New Gallery: Caroline & Chris

Hey guys!! 

I'm back today with Caroline & Chris's beautiful Crystal Bridges wedding! Whitney Bower Imaging did a beautiful job capturing their day. Here are just a few of my favorites...

Beautiful! So beautiful! Head on over to our website {HERE} now to see more of their full gallery! 

Thank you to so many vendors for helping to make their wedding dreams come true:

Rick's Bakery

Eventures Party Rentals

Sound Scientist DJ

She Said Yes

and many many more...

But of course my amazing team at Finishing Touch! 

Caroline & Chris: A Crystal Bridges Wedding

Hey everyone!

I'm back today with Caroline & Chris's beautiful June wedding to share with you! They were married on June 7th in a beautifully ceremony at their church in Rogers followed by a fabulous reception at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. According to Caroline, her favorite color is glitter and this wedding was perfectly her! The day was captured beautifully by Whitney Bower Imaging. Enjoy the gorgeousness...

Rings resting on the pink glitter envelope liners from the wedding invitations.

The first look at 21C Museum Hotel

The Great Hall at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Centerpieces by Shirley's Flowers. Linens and chargers from Eventures.

Groom's Cake by Rick's Bakery

Wedding Cake by Rick's Bakery. Cake Stand and Linen from Eventures.

Ribbon Wand Send Off

What a beautiful day for a truly wonderful couple! We are so happy for you both. Congratulations! We hope you've enjoyed your honeymoon this week!

Thank you again to Whitney Bower Imaging for the beautiful photos.

Meet Caroline & Chris!

Hey everyone!

Caroline and Chris are getting married in June and we cannot wait for their beautiful wedding! In fact, we've been hard at work today adding fabulous glitter envelope liners to their invitations! The perfect finishing touch. Until we can share more with you, check out a few of their gorgeous engagement photos from Whitney Bower Imaging...

Don't you just love a happy bride?! Thank you Whitney Bower for the beautiful images! We can't wait for Caroline & Chris's wedding day!

Melissa & Drew: The Video

Hello everyone!

We hope you're all having a wonderful holiday season with your family & friends. Before we take off for the rest of the week, I wanted to share this absolutely lovely wedding video with you. Melissa & Drew were married on October 5th {You may remember these photography posts: bridal portraits, first look & ceremony, details, & reception} and Paul with Sunflower Films was on hand to capture every moment. Here is their beautiful video for you...

Melissa and Drew | Arkansas Wedding Film by Sunflower Films from Sunflower Films on Vimeo.

Thank you to Paul with Sunflower Films for capturing their wedding day so beautifully!

This was one of the kindest families we've ever worked with before and it was a pleasure to be a part of their wedding day! Thank you again to Melissa & Drew for allowing us to work with you to make your wedding perfect. We wish you a wonderful first Christmas as husband and wife!

Melissa & Drew: The Reception!

Hello everyone!

I'm back today with the last installment of Melissa & Drew's wedding features on the blog. Today I'm excited to share their reception with you. Enjoy...

Cake by Meridienne Dessert Salon. Slip Covered Cake Stand by Finishing Touch. Vintage Cake Topper from the bride's grandparents' wedding refurbished by Underwoods Jewelers. Cake knife from the bride's parents' wedding.

Their guests truly had a wonderful weekend experiencing the best that Northwest Arkansas has to offer! It was a pleasure to be involved in this very special wedding. Thank you so much to Melissa & Drew and family!

Thank you to Crystal Bridges Museum for an amazing job as always. And thank you to Hudson Photography for the lovely photos of their day!!

Drew & Melissa: The Details

Hey everyone!

I'm back with some of my favorite wedding details this year! Melissa & Drew wanted an organic wedding design that brought the outside in. To accomplish this, we used lovely wooden place chargers, a color palette of rich fall tones, and centerpieces that were wild and mixed a variety of elements including branches, antlers, and fruit! The results are nothing short of breathtaking! Enjoy...

