Since the first wedding 16 years ago, Serenbe has been the venue for approximately 400 blessed events. Around these parts—and especially around this time of year—we affectionately call it Weddingville.

But long before there was an Inn, a pavilion or nature trails that make beautiful backdrops for bridal photos, there was a little girl named Kara who dreamed of getting married in her own backyard. And this September, friends and family will eat, drink and dance at my middle daughter’s reception, less than 1,000 feet from her childhood bedroom window.

People have asked if I’m helping Kara plan, but to me, helping her means making sure she gets what she wants, not what I want.

Years ago, long before the Serenbe community came to be, we added on to the main house so each of our daughters could have her own bedroom. We made sure they were all the same footprint and each girl got to meet with designer Stan Topol to discuss the look they wanted.

That’s how Steve and I raised them: This is your life, how do you want it to look? And when Kara calls asking for advice or feedback, I tell her the same thing: This is your wedding. How do you want it to look?

I had my wedding, or should I say circus? Steve and I had 1,200 people. We invited 1,400! Kara doesn’t want that many—and if I had to do it over again I wouldn’t either—but what she liked about our wedding is that we spread it out over a few days, so she’s planning to do something similar.

Having lots of flower children is important to her—she plans to have more than 20—but one of the biggest parts of Kara’s vision is having a long aisle. That’s not an option in the usual places we offer to brides, so she came to us and asked, “Is there any place no one’s ever used before that can just be mine?”

Steve didn’t say anything, but he immediately knew the place. That man knows every inch of this property—it’s his playground. So we all got in the car and when he showed it to us, we were all like, of course. It’s perfect.

And so it begins. Stay tuned for more updates of the first Nygren wedding in Weddingville.