Amanda and Brett’s Midnight Gem wedding in Swisher, Iowa, was definitely one to remember! The Midnight Gem is a newer wedding venue with modern aesthetics that can really fit any color scheme. Amanda and Brett met the old fashioned way by swiping right on Bumble back in November of 2019. After talking for a couple of weeks, they agreed to meet for their first date. Of course, it didn't come with a little apprehension, especially from Amanda. She wanted to cancel, but ultimately showed up anyway. Their first date was at Drake's and went well. The conversation was good and flowed naturally. Fortunately for him, she agreed to go on a few more dates, and after that they were "going steady".

Brett proposed to Amanda on December 10th, 2022 on an annual getaway to Gatlinburg, TN. After enjoying the day in the city, Brett got down on one knee back at the cabin in front of the beautifully lit Christmas tree with the Smoky Mountains as a backdrop. The rest, as they say, was history…

The Midnight Gem is one of my favorite venues in Eastern Iowa, I love the clean, sleek, and modern asethetic, but all looks aside, this venue has one of the best staff teams I’ve ever seen at a venue. Each team member is incredibly sweet, and you can tell that each person genuinely cares about your wedding day as if it were their own. They take care of so much for you on your big day, ensuring that all the tables and chairs are set up for you the day before your wedding, stocking the mini fridges in your bridal suites with your favorite drinks, and even coordinating your vendors to ensure everyone knows the plan and timeline moving forward on the big day. Their email response times are great, and their venue managers even meet with the couples as often as they want for venue tours to plan out the space before the wedding.

Another feature they have that I like, is that they offer two bridal suites. While most venues only offer one, or they give the groomsmen a ridiculously small room to get ready in, the Midnight Gem has two very large rooms for both parties. Each suite is modern luxe and offers natural lighting, with a few other fun features. For the bridal suite, the girls have a 5 mirror vanity to sit at and do their hair and makeup with not only natural light, but vanity lights as well. They also have a large couch and coffee table to lounge on and mingle while getting ready, along with a private outside lounge, en suite bathroom, floor length mirros, a dress rack for everyone’s dress, and a mini fridge that is stocked to the brim with mimosas and other beverages you like. Seems hard to beat, right? Well for the guys, their suite includes a large couch and flat screen to watch whatever game is on tv, or they can hook their xbox up and play games while the ladies are getting ready. They also have a poker table, en suite bathroom, floor length mirror, a rack for everyone’s suit, a mini fridge stocked with everyone’s favorite beers, and access to their patio area where they have a putting green to play a bit of golf.

the design of the midnight gem

One of my FAVORITE details from Amanda and Brett’s wedding, was their welcome signage- It was so beautifuuly done (Not to pat myself on the back…)!
We used 3 multi heighted black wooden cubes, and cricuted the couples names on them along with their date, and venue. I then placed a floral arrangement atop one cube, and candles on and around the others to add more dimension.
This welcome sign was DEFINITELY one to remember! All the guests coming into the Midnight Gem talked about how pretty and unique of a setup it was.
The Midnight Gem has a beautiful welcome area for guests to mingle before the ceremony, to drop their cards/gifts and sign your guestbook, all while being closed off from the reception space; Which wedding planners like me LOVE!

The Midnight Gem Wedding Ceremony

One of the nice things about the Midnight Gem, is their in house rental options. They have a ton of arch and backdrops to choose from, so the couple decided to use one of theirs for the ceremony. Ellie with Ellabank Blossoms added in floral to the arch, and after the ceremony, we moved the whole thing inside to be used as reception decor.
The Midnight Gem has one of the smartest designs for their ceremony area, by making sure it’s covered! With a covered patio, it ensures that any couple, regardless of the weather, can get married outside. They also use benches for the guests to sit on during the ceremony rather than actual chairs, which helps with spacing issues, and it allows us to customize the size of the aisle for each wedding. The best part? If you want to take the benches out completely, you can! You can use the covered patio space for anything, because the benches aren’t permanent and can be moved around! I’ve seen couples get married offsite and use the covered patio space for their cocktail hour, as an outside lounge area, or even as a cigar bar. Your options for this space are limitless!

The Midnight Gem Wedding Reception

One of the nice things about the Midnight Gem’s venue space, is how much space they actually have. Between their covered and uncovered patio area, and their large reception hall, guests have so many areas they can lounge and mingle during the cocktail hour!
After the ceremony guests headed inside for cocktail hour, and the party kicked off from there! Amanda and Brett were introduced into the reception, shared their first dance, and cut the cake. We got dinner started, and once each guest had their plate, started speeches and toasts.

Private Garter Removal

Let’s face it- Garter removals infront of your closet friends and family is awkward. But a private garter removal? Now that's steamy, intimate, and makes for GREAT photos! That’s exactly what this couple did! They went into the groom’s suite with the photographer and had a private garter removal.

Decor at the midnight gem

The Midnight Gem only offers these long wooden tables, (no round tables) so we stuck with decor that ran along the length of the table, instead of decor that just piled up in the middle.
Amanda and Brett kept it simple and decluttered for their reception decor. Sticking with multi heighted floating candles on the guest tables with a greenery runner, mauve table runner, and full place settings.

Overall Amanda and Brett had the stylish wedding of their dreams! The color palette really came together in all the photos, and our couple looked STUNNING in their portraits! Huge thanks to all the amazing vendors who made the day perfect!

Vendor Team

Venue: The Midnight Gem

Planner: Elizabeth Bliss Events

Photographer: Ivory & Bliss

Catering: Hyvee

Floral: Ellabank Blossoms

Decor: 11:11 Event Co.

Decor: Unique Events

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The Midnight gem Wedding Venue

Address: 2613 Ders Drive NW, Swisher, IA, United States, Iowa
Email: info@themidnightgem.com
The Midnight Gem
Costs: Peak Wedding Season $6,500 +, Off Season $4,500+
Capacity of 300 guests
Amenities included: Tables & chairs, indoor and outdoor ceremony space, bar setup and staff