menuX
  • des moines engagement session
  • Western North Carolina Wedding Photographer
  • Bride and groom in a boat at golden hour on a lake in Minneapolis photographed by Haverlee Photography
  • des moines wedding photographer
  • iowa photographer

I will never take for granted the gift that is showing people how beautiful they really are.

 

 

 

 

 

Haverlee Photography - EST 2017

in central Iowa and Western NC

with levity and heart

PHOTOGRAPHY FOR

THE CURIOUS

THE ROMANTIC
THE LIGHTHEARTED

THE INTENTIONAL

Hi. I'm glad you're here.

I’m Haverlee, (hay-verlee), a mom of three wild things, adventure seeker, and photographer, based in Des Moines, Iowa. I serve families and couples with curiosity and compassion all over the Midwest and Western North Carolina. I specialize in elevated wedding photography for kindhearted couples.

 

With over a decade of experience in the wedding industry and over 150 weddings photographed, it still surprises me how my love for this work grows each year.

 

The thing I hear most often when meeting couples is, "we're not very photogenic". That just means you haven't ever had a great photographer. My ability to connect with and care for people, and my laser focus on detail, sets me apart in an industry overflowing with options. Your trust in me is the most significant piece of the puzzle, because when you trust me, you can relax. And when you can relax, you can show up as your truest selves. And that’s when I can create photos that will be cherished for decades to come.

 

detail of veil on bride at The Robey Hotel in Chicago photographed by Haverlee Photography
Learn More>
Bride and groom smiling in downtown Chicago photographed by Haverlee Photography

 

 

Weddings
Senior portrait at the Des Moines Art CenterHigh school senior photographed by Haverlee Photography in Des MoinesSeniors

 

Families

Kind words from

happy clients.

Allie

"These feel like us." I think the best compliment a photographer can receive and what my husband said to me after looking at our gallery. What a gift for us to have these photos that will always take us back to this moment in time. I sobbed when I saw them and I'm sure I'll do the same for years to come whenever I look back. Haverlee captured the essence of our family and was overly kind and gracious and wonderful with our children while doing it.

- ALLIE

“Every day I discover more and more beautiful things. It’s enough to drive one mad. I have such a desire to do everything, my head is bursting with it.”

Every day I discover more and more

beautiful things. It's enough to drive one mad.

I have such a desire to do everything,

my head is bursting with it.

- Claude Monet

I didn’t understand how wrong I was about the importance of wedding coordinators until these things happened…

Years ago, I would confirm couples’ decisions to skip the wedding coordinator to save money, particularly for small weddings. You can DIY it. Easy peasy. I was very wrong. 🫠

I’ve seen SO MANY brides sitting in the makeup chair being lobbed question after question, even though they were sure they’d delegated everything already. The stress and frustration is evident when they want to be relaxing and getting pampered.

There have been several weddings where the bridal parties asked my 2nd shooter when they were supposed to walk down the aisle. No one was there to cue them and they were clueless. Another wedding, the doors closed before the bride was going to enter. She was expecting a song change. She waited an awkwardly long time, while the groom and everyone else thought she’d gotten cold feet. Finally it became clear the music wasn’t changing and she needed to just go for it. It made a special moment feel uncomfortable and embarrassing.

At one small wedding, I was photographing details nearby when the groom started walking his mother down the aisle earlier than planned. No one made sure I knew the processional was starting. I barely made it to the front to snap the photo. Same thing happened at another wedding during the reception when the couple started cutting the cake and I wasn’t even in the room.

At another wedding, I spent twenty minutes trying to usher the hundreds of guests to line up for the church exit because no one knew where to go or what to do.

No matter the size of the wedding, coordinators are invaluable. There are hundreds of moments something needs to be set up, torn down, shuffled around, pinned on, cleaned up, checked on, and adjusted. Having someone there whose sole job is to manage all of the moving parts means your photographer can focus on the photos, and the bride (we all know the groom is chilling 😂) can stay in the moment, enjoying the party, rather than making sure everyone else is enjoying it.

Whether you want full service design and planning or simply a day-of coordinator, it’s worth it. I promise. 🤍

31 5
Open post by haverleephotography with ID 18102498793997509
I didn’t understand how wrong I was about the importance of wedding coordinators until these things happened… Years ago, I would confirm couples’ decisions to skip the wedding coordinator to save money, particularly for small weddings. You can DIY it. Easy peasy. I was very wrong. 🫠 I’ve seen SO MANY brides sitting in the makeup chair being lobbed question after question, even though they were sure they’d delegated everything already. The stress and frustration is evident when they want to be relaxing and getting pampered. There have been several weddings where the bridal parties asked my 2nd shooter when they were supposed to walk down the aisle. No one was there to cue them and they were clueless. Another wedding, the doors closed before the bride was going to enter. She was expecting a song change. She waited an awkwardly long time, while the groom and everyone else thought she’d gotten cold feet. Finally it became clear the music wasn’t changing and she needed to just go for it. It made a special moment feel uncomfortable and embarrassing. At one small wedding, I was photographing details nearby when the groom started walking his mother down the aisle earlier than planned. No one made sure I knew the processional was starting. I barely made it to the front to snap the photo. Same thing happened at another wedding during the reception when the couple started cutting the cake and I wasn’t even in the room. At another wedding, I spent twenty minutes trying to usher the hundreds of guests to line up for the church exit because no one knew where to go or what to do. No matter the size of the wedding, coordinators are invaluable. There are hundreds of moments something needs to be set up, torn down, shuffled around, pinned on, cleaned up, checked on, and adjusted. Having someone there whose sole job is to manage all of the moving parts means your photographer can focus on the photos, and the bride (we all know the groom is chilling 😂) can stay in the moment, enjoying the party, rather than making sure everyone else is enjoying it. Whether you want full service design and planning or simply a day-of coordinator, it’s worth it. I promise. 🤍
iowa wedding photographer
iowa wedding photographer

Photographing love and life in Central Iowa, western north carolina, and beyond.