SOME OF THOSE COUPLES WHO WERE IN TOWN TAKING A BIG STEP TOWARDS TYING THE KNOT. <> "The Total Eclipse of the Heart festival gets underway here at the Russellville soccer complex on Saturday, April 6, and then on Monday, April 8, as of right now, 216 couples will getting married. It's free. All you need is a marriage license and today, some couples were in town doing just that." <> "It just seems like the coolest wedding that you could ever have." CARLOTTA COX AND MATTHEW HOLLOWAY ARE FROM KNOXVILLE TENNESSEE. FOR 2 YEARS, THEY'VE BEEN PLANNING WHERE TO WATCH THE TOTAL ECLIPSE <> "Our original destination was Maine. The totality there is like two minutes and then we were looking for something where the totality was longer and it was here in Arkansas and then we started looking at private events that were going on, and this is what we found." <> "I was like, we need to figure something out - where we going, where we staying, because rooms just kept rising and rising." THE COUPLE WAS NOT PLANNING ON GETTING MARRIED UNTIL THEY HEARD ABOUT THE ELOPE AT THE ECLIPSE AND TODAY THEY GOT THEIR MARRIAGE LICENSE. <> "He's just my soulmate, like we when we met it was just something different. And he had a good sense of humor." <> "Yeah, I was like, hey, look, here's this an opportunity once in a lifetime type thing." "It's something big. We never really had anything big or major happened to either one of us." KATIE BAUCOM AND NICHOLAS BLACKWELL ARE ALSO INTO EACH OTHER AND THE ECLIPSE. <> "Growing up my grandpa would always watch like the planets and anything that had to do with anything in the universe, really. So I knew a lot more about it and I was actually pregnant with him the last one we had." <> "States as far away as New York, California, Florida, Washington, Montana; there are people from all over the United States coming." RODNEY WILLIAMS IS THE FESTIVAL ORGANIZER. <> "forbes.com listed the Total Eclipse of the Heart Festival as the number one of their top eight festivals. National Geographic listed Elope at the Eclipse as the number one place to get." WILLIAMS SAYS THE ELOPE AT THE ECLIPSE IS A ONCE IN LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY FOR MANY COUPLES TO SAY - I DO. <> "The ceremony, the wedding cake, the drink we toast with and live entertainment for the first dance - all free of charge." AND WHILE IT IS CALLED ELOPE AT THE ECLIPSE, THE COUPLES WE TALKED TO SAY THEY'RE NOT KEEPING IT SECRET. <> "Everybody knows. I got my buddy and his wife are coming out with us." <> "The future Hollway's, who you just heard from, tell me they're already planning for the 2027 Eclipse. They say they're trying to save up to see if they can watch it from Egypt. The event organizer is here at the Holiday Inn Express in Russellville. He says anyone's welcome to come down for more information. He'll be here until 8 Saturday night. And if you would like to join the more than 200 couples who are planning to get married, there's still time - more
Hundreds to marry at 'Elope at the Eclipse' event in Arkansas
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Updated: 8:16 PM CST Feb 24, 2024
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Hundreds of couples will get married during the total eclipse at a park in Arkansas.Russellville, which is a little under 80 miles outside of Little Rock, will host more than 200 couples at the city's soccer complex. They're planning to say their "I Dos" as the moon blots out the sun overhead on April 8, 2024.Carlotta Cox and Matthew Holloway, a couple from Knoxville, Tennessee, who have been planning their eclipse-viewing location for two years, shared their excitement. "It just seems like the coolest wedding that you could ever have," the couple said. The couple explained their decision to choose Russellville over their original destination, Maine. "Our original destination was Maine. The totality there is like two minutes, and then we were looking for something where the totality was longer, and it was here in Arkansas, and then we started looking at private events that were going on, and this is what we found," they said. Katie Baucom, who is also getting married during the event, shared her excitement. "Yeah, I was like, 'Hey, look, here's this an opportunity once in a lifetime type thing,'" Baucom said. "It's something big. We never really had anything big or major happen to either one of us."
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — Hundreds of couples will get married during the total eclipse at a park in Arkansas.
Russellville, which is a little under 80 miles outside of Little Rock, will host more than 200 couples at the city's soccer complex. They're planning to say their "I Dos" as the moon blots out the sun overhead on April 8, 2024.
Carlotta Cox and Matthew Holloway, a couple from Knoxville, Tennessee, who have been planning their eclipse-viewing location for two years, shared their excitement.
"It just seems like the coolest wedding that you could ever have," the couple said.
The couple explained their decision to choose Russellville over their original destination, Maine.
"Our original destination was Maine. The totality there is like two minutes, and then we were looking for something where the totality was longer, and it was here in Arkansas, and then we started looking at private events that were going on, and this is what we found," they said.
Katie Baucom, who is also getting married during the event, shared her excitement.
"Yeah, I was like, 'Hey, look, here's this an opportunity once in a lifetime type thing,'" Baucom said. "It's something big. We never really had anything big or major happen to either one of us."
