Jacob & Amber’s Des Moines Rose Garden Wedding Pictures

Jacob and Amber’s wedding day didn’t follow your standard timeline, and that was just fine for us! We were up at 4:30 A.M. (which is the earliest I’ve been up in YEARS) to make the trip over to Des Moines and begin shooting getting ready details at 8:00. Their ceremony followed immediately after at 10:00 A.M. It was nice because it was up into the mid 90s later in the day, and the heat index was well over 100, which prompted the heat advisory that was in place. We were done shooting a little after noon, and while that was still hot, we could have easily added another 10-15 degrees by shooting later in the day in full bake mode.

Their ceremony was at the beautiful Des Moines Art Center Rose Garden, which was one of the few things that stayed consistent through duration of their wedding plans. I’d like to think we were there for the duration as well. 🙂 Jacob and Amber had originally booked Noah’s Event Venue for their reception and were building their wedding around that. When we first talked back in the fall of 2019, I had seen that several Noah’s around the country were shutting down after the company had went bankrupt. We talked briefly about it, but I didn’t want to cause too much alarm, and it seemed like the West Des Moines operation was still operational. Fast forward a few months, and sure enough, Jacob and Amber no longer had a wedding reception venue. After getting things reorganized to host their reception in the gym of a church, another debacle started to unfold that you might have heard of. COVID something or other. That scaled their plans way back and they decided to go forward with the ceremony for the time being, and then plan the reception at a time where there was a little more normalcy in the world.

Despite all the chaos surrounding their wedding plans, July 18th went off without a hitch, and Jacob and Amber each declared it the “perfect day”. They were able to strategically design their ceremony to happen in full shade. Brilliant! They each wrote their own vows for the ceremony, and I saw more than a few tears being shed. Jacob was forced into more PDA for their first kiss and then they celebrated with hugs (gasp) with all of their guests. It’s okay, it was only like 25 people. Afterward, we photographed some portraits of the family, their small wedding party and the newly minted couple. We were a bit selfish in keeping them in the heat with us so that we could try to create some epic photos, which I do think turned out really well. When we finally said our good byes, they were off in their decorated vehicle to their place for a full day reception of sorts. Tons of food, lots of beer and perhaps most importantly, cool, casual attire. Or maybe the beer was most important for them, I don’t know. So yes—Jacob and Amber had planned on having a reception in the future, but two days after their wedding, I got an email from them saying that they have decided that they’re done with wedding plans and they’re cashing out their chips and calling this past weekend a wrap. Can’t blame you guys!

Jacob and Amber, we’re so happy for you guys, and it has been a pleasure partnering with you for your engagement and wedding photos! We appreciate you inviting us into your chaos, and we wish you all the best in your happily ever after!

Comments

comments