Arkansas Bride

Image by Hillside Studio Photography

Lisa Ogier of Alpena and Brett Moore of Harrison are engaged. The couple, who live in Lowell, plan to wed Saturday, June 9, 2012 in a private ceremony on the steps of Old Main at the University of Arkansas with a reception to follow at the Inn at Carnall Hall.

Brett and Lisa met at an Arkansas Razorback football game in September 2010. Their families have known each other for years, but they had never officially been introduced. They started dating a couple weeks later, and the rest is history.

About a year after they started dating, Brett proposed to Lisa while they were in Dallas for the 2011 Southwestern Classic game. What a memorable trip!

Hillside Studio Photography took their engagements.

Congrats you two!

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This year's Romona Keveza trunk show on Feb 24-25 is at She Said Yes Bridal in Rogers.

She Said Yes Bridal in Rogers will be hosting a trunk show featuring Legends by Romona Keveza, showing her 2012 Fall collection Friday and Saturday (Feb. 24-25).

You don’t want to miss this -- these dresses have not been shipped to stores yet, so brides attending will be the first to see her new collection!

Image by Erin Moulden Photography

It's a growing trend to do non-matching dresses. Embrace this practical alternative and choose a color, or give your girls parameters to pick their own dress.

It's an expensive job, y'all. Don't make your maids spend an arm and a leg just to be in your wedding. They may love you and want to support you, but surely they don't want to spend a fortune.

Here are five ways to keep their out-of-pocket costs low (and their spirits high):

1. Only invite locals and closest long-term friends and family to your wedding.
Same goes for your bridal party. Keep it to your best friends and siblings. Couples are inviting fewer guests to weddings these days (144 compared to 152 in a 2010 Wedding Report study). You'll save money too! 

If you're looking to inform your greater circle of friends about your nuptials, send out an announcement featuring a photo after the wedding. (See our article on picking the best wedding date).

2. Let your bridal party pick their own attire.
The only thing more impractical in the world than a bridesmaid's dress is possibly the Segway. Even if you're lucky enough to score a decent-looking dress, the chances of you ever wearing it again are nil. It's a growing trend to do non-matching dresses. Embrace this practical alternative and choose a color, or give your girls parameters to pick their own dresses. 

If someone offers their services for your wedding, suggest that be their "gift" to you. Whether it's helping arrange flowers, valet parking or doing hair and makeup, let friends know their services are the best gift and completely sufficient.

3. Create a gift card registry.
Where there's a wedding, there are showers. And lots of them. Engagement parties, bridal showers, lingerie soirées, housewarmings -- the parties are as endless as the disco tunes at a reception. Keep the registry simple -- and 21st century -- by creating your wedding gift registry at CardAvenue for gift cards to national retailers. Not only do you forego returning one of two fondue sets, your guests can save on costly shipping charges.

4. Get practical when it comes to accommodations.
If travel is required to attend and/or be part of your wedding, consider your guests' needs. While you want to reserve rooms at a good rate, you don't want them to slum it for the weekend. Many hotels offer special rates for weddings, but you may also find out if local friends and family might offer guest bedrooms for those who may need extra help. 

Guests could split a rental car and hotel room. Chances are there will be many others flying from out of town, so an extra trip to an airport or a pullout sofa bed may work just fine.

5. Be thankful.
After the last packet of birdseed has been flung, remember the reason you've put up with all this wedding nonsense. You want your friends and family to celebrate one of the most important days of your life. You care that they've sacrificed to be a part of your big day. Don't let that go unacknowledged. Include a note in the wedding program, a toast at the reception or a sweet line of thanks as part of the wedding favor (or on to-go boxes where your guests can take home some grub for later).

Weddings expert Cara Davis is the author of Cheap Ways to Tie the Knot and blogs from her home in Orlando, FL, about cheap ways to spend and save at CheapWaysTo.com.

Image by Today's THV

Lindsay Irvin, editor of Arkansas Bride, discusses the Pinterest craze and how it's helping Arkansas brides prepare for their big day on Today's THV:

Image by Jason Masters

Get our model's look at Paul Morrell - maybe this one is on sale. You'll want to go and find out.

Paul Morrell of Little Rock will host a tuxedo sale beginning Saturday (Feb. 25). It will run through Feb. 29, offering great deals on formalwear for weddings and special events in Arkansas.

Sale hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 25) and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Wednesday (Feb. 27-29). 

One of the amazing deals to be found during the sale is a NEW basic three-button notch lapel wool tuxedo coat for $45 and coordinating pant for $30. And that's just one example! Here are some more items on sale:

• All used vests are $5
• All used ties are $2
• All used tuxedo coats only $15 or $30

Paul Morrell has great formalwear options -- rentals and for-purchase items -- available year-round which you can see more of at MyTuxedoCatalog.com.

For more information e-mail info@paulmorrell.com or call (501) 374-8899.

Image by Stone Ridge Photographers

Northwest Arkansas couple Sara English of Fayetteville and Kelley Crismon of Springdale are engaged to be married Saturday, June 16 at the Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks.

Now that's going to be lovely!

The couple met in high school, in the band.

They began dating in their junior year, but went off to separate colleges after graduation. Still, they maintained a strong long-distance relationship, which Sara says consisted of long phone calls and frequent weekend visits.

It didn’t take them long before they realized they just couldn’t be apart, so they transferred to the University of Arkansas for their last two years of school.

“We were finally both in the right place and at the right time to make a serious commitment,” Sara said.

Kelley proposed on the lawn of Old Main after arranging a fun romantic afternoon consisting of hiking around Lake Fayetteville and eating at a lovely Italian restaurant. A “Yes! Of course!” was excitedly given, and a celebratory cup of coffee brought the big night to a wonderful close.

We’re so happy for these two. Here’s to a long and loving happily ever after!

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Image by screen shot from youtube.com

This is a cool idea. 

A video save-the-date to send your guests? Yes, please! So cool.

See how Jerene Makia of Conway and Cameron King of Magnolia rocked this idea and wowed their guests in the 1920s-inspired save-the-date video below. 

For printed save-the-dates, our list of reputable Arkansas Wedding Stationery stores can help.