Above images taken from the Bella Figura Blog. Invitations from Shindig Paperie.

Jimmy Choo Bridal flats. Bridal Bouquet by Flora. Photo by Hudson Photography.

photo by Hudson Photography

Ceremony Chalkboards. Calligraphy by Anchorport Calligraphy. Floral Garlands by Flora. Photo by Hudson Photography.

Boutonniere by Flora. iPhone Photo by Finishing Touch.

Moss Wall Escort Card Display with Custom Frame. Escort Cards from Shindig Paperie. iPhone Photo by Finishing Touch

Reception in the Great Hall at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Photo by Hudson Photography.

At the Groom's Request, we had a Bourbon Bar! It offered a variety of bourbons to the guests all night long and was a huge hit! Calligraphy by Anchorport Calligraphy.

Centerpiece detail including antlers, branches, rose hips, and much more! Centerpieces by Flora. iPhone Photo by Finishing Touch.

King's Table!

Loveseat for the Bride & Groom. Wreath by Flora.

Place Setting Detail. Menus by Shindig Paperie. Rattan Chargers and Olive Bengaline Napkins. Centerpiece by Flora. iPhone Photo by Finishing Touch.

Centerpieces complete with antlers & faerie lights by Flora. Table Numbers by Finishing Touch. Photo by Hudson Photography.

Lovely wasn't it?! I just adore all of the organic details and the sophisticated way it all came together! Now come back tomorrow for their reception!!

Ashley & Heath: The Video

Hey everyone!

I'm sorry for the long blogging hiatus! In the middle of our crazy wedding season, I took a family vacation and haven't had the time to blog during the hustle and bustle of the last few months. But I'm back with a lovely post to share with you!

Ashley and Heath just celebrated their first anniversary. We were so thrilled to be a part of their wedding and their Crystal Bridges celebration was absolutely perfect! Today I have their wedding video to share with you from NiLo Productions. I absolutely loved reliving this day through the video! I hope you all enjoy it...

Ashely and Heath from NiLo Production Co. on Vimeo.

Published: Citiscapes Magazine

Hey everyone!

We've just discovered that our amazing Crystal Bridges wedding from this past summer is featured in the newest issue of Citiscapes Magazine! Ashley & Heath were married in a stunning art inspired wedding in July and Citiscapes has given them a feature...

For more from their gorgeous Crystal Bridges wedding, head on over to their gallery {HERE}. All photos are courtesy of Benfield Photography.

The Art of the Room Flip

Hey everyone!

After years of experience in the wedding industry, we've become experts at a few things. One of them is the Room Flip! {For those of you who don't know, this is what happens when the ceremony and reception are in the same space but you need them to look entirely different} During the cocktail hour, as guests are enjoying drinks, hors d'ouerves, and conversation, we are working our tails off to completely transform the ceremony space into a new and even more fabulous reception design!

Sarah & Danny's May wedding at Pratt Place Barn required a Room Flip. Here is the beautiful before and after....

Ceremony. Photo by Shannon Walker.

Reception. Photo by Shannon Walker.

For Sarah & Danny, we were able to transform Pratt Place Barn from one gorgeous design into another in just 40 minutes with a team of just 8 ladies and one phenomenal lighting technician, Steve Wilhelm.


We accomplished another fabulous room flip in July for Ashley & Heath's wedding in the Great Hall at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Here is their gorgeous before and after...

Ceremony. Photo by Benfield Photography.

Reception. Photo by Benfield Photography.

For Ashley & Heath, we moved mountains to accomplish this transformation in just 30 minutes with a small army of people! It took approximately 30 people to turn this space over in this very short window of time.


And most recently, we flipped the Clinton Presidential Library's great hall for Chris & Erika just 2 weeks ago. I don't yet have professional images of this wedding, but here is the before an after taken by Finishing Touch...

