Allison Marie Photography Blog by Allison Roen, Des Moines area wedding photographer

From the moment I met Brandon & Ashley, I knew I would not only looooove photographing their wedding, but I also knew I would become good friends with them! It was so fun to learn right away that Ashely and I have many similar friends, from all different times/places in life. Brandon and Ashley both attend Walnut Creek Community Church in Des Moines, and for a long time they were involved in similar activities, but never formally met each other. When Brandon first saw Ashley, he believed that she would be the woman he would one day marry. He prayed about it for months, not wanting to rush ahead of God’s timing for them. Once they met, they started dating right away and it was only a few months before they were engaged! It’s so neat how God led Brandon’s heart to her, before he even knew much about her, and that he was so patient to wait for God’s lead before making the first step. It is obvious to anyone who spends time with them how perfect they are for each other! They both have such lively personalities, and are a sheer blast to spend time with. They also have HUGE hearts for people; their love and compassion for people is so evident, no matter who it is they interact with!

A word of caution: LONG BLOG POST AHEAD! I had a hard time narrowing their photos down to a few favorites, so here come a whole bunch of my favorites! Feel free to leave comments at the end of the ones that you love!

They were married August 21st at Walnut Creek. It was a beautiful day outside, and each part of their big day was infused with beauty! Beginning at Bella Salon in Johnston, the stunning bride got her make up and hair done:

With these cool lighted mirrors, photographing at Bella Salon was so fun! This next one is one of my favorites from the day:  Look at the cool ring pattern the lights created in Ashley’s eyes!
Ashley, you have a crazy amount of beauty!
Below: another of my favorites! Ashley’s dress was incredible! She said she’s not usually much of a “lots-o-bling” kind of person, but her dress was covered in lace and glitz! She found this beautiful dress at the Perry Bridal Boutique, and her gorgeous red flowers were put together by Lynelle Duncan.  Brandon & Ashley chose to see each other before the wedding so that they could go right to the reception after the ceremony. Their first look was full of emotion!

One of my favorite things is when couples place high value on getting great portraits of the two of them (not a surprise from me, right?!). They chose to go downtown for portraits, which will add so many sweet photos to their collection of wedding photos! Enchanting! This red door was perfect, since red was their accent color! I love how this next photo captures their personalities! They took a few moments for prayer with the bride before she walked down the aisle:  They kicked off their ceremony with worship: Another of my favorites from the day!! And off to the reception! For their afternoon reception, they served delicious desserts, catered by Cindy Hammerberg. Don’t these look delicious?! I just had to use the candy bowls for some fun ring shots! Their rings were too sweet, and these colorful bowls called my name! CONGRATULATIONS, Brandon & Ashley! You are a beautiful couple, inside and out! Thank you for the JOY of photographing your wedding! I can’t wait for you to see the rest!

Brad and Erin couldn’t be an ounce cuter. I knew their wedding would be adorable because all they did during their engagement session was giggled together! Their wedding was beautiful, full of joy and excitement, totally stress-free! It was a perfect August day for a wedding. I had never been to Egnacio’s Church in Cumming, Iowa…and it’s now one of my favorites! It used to be a Catholic church, but was purchased by a woman who transformed it into a quaint wedding chapel. She also built an addition to her home, which functions as the bride’s dressing room. I am eager to photograph another wedding there; it was beautiful! This was my favorite place to photograph the bride getting ready, because the light was gorgeous! No matter what a room looks like, the light either makes or breaks the photos…contrary to what many people think! 

Erin’s lovely, simple hairstyle was done by the ladies at Bella Salon & Day Spa. This next photo is one 0f my absolute favorites from the day!!! Everything about it is so pretty – her fresh makeup, her hair, her expression, that one curl of hair going down to her shoulder, the PERFECT light! Mmmm This was such a sweet moment. Erin thought her grandpa was unable to make it to the wedding because of his Alzheimer’s, but he showed up to surprise her! And what a surprise it was! She and her mom were flooded with tears of joy, and her grandpa was all-smiles, and as cute as could be! I wish I could spend a day with this gentleman and hear all about his life story!
They had me create a guestbook out of their engagement photos, and it was a hit! Their super cool cake was created by Cake Me I’m Yours: Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Sammons! You are a wonderful couple, and I am blessed to have been able to photograph your day!

Katie and Jim…two of my favorite people! I wrote a little bit about them when I posted their engagement photos – click here for a refresher! They were married on July 17th at Valley Church in West Des Moines. It was a long, beautiful, worshipful wedding! Some weddings are very traditional, and some are very unique…and Katie & Jim’s was totally “them” if you know what I mean! Every detail of their ceremony was so reflective of their personalities and relationship. Laughter, seriousness, worship songs, prayer surrounded by friends and family…it was a memorable wedding! Here are some of my favorites from the day: 

How many women does it take to lace up the back of a dress?! Jim & Katie’s first look was one of the sweetest I’ve ever seen. Jim came in and stood at the end of the aisle completely speechless. He just stood there with a flabbergasted expression on his face for so long…and then passionately said, “WOW!!!!!” And then he cried and walked toward his beautiful bride! SO sweet!
Katie, you’ve got poise!! After Katie & Jim had their private time together, Katie had a few minutes to spend with her parents. I’ve never seen this before, and I love this idea!! Rather than bubbles or flower petals, they had their guests throw streamers at them while blowing kazoos! Hundreds of kazoos all at once…those things are loud! Such a fun idea! At the reception (held at the Forte Reception hall, a part of All Play in downtown Des Moines), rather than clinking glasses to get the Mr. and Mrs. to kiss, the guests had to come up to this mic and sing a song with the word “love” in it. Guests loved this! These are Katie’s mentors and coworkers from school (Katie teaches vocal music): They gave the bouquet away to the couple who had been married the longest, and it went to this adorable couple! This photo makes me smile each time I see it…don’t you just want to spend a day with them to hear their story and learn all about them?! These are Katie’s grandparents, and they are actually quite famous as the couple who played piano at Mayo Clinic. Have you see the youtube video? If not, check it out here! Congratulations again, Katie and Jim! Your wedding day was perfect, and I am SO thankful I got to be a part of it!