This late-summer wedding in Des Moines, photographed by Ruthie Martin, unfolded as a study in quiet sensitivity, focused on presence rather than spectacle. Set within a garden and a rotunda of a restored century-old library, Morgan and Garrett Belzer’s celebration reads as luxury stripped of noise, not measured by scale or spend, but by emotional closeness and the rare ease of being surrounded by people who truly belong. It was conceived as a big thank-you party for family and friends who shaped their story. A life-like wedding instead of a “concept”, shaped by faith, memory, and a quiet confidence.
Location: Des Moines, Iowa, USA
Style: Timeless, Elegant, Heartfelt
Time of planning: 9 months
Number of guests: 289
Setting: Garden & Ballroom
Season: Fall
Morgan and Garrett first met during their freshman year of college. Their relationship moved in chapters, on and off through college, before settling into certainty shortly after graduation.
Des Moines is not just their hometown, but the emotional map of their story. Morgan had long been drawn to the World Food Prize building, a restored century-old library whose worn exterior and grand interior felt, to her, alive with memory. “Something about the beautifully worn exterior and grand interior always spoke to me,” she recalls. “There are stories woven into every corner of that historic building.”
The lovebirds got engaged there on New Year’s Eve. A few months later, they returned to the same place to get married.
Vision of the Day
Morgan admits she never had a fixed image of her wedding day and did not fully grasp what planning would entail. What grounded the process was prayer, and a shared question: what should this day truly celebrate?
They arrived at a simple, radical conclusion. “As much as the day is a celebration of our love, it’s a celebration of the people who helped bring us together,” Morgan explains. That idea reshaped everything.
Guests and the wedding party were invited to wear white alongside the couple. “Why not make it a big ‘thank you’ party for all the people who have shaped us?” she says. “There really wasn’t a color palette. Simply pure white. This was also a nod to our deep faith. We wanted it to feel like a tiny glimpse of Heaven.”
Bride's Morning & Fashion
Morgan’s look captured the essence of intellectual femininity. Not performative, but simply assured. She wore an ASAR gown with a high-neck lace topper, reworked into a single classic silhouette. The story behind it reflects the day’s tone. “I actually bought the dress off the sale rack, eight sizes too big,” Morgan shares. Originally a two-piece set, it was reimagined through tailoring into something precise and personal.
Her accessories carried layered meaning. J. Renee slingback pumps with pearl details echoed her Anthropologie earrings. An heirloom bracelet, passed down through generations of women in her family, rested on her wrist.
In her second ear piercing, Morgan wore a small but deeply symbolic detail. “I wore the first diamonds any man ever gave me,” she says. “A pair of earrings from my dad.” That same quiet weight carried into her first look with her father. His eyes were tear-filled, and he was visibly moved by the sight of his baby girl, taking in the moment without needing to say much.
Her hair was styled in a French twist, while makeup by Elle Sneller focused on natural skin and balance rather than definition. “It made me feel the most beautiful I’ve ever felt,” she recalls. Her bouquet followed the same logic, a sculptural bundle of long-stem calla lilies, chosen simply because they were her favorite flower.
Groom’s Fashion
Ceremony
The ceremony unfolded in the garden. Seating was arranged runway-style, with guests facing one another rather than the altar, shifting the focus away from spectacle and toward shared presence. “It made it feel like a big family party rather than a show,” Morgan explains. The aisle ran across a soft lawn scattered with white petals, stretching from the building’s classical facade toward the fountain, which quietly anchored the altar and became part of the ceremony’s natural decor.
Faith and family guided every element. Garrett’s father officiated. Morgan’s father delivered an exhortation. Their mothers joined them to initiate their first communion as a couple. “Those moments will be etched in my memory forever,” Morgan says.
The couple wrote their own vows, and in the moment, Morgan forgot the audience entirely. “I was sure it was just Garrett and me in the garden when we read them to each other,” she recalls. “I got so lost in the moment, I forgot everyone else was around.”
Every moment was memorable in its own way, but I always come back to the sacred moments right before the ceremony. Locking tear-filled eyes with my mom. Feeling the beat of my own heart as I held my dad’s arm. Hearing Garrett read his vows and learning it is possible to love him more every day.
Moments Together
Following the ceremony, the pace of the day softened. These in-between moments became a natural continuation of the ceremony itself, not staged portraits, but time carved out to simply be together.
