Dotson Studios » Modern Photography & Design in Chattanooga

Emily and Dan’s wedding was a lot of fun! This fabulous couple had so much energy and love for each other, that just being around them made you happy. We got to shoot at the Tennessee River Place which we’ve never been to before and it was SO beautiful. The weather was perfect, the location was stunning, plus we got to work with Foxy Events whom we just love! Every little detail was so pretty and everything came together for a wonderful wedding day.

Make sure you check out the pictures at the end…we’ve never had a groom strip off his pants and leave in a WaveRunner before!

Thanks to Emily and Dan for asking us to be a part of your day…we hope you love your images.

Emily and Dan…

How did you decide on your dress?
My mom and I went shopping at a couple of places and I kept expecting that big moment, where everyone cries and says this is it and she was very “meh” about everything I was trying on. So we went to the last place of the day and the first dress I tried on was perfect! I was obsessed with the cool pleats on the bottom and it fit perfect and my mom teared up. We were so excited and finally had the “this is it!” feeling that we’d both been waiting for.

What was the most memorable moment about your wedding day?
Walking down the aisle with my Dad was so exciting! I loved seeing all of our loved ones there to support us and Dan waiting for me at the end. It was incredibly special.

What did you enjoy most about planning your wedding?
The cake tasting and trying on dresses were my favorite parts. I also liked that Dan contributed his awesome groom’s cake and an unforgettable getaway on the WaveRunner. It was amazing to see everything come together!

What was your favorite detail of the wedding?
The lights down to the river were so stunning! And my mother-in-law made my beautiful sash, it really made the dress look all the more amazing.

What are three words you would use to describe your day?
Beautiful. Delicious and Dance-tastic. I made that last one up, but it’s true.

What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future?
We are looking forward to lots of travel and adventures together!

Hope and Stephen’s wedding day was such a special day. This couple are wonderful friends…who can’t stop looking at each other! They are simply a joy to be around. Hope was a stunning bride, the wedding was beautiful and the reception was so much fun! We started off at the beautiful Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church for the ceremony then headed over to Lookout Mountain Golf Club for the reception.

We loved being a part of this wedding and this couple who are so deeply in love.

We hope you enjoy…Hope and Stephen.

What did you enjoy most about planning your wedding?
The aspect about planning that I enjoyed most would probably be planning the ceremony. Stephen and I wanted to make sure that God was glorified through our union as husband and wife. I also loved making a schedule and checking off items as I went through them. After doing events for my college, I had already had experience working with venues and caterers, but this was a whole new ball game! I think it was weird for me to make all the shots. Before I would just execute, now I had to plan the whole event, from the flowers to the lighting…to everything! It was so fun, and I wouldn’t have traded that responsibility for anything.

What was the most memorable moment about your wedding day?
I think the most memorable moment of my wedding day, was seeing Stephen for the first time in my gown. The look on his face said it all. He was so happy, and seeing him made me feel at ease. It was a great start to the best day of my life! Oh and I definitely remember when he smashed the cake in my face. What a stinker. !!

How did you decide on your dress?
Well it’s not your typical story! I had been shopping all day with my mom and sisters, and we finally made it to Monica’s. It was about an hour before closing and I grabbed a few dresses to try on not knowing that my dress was in the store. I tried on about 6 dresses, and then I tried on mine and knew that it was the one. The store was closing and I had to make a decision, so I screamed, “Yes! It’s the one!” It was the very last dress that I tried on that day, and some might say that I made an ‘impulse’ buy, but I knew that the dress was for me! I even was able to customize it, which made it even more my own. I loved the way it made me feel, and I loved wearing it on my wedding day! It actually turned out to be extremely comfortable!

What was your favorite detail of the wedding?
My favorite detail of the wedding was probably the flowers. I loved what our florist did. She was amazing to work with, and she is extremely gifted. She did exactly what I envisioned. I also enjoyed seeing all the bridesmaids in their dresses. That was an exciting moment for me!

What are three words you would use to describe your day?
Elegant, Beautiful, and absolutely PERFECT.

What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future?
As we have recently moved into our house, and started to make arrangements for our new jobs, I can’t help but think how blessed I am by Stephen. I couldn’t imagine a better person to spent forever with…so as far as future goes, we plan on getting settled into our jobs and our new home, and who knows, in a few years we might start having kids. All I know is that I am so glad that I get to do all of this with my best friend, Stephen.

