NWAWI September 23 Issue

Would you like to see your wedding picture on the cover of the NWA Wedding Ideas magazine? Submit your photos to info@nwaweddingideas.com with the subject "Magazine Cover Photo Submission" and then watch for the next issue to see if you're photo was chosen!

on the cover

This month we chose Bryce and Abbi Meyer for our cover shot. They are an absolutely stunning couple, perfect for the Northwest Arkansas Wedding Ideas magazine!

Cover Photo: Bryce and Abbi Meyer

Cover Photo Credit: Kylee Grace Photography

Inside you will also find our featured vendor article, Smoothman Music Productions, as well as a story about the many different types of wedding vows you can choose from to help make your wedding all that you have ever dreamed about.

• 21 Acres

Vendor Spotlight

Smoothman Music Productions

Your home for premier live bands and DJs.

The photos are priceless and speak for themselves.

People dancing, singing along and having a great time. That’s what Anthony Ball hopes to achieve with his company, Smoothman Music Production.

The company, based in Northwest Arkansas, is an entertainment booking and production company specializing in live music, DJs and production for any venue.

Anthony is a huge advocate of live music. He started the business in 2010, when he was studying music education at the University of Arkansas. Back then, his business didn’t serve as a booking agency so much, but more of a promotions company.

Three years into the business, Anthony began to see a trend. Jazz and party bands were constant requests. He decided to create those bands in-house, then put together the music, the DJs and the production.

“We instantly became a company that everyone was looking for,” he said. “It organically snowballed into what people were asking.”

Since then, the company has grown to become a one-stop shop for people looking to book bands and special music for weddings, corporate events,

intimate garden gatherings, cocktail parties, festivals, conferences and more.

The company can provide live music – with band Funk Factory or JukeBoxx. Anthony also coordinates with a long list of specialty musicians, including pianists, classical ensembles, guitarists, vocalists, and brass ensembles.

Smoothman Music Production also offers custom options for quality audiovisual production.

He produces shows with larger art institutions like Crystal Bridges, Walton Art Center, and the Momentary.

“I’ve always had an eclectic interest in music,” he said. “We’ve really had a lot of fun.”

Thanks to its growing success, the company now services an area within a six-hour radius, from Bella Vista to Memphis, Tenn., and beyond.

So, how will he plan for future growth? Anthony keeps upto-date in an ever-changing industry by researching trends in larger cities. “You have to get outside the market and see what’s coming [generationally] behind us,” he said. He’s planning to create

more festivals, plays, and more in an effort to broaden the style of music offerings throughout the region. And he believes in following the music that younger folks are seeking. “We have to keep it fun and listen to the younger generation,” he said.

As technology continues to evolve, Anthony plans to explore ways to better serve his clients through improved efficiency.

One aspect that will not change: Anthony’s dedication to serving others through the power of music. Numerous studies tout the benefits of live music. Anthony feels strongly about offering that live music experience. It’s something he wants to bring to the table every day.

“Music is the soul of the community, of a celebration,” he said. “It’s the piece that combines all of us, and brings people together.”

If you're looking for a quaint country church that has everything that you need for your wedding, SimsBerry Chapel will be available soon! It not only offers the sanctuary for the main ceremony but a sound room, two separate rooms for wedding preparations, and a basement with a full kitchen and bathrooms for your reception.

Wedding Vows: So Many Choices

Article by: Sally Carroll

Whether you get married under an old oak tree, on motorcycles, or at a beautiful venue, couples today have their choice of exchanging traditional wedding vows or writing their own pledges of love.

Regionally, couples today are opting to follow the traditional route, vowing to love and honor until “death do us part,” local officiants say. The idea of exchanging wedding vows and pledging one’s love were first mentioned in the Medieval Church of England. In 1549, a prayer book featured several marriage vow examples, which many couples still follow today.

Traditional vows include:

“I, _____, take thee, _____, to be my wedded husband/wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith (or) pledge myself to you.”

Couples also sometimes incorporate parts of 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 in their vows or ceremonies: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast…. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Two local officiants, who perform numerous weddings over a year’s time, say numerous couples tend to exchange traditional vows.

Richard Hudson of Arkansas Northwest Weddings said 85-90 percent of the couples he marries opt for his suggested/ standard vows, rather than write their own.

“I think the biggest favor is the fear of tearing up,” he said. “The biggest downside I see is that most read vows timidly and the audience cannot hear what they are saying.”

Richard first became interested in serving as an officiant when he was

asked to assist with a wedding. He thought the adventure would be a one-time only event.

“I was approached by friends to serve as their officiant. When I protested that I could not legally do that, they assured me it is now very easy to get the credentials and license, and they were right,” he said.

“I intended to do only the one wedding, but the word spread, and now I officiate an average of about 30 times a year.”

Whatever the couple chooses –traditional or non-traditional wedding vows – Richard sees his role as assisting the couple to make their big day special.

“I most enjoy getting to know the couple when we visit in a coffee shop to get acquainted and learn of their preferences regarding the ceremony.”

Ministerial Services, which provides an officiant, photography and video services, also offers couples a choice to follow various wedding scripts, or write their own.

The overwhelming choice? To exchange traditional vows.

The company assists with numerous weddings in northern Arkansas and Southwest Missouri, throughout the year. Many take place at courthouses and are elopement-type weddings, rather than formal, venue-based ceremonies.

In fact, a couple recently were married while sitting on their motorcycles.

No matter which vow route or venue the couples want, Ministerial Services want to make the day memorable: “It is something we take seriously and do our best to capture the essence of what they want in a ceremony.”