Exactly five years after their first date, Richard Lawson Vassar took Hannah Claire Banwarth to the site of where they were building their future home to propose. “Lawson was down on one knee asking me to marry him in the place where we were going to start our life together,” smiles Hannah Claire. To her surprise, both of their families were waiting for them at dinner to celebrate, and the following night, the future groom had planned an engagement party with all of their friends. “It was an eventful weekend that was full of love and support,” remembers the bride of the special time. 

From the very beginning, the couple knew they wanted to get married in Arkansas, where they are both from, live currently, and where most of their family and friends also reside. “We also knew we wanted to get married at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. We didn’t look at any other options,” confirms Hannah Claire. “I was 11 years old when construction began, [so] I literally watched the museum be built, and I attended the museum’s opening day on 11/11/11… Having a world-class museum in your hometown is pretty special, and getting married there was extraordinary.” 

Guests entered the ceremony space through a trio of white floral arches showcasing garden roses, hydrangeas, delphiniums, fresh silver berry, and lush greenery. A hand-painted, monogrammed aisle runner by The Original Runner Company was lined with hedges of English garden roses, delphiniums, hydrangeas, garden roses, and freesia, and the same blooms adorned urns flanking the spot for the vow exchange. 

While many couples focus on the reception and party, Hannah Claire and Lawson took advice they’d been given and focused instead on the wedding ceremony. “This is a great time for your people to love and root for you as a couple,” shares the bride of their memorable service. 

To personalize the ceremony, Hannah Claire and Lawson selected five questions for each other to answer and gave their individual responses to their officiant – the bride’s uncle – privately. “It was wonderful, sentimental, and fun to hear the answers and stories we had each written be read during the ceremony,” adds Hannah Claire. “It was also wonderful to share our story with our friends and family.” Once they were pronounced husband and wife, a gospel choir erupted in “This Will Be” as the new Mr. and Mrs. walked up the aisle. 

“We wanted a feel that was classic, elegant, and timeless – and made our guests feel loved, valued, and welcomed!”

Following the vow exchange, Hannah Claire and Lawson had a private dinner together – so they could spend the formal dinner service greeting, hugging, and kissing each and every one of their guests – while their friends and family enjoyed cocktail hour in the newly completed museum atrium. Loved ones were served passed hors d’oeuvres, followed by a lemon-basil sorbet palate cleanser before transitioning to the sit-down dinner inside the museum’s restaurant showcasing a sweeping wooden roof and oversized windows. 

The cake table highlighted a full floral skirt of hydrangeas and fragrant white O’Hara garden roses, which displayed the seven-tiered wedding cake of five different flavors decorated with delicate fondant ruffles and hand-crafted sugar flowers. Not only was there one towering wedding cake to greet guests as they walked in the door, but 12 other wedding cakes and macaron towers down the center of the flower-adorned tables serving as a fresh and delicious addition to the stunning floral centerpieces. 

“We wanted a feel that was classic, elegant, and timeless – and made our guests feel loved, valued, and welcomed!” describes Hannah Claire, who selected a color palette of creams and whites with gold accents for the décor. Oval-backed metallic chairs surrounded round tables cloaked in neutral linens, as well as a long, rectangular head table for the tasty dinner reception, which concluded in a four-horn second line of musicians that led everyone from dinner to the dance reception complete with a high-energy live band. “It was the most extraordinary day of our lives,” affirms Hannah Claire of their picture-perfect day. “The whole weekend was perfect!”

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