the juxtaposition of the bride & groom and their wedding party, and the fact that they're standing in the middle of the street. LOVE!

Photos by Melissa McCrotty Photography

For more of Tyler & Kevin's wedding photos, check out their blog posts here, here, and here.


Molly & Colby, were married in June in McAlester, Oklahoma in my favorite Outdoor Ceremony of the year! At a beautiful home near the McAlester Country Club, we created the ceremony space using rows of white chairs, lanterns linen the aisle, and a fantastic rustic arbor draped with grapevine. From the arbor we hung mason jars of flowers to add a splash of color.

Molly & Colby's photos are courtesy of Melissa Claborn Photography. To see more, check out their blog posts here, here, and here.

Sarah & Robert Stark were married in July in a sweet ceremony outside of Conway, Arkansas. In  my favorite bridesmaid gift of the year, Sarah gave all of her girls vintage hankies which we tied with ribbon and a tag that said "for your tears of joy".

Photo by Bertiz Haile

For more from Sarah & Robert's wedding, check out their earlier blog posts here and here.

Casey & Andrew Shelor were married in a traditional wedding in August in Fort Smith, Arkansas. And for their reception, they had the most fantastic ceiling treatment of the year! The ceiling was draped with strands of white lights, and in the center we hung a beautiful crystal chandelier. When the lights were dimmed and the candles were lit, it made a huge impact!

I also adore this image of Casey & Andrew!  It is my favorite get away shot of the year because it reminds me of a glamorous Hollywood couple waving to their fans. It's fantastic!

Photos by Benfield Photography

For more from Casey & Andrew's wedding check out our old blog posts here, here, and here.


Brooke & Rhett Gadke were married in Napa, California in a sweet, small ceremony on September 12th. With just their closest family & friends they threw a wonderful weekend that showcased Napa for all of their out of town guests. They had without a doubt my favorite rehearsal dinner! Their dinner was at Dim Sum Charlie's in downtown Napa. We dined at picnic tables under the stars, and enjoyed delicious Dim Sum dumplings and many more delicious dishes all served family style in bamboo baskets!   

photo by Finishing Touch

Brooke & Rhett's wedding also showcased my favorite boutonnieres of the year! We created the modern, unique boutonnieres using fiddlehead ferns, ivory satin ribbon, and jute twine. I'm crazy about these!

Photo by Ashley Teplin, friend of the bride.

For more from Brooke & Rhett's wedding, check out our old blog posts here, here, here, and here.

Amber & Alan Nichols were married the weekend after Brooke & Rhett in a beautiful ceremony at their home church in Fayetteville. Erika Dotson captured my favorite image of a groom from 2010 with this picture of Alan with the groomsmen reflected in his glasses. Fantastic!

They also have the sweetest post-ceremony moment, seen here below. 

photos by Erika Dotson Photography

For more images from Amber & Alan's wedding, check out our previous blog posts here and here.

Alli & Ben Scott, a fantastic Boston couple, were married at Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs on October 2nd. We had a ball planning this wedding, and although there were a few bumps along the way {Alli, you know what I'm talking about here!} things came together perfectly for the Rustic Chic wedding of their dreams! They had my favorite ceremony of the year, full of their own sweet vows and a tartan pinning ceremony that made it entirely their own. And the gorgeous venue didn't hurt either :)

Their wedding also had some of my favorite details including the custom seating arrangement display we created using old windows. Alli's bouquet was also my favorite of the year! I love the color, texture, and the variety. We also wrapped the stems using her family tartan which gave it that perfect personal touch.

All of Alli & Ben's photos are courtesy of Hudson Photography. To see more, check out their older blog posts here, here, and here.

Katie & Tripp Hollowell were married on October 16th in Rogers, Arkansas. There were a few things from their wedding that I'd love to see more. First, Tripp's best men. His father and grandfather were by his side on on the most important day of his life as his best men. It's great to see a family that close!

Katie & Tripp also had the best favor display of the year! Using an old door, Katie attached photos of all of their parents and grandparents on their wedding days. In front of the door, we lined up beautiful caramel apples with custom tags from Sincerely Yours Paper, Inc. 

And last but certainly not least, Katie & Tripp had the best band of the year! They chose the KC Allstars to entertain their guests, and it was a wise decision. The dance floor was packed all night long and the guests couldn't get enough of the KC Allstars! No one was ready to leave this party at the end of the night.

all photos of Katie & Tripp's wedding were courtesy of Brooke Robinson Photography

For more of Katie & Tripp's wedding photos, check out our recent blog posts here, here, and here.  

Thank you to each and every one of our 2010 couples. We've loved every moment with you all and are so proud to have been able to be a part of your wedding day. Keep in touch and have a very happy New Year! We're looking forward to an amazing 2011! See you all then!