The Crystal Ballroom of the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs was the setting at 4 p.m. Saturday, June 13, for the marriage of Rachel Carol Marlow and Matthew John Balcerak. The Rev. Britt Skarda of Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church officiated.
Parents of the bride are Diana and Michael Marlow of Sherwood. She is the granddaughter of Carol Hendrix of Little Rock, Carolyn and James Marlow of Sherwood and the late Donovan Hinton.
The groom is the son of Joan and Richard Balcerak of Broken Arrow, Okla. He is the grandson of Eugenia and the late John Liss of Oklahoma City and Pauline and the late Richard Balcerak of Paul's Valley, Okla.
The couple met while dancing, so they married on the ballroom dance floor. The ballroom was decorated with arrangements of ivory hydrangeas, stock and roses in shades of peach, yellow, blue and pink with accents of ostrich feathers.
The bride, given in marriage by her father, wore an ivory gown with a strapless fitted bodice of embroidered silk tulle and a layered tulle and satin skirt embellished with beaded trim. In her hair she wore a silver and crystal art deco-style headband. She carried a hand-tied cascade of ivory orchids and roses.
Raymond Burks of Fayetteville was the bride's honor attendant. He wore a taupe tuxedo with an art deco-patterned bow tie. Bridesmaids were Lauren Balcerak of Denver, sister of the groom, and Amanda Ferry of Arlington, Texas. They wore mint-colored tulle gowns with a bow at the back and carried bouquets of roses and scabiosa pods.
Johan Kamp of Karlstad, Sweden, was best man. Groomsmen were Chase Darr of Columbia, Mo., and Danny Allen of Tulsa. Guests were seated by Tristan Geis of Fayetteville.
A reception, also in the ballroom, followed the ceremony. Guest tables held arrangements of hydrangeas, stock, roses, palms and feathers. Assisting were Adrian Mason of Austin, Texas, and David Soria of Los Angeles.
The bride has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. She is a senior strategy planning and business development consultant for Yanchang and Shell (Sichuan) Petroleum Co., Ltd.
The groom has a bachelor's degree in international business from UA and is a foreign teacher in economics at Jiaxiang International High School, Chengdu, China.
After a cruise through the Mediterranean starting in Barcelona, Spain, and ending in Venice, Italy, the couple will make their home in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
High Profile on 06/21/2015