Nikki and Nelson held the ultimate non-traditional wedding for 100 of their close friends and family.

The day looks as though it was loads of fun! Nikki explains, ‘I’m obsessed with three things in life – glitter, kittens and colour. The reception room already had gorgeous colour-blocked stained glass windows, so I used them as inspiration to add more colour and make the reception a big, bright fun ball. It was more party than “wedding”, but very much us.’

While the whole day was incredibly beautiful, we are in awe of their absolutely stunning ceremony venue, the Thorn Crown Chapel just outside of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Nikki says, ‘Nelson and I have never been to Eureka Springs. We don’t have family there, but when I found the chapel online, I wanted it. Bad.’

She continues, ‘after the chapel was locked down, we knew we wanted to throw a HUGE colourful party. We’re from Texas so, of course, we wanted to make it Southern!’

‘That inspired the menu and then my husband, Nelson, jokingly asked if he could have a Red Velvet Armadillo Cake like on Steel Magnolias. I thought it was one of the best ideas I ever heard. Cake is a big freaking deal to me, so that was our splurge. Our cake maker drove over from Fort Worth, Texas to the venue in Arkansas and created one six-foot-long Tres Leches Cake with Salted Caramel Icing and one amazing Red Velvet Armadillo Cake.’

To add some extra fun and get their guests on the dance floor, Nikki and Nelson decided to add some square dancing to their reception. Nikki says, ‘I found a square dance caller that told me he “doesn’t promise nothin’ but a good time” and we were set. To get everyone in the swing of things, we had hats and bandanas for all the dance crew.’

And the couple’s advice for those planning their own wedding? ‘Make it your own. Don’t follow tradition. If you want to throw a big, fun party that’s full of colour, do it. No one says you have to have flowers as the centrepiece. It was hard at first to do something so non-traditional, but then I realised, that’s just who we are.’

Check out all the pictures of this fun wedding below.
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Photography: Christian Gideon | Event Styling: Yeti & The Beast | Floral styling: Cara Crossley | Event planning: The Bride | Decorations: Yeti & The Beast + The Bride | Location: Eureka Springs, Arkansas, USA | Guest list: 100 guests | Ceremony venue: Thorn Crown Chapel | Reception venue: Basin Park Hotel, Barefoot Ballroom | Cake: Cake Walk Home | Stationery: Kelly Hoke