Sanchez and Bobby’s Little Rock Wedding

Sanchez and Bobby were married June 25, 2011 at Holy Temple Church of God in Christ in Little Rock. It was a big wedding (7 flower girls!) full of family, friends, and celebration. The reception was held at the Bess Chisum Stephens Community Center Ballroom. A “Cinderella” theme was used for the style with red and white as the wedding colors. The centerpiece of the reception was a huge multi-layered wedding cake done in a classic style with columns and staircases connecting the layers. After a full dinner was served, the cake cut and the toasts made, the party got started on the  dance floor. It’s always fun to shoot a reception where people are having so much fun. I also really love to take pictures of kids at weddings, and I think there were almost as many kids at this wedding as there were adults!

The hustle and bustle before the ceremony as Sanchez and her bridal party prepare.

The shy little junior bride led the procession of 7 beautiful flower girls.

I had to get up in the balcony to get the whole bridal party in one shot!

The image on the left was taken just after the couple "jumped the broom". I love the big smile and tears on the brides face! We had fun getting some portraits outside on the classic car that was used as the "going away" vehicle.

The first dance at the reception.

Look at that huge cake! Fit for a princess and her prince, it even had a Cinderella wedding carriage on top.

Now that is what I call enthusiasm! These girls were serious about catching the wedding bouquet (which as you can see from the picture, didn't survive the encounter).

There was a big crowd on the dance floor as the celebration went on into the evening. This was a really fun reception to photograph 🙂

Congratulations to Sanchez and Bobby, and best wishes for you and your fabulous family!

 

NWA Senior Portraits – Jordan class of 2012

I had so much fun with Jordan, one of my High School Senior Portrait ambassadors for the class of 2012. She was creative and relaxed, and we got some great portraits on Dixon Street in Fayetteville before going over to my aunt-in-laws house to get some awesome pool portraits. Check out some of my favorites from our fabulous portrait session:

I like the "fashion model" look to these pictures.

Hats off to Jordan's mom, who went into a pool hall to ask if we could use the motorcycles parked outside for pictures! Needless to say, the owners were happy to oblige 🙂

The Walton Arts Center Rose Garden made a great backdrop for some "sweet and pretty" pictures.

What a great swimming pool my aunt let us use! And I love Jordan's "lounging by the pool" outfit with the big floppy hat. Very posh!

Its fun to do something a little out of the ordinary for your senior portraits, you just have to save these kind of pool portraits for last 🙂

This is my personal favorite from the session. Love this shot!

We had so much fun with Jordan and her mom, and I can’t wait to do a fall color senior session later this year. If you are looking for a NWA Senior Portrait photographer, I would love to meet with you. We will make your session unique and perfect for your individual style, with pictures and products that will be the envy of your classmates! 2012 Seniors are already getting pictures done, and  fall sessions can fill up early. Plus, if you “like” Steely Joe Studio on Facebook before you book, you will save $20 off your session fee!

Amanda and Jared’s Paris, Arkansas wedding

Amanda and Jared were married in the small Arkansas River Valley town of Paris on June 11, 2011 at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church. Ed and I made a little field trip out of our first trip to Arkansas Wine country by eating lunch at Wiederkehr Vinyard and stopping in to see the amazing view from St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Altus en route to Paris. The day started out as a typical June day in Arkansas (hot and muggy), but by the time the reception got underway, storms rolled in and made it way too soggy to do outside pictures. Amanda’s color scheme was pastel shades of pink and green, and the focal point of the reception was the beautiful wedding cake from Harp’s Bakery in Van Buren. Many of the decorations followed the popular trend of the “DIY bride” with colorful paper pom poms in the windows and a pretty “money tree” made from branches painted white. The DIY trend is going strong in weddings big and small, and I have seen some really nice favors, decorations and programs made by creative brides this year! Amanda and Jared were great to work with and we wish them all the best in their new life together.

The reception hall at Bethel Baptist Church was decorated in the pale pink and green color scheme. Wedding cake from Harps Bakery. The rings are sitting on a mirror with scattered water-soluble heart shaped "rice" that was used for the send off.

I like these images using the mirror in the bride's changing room. The little flower girl was so fascinated with the preparations!

The ceremony at Bethel Baptist Church.

Ed did this series of candid images in the hallway right after the ceremony in front of a bright white wall in the lobby. Love these pictures!

Details from the reception. The middle image is another one of Ed's. He was on a roll for this wedding!

We had to do most of the portaits inside while the storm blew over, but we stepped out on the porch when it let up a bit for few shots, too.

We did some "going away" images on the front porch of the church, but it was just too wet to have everyone stand outside. So the wedding guests grouped up at the covered back door for a send off before the couple made a dash for the car.

Vendor Links

Wedding Cake and finger foods: Harps Bakery, Van Buren

Wedding Dress: Always and Forever, Fort Smith

Eco-friendly wedding “rice”: bridesvillage.com.