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Wedding photographer & videographer in Des Moines

A Des Moines plan can open at Pappajohn Sculpture Park, a 4.4-acre park within Western Gateway Park, opened in 2009 with 24 sculptures1. Below are the other places we shoot, the light across the seasons, and what Iowa asks of you before the ceremony.

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Wedding couple portrait
Wedding detail
The couple seen from behind in a tall frame
Coverage
Photo · Video · Photo + Video
Collections
Half day · Full day · Two days
Travel
In the quote
Booking
Direct with your photographer

In short

Troth Weddings places one photo-and-video team at your Des Moines wedding, matched to an independent partner. Iowa HHS instructions list a three-day waiting period2, which a district judge can waive, and two witnesses at the ceremony. Send your date and we reply within one business day with the Des Moines price list.

In pictures

How we shoot Des Moines

The couple walking together
The couple at dusk
Wedding detail

Ceremonies with portraits, full days from getting ready to the first hour of the reception, rehearsal-dinner weekends: Des Moines gets all three from us, in photo, video or both.

Collections

Every collection comes as photo, video, or both, with the same team on the day. Half day covers an elopement or a small ceremony and portraits; Full day runs from getting ready to the first hour of the reception; Two days adds a rehearsal dinner, a welcome evening or a next-morning session. Travel to Des Moines is built into the quote, not added later.

Prices depend on the date, the team and how far we travel, so we send a price list for Des Moines rather than publishing one number for every town. Ask for it below; it arrives within one business day.

Coverage
I

Half day

4 h · Photo + Video

Covers an elopement or a small ceremony and portraits.

  • Edited gallery
  • Print rights
  • Sneak peek within days
  • Feature film
  • Teaser
  • Full ceremony audio
  • One crew
II

Full day

8 h · Photo + Video

Runs from getting ready to the first hour of the reception.

  • Edited gallery
  • Print rights
  • Sneak peek within days
  • Feature film
  • Teaser
  • Full ceremony audio
  • One crew
III

Two days

12 h · Photo + Video

Adds a rehearsal dinner, a welcome evening or a next-morning session.

  • Edited gallery
  • Print rights
  • Sneak peek within days
  • Feature film
  • Teaser
  • Full ceremony audio
  • One crew
Get the Des Moines price list
Wide frame with the couple small in the landscape

Where we shoot in Des Moines

Our Des Moines list runs from downtown sculpture and riverfront to parks, gardens and older residential neighborhoods. Each place below is described from a public source.

  • Pappajohn Sculpture Park a sculpture park within Western Gateway Park, opened in 2009 with 24 sculptures and administered by the Des Moines Art Center, covering 4.4 acres1.
  • Principal Riverwalk a recreational park district along the Des Moines River downtown, completed in January 20133.
  • Court Avenue Bridge a historic downtown bridge, individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 19984.
  • Gray's Lake Park a park southwest of downtown with a pedestrian bridge over part of the lake and a 1.9-mile trail around it, on 166.6 acres5.
  • Water Works Park 1,500 acres along the Raccoon River southwest of downtown6.
  • Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden a 12-acre botanical garden on the east bank of the Des Moines River, opened in 19797.
  • Sherman Hill Historic District one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Des Moines, with houses built from around 1880 across 80 acres and 210 buildings8.
  • East Village the neighborhood east of downtown across the river, part of it listed as a National Register historic district in 20199.
Wedding detail

The day

The day,as we shoot it in Des Moines

Wedding detail

A June day in Des Moines starts early: the sun rises at 05:39 and sets at 20:50 on the 15th10, and June brings the longest days of the year, so the sample uses it. June is the wettest month in the normals we use, averaging an 81.9°F high, a 62.4°F low and 5.26 inches of precipitation11. A sample day:

  1. Sunrise10. Details and the dress while the light is low; for first-light portraits we start on the Principal Riverwalk, the park district along the Des Moines River downtown3.
  2. Morning A first look among the sculptures at Pappajohn1, then family portraits before the ceremony.
  3. Afternoon The ceremony, photographed and filmed by one crew, with the film's audio taken from a microphone on the officiant. Iowa requires two witnesses to be present12.
  4. Evening Couple portraits on the Court Avenue Bridge4, then the reception.
  5. Sunset10. The last light for portraits and the closing frames of the film.

Because June is the wettest month, the ceremony carries an agreed covered or indoor alternative. Winter is a different plan: in January the sun sets at 17:0910, the average high is 30.9°F and the low 13.8°F11, so ceremonies move to the middle of the day and outdoor portraits are brief.

Sunrise and sunset
MonthSunriseSunset
Jan07:3817:09
Feb07:0917:47
Mar07:2619:21
Apr06:3419:55
May05:5520:27
Jun05:3920:50
Jul05:5320:47
Aug06:2320:14
Sep06:5419:24
Oct07:2618:33
Nov07:0316:54
Dec07:3416:45

Sunrise and sunset on the 15th of each month of 2027, local time (America/Chicago), computed at the lat/lng above.10

How we match you with your photographer

Troth Weddings is a network of independent wedding photographers and videographers, built location by location. When you inquire about Des Moines, we introduce you to the partner photographer matched to it. We share their recent galleries and films and set up a call. You book directly with them; we stay in the loop until your gallery is delivered.

