Nick and Marcus’ Wedding at The Midnight Gem in Swisher, Iowa

An Elegant New Year’s Eve Wedding at The Midnight Gem in Swisher, Iowa

No Distance Too Far

Nick and Marcus initially met online; little did they know they had several mutual friends and interests. They spent a long time chatting before meeting in-person the day before Marcus left on an African graduate school research trip. During their first date, they hit it off, but they didn’t think much of it since Marcus was leaving the country. Three months later, Marcus returned to the United States and asked Nick wanted to go on a second date, he of course, said yes, and they have been together ever since.

Nick knew Marcus was the one when they had to date long distance seven months into dating. Marcus was going to Physician Assistant School in Denver, and Nick worked in Des Moines as a nurse. They would have nightly FaceTime dates where they really got to know each other, which really built the foundation of their relationship. For Marcus, “He was just the one.”

A Journey Worth Traveling

Nick and Marcus always talked about an engagement. They knew they wanted it to be a complete surprise from friends and family, but they always figured it would be Marcus who would pop the question. After both working in the Covid ICU during 2020, it put into perspective how precious life is. Nick knew he didn’t want to wait any longer to be married to Marcus as his partner officially. There were many trips Nick and Marcus went on that their friends and family thought, “This is it!!” but they would come back without a ring and say, “Oh, we aren’t anywhere near an engagement yet!” Nick loved how no one knew what was coming, not even Marcus.

Planning their trip to Glacier National Park and Banff, a destination that both Nick and Marcus had been wanting to visit, Nick asked Marcus where the prettiest place would be on the trip. Marcus quickly replied with, “Moraine Lake.” Nick knew that would be the place where he would get down on one knee.

Leading up to the trip, Nick picked a random day to go ring shopping locally in Iowa City. After three jewelry stores and coming up empty on ring choices, Nick thought his plan was derailed, but with Nick’s quick thinking, he decided to buy a silicone ring so they could design their rings after the engagement.

After a few intense roadblocks to overcome to get to Moraine Lake, like sketchy COVID tests, crossing the Canadian Border, and Moraine Lake’s tiny parking lot, they finally reached a rock pile where the most beautiful view was, for the second time, Nick couldn’t find a flat spot to get down on one knee, Nick proposed to Marcus.

Meet You at Midnight

Nick and Marcus came to Soirée with their New Year’s Eve date and their venue, but that was the extent of their planning. They were excited for a professional to help them with their planning and make their wedding as painless and as stress-free as possible. During their free consultation with Lead Planner and Owner Emily, they mentioned they don’t want to have to deal with anything other than getting married and having a blast with their loved ones. Emily recommended The Assistant Package.

Nick and Marcus’ day was just that, filled with friends, family, and LOTS of confetti and champagne. Not only did we have the pleasure of ensuring that everyone was following the timeline, but we also helped with setting up a champagne tower (in lieu of a wedding cake), passing out light-up foam sticks and tambourines to keep the party going, and over 100 confetti cannons for midnight.

Nick and Marcus’ wedding was a night we will never forget and such an amazing way to start 2023!

We wish Nick and Marcus a love and life full of happiness, laughter, and Love! As Marcus’ favorite quote states, Live, Laugh, Love 🤍