An intimate wedding at ISU campus by Denver Wedding Photographer

Here is another example of a couple that picked a very meaningful location for their special day. Jocelyn and Josh met at Iowa State University, so it was only fitting to have their ceremony and reception on campus. They picked a beautiful church, the Collegiate United Methodist Church, for their ceremony location and the spacious Scheman Building for their reception. The best part of having their wedding on campus was that everything was located in the same area without a lot of travel time!

Planning a wedding is no easy task, especially when the ceremony location and the bride are in two different states. Shortly after Jocelyn and Josh got engaged, Jocelyn was offered a job in Oregon that she just couldn’t pass up. Knowing that they wanted a winter wedding and wanted to be married at the Iowa State campus, she enlisted the help of her mother and aunts to help pull everything together. She relied on them to meet with vendors, help her make decisions, and create her dream wedding day. In the end they had a very beautiful wedding that was full of meaning for so many members of the family.

Since they were getting married in January in Iowa, the weather was sure to be a bit chilly. Jocelyn and Josh knew they would want photos outside at the iconic campanile which would mean the bridesmaids would have to bear the cold in their halter top, emerald green dresses. So the bride decided that her gift to the bridesmaids would be faux fur scarfs and matching boots. That way when they’d be somewhat warm in case the weather turned out to be less than desirable. However, they lucked out and the weather in January was atypically warm, in fact there wasn’t even snow on the ground! A little bit of a let down to not have snow when you’re planning a winter wedding, but at least we could do photos outside without everyone completely freezing! Since the church had some beautiful window light, we also utilized those spaces as well, giving the girls some time to warm back up!

I loved all the special touches that Jocelyn and Josh put into their wedding day. Instead of using the traditional organ music, they incorporated the church’s handbell choir into their ceremony for a unique sound. They did an amazing job and sounded beautifully! Instead of lighting a unity candle or doing a sand ceremony which are both very popular today, they decided to symbolize their vows by placing their hand prints in clay that would later be fired to create a stepping stone to place at the entrance to their new home. I always love it when couples take traditions and make them their own!

Thank you to Jocelyn & Josh for allowing me to be a part of your beautiful and unique wedding day. And a very happy one year anniversary to you both!