Jessica and Don's wedding day vendors:

Photography // Anna Jones Photography  |  Ceremony Venue // Des Moines Social Club  |  Event Planner // Mostly Becky Weddings and Events  |  Caterer // Gastro Grub  |  Dessert // Crème Cupcake  |  Floral // As You Wish Floral – Brenda McGinnis  |  Hair // Salon W, Stylist: Anna Mason  |  Wedding dress // Behati Gown – Hayley Paige, jlmcouture.com  |  Stationary and Calligraphy // Sunny Yang  |  Reception Music // Snag – DJ Seth Leopold  |  Rentals // Beyond Elegance  |  Tent //  |  Classic Events & Parties

A roof top engagement was the perfect start to Don and Jessica’s urban wedding adventure! During a trip to Minneapolis where the couple used to live, Don suggested a detour to their old apartment building and a climb up to the roof “for old time’s sake”. With a beautiful view of the city, he proposed to Jessica, completely taking her by surprise and starting them on their new lives together. 

Jessica didn’t turn to traditional mood boards to plan. A lot of her inspiration came from creative kid’s birthday parties. “Which is funny in hindsight!” the bride told us. “They were just so much more colorful and vibrant than most wedding boards — so I gravitated toward them.” She wanted to use everything they loved, bright colors, metallics, an urban backdrop complete with graffiti, balloons, tassels everywhere, and … unicorns! 

Okay, let’s explain! Don’s nickname for Jessica has always been “Jessicorn,” and so she had a ton of fun working in little unicorn details everywhere she could. She even splurged on Sophia Webster unicorn heels. (We’re in love!) By the end of the night, all their friends were using the hashtag #unicorngarden, which couldn’t have made Jessica happier. “It will be known forever as the ‘Unicorn Garden Wedding,’ at least to us!”

When you’re a bride with such a vision for your day, it’s important to find the vendors that can see it through. When Gastro Grub came to them and suggested fried chicken and waffle cones, it was a no-brainer for the couple. Anna Jones, with her unique and artistic perspective, was the perfect photographer to capture their day. Brenda, from As You Wish Floral, was thrilled to not only create a bouquet with stunning colors and greens, but also giant balloons with florals for Jessica’s bridesmaids.

Jessica and Don felt truly blessed to share the vows they wrote in front of family and friends who poured so much into helping that day. From setup and decorating to playing music that set the tone of their day, they couldn’t have asked for more.  

What advice does Jessica have to other brides? “Break tradition if it doesn’t suit you. You’ll never regret those extra moments of planning that made your day uniquely yours.” We couldn’t agree more. 

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