Partners join by invitation. Before we list anyone we review full weddings, not highlight reels, and how they handle contracts, backups and delivery.

How booking works

  1. Send the form with your date and location.
  2. We reply within one business day with the Des Moines price list and the partner's recent work.
  3. Call with the photographer; if it fits, a deposit holds the date.
  4. A short questionnaire about people, places and timing, two weeks before.
  5. The day.
  6. A sneak peek first, then the full gallery and the film on the dates set in your contract.

Good to know in Des Moines

Des Moines marriage licenses are issued by the Polk County Recorder, Vital Records13. The fee is $35 and Iowa requires a three-day waiting period; the day of application doesn't count, so applying on a Monday makes the license valid on Friday, and weekend days count13. A district judge can waive the wait, and a granted waiver adds a $5 fee2.

The two of you and one witness, an adult aged 18 or older who knows you, come to the office together and bring photo ID13. Once issued, the license has no expiry; the application is void if the license isn't collected within six months13. It is valid only for ceremonies in Iowa, and the couple, the officiant and two witnesses must be physically present together2. The officiant must be an Iowa judge or a person ordained or designated as a leader of their religious faith12. On weather, the July average high is 85.6°F and the low 66.4°F11.

Wedding detail

Marriage license

Issued by
Polk County Recorder — Vital Records13
Fee
$3513
Waiting period
3 days2
Valid for
no expiry once issued; the application is void if the license is not collected within 6 months13
Witnesses
212

The place

Elevation
794 ft (242 m)11
Population (2020)
214,13314
Weather by month
MonthAvg highAvg lowPrecip.
Jan1130.9 °F13.8 °F1.08 in
Feb1135.7 °F18 °F1.34 in
Mar1149.2 °F29.6 °F2.17 in
Apr1162 °F40.6 °F4.02 in
May1172.4 °F52.3 °F5.24 in
Jun1181.9 °F62.4 °F5.26 in
Jul1185.6 °F66.4 °F3.82 in
Aug1183.6 °F64.2 °F4.17 in
Sep1176.9 °F55.4 °F3.18 in
Oct1163.4 °F42.9 °F2.78 in
Nov1148.3 °F30.2 °F1.91 in
Dec1135.9 °F19.5 °F1.58 in

Questions couples ask

01How far in advance should we book a wedding photographer in Des Moines?

As soon as your date and place are set. The paperwork gives you room: Iowa's three-day wait doesn't count the day you apply13, and a license has no expiry once issued13, so applying early does no harm. Book the photographer first, then apply so the wait is behind you.

02Do you travel to Des Moines, and is travel included?

Des Moines is one of our listed locations, and travel to it is built into the quote, not added later. One thing to settle early: an Iowa license is valid only for ceremonies held in Iowa2, so if the ceremony might be elsewhere, tell us on the form before the price list is written.

03How many photos do we receive, and when?

The number depends on how long we cover and how the day moves; your partner states it in the contract rather than us promising one figure. The order is fixed: a sneak peek within days, then the full gallery and the film on the dates set in your contract.

04What happens if it rains on our wedding day?

June is the wettest month in the climate normals, at 5.26 inches11, so rain is planned for rather than feared. The ceremony has a covered or indoor alternative agreed in advance, portraits move to dry stops, and your partner talks the options through with you before the date.

05Can we get the raw files?

The collection includes the edited gallery, so raw files aren't part of it. Some photographers will release unedited files on request and some won't; the terms are in your contract. Raise it on the call with your partner, before the deposit holds your date.

Say when.

Give us a date, or a month, and the Des Moines price list lands within one business day with a partner's recent work. Two dates in mind? List both on the form.

We reply within one business day with the price list for your place. Privacy policy · Terms

Sources

  1. Wikipedia — Pappajohn Sculpture Park en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pappajohn_Sculpture_Park
  2. Iowa HHS — Marriage Instructions (updated July 1, 2026) hhs.iowa.gov/media/9054/download
  3. Wikipedia — Principal Riverwalk en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principal_Riverwalk
  4. Wikipedia — Court Avenue Bridge en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_Avenue_Bridge
  5. Wikipedia — Gray's Lake Park en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray's_Lake_Park
  6. Wikipedia — Water Works Park (Des Moines) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_Works_Park_(Des_Moines)
  7. Wikipedia — Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_Des_Moines_Botanical_Garden
  8. Wikipedia — Sherman Hill Historic District en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman_Hill_Historic_District
  9. Wikipedia — East Village (Des Moines) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Village_(Des_Moines)
  10. Computed with suncalc (NOAA algorithm): Sunrise and sunset on the 15th of each month of 2027, local time (America/Chicago), computed at the city's coordinates. github.com/mourner/suncalc
  11. Wikipedia — Des Moines, Iowa en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Des_Moines,_Iowa
  12. Iowa HHS — Important Information About Performing Iowa Marriages hhs.iowa.gov/media/9053/download
  13. Polk County Recorder (Iowa) — Marriage Records polkcountyiowa.gov/county-recorder/vital-records/marriage-records
  14. Wikidata — Des Moines, Iowa (Q39709) wikidata.org/wiki/Q39709