LAUREN COLLINS + ANDY BROWN

LAUREN + ANDY

CAVE SPRINGS 5.14.21

PHOTOGRAPHER ERIN WILSON

MEANINGFUL MEMENTO A locket holding a picture of her late mother was incorporated into Lauren’s bouquet, keeping her memory close throughout the ceremony.

pringdale native Lauren Collins and her future husband, Andy Brown, who is from nearby Joplin, Missouri, were an office romance before their marriage. The pair dated for three years before he popped the question in Seattle, where they live currently. In a grand fashion, Andy drove Lauren to a downtown building where they, along with their two Bernese mountain dogs, boarded a helicopter for Mount Rainier. Here, Andy proposed over a picturesque picnic.

With two requirements—amazing flowers for Lauren and a fantastic band for Andy—they set out to plan their dream day back in Northwest Arkansas. They envisioned a romantic event that was also fun for them and their guests. “We wanted to throw the party of our lives,” Lauren says. Wedding designer Natasha Gates helped them do just that. Working with Silks A Bloom, they

Stranslated the vision into lavish floral arrangements that set the tone. “We wanted something extravagant in both quantity and scale but also romantic in color, and Silks A Bloom knocked it out of the park,” Lauren says. To honor the memory of her mother, who passed away in 2011, Lauren asked for pieces of her mom’s wedding gown to be incorporated into the bouquets. Additionally, her mother and other relatives who have passed on were honored at a memory table. Guests celebrated the couple in a fairytale setting complete with a dance floor ready to welcome revelers. When the festivities ended, Lauren and Andy made their getaway to 21c Museum Hotel in a classic convertible. From there, they took a mini-moon to Charleston, South Carolina, and are planning an upcoming 16-day cruise to Antarctica to round out their celebration.

A floral installation graces the entrance to Osage House. Rose-adorned arches welcomed guests— and the couple—to the ceremony.

LAUREN AND ANDY'S ADVICE TO ENGAGED COUPLES:

“Plan the wedding you want to attend. Focus on what you want and what makes you excited—and hire a planner. Natasha deserves all the credit for making our wedding what it was!”

Wax seals depicting horses are a nod to the couple’s horse farm in Washington.

Resources ACCOMMODATIONS 21c Museum Hotel CAKE Harps CATERING Catering Unlimited ENTERTAINMENT (CEREMONY) Smoothman Music Productions ENTERTAINMENT (RECEPTION) Jordan Kahn Music Company FLORAL DESIGN Silks A Bloom HAIR AND MAKEUP Salon Beaux LIGHTING Lightworks PAPER GOODS Shindig Paperie PHOTOGRAPHY Erin Wilson, Erin Wilson Photography and Videography RENTALS Eventology and Stage King SERVICE (BARTENDING) Koon Saloon TRANSPORTATION NWA Classic Car Rental and Pinnacle Car Services VIDEOGRAPHER Josh Wilson, Erin Wilson Photography and Videography VENUE Osage House WEDDING COORDINATION AND DESIGN Natasha Gates Events