Happily Ever Hardin- Part 3.2

Today I want to dive into where we stayed for our elopement trip, where we ate, and other little details of our special day!

Our Stay

As soon as we decided to get married at the Thorncrown Chapel, my mom and I started looking at places for Hunter and me to stay for the weekend. We really wanted a place that was cozy, had a fireplace {because it was FRIGID}, and had a hot tub. As I've mentioned before, Hunter and I love the outdoors so one option was to stay at "Loblolly Pines Adventure Camp" . This place had a community of little cabins that is surrounded by a nature preserve. There's even a trailhead right behind some of the cabins. I think this place would be so fun and charming, especially with the right weather. But, it was SO COLD the weekend we got married, so I'm glad we opted for the other place instead. We went down on a Wednesday night, and it was icing/sleeting for a large portion of our drive. There was a little snow on the ground Thursday morning when we woke up.

Another option that my mom found was Cinnamon Valley. After looking at these cabins, I fell in LOVE. I showed Hunter and he was sold by the hot tub ROOM! They have ten different cabins to choose from, the cabins are large (all different sizes) and they are quite a bit more spread out on the land than the Loblolly cabins were. Cinnamon Valley had a lake {hello, canoe pics} that was spring-fed so it was the most beautiful shade of blue. We knew it was perfect! We were between the Hideaway cabin and the Barn cabin, and ended up going with the Barn.

The Barn was so unique because while it was a cabin, it was shaped exactly like a barn. Upstairs, in our bedroom, it had the "hay loft" feel of a barn, with the slope of the roof. It was so charming! I couldn't get past thinking that my dress would look AMAZING hanging from the top floor balcony of the Barn {and it did!}. The Barn also had a whole hot tub room-- it was amazing. It had glass windows, so it was like being outside, but you were inside where it was warm and cozy. We spent a LOT of time in the hot tub. Once we finally got there (it took so long for us to get to Eureka Springs because of the bad weather, Hunter drove the whole way, and parts were pretty tense), around 11 that night, we jumped in the hot tub first thing.

We also had to think about separate spaces to get ready, so Hunter wouldn't see me right as I was getting ready. The Barn cabin was great for this, because while I got ready in the bathroom, Hunter hung out in the billiard room (Clue, anyone??) and watched TV. Then, when I went upstairs to get dressed, he was able to do everything he needed to downstairs. We did our first look on the balcony upstairs, and it was perfect. There was a large stone fireplace, and they provide wood. Every day they stock your porch with more wood. I mentioned that there was a pool table, and we actually played several games of pool while we were there!

The owners were SO kind. They called to check on us when we were heading down, encouraged us to be safe, and were very accommodating about leaving the key in a place where we could get it since we were coming in late. I'm pretty sure the owner is the one who brought the wood around to any cabins being used (I don't think there were many people there the weekend we were there.). He told us that anything on the property was free to use {canoes, boats, etc.}, you can fish (catch & release) the lakes, and you're free to explore the whole property when you stay there. It was so beautiful, relaxing, and felt like home away from home. We will definitely be back to beautiful Cinnamon Valley!

Food and Entertainment

Eureka Springs is a seasonal town, and most of it was shut down for the winter. However, we did find several adorable flea markets and antique stores, AWESOME places to eat, and a "haunted" hotel. Basically our trip consisted of relaxing in the hot tub/in front of the fireplace, eating, and the actual wedding! LOL.

The first night that we were there (we left after we both got off work, and the weather was less than desirable for traveling), we grabbed Taco Bell on our way down and then jumped in the hot tub as soon as we got there!

The next morning (Thursday-- wedding morning), we got up and went to breakfast at Nibbles. It was SO GOOD! There weren't many people in there the whole time (remember, not their busy season, so a lot of shops/restaurants are closed), and the food was delicious. The restaurant was charming and there were plants, greenery, and succulents everywhere. We didn't eat anything after breakfast until after we got married, and changed into slightly less formal attire ;). We went to Rogue's Manor. It was not crowded and we did not have to have reservations since it was not during their busy season. This place was so neat, because it's in an old house that was built in the 1870's. The food was amazing! We had the smoked salmon for an appetizer, and Hunter got the seafood casserole and I had the fettuccini alfredo. They serve you the most amazing bread that comes in a tankard, fresh out of the oven. It was seriously the best bread! The atmosphere was cozy and romantic, perfect for our wedding night.

