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Erika Dotson Photography // Arkansas Photographer

Friday, July 30th, 2010

Today is going to be my day! Well technically I’ll have to share with Baby Dotson and my husband too but we’re having maternity pictures taken today! I’m pretty excited! Do you remember Ruthie? She won a free mini session well low and behold she’s a rising star in the photography world around here and she has asked if we wanted to do some maternity photos with her! Thanks so much Ruthie! So that’s what we’re up to today.

I did want to post a few teasers of things I’ve been working on recently though! Everything from Conway weddings to Huntsville Seniors.

Meet Tanja and David (you should already be familiar with Tanja she’s a retired associate photographer here at Erika Dotson Photography). I’m so excited about their upcoming wedding……you know why? Well she’s retired because she moved to England to be with David so that means I’ll be going to England next summer! You’d be excited too! We’re working on their engagement session…..lot’s of yummy pictures to come!

Meet Ally. She’s going to be a Senior this year at Huntsville High School. Sorry boys she’s taken! Ally is my brother in law’s girlfriend and she’s such a sweetheart!

So now we’ve gotta meet Andy (my brother in law) yes girls he’s taken by the sweet gal above, so sorry! :) He’s also a Huntsville High Senior this year! I’m so excited for him! I’ll save all my sappiness for when I make his post later! But for now Congrats and we’re cheering you on this year!

Next up is Sarah and Ryan O’Callaghan! They were married in Springfield, Missouri a few weeks back. Sarah and I attended U of A together in the Dietetics program a few years ago. Ryan is an LSU Tiger so they’ve got some work cut out for them, in fact if I remember right the Tigers and the Razorbacks were playing each other while we were in the middle of our engagement session and we stopped off Dickson St to change and Ryan peered through the window of a bar to keep updated on the score! They are such an adorable couple and I was so excited when Sarah called an announced her engagement! Stay tuned we’ve got some exciting images coming!

And finally Ashley and Jim! They had the best wedding party I’ve been too in a long time! I’m not even kidding you their band came from Memphis and ROCKED THE HOUSE!!!! If anyone is looking for an AMAZING live band you have got to check out The Fabulous Steeler Band! I’m excited about posting all the beautiful details of their wedding!!!

Now I’m off to go enjoy my day and get ready for my time to shine! ha ha

Enjoy!

-erika

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Posted in Portraits, Weddings | 3 Comments »

Claire and Aaron // Destination Wedding Photography

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Hey there ladies and gents! :) Claire and Aaron were also married on Father’s Day just like another one of my latest wedding couples! How in the world did we manage that? Well in case you didn’t know we’ve got ourselves a little staff over here at Erika Dotson Photography and even if your wedding day is already booked with us we can still accommodate you! :) That makes us all happy right?!?!!?

I met Claire and Aaron for the first time at Panera Bread where her Father slipped in and paid for everyone’s meal right under my nose! Thanks Claire’s dad! When we originally met it was known that they were going to get married at Sandals and that a photographer came with their wedding package, well apparently Claire and Aaron didn’t like the idea of not hiring their own photographer…….we bent the rules just a bit. It was made known that if you had a friend that also happened to take pictures they would be allowed to shoot during the wedding as well. So that’s just what we decided to do become “Best Friends”!!! Well later down the road we found out we would be having a baby and that I wouldn’t be able to travel to Jamaica….. as you can imagine I was bummed! But Tanja was lucky enough to get to go and capture some amazing photos for them! Claire and Aaron are such a sweet couple and it’s been really fun to get to know them as a couple and as individuals! We wish you the best together for many happy years!

This will be part one of Claire and Aaron’s wedding photos……

See what she had to say (she’s already gotten to see all these Jamaica ones!):

“I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE our pictures!! I am so excited to get them. Thank you so much! I cant wait to see more… let me know what all i need to do!!” - Claire Williams

We’ll start as always with some getting ready shots! I love these!

“Something Old”

I love this dress shot!

These monogrammed robes are a super cute idea for your bridesmaids! SPA time!!!!

What a beautiful day!!!!

Sandals Wedding Photography

Yes they brought this sand all the way back to Arkansas……how awesome is that!?!!?!?

I love how the officiant is clapping! It makes me happy to see his huge grin while they seal it with a kiss!

LOVE!

