Simply elegant

Southern Living, Jun 2002 by Jernigan, Sarah

A Southern couple returned to their small-town roots for an afternoon wedding.

Maybe it was the familiar velvety-- soft accent or perhaps her pretty smile. Whatever the spark, Eric Pruitt couldn't help but notice the fellow Southerner, especially because they were both fish out of water in New York City attending graduate school in taxation law.

"The minute I heard her speak, I told the guy sitting next to me, 'She has to be a Southerner,' " Eric explains. Sure enough, she was from a small town in Arkansas very similar to the one where he grew up in Alabama. They met, and before long, he and Aimee Sisk had become more than just good friends. In a matter of months, they were engaged. That's when the whirlwind really began.

"I am the fifth generation of a farming family," says Aimee. "My dad, grandfather, uncles, and brothers all farm. The wedding date had to be worked around harvest. I didn't want to get married in winter. I don't like the cold and nothing is green," she continues. "So between April and fall harvest, August 25 was the last possible date we could choose."

Short Engagement, Long-Distance Plans

Even with less than five months to plan, Aimee felt the timing was perfect. "I didn't spend a year worrying about it," she says. "In fact, I finished all the plans a month beforehand." How did they plan a wedding so quickly while living in New York and attending graduate school?

"We kept it simple," Aimee says, describing their 2 p.m. wedding at All Souls Church in Scott, Arkansas. Although she is from Wynne, Scott was an easy compromise because of its proximity to Little Rock, an easy-to-- reach destination. It also had the small-- town flavor the couple appreciated.

"We had a wonderful dating experience in New York," explains Eric. "It was fun to go the opposite extreme by getting married in a country church." Their friend Rev. Clyde Godwin came from their church in Greenwich Village to perform the ceremony.

One-Table Reception

Another convenience was the reception site. Located down the road from the church, Marlsgate Plantation is a popular wedding venue set in the middle of rolling Arkansas farmland.

"I'm the coordinator, the florist, the caterer. I handle everything," proprietor David Garner explains. He also makes sure the wedding is tailored to suit each couple. "A personal touch is what makes a Southern wedding special," he says. Aimee worked with him long distance. "My only two requests were bright colors and a lemon-- flavored cake with lemon custard."

The reception was low-key, appropriate for an afternoon event. Tea sandwiches on silver trays, along with assorted cheeses, fruit, and crackers, were displayed beside the bride's monogrammed lemon cake and the groom's chocolate petits fours.

"It was a perfect example of Southernness," David says. "It was laid-- back yet genteel." A splendid blend for a couple who met in the big city but shared a wedding day filled with small-town spirit.

To see more of this event, plus pages of weddings and ideas, don't miss our 2002 issue of Southern Living Weddings, on newsstands in mid-June.