Posts Tagged ‘fort smith wedding photography’
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!

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!

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
Tags: 479-871-8932, arkansas bridal portraits, arkansas wedding photographer, arkansas wedding photography, Arkansas Wedding Videography, arkansas weddings, bella vista wedding photography, blog.erikadotsonphotography.com, clean wedding photography, creative wedding photography, dallas wedding photography, dodson, dotson, dotson photography, erica, erica dodson, erica dotosn, erica dotson, erika, erika and liz, erika dotson, erika dotson photography, erika liz photography, eureka springs wedding photography, fayetteville wedding photography, fort smith wedding photography, little rock wedding photography, mena ar, mena arkansas, mena arkansas wedding photographer, mena arkansas wedding photography, mena photographer, mena wedding photographer, mena wedding photography, mena weddings, northwest arkansas wedding photography, nwa wedding photography, outdoors wedding photography, reception venue, rogers arkansas, rogers arkansas wedding photography, simple wedding photography, springdale wedding photography, tulsa wedding photography, unique wedding photography, vintage wedding photography, wedding photographers, wedding photography in fayetteville, wedding vendors
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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!

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.

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
Tags: 479-871-8932, Alyssa and Seth Pitts, arkansas wedding photographer, arkansas wedding photography, Arkansas Wedding Videography, arkansas weddings, bella vista wedding photography, blog.erikadotsonphotography.com, clean wedding photography, creative wedding photography, dallas wedding photography, destination weddings, dotson photography, erica dodson, erica dotson, erica dotson photography, erika, erika and liz, erika dorie dotson, erika dotson, erika dotson photography, erika liz photography, erikadotsonphotography.com, eureka springs wedding photography, Fayetteville Ar Weddings, Fayetteville Arkansas Wedding Photography, Fayetteville arkansas weddings, fayetteville photographer, fayetteville wedding photography, fayetteville weddings, fort smith wedding photography, Little Rock Photographers, little rock wedding photography, little rock weddings, mena wedding photography, modern wedding photography, northwest arkansas wedding photography, nwa wedding photography, outdoors wedding photography, Pratt Place, Pratt Place Barn, Pratt Place Inn, reception venue, rogers arkansas, rogers arkansas wedding photography, simple wedding photography, springdale wedding photography, tulsa wedding photographers, tulsa wedding photography, tulsa weddings, unique wedding photography, vintage engagements, vintage wedding photography, wedding chapel, wedding ideas, wedding photographers, wedding photography, wedding photography in fayetteville, wedding vendors
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Sally and Cole were married recently in Mountain Home and I had the honor of capturing their special day! Sally was absolutely gorgeous and of course Cole was looking pretty handsome himself!
First we’ll start with all the pretty details!

Sally had a cute little cabin for her and all her girls to get ready in just beside the ceremony location.

By the looks of it they loved the guestbook! :)

They were married at Gaston’s White River Resort and had a BEAUTIFUL location for their ceremony just off the river bank!

Tanja captured this great shot of Sally and her Father waiting to walk her down the aisle.

And shortly after I was able to capture this one.

This little guy was so worried about walking down the aisle, good thing he had his big sister to hang on to!!! He did a great job!!!

Cole called me earlier that day and let me in on his secret! I was so excited to know he had something so special up his sleeve! It was a big surprise to everyone (well except us photographers!) and there was so much emotion in the air! It was major bonus points in Cole’s favor!!!


I think this is my favorite image from the whole day! I told you there was a lot of emotions! This picture captures all of them! Way to go Tanja!

Now for some pretty couple pictures!

Images like this are a result of choosing to do a “First Look”!!!! So personal and intimate!!! Once again, I just love the emotion in this image!!!! :) If I’m not mistaken this is a Tanja shot too!


Meet Mr. and Mrs. Ezell!!!


A nice kissing shot after the cake cutting! I love when my couples do this and I get to catch it on film (well digital film that is!)


I love how Sally is looking back to see who’s going to catch it! And you can bet that little girl did everything she could to be the winner!

What a great way to end the evening!

