Category Archives: blog

Pam and Roger Wedding Day

So happy to finally post my first wedding shot in Kansas City!!!  It has been such challenge and a blessing to relocate to Kansas City.  When we first got here it was a major culture shock.  I went from living in a small town in our own little cottage to a huge city in a downtown high rise loft.  Talk about some major adjustments!!  It has been a huge stress getting the business set up to operate legally in Missouri, and when the opportunity to shoot Pam and Roger’s wedding came up, I jumped at the chance to get shooting again.  No matter how stressful running a business can be, the moment that camera comes out makes it all worth it.

Pam and Roger got married on one clear and gorgeous November afternoon.  I was overwhelmed at how much their wedding revolved around their mutual love of Jesus Christ and their families.  What a beautiful day for one very beautiful couple.

One Amazing Journey

Not long after meeting Michaela we found out that they would be expecting a beautiful baby girl and so the journey began.  It started with one beautiful couple and a bump…

A very radiant bump…

A few hours of waiting and some serious pain…

all for the arrival of one perfect little girl…

and an even more radiant mommy…

Only to realize that this little beauty is going to be one serious heartbreaker.

Allie and Taylor Wedding Day

Allie and Taylor’s wedding day was a first for me.  Since I started shooting weddings almost three years ago, I have had a number of second shooters, interns, and assistants, but I have never been the second shooter.  Then my new friend Natasha (meaning I met her for the first time at the wedding) posted on Facebook that she wanted someone to help out at this gorgeous December wedding, I jumped at the chance.  A girl can only stand to be away from weddings for so long, and I was getting antsy to get shooting.  Of course I was delighted when I arrived at the Marriott in Blue Springs, MO and realized not only that Allie and Taylor were absolutely gorgeous (and the sweetest couple) but their bridal party was fierce!  We had a blast hitting up downtown KC for some amazing bridal party pictures before heading back for a gorgeous ceremony and reception.

Images from this post are special copyright Deanna Johnson/A Day to Adore Photography for Natasha Wratchford Photography.

Aubri and Lance Wedding Day

When Aubri first talked to me about shooting their October 2011 wedding they were planning a small traditional wedding in Pocatello.  A few weeks later Aubri called me to tell me they had decided to mix things up a bit and the wedding was heading to Las Vegas.  Count me in!!  We started the morning off with a private shoot at the the Las Vegas Neon Boneyard.  The Boneyard is a museum made up of all of the old neon signs that made Vegas famous,  i.e. piles and piles of old vintage junk (heaven on earth to me).  Of course the museum attendant was there counting down the clock and we did not waste a second of our glorious time.  From there we hit the streets of Vegas and stopped to snap some good old tourist shots (complete with wedding dress) at some of Aubri and Lance’s favorite L.V. spots.

Keeping with the classical Las Vegas experience, the wedding took place in the garden chapel at the Viva Las Vegas wedding chapel.  Aubri and Lance have one amazing family and the chapel was packed with special people who made the trip to be there for this very special day.

Oh and I couldn’t resist throwing in a few from Aubri’s stunning bridal session.

A Very Special Christmas Gift

Right after we moved to Kansas City I was talking to my mother-in-law and she mentioned how much she loved getting pictures of her grandchildren.  It reminded me of a very special book I saw at a trade show a few months ago.  The album was an ABC book of a small boy, photographed beautifully and illustrating many of the boys favorite activities and his personality.  I decided we would need o make one of our very own books and send it home for the grandparents for Christmas.  What I didn’t realize at the time was how much work this kind of a project was going to take and how uncooperative  my little bundle of energy could be.  My goal for the project, aside from having a very special gift for Christmas, was to photograph each page like a photographer and not like a mom.  No snapshots and each picture had to be lit and edited properly  to make the album as perfect and professional as possible.  Of course a few pages ended up being snapshots of our family, but I realized that sometimes those truly are the most beautifully captured moments.  I was amazed at how much inspiration came about from just carrying my camera around with me.  For example, one day Haven and I went for a walk to explore downtown KC a bit better.  We stumbled upon YJ’s snack bar down at 17th St and since our day was a bit chilly, we decided to stop and get a hot chocolate.  After one sip of the incredible foamy goodness, Haven started giggling because he had foam left on his lip.  I had originally planned something completely different, but milk mustache was too perfect!  I can’t tell you the weird looks we got as I tried over and over again to get Haven to hold still at the exact moment he had a good mustache.  People must have thought I was crazy.  Without further ado, a glance into my life and one absolutely perfect little boy.

