When it comes to weddings (and life!), there’s nothing we love more than a little poetry, a little fun and a lot of warmth. Kate & Nathan’s day has it all. Photographed by Cathy & David Photographers of Indiana, we just know you’re going to love the details and the relaxed day the couple put together with their families. September in Iowa, grapes on the vine, wind in the grass, a little Spanish wine in your glass—can’t you just feel the sun on your shoulders? Sounds like heaven to me!

Nathan and Kate live in Richmond, Virgina but met while in school at Iowa State University in Ames. “The best thing about getting married in Iowa is that it is beautiful and it is home. The next best thing is that everyone is so friendly and down-to-earth. Each and every person we worked with was excited to help us and excited to be creative.” For a venue, the couple decided on Sugar Grove Vineyards in Newton, Iowa. Wait until you see more of the grounds—beautiful rolling hills!

Kate’s stunning gown is Wtoo for Watters. She fashioned her own birdcage veil—isn’t it perfect?—and added the red and orange flower accent from Muscari. The maid of honor wore JCrew. The formal flowers—bouquets and boutonnieres—were designed by Courtyard Floral—(641) 792-3537.

When we asked Kate about the couple’s style, she said, “Nathan and I are a little untraditional, artsy and earthy. We try to be conscious of our environmental impact in our everyday life and used this ideology while planning our wedding. We choose to be vegetarians ninety-percent of the time for environmental reasons (we tend to cheat when we come home, though—who can resist an Iowa hamburger off the grill!?). For those reasons, we chose to do a pesca-vegetarian menu from Taste! To Go for our wedding and worked with as many local vendors and products as possible. We offered regional wine and beer alongside the not-so local varieties (this helped us stick to our budget). I went with a local florist and local flower farmer for the flowers. Finally, we rented dishes and silver from Sugar Grove and tried to limit paper products by forgoing programs, place cards, etc.” There’s so much to love about eco-friendly planning. Caring for the local community fits perfectly with the spirit of love in a wedding. Just love Kate & Nathan’s ideas and the grace with which they drew everything and everyone together!

“We really wanted our ceremony to reflect us, so this was an area where we refused input. It was important for this to be our sacred time during the day. We had a wonderful officiant who understood this desire and let us script the ceremony how we wanted. We chose four readings that are very close to our hearts and asked close friends and family to read them.”

So special! More from Kate & Nathan’s day this afternoon…including one amazing sunset and lots and lots of dancing!

Tags: handmade wedding, iowa wedding, wedding photography