Enjoy!
-erika
(PS for those of you wondering I will have Sally and Cole’s wedding galleries up on the website tomorrow well technically later today since it is 2am!)
Tags: arkansas wedding, arkansas wedding photography, bentonville wedding photography, destination wedding photography, erika dotson, erika dotson photography, eureka springs wedding photography, fayetteville wedding photography, fort smith wedding photography, gaston white river resort, little rock wedding photography, missouri wedding photography, mountain home wedding photography, natural wedding photography, nwa wedding photography, oklahoma wedding photograph, oklahoma wedding photography, outdoor wedding, outdoor wedding photos, ozark wedding photography, ozark weddings, river wedding, rogers wedding photography, Sally and Cole Ezell, sally and cole wedding photography, springdale wedding photography, sunny wedding, texas wedding photography, wedding photos
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Sally and Cole were married on May 22nd so I feel like it’s a good time to get some bridals up of the beautiful Sally! We took these bridals a few weeks before her wedding day and I just couldn’t wait to share them with all of you, but obviously I had too since no one had seen her in her dress yet and we definitely wouldn’t want to risk the chance of the groom to see them either!!! We started shooting in a field of yellow flowers then headed down to Lake Fayetteville to capture some stunning shots there as well! Sally is such a beautiful lady! She recently graduated from grad school(GO SALLY!) and planned a wedding the following weekend…..brave girl! Oh and I’m pretty sure she’s already secured a job as well and started today! CONGRATS!


Keep posted for their wedding images soon!
Enjoy!
-erika
Tags: arkansas bridal portraits, arkansas portraits, arkansas wedding photography, botanical garden of the ozards, Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, bridal portraits, Bridals, bride session, classic wedding photography, conway wedding photography, erika and liz, erika doton, erika dotson, erika dotson photography, erika liz photography, esession pics, eureka springs wedding photography, fayetteville wedding photography, fort smith wedding photography, little rock wedding photography, mountain home wedding photography, northwest arkansas bridal session, nwa bridals, nwa wedding photography, sally and cole wedding photography, sally chen, tulsa wedding photography, vintage wedding photography, wedding dress pictures, wedding photography
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This basically is what I do on a daily basis….. edit edit edit and some more editing! And guess what…..I wouldn’t trade my job for a million bucks!

Enjoy!
erika
Tags: arkansas senior portraits, arkansas wedding photography, Arkansas Wedding Videography, bella vista wedding photography, blog.erikadotsonphotography.com, clean wedding photography, creative wedding photography, dallas wedding photography, dotson, dotson photography, engagment portraits, erica dodson, erica dotson, erica dotson photography, erika, erika and liz, erika dorie dotson, erika dotson, erika dotson photography, erika liz photography, erikadotsonphotography.com, erikaliz photography, eureka springs wedding photography, fayetteville senior portrais, fayetteville wedding photography, fort smith wedding photography, huntsville senior portraits, little rock wedding photography, mena wedding photography, modern wedding photography, Northwest Arkansas Photographers, northwest arkansas wedding photography, nwa wedding photography, outdoors wedding photography, reception venue, rogers arkansas, rogers arkansas wedding photography, senior portrait photographers, senior portraits, senior portriats, simple wedding photography, springdale wedding photography, tulsa wedding photography, unique wedding photography, vintage engagements, vintage wedding photography, wedding chapel, wedding ideas, wedding photography, wedding photography in fayetteville, wedding vendors
Posted in 365 Self Portrait Project |
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I want to focus on every color in the rainbow at some point but I think today will be YELLOW!!!
Find these adorable dresses at Forever 21 for your bridesmaids!

What an adorable idea!!!!! Love love love lining the walkway with lemons!!!

I thought these shoes from Payless would look cute with the girls’ dresses.

Oh you gotta have lemonade to make the wedding complete!!!

Lemonade
From Martha Stewart
3 cups lemon or lime juice, about 20 lemons or 25 limes freshly squeezed
2 cups superfine sugar
4 cups cold water
4 cups ice
2 lemons or limes, thinly sliced for garnish
1. Into a large serving container, strain the citrus juice, mix it with sugar, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Add 4 cups cold water and stir again until well combined. Add ice to fill and a few lemon or lime slices.
Makes 10 cups.
And these would be wonderful shoes for the bride!!!!

What a cute bouquet!!!!

What a great bridesmaid gift from Etsy!

Cute socks! What a great idea for a fun shot!

And of course you gotta have a yellow tie to coordinate!

I’m thinking the tie would look best with a grey tux!

Instead of one big wedding cake you could offer cute little pies or cakes displayed at various heights to add interest!


These would be a good addition to the church doors.

Learn how to make these DIY napkin folds yourself!

What an adorable boutonniere!