She caught this while they were waiting around for the sunset for some beautiful couple portraits coming up!

Love this angle and the coloring!

This may just be my favorite shot of the whole day!

Yummy sunset lighting!

Gorgeous girl!

Adorable…..again.

I just love the simplicity of this cake…….it helps too that orchids are my favorite!

The look on Aaron’s face is priceless to me, he adores her and you can see it here!

Claire and her Father have a pretty close relationship I’ve learned, that’s why I love this image!

Keep posted for more images from Claire and Aaron’s ceremony here in Fayetteville!

Enjoy!

-erika

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Ashton and Adam // Mena Arkansas Wedding Photography

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

Ashton and Adam were married in Mena, which is where I graduated high school! It was nice to drive back down there and visit again! Their wedding was held at the Herod home. They had so many lovely wedding day helpers! I could tell these two families were very welcoming and just amazing! It’s always good to feel accepted and taken care of at a wedding! :) Thanks guys! You two are beautiful and I know the Big Man upstairs has a lot in store for you! Congratulations on your new life together!

Let’s start with all the BEAUTIFUL details!

Mena Arkansas Wedding Photography

The flowers were created by a local florist that is just starting out in the area her name is Lauren Frost. She’s super stylish and adorable! If you are planning a wedding and would like her info please contact me.

For some reason I love this photo! Guys just have no idea how much work it can take to get that beautiful gown on do they?

Isn’t she a beauty?

This image along with the next few pretty much sum up a “First Look”. I just LOVE LOVE LOVE when my clients decide to do a First Look! You still get ready as usual without seeing each other beforehand. We set up in a pretty location with good lighting before the ceremony begins. A First Look allows you to relax and send a little time with your future spouse before the ceremony, you can talk, touch, kiss, laugh, hold, hug, etc. all of which are things you usually aren’t doing at the altar. It also allows for more time for creative portraits as well as getting all those family portraits out of the way so you can move right on to the reception without leaving your guests waiting!

She’s so happy and relieved to be able to see her groom before the ceremony!

And then you get yummy pictures like this!!!!! LOVE!

Meet Mr. and Mrs. Herod! :) Ashton that has a nice ring to it!

Don’t they look so happy together!?!?!

I just love these purple bridesmaid dresses!

What a gorgeous dress!

Ashton’s smile as she sees her groom……

Along with Adam’s smile! :)

Love this shot I was able to capture! Some dad love!

What a beautiful day and location for a wedding day!

Arkansas Wedding Photographer

These two little girls were adorable!

They look a weee bit happy to finally be married….. :)

Now on to the reception……..just a few more detail shots for ya!

I’m telling you this Lauren Frost girl did an amazing job on the florals!

What a beautiful wedding cake too!

Some more cake cutting…………..

The whole crowd called the Hogs while they cut their cake! Too cute!

Awww and a cute Hog kiss to seal the deal!

Perfect toss Ashton!

And yes Adam you did well too!

What a beautiful happy couple!

Congratulations you two!

Enjoy!

-erika

Alyssa and Seth // NWA Wedding Photography at Pratt Place Barn

Monday, July 26th, 2010

Hey there everyone! I know I’ve disappeared off the face of the earth for a bit but I’m coming back in full swing! Alyssa and Seth were the winners of our contest we held nearly a year ago at the Democrat Gazette Bridal Fair in Rogers. If you remember there was a whole lot of people following what was going on. I had the participants submit a letter explaining them as a couple. Then we selected a few participants to take a picture with their fiance and incorporate Erika Dotson Photography into the photo somehow. It came down to two girls and I had the opportunity to meet with them and I chose Alyssa and Seth as the winners of the Free Wedding Photography package. I am certain that was the right choice as well! Alyssa and Seth were perfect and glowing on their wedding day. Their special day was something out of the ordinary as well which was another reason I chose to volunteer my time and talents in their behalf. Alyssa and Seth both lost their father’s in a relatively close time period and decided that there was no other day that would honor them as much as Father’s Day. These two set themselves aside to commemorate their amazing father’s. I hope through these images you can see that same selfless beauty that I saw the moment I met Alyssa and Seth.

Let’s start with some getting ready shots……

I just love her cute little shoes! She even had her brother (the lucky guy that walked her down the aisle) put a penny in her shoe just before the ceremony started!

