Iowa: wedding photo & video
Troth Weddings offers Iowa couples one photo-and-video team, matched to an independent partner photographer; in Iowa we shoot in Des Moines. Iowa HHS instructions set a three-day waiting period1, which a district judge can waive, and an Iowa license is valid only for ceremonies held in Iowa. Send your date for the price list.
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Wedding photo & video across Iowa
Iowa coverage on this site starts in Des Moines, where Pappajohn Sculpture Park holds 24 sculptures within Western Gateway Park2. One team makes both the photographs and the film. An independent partner photographer is matched to your date and place, and your contract is with that partner.
Two Iowa rules affect the plan before the camera does. The waiting period is three days, and the license is valid only for ceremonies in Iowa1, so a destination plan that leaves the state needs its paperwork from elsewhere. And two witnesses must be present with the officiant3.
For a wedding elsewhere in Iowa, send the town and the date on the form and we will say whether we can match a partner photographer to it.
Locations in Iowa
Our Iowa location is Des Moines. Its page lists the riverfront, bridge and park places we shoot, the sunrise and sunset by month, and what the Polk County Recorder asks of you, from the application to the witness who comes with you. The price list is written for the place you name, with travel built in, so mention the town on the form if your ceremony is outside the city.
Iowa marriage license basics
Iowa licenses are issued by the county registrar, the county recorder1. The license becomes valid after three calendar days from acceptance of the application, and the day of application is not counted. The fee is $351. A district judge can waive the waiting period, and a granted waiver adds a $5 fee1.
The application is void if the license is not collected within six months, and the license is valid only for ceremonies within Iowa; the couple, the officiant and two witnesses must be physically present1. An adult acquainted with both parties completes an affidavit before a notary1. Officiants are Iowa judges or a person ordained or designated as a leader of their religious faith3.
Marriage license
- Issued by
- County Registrar (County Recorder)1
- Fee
- $351
- Waiting period
- 3 days1
- Valid for
- the application is void if the license is not collected within 6 months of application1
- Witnesses
- 23
- Couples may apply and obtain a license without being required by law to hold the wedding within a given time period.3
- The license becomes valid after three calendar days from acceptance of the application; the day of application is not counted.1
- A district judge can waive the waiting period; a granted waiver adds a $5 fee.1
- The license is valid only for ceremonies within Iowa; the couple, officiant and two witnesses must be physically present.1
- An adult acquainted with both parties completes the Affidavit of Competent and Disinterested Person on the application before a notary.1
- Officiants: Iowa judges, or a person ordained or designated as a leader of their religious faith.3
Iowa questions
01How far in advance should we book a wedding photographer in Iowa?
As soon as your date and place are set. Iowa's license becomes valid three calendar days after the application is accepted1, and couples may apply without being required by law to hold the wedding within a given time3. Choose your photographer first and apply for the license so the three days are behind you.
02Do you travel to Iowa, and is travel included?
Travel is built into the quote for the locations we list, and the price list is written for the place you name. An Iowa license is valid only for ceremonies within Iowa1, so tell us on the form if any part of your plan might leave the state.
03What happens if it rains on our wedding day?
We plan for it. Des Moines averages 5.26 inches of precipitation in June, the wettest month in the normals we use4, so the ceremony has a covered or indoor alternative agreed ahead of time and portraits move to dry stops, with your partner guiding the changes.
04Can we get the raw files?
Raw files are not part of a collection, which includes the edited gallery. Whether your photographer releases unedited files, and on what terms, is set in the contract, so ask on the first call, before the deposit holds your date, and keep the answer in writing.
Check your date
Sources
- Iowa HHS — Marriage Instructions (updated July 1, 2026) hhs.iowa.gov/media/9054/download
- Wikipedia — Pappajohn Sculpture Park en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pappajohn_Sculpture_Park
- Iowa HHS — Important Information About Performing Iowa Marriages hhs.iowa.gov/media/9053/download
- Wikipedia — Des Moines, Iowa en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Des_Moines,_Iowa