Enjoy!
-erika
Tags: 72701 wedding photography, arkansas wedding photography, dallas wedding photography, dodson studios, dotson studios, erica dodson, erica dotson, erika, erika and liz, erika dorie, erika dorie dotson, erika dotson blog, erika dotson photographt, erika dotson photography, erika liz photography, erikaliz photography, eureka springs wedding photography, fayetteville wedding photography, fort smith wedding photography, grey tux, hot springs wedding photography, joplin wedding photography, lemon decor, lemon wedding theme, little rock wedding photography, mena wedding photography, mustard inspiration board, mustard wedding theme, northwest arkansas wedding photography, nwa wedding photography, oklahoma city wedding photography, tulsa wedding photography, wedding inspiration, wedding photographers, wedding photography, yellow bridesmaid dress, yellow heels, yellow napkins, yellow wedding decor, yellow wedding ideas, yellow wedding shoes, yellow wedding theme, yellow weddings
Posted in Monday Favorites |
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Today I had the opportunity to have the day off and boy was I sure happy about that! What a gorgeous day to be outside! First I started with my morning jog, which makes me feel so much healthier and better about gaining weight. As I started my old man neighbor that’s ALWAYS outside playing with his little cows or planting in his garden said “hey be sure to run an extra lap for me” I said “alright I’ll get right on that!” By the way Ellie is getting so good at walking on a leash, she doesn’t pull on me at all, and let me tell you from experience when I had Roxy that makes it very difficult to go running! Anyways back to my jogging story……. As I was making my way back I was obviously tired…..obviously…..apparently it was so obvious that my old man neighbor says “you’re getting a little slower there hun”. I responded with “yea my legs are so tired!” All I can think of right now is how pathetic I probably looked while trying to “jog” when I could have probably just given up and walked fast than my “jog”!!!!!!!
Then part two of my day consisted of editing the wedding from the weekend, which I am already finished with!
That makes me super happy! I hate the feeling of being behind, especially with editing because you feel like you’ll never ever EVER…………..finish! So whew that’s done! And I’ve got an engagement shoot in Dallas this weekend so I’ll be ahead of schedule! Hopefully I can knock those out in a few days too!
Part three involved the doctors office, the doctor, myself, and finally the most important part…..the baby’s heartbeat!!! :) I never thought I would be the mushy excited mom (wow I just called myself mom)….anyways it is pretty exciting to actually hear that heartbeat truckin away! It makes it all seem so much more real, which is good because every time I have an appointment I always have this lingering thought in the back of my mind that they are about to search for that heartbeat and they can’t find it, then the doctor tells me that she’s sorry but there’s no more baby….. I know morbid and horrible to think about but just being honest. But no worries whatever it is boy or girl it’s very much active in there and getting big and strong with a heart rate of 143.
And finally to my picture for today. I decided that since it was so beautiful I would spend some more time with Ellie outside. Soon she won’t be the princess around here anymore and I hope she doesn’t get jealous and still gets all the attention she needs. (If you haven’t figured it out yet Ellie is basically my un-human child). Anyways so I thought I would be a little kid for a while and lay on the grass with her, I think she liked it.

Enjoy!
-erika
If you had a chance to do something outside today I’d like to hear what you did. Leave a comment below where it says comments in really small print……thanks.
Tags: 365 blog, 365 self portrait, dallas wedding photography, erika dotson, erika dotson photography, fayetteville wedding photography, fort smith wedding photography, little rock wedding photography, mena wedding photography, missouri wedding photography, northwest arkansas wedding photography, oklahoma wedding photography, photographers in arkanasas, rogers wedding photography, senior portrait photographers, springdale wedding photography, st louis wedding photography, texas wedding photography, tulsa wedding photography, vintage wedding photography, wedding photography
Posted in 365 Self Portrait Project |
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Alright I love doing this and while I missed the actual Monday mark, I’m posting it anyways!

These ice lanterns are a total do it yourself project for anyone planning a winter wedding! How cute!!!
You need two buckets, one smaller then the other.
Some greens, I love to use olive branches.
Fill the biggest bucket half full with water.
Place the smaller bucket inside it and place some rocks or something heavy to keep in in place.
Add more water, the water level should be to the top.
Add your branches to the sides of the bucket.
Use some tape to keep the small bucket in the middle of the big one.
Now set the whole thing outside to freeze.
Once its frozen, remove the small bucket first and then the large one.
You now have a beautiful ice lantern.
Place a votive candle inside and voila, the party can start.

What a cute idea! And just for all you brides, details like this make your wedding rock that much harder!!! Photographers love little details!