Shot in the warmth of late summer, the imagery carries a soft, sun-washed palette where greens feel muted rather than vivid, whites lean creamy instead of stark, and shadows stay gentle. It’s a visual language that mirrors the day itself, unhurried, open, and quietly affectionate.
Ruthie Martin‘s work is rooted in an observational, documentary-driven approach. Her images avoid direction in favor of presence. Her style relies on proximity rather than instruction, allowing couples to remain in their own rhythm instead of performing for the camera. Morgan and Garrett appear fully at ease, moving naturally, often unaware of the lens.
Cocktail Hour
Cocktail hour took place inside the rotunda, where the building’s classical interior shifted the mood from open garden to something more intimate and architectural. Tall columns, warm stone tones, and ornate railings framed the space, while soft, ambient light moved naturally across the room.
Alongside beer and wine, two signature cocktails were served, each reflecting the couple’s personal preferences: a Moscow mule and a classic old-fashioned. The selection felt familiar rather than performative, encouraging ease and connection rather than novelty. Paired with live piano music echoing through the rotunda, the cocktail hour became a seamless bridge between ceremony and reception, grounded in comfort, rhythm, and shared presence.
Reception
The dinner unfolded inside the old library, where long tables were set beneath historic ceilings, surrounded by dark wood, portraits, and that unmistakable collegiate atmosphere. The space felt intimate yet ceremonial, echoing the couple’s own story of meeting in college. These academic undertones were woven naturally into the setting, giving the evening a sense of continuity between past and present.
The menu was rooted in comfort and generosity, served family-style. Handmade pasta took center stage, paired with seasonal accompaniments that reflected the couple’s preference for food that feels warm, familiar, and meant to be shared. It was the kind of meal that encouraged conversation.
For dessert, a simple yet striking cake was brought out, finished with a delicate bow detail that echoed the softness of the day. Cutting the cake became a quiet, joyful pause before the night shifted into movement.
Later in the evening, the bride removed the lace attachment of her gown, revealing a lighter silhouette underneath, perfectly suited for dancing. The dance floor set the tone for the evening that followed. Installed as a glowing platform lit from below, it cast a warm, nostalgic light across the room, giving the space an almost cinematic quality. There was something subtly retro about it, reminiscent of old ballroom scenes or even childhood memories of Barbie films, where everything feels suspended in light and music.
The couple’s first dance unfolded here, surrounded by parents and grandparents, turning the moment into a shared family memory. During a private moment on the floor, a fire alarm unexpectedly went off, briefly interrupting the music. The getaway car was blocked by fire trucks. Morgan laughs as she remembers it. “It was a send-off I’ll never forget.” A reminder, as the bride later shared, that the night was never about perfection, but about being fully present, even when things didn’t go exactly as planned.
Finally, shoes were kicked off, formality quietly dissolved, and the celebration shifted into its most relaxed rhythm. Guests filled the dance floor freely, laughter replaced any sense of structure, and the evening ended with that rare feeling of ease. It was simply a room full of people staying a little longer than planned, dancing without thinking, and letting the night close on its own terms.
Advice from the couple:
• The heart of the day is more important than any detail ever will be. If I could offer any advice to a bride-to-be, it would be this: Spend more time dreaming about what you want your wedding to feel like. That’s what you’ll remember for the rest of your days! Although the details sure are fun, too. Just not what you’ll come back to for the rest of your life.
PHOTOGRAPHER Ruthie Martin Photo | VIDEOGRAPHER Victoria Bloomquist | PLANNER You’re Invited, LLC | FLORALS The Backyard Farm, The Rose Farm | MUAH Hair by Morgan, Elle Sneller | BRIDAL GOWN ASAR | BRIDAL BOUTIQUE a&bé | BRIDAL SHOES J. Renee | BRIDAL JEWELRY Anthropologie | GROOM’S SUIT Henry’s | GROOM’S SHOES TAFT | BRIDESMAID DRESSES Birdy Grey | STATIONERY Ten Story | CALLIGRAPHY By Summer Delashaw | CAKE Parinda Cupcakes | CATERING Tangerine Food Co | RENTALS Vintage Love Rentals, Something Chic Floral, Monarch Events | DJ Mojo Productions | BRIDE Morgan Durick Belzer
