Weddings in Eureka Springs Bring Back Old-Fashioned Romance
By Kit Bakker, travel writer
Article & photos courtesy Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

Weddings are becoming an art form in Eureka Springs, the resort city locked into a Victorian time warp in the Arkansas Ozarks. And no wonder. The town, sometimes called "America's Little Switzerland," could have sprung from the imagination of a romance writer.

Picture a twilight ceremony performed in a forest chapel, where soft light throws shadows onto soaring glass walls, or in a log chapel filled with images of angels.

Capture the image of a reception aboard a 1920s railway car rolling slowly through Ozark forestlands. Imagine a horse-drawn carriage gliding through steep, snowy streets to a vintage hotel.

Not tempted? What about horseback nuptials, complete with Western costumes and a chuck-wagon dinner reception? Or vows repeated amid acres of trees and formal gardens?

Weddings are part of the magic in Eureka Springs, a town which has attracted visitors for well over a century. Those who elect to say their marriage vows here can choose from an endless variety of settings for the ceremony.

Among the choices are resort hotels, both modern and historic; parks; special wedding chapels; gingerbread-trimmed bed and breakfast inns; cabin resorts; tour homes; restaurants; a ranch, and many outdoor locations.

Thorncrown Chapel, nestled deep in a hillside woodland, is a favorite wedding site. Designed by the award-winning Fayetteville architect, E. Fay Jones, the chapel brings the outdoors inside with 425 windows containing more than 6,000 square feet of glass.

Another sought-after location is Eureka Springs Gardens, 33 acres of native Ozark trees, shrubs and perennials splashed with bright annual flowers. A pavilion overlooking an impossibly blue lagoon, gazebos, and other locations make this a natural choice for an outdoor wedding.

The Great Passion Play has drawn visitors for nearly three decades to view the outdoor drama about the last days of Christ on Earth. Some come to be married, as well, at the Church in the Grove or the Smith Memorial Chapel, or in front of the seven-stories-tall Christ of the Ozarks statue.

Finding a minister to perform the ceremony is no problem, even though the town has only 2,000 residents. The Wedding Book distributed by the Chamber of Commerce lists about 40 ministers representing several religious denominations, as well as those who are non-denominational and interdenominational. Some ministers require pre-marital counseling.

There is no waiting period, but an Arkansas marriage license is required. No blood tests are necessary.

Sally Gorrell, who performs interdenominational weddings, loves "the flair with which people plan their ceremonies. In Eureka, people feel free to indulge their fantasies."

Gorrell cites Western-themed weddings and those taken from movies as likely choices. "We see characters out of The Great Gatsby as well as a lot of Victorian weddings."

She once officiated at a wedding in a horse-drawn carriage. The groom wore a tuxedo and the bride "came in a Southern belle dress, complete with hoop skirt."

Not all her clients are starry-eyed youngsters, Gorrell continues. She performs weddings for elderly couples who've "known each other for years." Sometimes they've gone back and found their first loves, she states.

Couples can choose to forgo a reception or have formal galas for hundreds of guests at places like the Inn of the Ozarks, Eureka Inn, or the historic Crescent Hotel. Other tastes run to intimate dinners for one or two couples, or maybe, mid-sized receptions in parks, gardens or inns.

Jan Watson, manager of the Ellis House at Trails End bed and breakfast inn, arranges small weddings on the grounds or in the spacious dining room. Although couples have to obtain their own marriage license, "We can take care of all the other arrangements," she says.

From strolling violinists, tents filled with tulle and ivy, or custom wedding cakes (including a green one shaped like an alligator for a man who collects them), no detail is too small, states Watson.

Some couples opt for ceremonies on Beaver Lake's Belle of the Ozarks. Mary Anne Viator, who with her husband Jay, operates the excursion boat, says they've hosted weddings ranging from "very formal to very casual."

Spring and summer are the most popular times, but the boat is available any time of year. Most people start their ceremonies early in the morning, then continue on one of the boat's regularly scheduled cruises.Honeymoon accommodations are plentiful throughout the town. Historic hotels, modern resorts and motels, bed and breakfast inns, cabins, and other lodging places often offer special honeymoon packages.

Amenities can include heart-shaped whirlpool tubs, antique furnishings, bottles of champagne or wine, quilts or comforters, outdoor hot tubs, gardens, fireplaces, bedtime chocolates, fresh flowers, massages by licensed therapists, and more, depending on the individual property.

Other wedding services can be arranged directly or through wedding consultants or lodging facilities. Some of these services include photography, music, flowers, limousines or carriages, rentals of vintage or current wedding gowns and attire for grooms, video taping, and more.

Honeymooners can spend days exploring the town, which is filled with attractions for a variety of tastes. Any visit might begin with a walking tour of the downtown area, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Tucked along its steep, winding streets are shops, restaurants, art galleries, pastel cottages, and more.

Eureka is known for its arts and crafts. Honeymooners might take home a watercolor, Christmas tree ornament, leather hat, quilt, kaleidoscope, lace-trimmed bed linens, wooden bowl, or other hand-crafted treasure as a memory of their stay.

Or they might gather memories of dining in an outstanding restaurant or browsing through a museum filled with frogs, musical instruments, Bibles or bells. Some might find an impromptu outdoor concert on a trolley or at the Basin Park Band Shell, a town landmark.

Depending on the season, a bride and groom can enjoy a country music show, attend The Great Passion Play, listen to opera performed on an outdoor stage, catch the "flaming fall revue" during an Ozark autumn, or mingle with summer crowds along the twisting streets.Honeymooners can play golf at several area courses, fish on Beaver Lake or nearby rivers, or hike area trails.

Many weddings take place during the Christmas holidays. The entire town lights up, appearing like a scene from a Dickens' novel. Special music shows, dramas, gallery walks, and other festivities offer Yule fun for couples.

Those who marry and honeymoon in Eureka Springs often find they've created a tradition. They come back year after year to make a few more memories.For information about attractions, accommodations, special events, or a copy of "The Wedding Book," contact the Chamber of Commerce, P. O. Box 551, Eureka Springs, AR 72642. Telephone (479) 253-8737 or 800-6EUREKA.