Dotson Studios » Modern Photography & Design in Chattanooga

Oh how I loved shooting Elizabeth & Carter’s wedding!! Elizabeth is such a special friend to me and to be a part of her beautiful and intimate wedding was an honor. They had this gorgeous ceremony at Carter’s parent’s home and it was just perfect. It was a bit hot…but at least it wasn’t raining!

I can’t say congratulations enough to this special couple…I’m just so happy for my friend and her new husband!

Enjoy Elizabeth & Carter.

What did you enjoy most about planning your wedding?
I loved finding ways that I could involve all the special people in my life. We had the wedding at my mother in laws, my mother fixed my hair, my two oldest friends were in the wedding, another took my pictures, and two of “our” friends helped with the reception. It was so lovely seeing all my friends and family involved. Even the violinist is an old friend.

What are three words you would use to describe your day?
Hot, really hot, and sweaty…j/k
Untraditional, simple, elegant

How did you decide on your dress?
I know Carter really likes my behind, so I found a dress that accentuated that. :)

What was the most memorable moment about your wedding day?
When I first saw Carter. I saw him before he saw me, and I just started to cry. He looked so handsome. I wanted to run into his arms and never let him go.

What was your favorite detail of the wedding?
After my dad said, “Her mother and I give her to be with this man,” he prayed for Carter and I. He started crying, that’s not something you see a lot when it comes to my dad. It meant a lot to me to have my dad say the first prayer for our marriage.

What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future?
Carter and I have decided to wait and have children, so we look forward to traveling. We hope to go to Europe next year and just enjoy each other. We have both waited a long time to find our special partner, and right now, we just want to be together.

We had a wonderful day shooting Courtney and Jack’s wedding! It started out with a sweet ladies luncheon and then we spent the rest of the day at the Dalton First United Methodist Church and then a beautiful reception at the Dalton Country Club.

This couple has been together a long time and I loved how comfortable they were around each other, but yet so in love and excited to get married. I was impressed by so many beautiful details of this wedding, as everything was so beautifully and tastefully done. The reception was jam packed and had fabulous music. Jack played the drums with his band and sang to his bride…priceless!

Meet Courtney and Jack.

How did the two of you meet?
Jack and I were in the same Kindergarten class and grew up together through elementary school. We had mutual friends throughout childhood but did not become close with each other until we reached junior high. In high school our friendship developed into dating and we’ve been together ever since.

What was the most memorable moment of the wedding day?
The most unforgettable moment of our wedding day was seeing each other for the first time. After dating for so many years and spending the engagement planning all of the details for the wedding, seeing each other for the first time was the ultimate rush of excitement that our new life together was finally about to begin.

How would you describe the way you feel about each other?
We are best friends and have been for a very long time. We love, support, encourage, and pray for each other daily. Through good times and bad we know that we will always have each other.

How did you decide on your dress?
I went shopping for my dress with my mom and grandmother and we had so much fun. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was looking for, but after trying a few on, I started to get a better idea. I tried on the sample dress that was a light purple, not white. At first I was hesitant, but I took the risk and ordered it in white and I am so glad I did. It was the perfect dress for me!

Describe your ring.
My engagement ring is a solitaire princess cut on white gold. Jack purchased it from the same jewelry store in Athens, Georgia that my parents’ wedding bands are from. The store has since closed so having my ring from there is very special to me.

Describe the proposal.
Jack proposed on the campus of the University of Georgia where we attended college together. I thought we were just going to dinner and taking a walk through campus as this was a relatively routine activity for the two of us. When we reached the bridge that overlooks Sanford Stadium, Jack began to talk about our relationship and I suddenly realized what was about to happen; however, Jack stopped talking momentarily as we heard the sound of a campus bus approaching the road on which we were standing. We both laughed for a long moment as Jack told me he refused to propose while a group of on-looking college students rode bye. After I said, “yes,” we walked to the historic part of campus and called our families to tell them the good news.

What was your favorite detail of your wedding?
The best part of our wedding was seeing all of our closest family and friends together in one place celebrating with us. We feel so blessed to know that so many people love and support us and our commitment to each other.

What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future?
We just want to enjoy each others’ company and have fun living together following our long-distance relationship. We would someday like to start a family, but right now we are just enjoying our time together. I am an elementary school teacher and Jack is finishing a doctoral degree in Audiology so we will continue to enjoy life wherever God may lead us.

Congratulations to the happy couple…we loved your wedding and we hope you love your pictures!

It’s so special when friends get married! It’s even more special when you are asked to be a part of it. My friend Chasity got married at Christ Community Church in Dalton, GA, and it was one of the cutest little churches I’ve ever been to. They had a small intimate wedding with their closest friends and family members and I enjoyed being a guest as well as the photographer for a change.

Congrats to Chasity and Vincent. You guys obviously have a lot of love for each other, a beautiful family, and a very happy future together. Thanks for asking me to be a part of it.

Simple, elegant, and classic…that is how Shannon described her dress, but I think it describes her whole wedding. What a beautiful and elegant wedding Shannon and Eric had, and all of the while still being simple and focused on just one thing–their union. We met up with Shannon and Eric at Shannon’s mother’s house and it was spectacular! She had beautiful gardens in both the back and front yards as well as a beautiful garden house. It was the perfect spot for pictures.

After taking pictures of Shannon & Eric and all of the group photos, we headed to Lindsay Street Hall for a beautiful ceremony and reception. This was the first wedding we have photographed there and we just loved it! I love that it’s a church and still feels traditional, but since it’s a blank slate, a bride can make it modern and her own. It was really hot outside but everything turned out great and we had a blast shooting this understated wedding.

Congrats to Shannon & Eric, we loved your wedding and we hope you love your pictures!

Here is Shannon & Eric’s wedding and story:

How did the two of you meet?
We met in High School, however we did not start dating until our senior year in college.  We both attended MTSU.

How would you describe the way you feel about each other?
I think that if you’ve been together for 10 years and still can’t wait to marry someone, then you’ve found the one!

Describe the proposal.
Well, VERY like Eric, absolutely not planned at all!  We were at home one night sitting on the couch talking, and then he got up, came back a few minutes later and just opened the ring box and asked me to marry him.

What was your most memorable moment about your wedding day?
Walking down the aisle seeing Eric and all my friends and family together.

How did you decide on your dress?
I wanted a dress that was simple, elegant, and classic.  This dress was all of that with a touch of vintage and I loved it!

What’s next for you as a couple?  What are you looking forward to in the future?
Starting our family.