There are some weddings that really stand out to you, and Megan & Michael’s was one of them. When ever we get to work with a Dalton family, it’s always so wonderful, and this was no exception. I loved Megan’s mix of classic elegance with vintage influence. I really want her wedding dress…it was was one of the most beautiful one’s I’ve ever seen…and everything else was equally stunning.

It was a special day, one that we were honored to document. After makeup, hair, and the guys playing water sports and the bride’s family home, we headed to St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and then to the Dalton Country Club for quite a fabulous party.

Congratulations to Megan and Michael – thank you for asking us to be a part of your wedding!

Megan and Michael…

What did you enjoy most about planning your wedding?

I (Megan) loved spending time with my Mom. She had a huge part in planning the wedding, and I am so grateful that we shared this experience. Also, Mike and I did a lot of planning/running errands during the final weeks before our wedding. Since we had lived in different cities all of last year, we had so much fun just being together and knowing we would get to be together forever. We had a great time putting the final touches our on big day.

What was the most memorable moment about your wedding day?

The most memorable moment for the both of us was our kiss. We were so incredibly happy to be married. If anyone was there, they know we actually kissed 4 times- We were just so happy and didn’t want the moment to end.

How did you decide on your dress?

I absolutely loved my dress. I took several trips to go wedding dress shopping. My first trip was in Nashville, TN with my Mom and Grandmother. I tried on a lot of dresses at the very first store, but nothing stood out until we were about to leave. I noticed a dress that another girl was trying on. We didn’t know how much longer we would have to wait to get a good look at it, so I just decided it probably wasn’t the one, and we moved on to the next store. Turns out it was the one! I spent the next few weeks trying on hundreds of dresses, and my mind kept going back to the one at the first shop. I finally found the dress in Chattanooga, and it was everything and more that I hoped it would be. It definitely fit in with the romantic and vintage look I was going for with our wedding, and I felt beautiful on the big day.

What was your favorite detail of the wedding?

We loved all the yellow. We thought yellow would be perfect to represent our happiness and bright outlook on life. I loved seeing yellow in the flowers in the church, bridesmaid dresses, bouquets, boutonnieres and centerpieces.

What are three words you would use to describe your day?

Full of love :)

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

Mike and I just moved up to St. Louis, MO. Mike is teaching 7th, 8th and 9th grades at an all boys, Catholic school. Megan recently learned that she passed the Missouri Bar and started a public service fellowship working with the St. Louis Public Schools district. We love living in the city and look forward to growing as a couple and starting a family in the next few years.

Stephanie and Joey’s wedding was quite simply…fabulous! We had the wonderful opportunity of working with Ruffles & Rouge from the Knoxville area as well as my friend Erin from Be True Designs. Every single detail was thought out and just beautiful. It was full of the personality of Stephanie and Joey, and the day brought so many smiles and even tears to my eyes.

It was an amazing day, with an amazing couple who are so in love and so perfect for each other…it made our jobs easy. This spectacular wedding was held at St. John Neumann Catholic Church with a reception at The Fox Den Country Club.

A HUGE congratulations to Stephanie and Joey. Thank you so much for asking us to be a part of your day…we hope you love you images as much as we loved working with you.

Stephanie and Joey…

What did you enjoy most about planning your wedding?
We enjoyed working together, analyzing every detail, and realizing this one huge event was just about the two of us spending the rest of our lives together.

What was your favorite detail of the wedding?
Joey and I decided to have a “first look” prior to the wedding so that we could take as many pictures as possible before the ceremony.  Grant and Sara chose the perfect setting, and we absolutely loved that moment when we saw each other for the first time.

How did you decide on your dress?
The dress I chose happened to be the fourth dress I tried on, which is my favorite number. I knew I wanted something close to that style, and I absolutely loved the dress as soon as I put it on at Bridals by Lori.  My mom, Joey’s mom, my sister, and my grandmother were there for me on my big day, making it even more special.

What are three words you would use to describe your day?
Beautiful, Anxious, Perfect

What was the most memorable moment about your wedding day?
Erick Baker, our favorite music artist, played at our reception and performed our first song.  We both will never forget that moment.

What’s next for you as a couple? What are you looking forward to in the future?
Two days after we returned from our honeymoon, we packed up our lives and moved to Dallas, Texas.  Now that we are living in a new state in our new apartment, we are looking forward to experiencing new things and enjoying our life together.  For now, we are most looking forward to relaxing after the past few months of craziness!