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Gems & Joy
Gems & Joy
Floral
Floral
Details
Details
Dress
Dress
Military Love
Military Love
Rings
Rings
COVID Cupcakes
COVID Cupcakes
Mirror Me Photo Booth White
Mirror Me Photo Booth White
Mirror Me Photo Booth
Mirror Me Photo Booth
Wedding Booth
Wedding Booth
LED Booth
LED Booth
Gold Frame
Gold Frame
Mirror Me Photo Booth Office
Mirror Me Photo Booth Office
Donut Wall
Donut Wall
Kisses
Kisses
Sparkler Exit
Sparkler Exit
First Dance
First Dance
Dancing
Dancing
Getaway Car
Getaway Car
Floral
Floral
Family Kisses
Family Kisses
Newlywed
Newlywed
Tattoo Station
Tattoo Station
Mr & Mrs
Mr & Mrs
Guestbook Skateboard
Guestbook Skateboard
Denise's Prep Work
Denise's Prep Work
Getting Ready
Getting Ready
Introducing...
Introducing...
The Gown
The Gown
Celebration Farm Arch
Celebration Farm Arch
S'more Love
S'more Love
Head Table
Head Table
Ceremony + Reception Setup
Ceremony + Reception Setup
Groomsmen
Groomsmen
Dance Party
Dance Party
Florals and Rings
Florals and Rings
Anniversary Dance
Anniversary Dance
New father-in-law
New father-in-law
Fairytale
Fairytale

Interested in this vendor?

Fireworks

About

If you're looking for your wedding planning bestie, look no further! Gems and Joy is your luxury wedding go-to for all things planning, designing, and coordinating! Serving Iowa, all around the Midwest, and destination weddings, you've never experienced luxury like this before. We are a husband and wife duo-and we truly love working with one another! We have a great love for short engagements, themed, and destination weddings. Denise's signature style is unique lighting, and lush florals. Our services include full wedding planning, design, coordination, and custom packages. We have also added elopements and mini-weddings!

With years of experience in planning weddings and events, we are sure to bring a high level of expertise to your wedding day! We have three main goals at Gems and Joy:

  1. To give you a luxury wedding planning experience
  2. To exceed your expectations for your wedding day
  3. To bring your vision to life, within your budget

At Gems and Joy, we know that your wedding is not just one day. It's how you spend every day of your engagement. It's your wedding day. It's every time you watch your wedding video, or even think about your wedding day. It's every anniversary, and every time you walk past your wedding pictures. You deserve to relax, be present, and make joyful, beautiful memories.

Services Offered

  • Full Service Wedding Planning + Coordination
  • Design + Coordination
  • Design
  • Wedding Management
  • Wedding Timeline and Dossier Creation
  • COVID weddings (minimonies, mini-weddings, wedding festivals, COVID consultations)
  • Woman-owned
illustration popular

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Frequently asked questions

Do you offer an hourly rate?

No

What wedding events do you provide services for?

Ceremony
Reception
Rehearsal Dinner

What wedding planning services do you offer?

Day-of Coordination
Full Planning
Partial Planning

What weddings do you have experience planning?

Civil
Cultural
Elopement
Military
Non-Religious
Religious

Reviews of Gems & Joy

Write a review
Write a review
Gems & Joy - 1
Gems & Joy - 2
Gems & Joy - 3
A
Alyssa Sent on 11/10/2020
5 out of 5 rating

Day of Coordinator

Denise from Gems&Joy is the real deal. Many vendors offer the same services but Denise in her own way gave us such an unique experience. From her organization to her day-of bustling skills, you won’t find anyone better than her. She is the top of the line vendor in our books. If you are looking for someone who will go above and beyond, while being a friend along the way... this is your girl!!
A
Adrian Sent on 10/26/2020
5 out of 5 rating

Say YES to Denise!

I was on the fence for a year whether or not to hire a day-of-coordinator and WOW am I so thankful and glad I did! I seriously cannot imagine what my day would have been like without Denise and her assistant there to keep things moving forward and on track from start to finish. From her bridal emergency kit (that thing seriously had EVERYTHING in it) and picking up our decor at the end of the evening, to adding last minute touches and helping the bridal party know what to do at the ceremony, everything went 10x smoother with Denise there. I truly believe my wedding wouldn't have been as great as it was without her positivity and expertise.
McKenzie
Mckenzie Sent on 09/27/2020
5 out of 5 rating

Truly Amazing

I just had my wedding this past weekend on September 25th. One of the BEST decisions I made was hiring Denise as my wedding coordinator. She not only helped me through the craziness of 2020, she made my vision into my absolute dream wedding! Denise is the most organize, thought out person for the job and was right there with a solution if there was ever an issue. I just want to thank her for being such a caring, thoughtful wedding coordinator, catching the little moments and details, and for making my dreams come true!
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K
Katie Sent on 08/18/2020
5 out of 5 rating

So impressed!

I had a chance to work with Denise while second shooting a wedding this past weekend, and WOW! I was so impressed by her attention to detail and her positive and sweet personality! She did a phenomenal job with helping the day run smoothly, and making sure the bride and groom had the best day possible. I hope to work with her in the future many more times!
Olivia
Olivia Sent on 08/13/2020
5 out of 5 rating

A dream planner for “corona brides”

Denise has been so great to work with thus far!! We hired her for our November 2020 wedding in January and then coronavirus hit. After dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety, my fiancé and I made the decision to postpone our big wedding and do a small wedding on our original 2020 date. Denise was so supportive and helpful right away and willing to answer any questions and give recommendations during an unprecedented situation. It’s really great knowing she is there FOR YOU and wants to do what she can. We’re so excited she’ll be there at our big wedding that we’ll have waited so long for!
Kat
Kat S. Sent on 07/25/2020
5 out of 5 rating

I couldn't have done it without Gems and Joy.

Denise and Julie were just the most amazing people in the world to work with and my dream wedding would not have happened without them. Denise went above and beyond to make my day stress-free and perfect. She is absolutely on top of everything from the timeline to the tiny details. Not only is she the most amazing wedding planner, but she is just so sweet and kind and she will make you feel so special. During the planning process, she helped me to navigate the chaos of having to postpone my wedding due to COVID-19 when I was ready to give up on the whole thing entirely. Throughout the entire day, she was always right there next to me with a calming smile that made me know that everything was taken care of. I am so beyond thankful for her and I would recommend her to every single bride.
H
Heather Sent on 10/05/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Amazing Wedding Planner- blew our expectations out of the water!

Gems and Joy did an absolutely amazing job coordinating our wedding at IMU. For a day of coordinator, I feel that Denise went above and beyond! I am definitely a last minute planner but she helped keep me more on task with the months and weeks leading up to the big day. As organized as I thought I was, there were definitely several things I hadn't considered or planned for. I was a lot more at ease on the day of our wedding knowing that Denise was running the show. I had no idea how the months of planning would come together but when I walked into the ballroom- WOW! She really did an amazing job coordinating all our vendors and I had very few questions coming at me the day of. I would VERY HIGHLY RECOMMEND Gems and Joy for anybody's wedding. And in hindsight, I wish I would have had her do more than just the day of coordinating.
M
Melissa Sent on 06/20/2019
5 out of 5 rating

We had a great experience with Gems & Joy

Denise was a true GEM to work with :) She took so much of the stress out of our big day. What a relief to have someone help coordinate all the events that day. She was responsive to all my questions and knew just what to ask and do!
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Awards

8
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2021 Winner

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Wedding Planning Cedar Rapids
Wedding Planning Cedar Rapids (City)
Next Wedding Planners: Emerald + Ivy

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