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Draft:Elope at the Eclipse

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Elope at the Eclipse is a collective wedding taking place in Russellville, Arkansas during the Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024 with potentially over 200 couples taking wedding vows during this celestial ceremony.[1]

General Information[edit]

Total solar eclipses occur when the New Moon comes between the Sun and Earth and casts the darkest part of its shadow, the umbra, on Earth.  This creates a visually dramatic celestial display for those located in the path of totality.

A total solar eclipse will take place on April 8, 2024. It will be visible over the US, Mexico, and Canada. Astronomy magazine lists Russellville, Arkansas as one of the Top 10 location in North America to view this rare celestial display.[2] Organizers of Total Eclipse of the Heart in Russellville, a 3-day festival celebrating the Great North American Eclipse, created this mass marriage opportunity for couples "who happen to be in love to the moon and back" to wed at the event at the time of totality.[3] Forbes.com listed this festival as "Number 1" on the top 8 Solar Eclipse Festivals for 2024.[4]

Wedding Costs[edit]

According to all things wedding website TheKnot.com, the average price of an Arkansas wedding in 2022 was $21,000.  The nationwide average was $30,000.[5]  Budget Savvy Bride magazine states that elopement weddings are currently trending.[6]  The American Marriage institute predicts mass weddings and mass elopements to be one of the biggest wedding trends of the future.[7]

Elope at the Eclipse is providing the entire wedding package including the marriage officiant, decorations, flowers, wedding cake, drink for toasting, and live band for their first dance, all at no cost to the couple. The first 100 couples to register will also receive reimbursement from the event to pay their marriage license fee as well as gift cards and discounts from area businesses as wedding gifts.[8][9][10][11][12]

Total Eclipse of the Heart in Russellville[edit]

Elope at the Eclipse is part of the 3-day festival celebrating the solar eclipse in Russellville, Arkansas taking place April 6–8, 2024 at the Russellville Soccer Complex. The festival also features live entertainment, hot air balloons, and food vendors.[13] A Beatles tribute band, Liverpool Legends, performs on April 8, 2024 during the time of the eclipse and mass wedding.  The Liverpool Legends band was formed and managed by Louise Harrison, the sister of George Harrison.[14][15]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Elope at the Eclipse NEXT APRIL!". Arkansas Bride. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  2. ^ Bakich, Michael E. (2021-06-10). "20 of the best places to view the 2024 total solar eclipse". Astronomy Magazine. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  3. ^ Russellville, Total Eclipse of the Heart in. "April 6 - 8, 2024". April 6–8, 2024. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  4. ^ Carter, Jamie. "Eight Solar Eclipse Festivals For 2024 To Book Before It's Too Late". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  5. ^ Forrest, Kim (February 14, 2023). "This was the Average Cost of Wedding in 2022". TheKnot.com.
  6. ^ Grah, Meghann (December 8, 2022). "Are elopements a trend?".
  7. ^ Levey, Jessica (August 30, 2021). "Mass Weddings Might be the Trend in 2022".
  8. ^ Zeringue, Neale (July 24, 2023). "Couples Flock to Russellville to Elope at the Eclipse".
  9. ^ SNELSON, OLIVIA (2023-07-25). "Mass wedding to take place during eclipse". The Courier. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  10. ^ Digital, THV11 (July 20, 2023). "How you can participate in an 'out-of-this-world' wedding in Arkansas".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ "Russellville eclipse festival offering free weddings before totality". The Daily Citizen. 2023-07-20. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  12. ^ "Couples flock to Russellville to Elope at the Eclipse". NewsBreak. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  13. ^ Russellville, Total Eclipse of the Heart in. "April 6 - 8, 2024". April 6–8, 2024. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  14. ^ "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
  15. ^ Bk4TVrX99M. "About New". Liverpool Legends. Retrieved 2023-07-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)