Brooke Burckart of Bentonville was a senior in college when she went hunting for a personal trainer. Her mother suggested hers — Robert Sanderson of Salem — and workout buddies became close friends over the following months. They got engaged, and five months later tied the knot at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art — theirs was the very first wedding ever to be held at this new, world-renowned museum!

(See their spread in the digital edition of Arkansas Bride.)

BRIDE’S INSPIRATION
“Being the first wedding at Crystal Bridges was a huge honor and we wanted to let the architecture of the museum speak for itself. Our goal was to keep the décor and flowers clean and beautiful,” Brooke said.

HOW THEY CUSTOMIZED
To carry a piece of each of the bridesmaids down the aisle with her, Brooke integrated flowers from their nine different bouquets into her own. Grooms’ boutonnières featured fly fishing lures in honor of Robert’s love of fishing. To honor family members, the groom carried a compass and a pocketknife from his late grandfathers, while the bride wore her mother’s bracelet and the handkerchief her grandmother wore for her wedding.

HOW THEY SAVED
“We created our own programs, shopped online for invitations, and purchased tablecloths instead of pricey rentals. Crystal Bridges was amazing about letting us use all of their beautiful tables and chairs, which saved us from having to rent those too.”

THE DETAILS