Blog | Jennifer Weinman Photography | Des Moines Photographer

There's a lot to think about when choosing a wedding photographer! Make sure you ask these important questions when you're searching for the perfect person to capture your day!

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Elizabeth & Michael

Des Moines Heritage Center | Des Moines

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18 Questions to ASK a wedding venue

Our best tips and suggestions for what you need to make sure you cover when touring potential wedding venues.

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WELCOME

WE’RE GLAD YOU’RE HERE!

Hey there, and welcome to the JWP blog! We are a photography team based in Iowa, and we hope you’ll enjoy viewing some of our most recent weddings, as well as the many tips we have for couples. You can also enjoy some of our business and educational resources for photographers.

Julana Dizon and Carson Boatman get MARRIED in iowa!

Julana & Carson’s Barnes Place Summer Wedding

From L.A. to Nashville, then back to L.A., Carson and Julana have had a whirlwind of moves, personal and career highlights, and a wedding – all in the last 2 years! Originally, these two met at the local gym, which is totally not surprising. They love staying healthy and active, going on hikes and exploring and being in nature, and of course involving their sweet dog Willie in the mix. Fast forward to July 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, and Carson popped the question during their annual family lake vacation while playing a favorite song he had WRITTEN on his phone for her I’m guessing if it would have been me, I would have been too nervous to try to play a song live as well – so kudos to Carson for thinking ahead!

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Mara & Nathan’s Countryside Fall Engagement Session

Mara and Nathan’s relationship started out in only the best Iowa way possible – on a tractor. Set up by friends during planting season and in the midst of COVID, all the magic started out in that field! So it was only appropriate that we photographed their engagement session in a beautiful natural setting.

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Tips for Better Getting Ready Photos on Your Wedding Day

Getting-ready shots have a bigger meaning behind them, and I’ll explain why: They are an important part of telling the complete beginning-to-end of your wedding day. The pictures captured during this time will serve as moments when you went from “me” to “we.” While you are enjoying your last hours of singleness with people most important to you (besides your best friend about to see you walk down the aisle), I’ll be there so you can cherish these laughable moments forever. You and your friends will adore these photos, and you’ll be drop-dead gorgeous in them too. Here are my top tips to help you prepare for these sweet moments. Discuss Preferences with Your Photographer in Advance If there were ideas you liked from someone else’s wedding albums that you would like to incorporate, share them with me so we can have that in advance. Therefore, I can arrive at

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Courtney & Colby’s Fall Iowa Wedding

Courtney and Colby’s beautiful fall wedding took place at her families farm, surrounded by their closest friends and family. However, their story goes back further, when they met last year…

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How much wedding photography coverage do I need? 8 Hours vs 10 Hours

When we first meet with couples, we are often asked, “How many hours of wedding photography coverage do I need?” Most engaged couples planning a wedding are still very much in the planning stages for their day and may not know all the details of all of the events when we first meet them. So we often find couples comparing 8 hours of wedding photography vs. 10 hours of wedding photography, and trying to figure out which option is best. If you’re newly engaged, looking at wedding photographers, and trying to answer this same question, whether to have 8 hours of photography or 10 hours of photography on your wedding day, then this blog post is for you! Let’s look at an 8 hour day… When you book 8 hours of wedding photography, your day will look something probably like this, with times shifted earlier or later depending on

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Iowa state university engagement session

Ciara and Andrew’s Iowa State Fall Engagement Session

Ciara and Matthew planned their engagement session for a weekend back in Iowa, and we met at their favorite spot – Iowa State!

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Tips for Planning & Photographing a Catholic Wedding

Catholic wedding ceremonies require a few special considerations to take note of. The most important one is that if you are celebrating Mass, your ceremony will be both longer and earlier. The most commonly requested scenario is a one-hour ceremony beginning around 1:00 PM or 2:00 PM. Most parishes cannot start any later due to evening confession before Mass. Because of your ceremony start and end time, there is often a significant gap between your ceremony and reception. Lots of couples have questions and concerns about this, but we’re here to help! Here are a few tips that will help you navigate your day and ensure your wedding is both meaningful and effortless! Talk to your officiant about photography JWP brides choose me as their photographer because they view their wedding day photos as a top priority. While my goal is to tell the story of your day cohesively and

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Kate & Miles Chicago Engagement Session

One of my favorite things I was able to do this spring was meet up with Kate & Miles in Chicago for their engagement photos! I drove out for the weekend (we camped with our kids overnight and made a weekend trip out of it) and spent half of a day exploring downtown Chicago, visiting all the best spots. It’s been a few years since I’ve photographed in Chicago, so it was such a treat to revisit several locations along Lake Michigan, and find a few new ones as well! I met Kate & Miles at their apartment, and then we drove together downtown to the museum campus to start. This first set of photos was taken near the Field Museum. I am obsessed with the landscaping and classic architecture! Plus, all the trees and flowers were just starting to bloom with the early spring weather. everything looked beautiful! This

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Temple for Performing Arts Wedding | Chloe & Kian’s Black Tie Wedding

The Temple for Performing Arts was an obvious choice for Chloe and Kian to wed because of the architecture and the elegance it would bring to their formal affair. Plus with the help of White Willow Events they were able to incorporate much loved traditions from both of their cultures.

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Abby & Logan’s Downtown Des Moines Engagement Session

Abby and Logan met at the start of the pandemic, online through a dating app – lots of outdoor dates at the beginning, and they still love bike rides and picnics!

We met up for photos for their engagement session in downtown Des Moines at some of my favorite locations, including outside of Hotel Fort Des Moines where they will have their wedding reception later this year. But first we started along the riverfront for some evening sunset photos!

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Stress-Free Bridal Party Wedding Photo Tips

5 Tips for Stress-Free Wedding Party Photos

Today we’re talking about our biggest tips for photographing your wedding party – all your closest friends and family that are standing alongside you during your wedding ceremony and throughout your wedding day. Your bridal party group photos are super important – and we want to make sure this part of your day is stress-free and fun. Follow these tips that we’ve gained from years of experience photographing weddings here in Iowa.

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the best wedding prep hotels in des moines for getting ready

The Best Getting Ready Hotels in Des Moines for Your Wedding Day

If you’re planning your wedding in Des Moines and you’re looking for the perfect hotel to get ready with your wedding party, this list is for you! We’ll share some of our favorite hotels and alternate locations that make for the best pre-wedding photos. These are locations that we have first-hand experience with so you

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