I love how they pulled these centerpieces together! I usually get stuck in that rut that these centerpieces things have to be super fancy, but these are totally cute and another DIY!!!!
Steps for a Full Wrap Treatment
Step 1:Measure paper around the vase. Leave about 1″ on the neck for a ribbon treatment.
Step 2:Cut the paper. Adhere one edge of the paper to the glass with glue dots. Wrap the other side around and secure with more glue dots.
Step 3:Cover the top rough edges with a grosgrain ribbon.
Steps for a Middle Band Treatment
Step 1:Measure paper around the vase.
Step 2:Cut first band to measure 5″, second to measure 3.5″.
Step 3:Stick first wrap to the vessel with glue dots. Layer on the 3″ band,again using glue dots.
Step 4:Top it off with ribbon treatment.

Anything personalized is super cute but these are adorable. If you planned on a wedding in the summer and thought of these fans think how much your guests would love to have this keepsake!!!

I saw these at Forever 21 and instantly thought they would be perfect for a stylish bride!!!
This idea struck me as an important one for all couples planning a wedding. I like to ask “what is your photography budget”, and I usually get this response “well we really haven’t thought about it” or “we don’t really have one”. My first piece of advice for you is make one!!! It will be the most important thing you do to keep your wedding costs down and be able to get what you actually want. Wedding expenditures add up and quickly but if you are prepared with a budget that will help. Also it’s a great idea to start budgeting together as a couple, since now you’ll probably have some sort of a joint account. This website isn’t just geared toward weddings either but it’s a great way to keep track of what you are saving! Be sure to check it out smartypig.com
Enjoy!
-erika
Tags: arkansas wedding photography, bella vista wedding photography, dallas wedding photography, diy wedding ideas, dodson photos, dodson studios, dotson photography, dotson photos, dotson studios, erica, erica dodson, erica dotson, erika, erika dodson, erika dorie, erika dorie dotson, erika dorie simmons, erika dotson, erika dotson photograph, erika dotson photography, erika dotson photogrpahy, erika simmons, eureka springs wedding photography, fayetteville wedding photography, fort smith wedding photography, joplin wedding photography, lds wedding photography, little rock wedding photography, mena wedding photography, northwest arkansas wedding photography, nwa wedding photography, oklahoma city temple wedding photography, oklahoma city wedding photography, planning a budget, rogers wedding photography, springdale wedding photography, springfield wedding photography, st louis wedding photography, temple wedding photography, tulsa wedding photography, wedding advice, wedding budget, wedding ideas
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Today I had an amazing day shooting Kelly and Adam’s wedding. I’m not going to spill the beans too too much about how much I loved them because there will be a later post for that. My self portrait today was down at Devil’s Den while I was shooting some couple portraits on the waterfall. What a beautiful place to get married and I’m so glad I got to spend most of the day outside today with such a great and loving family!
More to come on Kelly and Adam’s awesomeness!!!!

Enjoy!
-erika
Tags: arkansas wedding photographers, dallas wedding photography, devil's den arkansas, devils den, devils den state park, Devils den wedding photography, dodson photography, dodson studios, erica dodson, erica dorie, erica dotson, erika and liz, erika dodson, erika dorie, erika dorie dotson, erika dotson, erika dotson photography, erika liz photography, erika simmons, erikaliz photography, fayetteville wedding photography, fort smith wedding photography, joplin wedding photography, kansas city wedding photography, little rock wedding photography, mena wedding photography, nwa wedding photography, oklahoma city wedding photography, tulsa wedding photography, wedding photography in arkansas
Posted in 365 Self Portrait Project |
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It’s been a long day……..

But I’ve gotta go get rested up for our awesome Devil’s Den Wedding tomorrow! I’m super excited, even though I know you can’t tell in this image, and I can’t wait!!!! Congratulations Kelly and Adam!!!
Enjoy!
-erika
Tags: 365 blog, 365 day self portrait project, 365 self portrait, 479-871-8932, arkansas wedding photography, Arkansas Wedding Videography, bella vista wedding photography, blog.erikadotsonphotography.com, clean wedding photography, creative wedding photography, dallas wedding photography, devil's den arkansas, devil's den special occasions, devils den, devils den state park, Devils den wedding photography, dotson, dotson photography, engagment portraits, erica dodson, erica dotson, erica dotson photography, erika and liz, erika dorie dotson, erika dotson, erika dotson photography, erika liz photography, erikadotsonphotography.com, eureka springs wedding photography, fayetteville wedding photography, fort smith wedding photography, little rock wedding photography, mena wedding photography, northwest arkansas wedding photography, nwa wedding photography, rogers arkansas, rogers arkansas wedding photography, self portrait project, springdale wedding photography, tulsa wedding photography, unique wedding photography, vintage engagements, vintage wedding photography, wedding ideas, wedding photographers, wedding photography, wedding photography in fayetteville, wedding vendors
Posted in 365 Self Portrait Project |
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