We kicked off the 2021 wedding season for our friends’ wedding, Sarah and Michael! Sarah and I worked together in college and we also spontaneously drove to Pennsylvania together to be extras in a movie with Matt Damon and John Krasinski. Even though I would love to share more about that fun adventure, this blog post is meant for Sarah and Michael. Not Sarah and me. 😛

First of all, I just want to say how happy I am for these two that they found each other (they are perfect together.) Secondly, their wedding was a blast and so fun to witness as a friend and capture as a photographer. Sarah and Michael got married at Sarah’s home church in West Des Moines. They had their first look in the prayer garden by the church before the ceremony, where they exchanged letters and gifts. They had a beautiful ceremony at Sacred Heart surrounded by their family and friends. After the ceremony and family pictures, the wedding party hopped on a party bus and drove around Des Moines with a couple of fun stops, including the Sculpture Park downtown and UpDown, a barcade.

After cake cutting and some emotional toasts and parent dances, Sarah and Michael surprised their guests with a really fun, choreographed first dance. They danced to a medley of songs from Hamilton and The Office. (It was my favorite part of their day!) Another fun and unique part of their reception was a scavenger hunt/musical chairs game with their wedding party. For each round, each person in their wedding party had to find an item and bring it back. Some examples of this included a shoe, toilet paper, a can of beer, etc. The last person to come back to the center of the dance floor was eliminated. This game got so competitive that multiple people ended up on the floor, including the DJ. But it was hilarious to watch and photograph.

Congratulations Sarah and Michael! We had so much fun photographing your day we’re so happy for you!!