Why Choose an Intimate Wedding?
1. You get to cherry-pick what traditional elements you want.
Lose the bouquet toss but keep the cake? Or ditch being walked up the aisle but yes to a flowy white dress? With a small wedding, you don’t have to stick with the format of the typical wedding. But neither do you have to reinvent the wheel. Pick and choose what you want! Maybe you want the traditional format but with way fewer people.
2. You surround yourself with people who love you and know you.
Weddings are so personal. Do you really want to experience all that with your dad’s golf buddy? Some brides are surprised how weird it felt to be the center of attention for hours on end. Keeping it intimate allows for much rawer emotion!
3. You can save money or splurge more on whatever it is you value
One of the myths of intimate weddings is that the term is a byword for ‘budget wedding’. Not so, at all. In fact, what they afford is flexibility. You can choose where to splurge and where to save. You can also save money by cutting down not only on the cost per-head but the head-count itself.
4. Your wedding can be your own creation
You decide what your priorities are! Do you prefer brunch or an elegant cocktail reception? A dessert extravaganza or a backyard BBQ? The possibilities are endless. When you stumble on the solution that’s right, you’ll know!
5. Your wedding guests will feel like participants
One of the biggest regrets of newlyweds is that they didn’t spend enough time with each guest. With fewer guests you can cherish everyone that made the effort to be there, with no pressure to ‘get to everybody’. Each person will feel truly valued.
6. You can savor your day wholly and completely
Your wedding day goes by in a blur. Part of the reason for this is that the schedule is packed full of traditions that make up the entire timeline. It’s easy to see how with the schedule so tightly packed, the day goes by in a whirlwind of photo-op moments. You can bring slowness to proceedings by embracing only the traditions that resonate.
7. Personal Touches
From hand written notes to personalized menus, you have more space for thoughtful details.
8. It is a more authentic reflection of your personalities and values.
When you customize every little thing that is part of your wedding, it’s an intentional choice. That’s the beauty of intimate weddings – you make the decisions. They are as unique as you are.
9. Your wedding will be very memorable.
It will inspire others to plan weddings that are authentic to them in a meaningful way. Your wedding will stand apart from every other wedding.
The average wedding in Iowa today costs approximately $28,000 - but it does not have to. At The Cottage, Intimate weddings start at just $895 with packages that can be customized to meet your vision and budget.
Why Choose the cottage?
1. Let's plan your day.
At The Cottage, we sit with you to thoughtfully shape the flow of your day — from crafting a seamless timeline to guiding your vendor selections and curating intimate, imaginative details that elevate your celebration.
2. You surround yourself with people who love you and know you.
At The Cottage, our venue is intentionally designed to match the size of your guest list, creating a warm, lively atmosphere that feels full and inviting—never empty or overwhelming.”
3. You can save money or splurge more on whatever it is you value
At The Cottage, We’ve worked in many of Iowa’s top wedding venues, and we bring the best of those services directly to you. Our team delivers five‑star, white‑glove service at a fraction of the cost—offering the elevated experience you expect without the premium price tag.”
4. Your wedding can be your own creation
At The Cottage, we take the time to truly listen. We work with your ideas and pair them with our expertise to help shape a wedding day that reflects everything you envision—enhanced with thoughtful suggestions from our team.”
5. Your wedding guests will feel like participants
At The Cottage, you’ll have the time and space to genuinely connect with each guest. With a more intimate guest count, you can truly appreciate everyone who made the effort to be there—without the pressure of trying to ‘get to everyone.’ Every person feels seen, valued, and part of the celebration.
6. You can savor your day wholly and completely
At The Cottage, we understand that at a typical large wedding, your day can feel like it flies by while your guests experience it at a much slower pace. As you move through the celebration greeting loved ones, each person will want a moment to talk with you, share their well‑wishes, and take photos before returning to their own circle of friends, family, or coworkers. By choosing a more intimate guest count, you give yourself the gift of time—time to relax, be present, and truly enjoy every moment of your day.
7. Personal Touches
At The Cottage, we offer thoughtful suggestions inspired by what we’ve seen work beautifully in the past. We love thinking outside the box to help you discover ideas that feel personal and meaningful. For example, we once had a groom who dreamed of using a record player during the reception. His bride wasn’t quite on board for the entire evening, so we suggested using it just for their first dance. It created an intimate, romantic moment that everyone adored—something you simply can’t achieve in a large, traditional reception setting.
8. It is a more authentic reflection of your personalities and values
At The Cottage, we know that the beauty of an intimate wedding lies in the freedom to choose what matters most. Your celebration becomes a true reflection of you and your bride or groom—personal, intentional, and yours.
9. Your wedding will be very memorable.
At The Cottage we treat every celebration as if it were one of our own family members getting married. Our team is all‑in, fully committed to making your day feel special, supported, and genuinely cared for.”