LGBTQ Elopement in Arkansas

Forest Elopement

Heather + Leah

Some couples choose to get married in a location because it’s meaningful to their relationship. Some couples choose to get married in a location because it’s a place they’ve always dreamed of visiting. Some couples get married close to home because it is the place they love the most. Heather and Leah were not one of these couples.

As elopement photographers + videographers, we are constantly trying to push the boundaries on what an elopement can be. Late one night, Alex got the crazy idea for a couple to choose their elopement location by the throw of a dart. It’s crazy, we know! And we knew that we were going to have to find an even crazier couple who was willing to take the leap with us.

When Heather got in touch with us, she and Leah technically weren’t even engaged yet. Heather saw our crazy idea on Instagram and immediately reached out. After we responded to her email, Heather asked Leah if she wanted to elope. “Is this a marriage proposal?” Leah asked her. Yes, yes it was.

The four of us immediately dove into planning. We sent them a map with a dart and Leah threw the dart, landing right on the Southern border of the Ouachita National Forest in Western Arkansas. None of us had ever been to Arkansas before. In fact, Heather and Leah aren’t even from the United States, to begin with! They live in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

When the dart landed on Arkansas, we’ll admit that we were a little nervous because none of us had any experience traveling there. Alex reached out to the team at Central Arkansas Pride and asked if they had any advice for us. Any worries we had were relieved by talking to them. Arkansas was officially a go!

We found a cabin big enough for all of us to share that was tucked away in the woods along a beautiful stream. We all met in Memphis (the home of Elvis, we quickly discovered), and then road tripped across Arkansas to the tiny town of Norman. We explored the forests together and ate delicious Arkansas BBQ (except Lisa who had a veggie burger, which she claims was also delicious).

Heather and Leah wanted a relaxing morning for their elopement day. We made pancakes together and then explored our cabin’s property a little more. As they got ready for their ceremony, a huge rainstorm rolled through. But just as quickly as it began, it stopped. Heather and Leah had their first look on the deck of the cabin and then we all piled into the car for their ceremony.

We drove down a long dirt road until we found “their spot.” We decorated their wedding arch with beautiful flowers and greenery from along the road and then hiked down into the forest. They said their vows to each other and we all cried. Their adorable reactions after their first kiss will stick with us forever.

After their ceremony, we followed our two forest nymphs (isn’t that what they look like?) further into the forest. There, as the sun went down, we met a man named George. When we first saw George’s truck parked along the dirt road, we weren’t sure what he was doing there. The bed of his truck was full of 5-gallon jugs, which we thought was very strange. As we walked down the stone steps, a man in denim shorts overalls approached us, looking just as surprised to see us. We all introduced ourselves and he explained to us that we had come across a spring with “the best water in the country”. The water came out of a spout on the side of a moss-covered picnic shelter and was purified by crystals that are found in the mountains. We all tried the water, and George might just be onto something!

By this time, it was dark, so we drove back to the cabin and Alex made us all some dinner on the grill. Then we started a fire in the fire pit behind the cabin so we could enjoy some s’mores and so that Heather and Leah could have their first dance. It was truly a magical day.

Heather and Leah proved to us that it doesn’t matter where you decide to get married. It can be near, far, a place you love, or a place you’ve never even heard of. All you really need is each other.

This elopement took place on O-ga-xpa, Caddo, and Osage Land.

Photographs

Colorado Elopements

Destination Elopements

Hi There!

We're Lisa + Alex, the goofballs behind Vow of the Wild. We live in Colorado, but we’re passionate about exploring new places. Being elopement photographers + videographers is a dream for us and we can’t imagine doing anything else (other than being professional dog petters).