P.S. I was in such a rush to get the album printed and sent out in time for Christmas, that I missed printing my own.  As soon as I get one I promise to post pictures of what the actual album looks like.

Lee and Kalli Wedding Day

Since album designs take quite a bit of time to pull together, I thought it might be fun to share the finished design (and it will help me get more of these gorgeous weddings online faster:).  Lee and Kalli tied the knot at her parents home just outside of Idaho Falls this summer, but as with all love stories theirs started long before the wedding day.   Lee and Kalli actually met through eHarmony online.  I realize to many people those commercials are the brut of many jokes, but for these two it was literally a perfect match.  Lee is from Nebraska and after much talk and emails back and forth, they decided to meet.  I’m sure you can image what happened from there, and I couldn’t be more excited to have been a part of their special day and to share their wedding with you.  (I’m still waiting for eHarmony to call them to be on the commercials!)  Oh and I should probably mention that if you look close you will find me in this album somewhere.  I usually try to avoid having my own picture taken, but since I was on a high flying adventure in the top of a ladder truck, I thought I would let it slide.

Kortney and Spencer Wedding Day

Since I have been terrible about posting sessions to the blog, I am going to start working backwards until I get caught up.  Kortney and Spencer were my last Pocatello wedding, before Haven and I literally jumped on a plane the very next day to begin our new adventure in Kansas City.  As anyone from Idaho can understand, the weather is highly unpredictable and often changes rapidly.  After a gorgeous and clear morning, raindrops started as I was walking into the Rosewood Reception Center to get started on pictures.  We watched the storm pass over the top of us and continue out into the mountains.  And just like that, it was gone and we were left with the crisp smell of rain and a clear and sunny fall evening.  

Ashley & Brett Engagements

Ashley and Brett are one lucky couple.  We were all ready to shoot their engagement session in the freezing cold, but somehow Missouri blessed us with one amazingly gorgeous December afternoon!

Amy and Michael Engagement Session

I love shooting engagement sessions in locations that have meaning and history to a couple.  Amy and Michael live a few blocks from the Plaza, take their dogs for walks at the Liberty Memorial, and love Kansas City.  Thank you Amy and Michael for sharing bits of your city with me.  It makes me excited to be here and to have the opportunity to find places my family will cherish and to create our own history and meaning here.

Allison and B.J. {Wedding Day}

When Allison called me last February about shooting their October wedding in Boise, ID I was overjoyed until I realized the date.  We were scheduled to join Kendall in Kansas City the week before the wedding.  After much begging and promising this really would be my last Idaho wedding, we decided to extend our stay to make sure I wouldn’t miss it.  As life goes, plans change and we ended up moving out to KC much sooner, but there was still no way I was letting this wedding go.  Enter Southwest Airlines, snow in Denver, a delayed flight, and one stressed out photographer (Don’t worry we had a backup on standby just in case).  After all that stress I still made it to the wedding within 20 minutes of our original plan and the day went flawless from there.  Allison and I went to jr. high together so it was a mini reunion of old school friends coming together for one beautiful couple.  The Boise Train Depot was the perfect setting for Allison’s classic look and offered us more amazing locations than we had time to utilize.  Gorgeous couple, amazing friends, incredible location, delectable food, and one wedding worth traveling to.