Anna + Corbin Hughes

Anna + Corbin Hughes

Text by Amy CountsPhotos by Netanya’s Pix Photography

When Anna Turpen and Corbin Hughes were attending the University of Arkansas, they never imagined it would be world-famous anthropologist and animal rights activist Jane Goodall that would bring them together. They literally saw each other from across a crowded room, with a few friends of friends between them. Anna said, “I texted the girl he was sitting with and said he was so cute, and then two months later he texted me.” Two weeks after that first text on January 26, 2013, they went on their first date to the Italian restaurant Noodles in Fayetteville. They talked with each other from 6 PM to 6 AM while the T.V. played in the background. They have been by each other’s sides ever since that first date.

The Engagement

While traveling from their current residence, Kansas City, Missouri, to their home state, Arkansas, Corbin “decided” to make a stop at the Senior Walk in Fayetteville. Supposedly, he was looking for their names, but his real intention was to pop the question by way of a detour through the Old Main Lawn. In December 2017 at Spoofer’s Stone, Corbin asked Anna to be his wife. He knew this location was important to Anna as her sister got engaged at the same location.

The Wedding

Six years, to the day, after their first date on January 26, 2019, Anna and Corbin married at the Hot Springs Country Club where Corbin’s parents are members. Having the wedding in Hot Springs, where Corbin grew up, was an easy decision even though they currently live in Missouri. “Being in Arkansas for the wedding was especially important to me; I wanted it to feel like home,” Anna said.

A winter wedding was a must because Anna prefers the cold, “I get grumpy when I am hot so having the wedding in January just made sense.” This decision resulted in some impromptu wedding photographs of her standing in her wedding gown in fresh snow, 6 inches deep. “It snowed in Kansas City, and I texted my mother-in-law a picture, and she said to contact my photographer immediately. Well, my mother-in-law ended up texting her, and my photographer came over. We were able to get some beautiful photographs.”

They had attended a wedding reception at the Hot Springs Country Club before so they knew its potential. Planning the decorations was one of Anna’s favorite parts. “I loved shopping for the decorations,” Anna said. “My mother-in-law was very into it as well, and we had lots of fun going to antique stores and finding really cool pieces for centerpieces and discovering ideas on Pinterest.”

The wedding was all about family and close friends. “We wanted a smaller wedding - a more intimate setting,” Anna said. “I wanted my closest friends and immediate family, around 100 people.” Their friends from Kansas City made the trip to Hot Springs to attend their wedding. “We rented a house on Airbnb for all of our friends. Having them here was really fun,” Anna said. Married Life

Now, almost a year later, they still talk with each other with the T.V. playing in the background. Only now, their 10-year-old Lab mix named Daisy is with them. “We live a very quiet life, and we really just love being home,” Anna said. ∞