ELIZABETH MARIE BEADLE & MATTHEW DALTON BREEN
May 6, 2023 | Moss Mountain Farm | Roland | Kati Mallory Fine Art Photography
Elizabeth and Dalton are a Bumble success story! Sparks immediately began to fly from the moment they met, and Elizabeth believes they knew they were meant to be from the start.
“I think we both had a sense it was something special from the very beginning,” Elizabeth said.
Flash forward and the couple is staying in a gorgeous bed and breakfast located in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia for Matt’s birthday weekend. Little did Elizabeth know, Matt had plans to get down on one knee and ask her to marry him!
“I was completely surprised since it was his birthday,” Elizabeth said. “He had a photographer hiding in the bushes and everything. It had been raining a bit when we first walked outside on our way to dinner that night, but the skies cleared as we walked over toward the picturesque Shenandoah mountains and he got down on one knee.”
WEDDING VENDORS WE LOVE
Florist
Tipton & Hurst
MORE VENDORS
Planner: Bella Baxter Events; Photographer: Kati Mallory Fine Art Photography; Reception Venue: Moss Mountain Farm; Ceremony Venue: Our Lady of the Holy Souls Catholic Church; Ceremony Music: Arkansas Capital String Quartet; Catering: Vibrant Occasions Catering; Rentals: Mahaffey Event & Tent Rentals and Eventology; Stationery and signage: Dayflower Designs; HMUA: Lavonne Beauty; Band: Diamond Empire Band and Swing Band Reunion; Dress: Designer Loft Bridal NYC; Suit: Alton Lane
Q & A
Q: What inspired the Kentuck Derby theme of your wedding day?
A: “My husband grew up in Lexington, Kentucky so it’s an important part of his background, too,” Elizabeth said. “Plus, the Derby is such a wonderfully fun Southern tradition and, since we had so many people coming in from coast to coast, we wanted to make our wedding a uniquely Southern experience.”
Q: Tell us about what your guests wore to your wedding.
“For the dress code specifically, we asked our guests to dress in ‘daytime formal’ attire…We were thrilled with how many of our guests (both men and women!) took the dress code to heart and really got creative with it. It’s not often these days that most people get a challenging and fun fashion assignment, so we really wanted everyone to get into it and were so happy that most did.”
Q: What was your favorite moment of the day, and why?
A: “I loved our whole cocktail hour,” Elizabeth said. “We were in the backyard and side yard of Moss Mountain Farm overlooking the Arkansas River as Swing Band Reunion….played classic swing music and our guests wandered the grounds cocktail in hand and hat on head.”
“It meant so much to me in part because I felt like I was truly showing off Arkansas to people from all over the country who had never been here before and might never come again. I deeply wanted to put our collective best foot forward and I think with the help of our incredible vendors, we did.”
Q: Your florals are stunning! What inspired the color palette and the roses galore?
A: “I was committed to the idea of not having wedding colors,” Elizabeth said. “I wanted any and all colors to be welcome to provide a sense of springtime bounty if you will. I wanted it to feel like you just ran out into the garden and gathered up a little bit of everything in bloom and threw it all together. I think Tipton & Hurst did a great job of making that a reality.”
Q: What did you love about getting married on Moss Mountain?
A: “I wanted to put Arkansas’ best foot forward and Moss Mountain just did it unlike anywhere else,” Elizabeth said. “The natural beauty, the river views, the abundant gardens – it really felt like what you want the Natural State to be on it’s best days. Our guests from all over the country told us how much they loved the farm and how they had no idea how gorgeous Arkansas was. Now they know.”
Q: What was the meaning and inspiration of the Christmas tree with all of the bows?
“We were really struggling to figure out what that favor would be but eventually landed on Christmas ornaments with our wedding logo and a bow on them,” Elizabeth said. “Matt and I collect Christmas ornaments from everywhere we travel, and I’m also known for being over-the-top festive for Christmas and every other holiday, so it made a lot of sense for us.”
DERBY DAY
Elizabeth and Matthew tied the knot on “Derby Day,” and they decided to theme their entire wedding day around it! From a “wagering menu” where guests could place bets on how many times her father cried to mint juleps on their signature cocktail.
THE WEST WING
Elizabeth and Matthew are big fans of “The West Wing” and very early on in their wedding planning process, they knew they had to incorporate it somehow!
“There is an ongoing theme in “The West Wing” about a big block of cheese,” Elizabeth said. “The first time Matt ever mentioned the idea of our wedding to me was when he told me that if we ever got married, we should have a big block of cheese at our wedding. So, we did!”
