More than 300 couples are planning to participate in a mass wedding ceremony in Russellville, Arkansas to coincide with the solar eclipse. The couples will exchange vows at the Elope at the Eclipse event as the moon obscures the sun. Participants like Carlotta Cox and Matthew Holloway have been planning their eclipse wedding for two years, opting for Arkansas due to the longer totality there. Russellville, rated as one of the top places in the US to watch the eclipse by NASA, is expected to experience totality for about four minutes.
Katie Baucom and Nicholas Blackwell, another couple getting married during the eclipse event, see their upcoming nuptials as a unique and once-in-a-lifetime experience. For them, it is a significant event as nothing major has occurred in their lives before. Despite some initial reluctance, groom Keegan was able to persuade his partner, Courtney, to agree to get married during the eclipse. Organizers have noted that couples have traveled from various parts of the country, including New York, to participate in the Russellville event to have wedding ceremonies.
Following the eclipse, the couples are expected to enjoy the traditional wedding activities like cutting cakes, champagne toasts, and the first dance. While the shadow of the moon moves across the US to darken the Sun for millions of Americans living along the eclipse’s path of totality, many others, approximately a couple of hundred million people, will witness a partial eclipse. The eclipse wedding is seen as an extraordinary and memorable way for couples to celebrate their love and commitment to each other. With a backdrop of this rare natural event, the newlyweds will have a unique story to tell for years to come.
