Whether you’re the maid of honor or someone else behind the scenes of a wedding day, a gift for the bride (or even the groom) doesn’t have to be extravagant.  

With a new year, comes new trends. Let’s keep in mind that these ever so popular sources are looking towards a completely different demographic than what I’m seeing in Northeast Iowa – which means, take this with a grain of salt.

The Wedding Nest is a deceiving name for everything this business encompasses. Yes, we love weddings – the planning, the decorating, the love! However, The Wedding Nest is a business that does so much more than just weddings.

A sigh of relief.

A feeling of complete gratitude.

And soaking in the pure wedded bliss. ✨

But then the stress of “post wedding” blues sets in…alright, not quite that quick, but this happy day is gone in a blur and now what?

It means the world to most people for you to attend their event…wedding or not, it’s a big deal. I cannot count the number of times my husband and I discussed how much the day meant to just have all our favorite people together. If you’re invited, you’re loved. You should act like it. Be a good guest.

Just when you think the wedding planning is stressful, we throw in the bridal showers and bachelorette parties. Thank goodness for the friends and family around us that help take that on. There’s so many thoughts, ideas and information that comes with the bridal shower and bachelorette parties. What are they? How do you know what to do? How to plan it? Who plans it? The questions are endless.

Grooms are “just along for the bride.” Whether the wedding has happened, is coming soon or the question hasn’t been popped, the theme throughout is that the groom just wanted what the bride wanted and they trusted their future wife’s decision.

Your big day is finally here and, as you’re waking up, you might find yourself asking, “Now what?”

Your wedding day is going to fly by and we cannot stress this enough. No matter what, the most important thing to remember is that this is your wedding day! Be happy. Smile. Laugh. Take it all in. The day you’ve been dreaming of for forever is here and it’s important that you don’t let little things get you down.

In rural Iowa, cocktails look a lot like a can of Busch Light and a Captain with Coke. If you’re planning your wedding, that might be the perfect time to step up the game and offer fun spirits to celebrate. Whether you’re planning the bar for the event or looking to include signature his and hers drink menu there’s a lot to consider.

I’m here to tell you all the do’s and don’ts, tips and tricks and hacks to making your thank you notes painless. I will always recommend the “daunting” handwritten, personalized thank you notes because it’s classic, timeless and thoughtful.

Usually I’m sharing about Wedding Proposals, we are The Wedding Nest, but with national proposal day around the corner as well as promposals happening more frequently than ever, I thought sharing more about proposals would be fun.

Cindi has been in the food industry for 30 years or more and catering for over 20 years! With her experience, she had a ton of great advice, tips and even some do’s and don’ts for those of you planning a wedding, or any event for that matter.

Anyone can take a photo with their cell phone, even Great Grandma Betty and crazy Aunt Karen, but that’s exactly why investing in a trusted, professional photographer is crucial. Photos are the one thing that captures all your big day encompasses. We got an inside exclusive with Jenny from JN Byrnes Photography. From tips and tricks, to dos and don’ts – we covered it all for you.

Shopping for your wedding dress has a lot of hype. Pressure, emotions, body insecurities, excitement, nervousness - all the feelz! Shopping for your wedding dress should be relaxing, intimate, personalized, and you should feel comfortable and confident through it all. It should be memorable with those important women surrounding you!

When you pick out your flowers for your wedding or event, the florist is the best resource for all the questions you have, but also making sure all the pieces are taken care of. When connecting with your florist, there are three key factors to keep in mind. We sat down with The Country Garden Flowers & Gifts to get the inside scoop on what we need to know as we plan our day.

If you’re the guest at the big event, you want to give the best, most memorable gift for the newlyweds, while also staying within your budget. However, as a couple, you just want the guests to stick to the registry that you worked so hard to put together.