Eureka Springs: Your Solution for a Low-Budget, Low-Stress Destination Wedding

So you're getting married. Congratulations! Now get to work. You've got a lot of planning ahead. You'd like to have a nice wedding, but you don't have a lot of time or money; or maybe you're looking to add some quirky charm to your ceremony; or maybe you don't care about "nice" so much as you want quick and convenient--but even an elopement requires a modicum of forethought.

Where do you go to get a lot of wedding bang for your buck, without all that stressful hard work?

If you answered "Vegas," you probably don't live in the South. If you did, then your answer might just as likely have been "Eureka Springs."

Eureka Springs, Arkansas, is often referred to as the Wedding Capital of the South. Also known as the Jewel of the Ozarks, it's a small town with a funky mix of down home mountain charm and downtown urban flair, nestled in the heart of Arkansas' Ozark mountains, about an hour's drive south of Branson, Missouri. Surrounded by lakes, rivers, hot springs and stunning mountain views, there's enough natural beauty to bring out the romantic in even the most devout of cynics. Add to that a downtown featuring beautiful parks, gazebos and Victorian architecture, and it starts to seem like the entire town was created for the express purpose of hosting weddings.

That's not quite the case. Eureka Springs was first founded as a hospital and curative spa, where the waters of its hot springs were believed to have healing properties. From there it quickly grew into a popular vacation spot for Victorian-era tourists, many of whom settled in the spot, giving the town its distinct Victorian flavor. Over the years it has become such a hot destination for weddings and honeymoons that the town and surrounding area boasts a booming wedding industry.