Her dress was stunning! The entire gown was made of lace! Gorgeous!

(Just a little tip to all my brides out there……remember a cute hanger for your dress shot!)

I loved the color of these bridesmaid dresses! I think green was a pretty popular color this year!

This is one of my favorite images of the day! Seems silly I know, but just take a minute to look into the photo. This image tells a story. You’ve got the bride making last minute preparations before her finally gets her dress on, while mom and maid of honor are carefully getting her dress ready for it’s big debut. This is a beautiful photograph!!!!

This is just too cute!

This image is so timeless to me!

A little attention for Seth as well…..lookin sharp.

A little brotherly love….

To be followed by sisterly love! I’ve got some more lovely lit photos for you!

First let’s finally met the lovely couple……Alyssa and Seth Pitts…..Congratulations!

LOVE.

What a stunning bride!

Gorgeous couple + gorgeous light = wedding perfection!

Erika Dotson Photography

Their wedding was held at the beautiful Pratt Place Inn.

Anticipation.

What a gorgeous ceremony inside the barn.

They seem a little excited!

Let’s move on to some detail shots!!!!!!…………….

Alyssa chose to use a local florist from Prairie Grove. Their flowers turned out beautifully.

At their reception Alyssa and Seth set up this beautiful little table to make Father’s Day cards. It was such an original and cute idea! Pictured above is Seth’s father on the left and Alyssa’s father on the right.

Arkansas Wedding Photography

I started thinking which led to this idea! I just love when my wedding clients add personal touches to their wedding because it allows me to capture meaningful memories for them to truly bring out their character in their photos!

As soon as I saw those stamps I knew what my ring shot was going to be for the day! I think it’s perfect!

What an amazing wedding cake! Love it! It was quite tasty too! Thanks guys!

They had these cute little tins with candy surrounding the cake. Too sweet!

These are just too cute! I loved all the little details that Alyssa and Seth incorporated!

We can’t leave out the groom’s cake! I’m pretty sure Seth is a pretty big razorback fan! (He should be excited to know that Baby Dotson’s room will be Razorback themed then!!!)

Alyssa seems to be a pretty hardcore fan herself!

Alyssa was all grins as they shared their first dance together!

The Best Man whipped out his speech from his phone……I just love how technology is changing the wedding scene too! He gave a great tear jerking speech! Way to go!

I love how Alyssa’s looking back at all her single friends.

And Seth with all his single friends! I just love this shot!

Seth’s facial expression here is just great!

They had a live band that really rocked out their reception!

I love how much fun they are having together!

Looks like this guy surprised everyone with his awesome dance moves!

What a fun grand exit!

It was wonderful to work with you two! I hope you have many happy years together!

Enjoy!

-erika

KNWA Throws A Wedding with Erika Dotson Photography

Monday, July 19th, 2010

A few months ago KNWA’s special projects team called me up and asked if I would like to participate in something that totally sounded awesome to me. They are GIVING away a DREAM WEDDING to one lucky couple in our area! How awesome is that?

If you knew from our last Bridal Fair in September 2009 I gave away a free wedding package to Alyssa and Seth who were recently married on Father’s Day! So I immediately jumped on the train at this opportunity!!!

As far as photography is concerned they will be highlighting three photographers: Erika Dotson Photography along with Dale Benfield and David Manning. I have yet to meet David (I have probably seen him in passing and haven’t realized it though!) but I’ve checked out his work and it’s pretty cool. As for Dale he’s pretty awesome if you haven’t met him yet, he’s super friendly and willing to help everyone!

This should be a fun contest so if you are interested go register and vote! Be sure to read the info page first (this contest has certain requirements).

If you just want to check out the submissions you can do that to!

Enjoy and Good Luck!

-erika

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Ashely Avra // Northwest Arkansas Bridals

Monday, July 19th, 2010

I couldn’t wait to post these, but now since Ashley and Jim are finally The Clarks I get to share!!! What a wedding last night! (You’ll hear all about it later I promise) For now I’m going to share how beautiful Mrs. Ashley is. Now these are just bridal portraits (taken at The Inn at Carnall Hall) long before the wedding day, and as gorgeous as she is in these photos she unbelievably was far more stunning last night……..must be all those giddy love emotions oh and Jim (that probably had a little bit to do with it!) ;) Enough blabbing let’s see those photos!