Ceremony. Photo by Finishing Touch Event Design.

Reception. Photo by Finishing Touch Event Design.

For Erika & Chris's stunning transformation, we only needed 30 minutes! With a team of 4 Finishing Touch Coordinators and 15-20 Clinton Library staff members it was a smooth and speedy Room Flip.

We've got it down to a science! If you're considering using the same room for your ceremony & reception and have no idea how to make it work, call us today to schedule a free consultation! 479.414.4136

Sweet Sweet Words

Hey everyone!

I just had to share this unbelievably wonderful comment from Mrs. Ashley Noland, who was married at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art last month....

Thank you so much, Jessica! 

Hiring you to be our wedding coordinator is the best decision that we made in the entire wedding planning process. I was so impressed by your organization, knowledge, contacts in the industry, impeccable taste, and kind personality. It made the eight-month process so fun and stress-free. I have received so many gracious comments from friends and family saying that it was "the most beautiful wedding" they've ever attended. While our goal was more about the message of God's provision and redemption, it still made my heart so glad to know that our work paid off and that it was a unique and special thank-you gift to them for a lifetime of loving us...through the good and the bad. It was truly a magical evening for us, our guests, and, especially, my children. Thank you so much, Jessica. 

Sincerely, Ashley Shaver Noland

photo by Benfield Photography

Thank you Ashley! It was an honor to be a part of your wedding and your sweet comment truly made my week!

Ashley & Heath: The Art Inspired Wedding

Hey everyone!

Today I'm going to give you a sneak peek into the inner workings of a wedding planner's brain. As I'm sure you've guessed by now, Ashley & Heath's wedding was entirely inspired by art. The art in Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the architecture of the museum itself, and even the beautiful frames you see in museums throughout the world. Now here's how we incorporated this inspiration into their wedding design:

1. Color Scheme - We chose a base color scheme of all shades of gray from light silver {graphite pencil} to dark gray {charcoal sketches}. You can see this influence on the invitations, the chairs, and on the linens which were a variety of shades of silver & gray. Of course we added a little ivory and blush to keep it summery & fresh.

2. The Invitations - Ashley's uncle, an artist, sketched the museum based on a photograph that Dale Benfield snapped for us months before the wedding {see below}. We included the sketch with the invitation printed on heavy paper for guests to frame and hang as art in their home. The original sketch was also framed and displayed at the reception.

The original image by Benfield Photography

3. The Dessert Display - The wedding cake was inspired by both the large aluminum tree sculpture in front of the museum as well as the beautiful nature surrounding the building. Jennifer of Shelby Lynn's contributed and incredible idea to the design of the cake. During our brainstorming session, she mentioned that when she thinks of museums and artwork, she is drawn to the ornate, gorgeous frames as much as to the artwork itself, and that she wanted to do a chocolate frame around the cake! Ashley & I were thrilled at this idea and immediately told her to go for it. The white chocolate frame suspended from the arbor turned out beautifully...

The food itself was all individual works of art with beautiful mini servings perfectly displayed. We also included bowls of fruit as an homage to classic still life paintings seen throughout art history...

And last but certainly not least...

4. The Artist - This is something that has been on my "wedding bucket list" for years, and it was ABSOLUTELY perfect for Ashley & Heath's museum wedding. Ashley had years ago purchased artwork from Jane Garrison, a well known Fayetteville artist, so we took a chance and she called her to see if she'd be willing to paint her ceremony. Lucky for us, she said yes! Jane sat at the back of the ceremony aisle and painted throughout the ceremony. I'll be sharing the final product with you as soon as I have it, but here is the work in progress...

And that's how we fully developed the design of their wedding! It was absolutely filled with custom art inspired details and was so beautiful. It was so much fun to design and plan and it couldn't have come together more perfectly!

Thanks again to Benfield Photography for the beautiful images!

I've got one more post from Ashley & Heath's wedding to share with you tomorrow, you don't want to miss it!