On Friday morning, we had breakfast at the Filling Station. This was your traditional diner breakfast, and it was awesome! I had a HUGE blueberry pancake with a side of bacon, and Hunter had eggs, hashbrowns, sausage, and two pancakes. Then we went to explore some of the springs and we went to Crescent Hill (the haunted hotel). Crescent Hill had lots of historical information to read, pretty scenic views (you could see the Christ of the Ozarks statue from the rooftop of the Crescent Hill hotel), and it's just interesting to read about the "hauntings". There was a photo album someone had put together of pictures of "paranormal beings" someone had taken. They had a cat that lives inside the hotel lobby, and Hunter made friends with it. While we were exploring on the rooftop, we had a giant calzone at the SkyBar Gourmet Pizza restaurant on the top floor. It was pretty good, but it came out quite burnt, so we probably wouldn't go back.

On Saturday morning, we packed everything up, went to check out a few vintage stores and flea markets, and had breakfast at the Mud Street Cafe. This was the most adorable little building, but it was PACKED in there. However, the good food made up for the lack of space. I cannot even remember what we ordered, but I do remember it being AWESOME! Before leaving, we visited the Beaver Lake dam site. It was pretty, but it wasn't anything spectacular-- just something to do before we left!

The Little Details of our Big Day

We obviously got married very quickly after getting engaged (and I'm so thankful we did-- it would be so challenging to schedule our wedding around the Coronavirus). There was not a lot of time for shopping/ordering/going out of town to look for jewelry/tuxes/etc. I supported several small businesses on Etsy for my wedding jewelry and Hunter's wedding band. Everything came in SO quickly, including my custom dress hanger with "Mrs. Hardin" on it (she legit must've made it right after I ordered it). I will link the little shops and vendors here that we used.

I also saved time (and money) by doing my own makeup and most of my own hair (Mel put the finishing touches on it once she got there-- BLESS her). With us staying in town the night before the wedding, I would've had to have gotten my makeup done from someone local to Eureka Springs, and that made me terribly anxious thinking about that. I practiced makeup a couple times, but knew that I wanted a natural look with a bold lip (typical for me if I'm dressing up) and wanted to be completely comfortable with how I looked, going down the aisle. I wanted to feel like ME, and didn't want to feel like I was putting on a show {it was seriously just me, Hunter, Mel, and Harry (the minister) and his wife Cheryl}.

I've already talked about my dress, but it came from J Marie's Formal Affairs in Chaffee, MO. The ladies there were SO helpful, and Sara was amazing to work with.

Flowers (Bouquet and Extra for my Hair & the Cake)- Tina Tibbs at Malden Flower Shop-- she's the sweetest!

My Jewelry- I wore my Granny's pearl necklace and purchased this bracelet from DarethColburnDesigns on Etsy, and these earrings from LaLaCrystal on Etsy.

Dress Hanger- from HangingWithTheBride on Etsy (SUPER FAST shipping!!)

Pearl Bobby Pins I wore in My Hair- from good 'ole Amazon!

My Boots- vintage corral boots that I've had FOREVER. I still love them, and I remember thinking when I bought them one summer after working on the farm "I'm going to get married in these boots someday". They've been a lot of places, but this adventure in them was definitely at the top of the list!

My Engagement Ring- from Sam's Fine Jewelry in Sikeston, MO. Hunter picked it out all by himself, and it's absolutely perfect.

Hunter's Wedding Band- from RingsByPristine on Etsy. (He cannot wear his metal band to work, since he is a lineman, so we opted for something simple and affordable-- this antler ring was perfect.)

Our Ring Box- I'm not sure where this came from, but I think one of my AMAZING coworkers picked it up when she was in Chicago. It's so pretty, and went along perfectly with all the little details.

Hunter's Tux- a super sweet local lady named Trish Vandeven fitted Hunter for his tux and worked with me, based on a few pictures that I sent her. He looked SO handsome. She did a wonderful job.

Our "Naked" Cake- Susie's Bake Shop in Sikeston, MO.

Our Photographer- Melissa Shelton Photography, Bernie MO. I cannot say enough about her! ❤️