Des Moines Wedding Photographers

Our Des Moines photographers also provide documentary-style coverage in:

Des Moines Wedding Photography, Engagement Photo Sessions + Elopements

LOVE WON'T WAIT! - Couples are quickly moving forward with smaller weddings. Our Des Moines photographers are ready to accommodate.

By planning a simple Des Moines elopement, couples are able to stay present in the moment and fully absorb the impact of their wedding day. Given the fact that many couples feel more natural and at ease in intimate settings, it's no surprise that some of the most breathtaking wedding images come from elopements.

The WPJA has an abundance of top-ranked, Des Moines documentary wedding photographers available right now who understand that some weddings and elopements can’t wait. Find yours today!

Recent WPJA WedElope Story Awards

Image created as the couple exchanges private vows at their elopement weddin

Christelle Rall

A small, intimate wedding was held near a bamboo garden, creating a romantic and peaceful atmosphere

Michelle Arlotta

A yurt ranch portrait of the bride and groom in fall colors

Alex Maldonado

Des Moines Photographers for Large or Small Weddings

Shooting an elopement or small Des Moines wedding event is a wedding photojournalist’s dream: a fairly open schedule with lots of breathing space for creativity – it’s just the photographer, the couple, the officiant, and perhaps a few select companions.

Iowa WPJA members are ready to document any town hall, fast, courthouse, or elopement wedding, even if it is a Monday-Thursday ceremony. Search for the “Can Shoot Weddings on Short Notice!” message on the listings below.

View Award-Winning Pictures from Des Moines Wedding Venues

1 Des Moines Wedding Photographers...

Andrea Bibeault

Omaha in Nebraska, US *Now booking Des Moines weddings.

2600 (USD)

Map of Wedding Photojournalists Serving Des Moines Couples

Searches Related to Des Moines Wedding Photography Vendors

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Where can I find a photographer for a short-notice, small Des Moines wedding?

A: There are many WPJA photographers who are able to help you out at a moment's notice. We understand that sometimes love happens and there's simply no time to lose. We can ensure that you can get married as quickly as possible — and have incredible photographs to remember your Des Moines wedding day by.

Q: How can couples find reviews of Des Moines wedding photographers?

A: We call them Client Letters. At the WPJA, we decided more than 20 years ago to avoid incorporating those third-person testimonials and endorsements that are found all too often in advertisements. Instead, we elevated our listings with the use of Client Letters, which represent the actual words and feelings of the clients who booked those Des Moines wedding photographers for their own wedding.

Q: How can couples find Des Moines photographers for pre-wedding engagement portraits?

A: The WPJA issues Diamond Awards for Des Moines wedding photographers to showcase their best engagement photography work. These awards are given to photographers who prove that they have an ability to be creative, artistic, and intuitive while working on-location with couples who are newly engaged.

WPJA Communiqué: Featured Wedding Photography Articles

Top 4 Types of Small Weddings to Make Your Day Truly Yours

Everyone always says that your wedding day is all about you. But let’s face it; that’s not always actually the case. Many couples stress over guest lists, planning, expenses, and all the frills and traditions of your standard large wedding that they may or may...Read more

Smaller Weddings in a Time of Social Distancing

It’s no secret that these are strange times we’re going through right now, and there are many couples out there with weddings set in the near future who are left feeling uncertain and concerned about their futures. While that’s understandable, it’s also important to...Read more

What is a Modern Elopement?

WHAT EXACTLY DOES IT MEAN TO ELOPE? If you look up the definition of “elope” in the Merriam-Webster dictionary , you’ll find a plethora of meanings making it quite clear how polarizing the word has become, and how it has transformed and evolved with the passage of time and...Read more

WPJA Communiqué: Viewpoints

Elopements: Traditional and Modern

The oldsters among the WPJA ranks no doubt remember when 'to elope' meant, in Merriam-Webster’s definition, “to run away secretly with the intention of getting married, usually without parental consent.” Many wedding photographers have gone on the lam with couples who did just that. However, even Merriam-Webster now acknowledges that “elope appears to have become shorthand for ‘ small destination weddings ,’ a ‘ wedding that is not financially insane ,’ or a ‘ wedding that allows us to not invite all the people we would rather not invite .’” Smaller Weddings are... Read more

What is Reportage?

On Instagram and elsewhere, one can see images labeled as #photojournalism or #reportage when they are, in fact, merely photos. I say "merely," even though photography has been my career's great passion. But it's because of that passion and my respect for the work of actual photojournalists that I am particularly bothered to see wedding photographers call their work "reportage." That word properly used actually means something important beyond just a stylistic conceit. By contrast, however, I'm the lead cheerleader for those practitioners of #weddingphotojournalism ... Read more

WPJA contest judges have been recognized by their industry peers, winning top awards as staff picture editors, staff photojournalists, and newsroom mentors while working for these and other leading publications and journalism organizations.