Lacey and Garrett’s Rain-Soaked Bentonville Wedding, From a Glass Chapel to 21c
Lacey Vincent and Garrett Vincent met while they were students at the University of Arkansas. They dated for a year before Garrett was deployed to the Middle East, beginning a year apart that would become an early chapter of their relationship.
When he returned, the couple planned their first trip away together, just the two of them, to Durango, Colorado.
“It was such a magical trip,” Lacey remembers. Garrett proposed while they were there. “It became even more unforgettable. It’s a memory we’ll always cherish.”
On May 25, 2025, they married in Bentonville, Arkansas, with a ceremony at Mildred B. Cooper Chapel and an evening reception at 21c Museum Hotel.
A Wedding Made in Bentonville
Lacey and Garrett wanted the wedding to feel connected to the place they call home.
“We wanted our wedding to feel local and truly reflect who we are—classy, simple, and intentional,” Lacey says.
The ceremony and reception brought guests to two distinctly Bentonville settings. Their vows took place inside the glass chapel, followed by dinner and dancing at 21c, where contemporary art became part of the atmosphere of the evening.
The details throughout the day were chosen personally by the couple. Embroidered cocktail napkins appeared at the reception. Their cake took inspiration from Garrett’s love of hunting and fishing. Guests went home with engraved charcuterie boards bearing the couple’s wedding date, handcrafted by Lacey’s family cabinet company, Smith Art Custom Millwork.
“Each detail felt like a little piece of us,” she says.
The Rain Arrives
By the morning of the wedding, the Arkansas weather had settled in.
It poured.
There was even a hail warning as guests traveled to the chapel, and many arrived soaked from the rain.
“The weather definitely gave us an unexpected surprise,” Lacey says. “It poured rain all day.”
Plans changed with the forecast. Certain photographs they had imagined were no longer possible. Guests hurried inside through the weather. The rain became part of the wedding almost immediately.
Lacey remembers it now as part of the story.
“Somehow, it all added to the story of our day,” she says. “It made our wedding even more memorable.”
When the Chapel Doors Opened
Then came the moment Lacey remembers most vividly.
She was waiting to walk into the chapel. Garrett was inside. Their family and friends had gathered despite the storm outside.
The doors opened.
And the rain stopped.
“My favorite moment of the day was when the doors of the beautiful glass chapel opened and I saw my soon-to-be husband,” Lacey says. “It had been pouring rain all day, but the moment those doors opened, the rain briefly stopped.”
For a few minutes, the weather that had followed them throughout the day gave way.
“Standing there, surrounded by all the people we love, felt like the most beautiful and surreal moment I had ever witnessed,” she says. “It felt almost as if everything had paused just for us.”
She walked down the aisle toward Garrett.
Personal Details at the Reception
Following the ceremony, the celebration moved to 21c Museum Hotel in downtown Bentonville.
Lacey describes the reception as “funky, fun, and completely unique,” a setting that suited the couple and the kind of evening they wanted to have with their guests.
Their choices throughout the reception carried small references to their life together.
The outdoor-themed wedding cake was created with Garrett in mind, drawing from his love of hunting and fishing. The embroidered cocktail napkins added another custom detail to the tables and bar.
Then there were the charcuterie boards.
Each one had been made through Lacey’s own family cabinet company and engraved with the wedding date before being given to guests.
For Lacey, having something produced by her family made the gift especially meaningful.
Built Around Their Own Taste
Lacey approached the planning process with a clear sense of what belonged at their wedding.
“We wanted to follow what felt like us,” she says.
That philosophy guided the locations, the cake, the guest gifts, the cocktail details, and the overall feeling of the reception.
It also gave the couple something useful when plans shifted on the wedding day. The weather could change. The photographs could change. The schedule could bend around a storm. The pieces that had been chosen because they meant something to Lacey and Garrett were already there.
By the end of the evening, they were married and celebrating with their favorite people in the city they had chosen for their wedding.
Lacey’s Advice for Future Brides
After a wedding day that included heavy rain, a hail warning, soaked guests, and a perfectly timed break in the weather just before she walked down the aisle, Lacey has a practical perspective for other brides.
“Take the day as it comes and make the most of it,” she says.
She recommends releasing some of the expectations that can build during months of planning.
“Even if you don’t get every picture you envisioned or the weather doesn’t go according to plan, try not to let it take away from the moment.”
Her own wedding gave her plenty of opportunities to practice that advice in real time.
“At the end of the day, the only thing you’ll truly care about is marrying the love of your life and celebrating with the people you love most,” she says. “There will always be little things you wish you could change.”
For Lacey, May 25 now includes the storm, the guests arriving through the rain, the glass chapel, and the brief stretch of clear weather that appeared as its doors opened.
She saw Garrett waiting for her.
Then she walked in.
The Wedding Team
Ceremony: @mildredbcooperchapel
Reception: 21c Museum Hotel Bentonville
Photography: @baileelewisphotography
Videography: @hhcreate_
Second Videographer: @cregnichols
Second Photographer: @greg.rant
Wedding Content: @altar_avenue
Signage: @moderndetails_nwa
Florals: @theflowerslinger
Cocktail Napkins: @lennoxandlaneco
Charcuterie Boards: @smithartcustommillwork
Ceremony Music: @chellobyaustin
