We are thrilled to share with you our newest FULL page ad in the Spring/Summer 2010 addition of CS Brides called, “Wedded Bliss”.

We had a ton of fun shooting this ad back in the fall.  The incredibly talented photography team of, “Studio This Is” shot this ad and made our crazy idea come to life.  Jeremy Bustos – the owner – is absolutely amazing.  We are forever grateful.

If you look closely at the ad, the dress the model is wearing is our blue and white signature flocked “wallpaper”. We had the fabric custom printed and custom made by the very fabulous and talented seamstress, Jennifer Philbrook.  The dress is so darling.  She even put in pockets!  Don’t you just love pockets in a cocktail dress?  We do!

We hope you all love it as much as we do.  We would love to hear from you!!!!

Happy Snowy Tuesday from Chicago!  Finally, our first snow fall of the season and it is beautiful.  I love snow in early December.  It gets us in the Holiday spirit!  I love it now, just not in March and Apri.

We have exciting news.  One of our most GORGEOUS and NICEST couples engagement sessions has been featured on Style Me Pretty’s blog.  Their photographer is the incredible Jeff & Julia Woods.  They were able to shoot their engagement session in beautiful Napa Valley.  Who doesn’t want that as their location?  Um….YES please!

Please visit this address for more on the shoot.  http://www.stylemepretty.com/2009/12/07/solage-calistoga-engagement-shoot-from-jeffrey-julia-woods/

The tone and contrast of her vibrant peacock blue dress (my new color obsession) against the natural landscape is unreal.

We can’t wait for the wedding in May at the Chicago Illuminating Company. You will want to come back and visit those pictures for sure. Their colors are cornflower blue and white.  So crisp and fabulous!

We LOVE when our fabulous weddings are featured in bridal magazines.  We feel very honored and proud to share our work with everyone.

Please check out the latest in “The Knot Chicago” Fall/Winter 09 issue on newstands now.  It is a wedding from a VERY fun couple, Natasha & Matt.  Her dress was to die for and we LOVE the deep rich purple colors in her bouquet.  So dreamy! Her theme was natural and organic.  We used lots of natural elements, river rocks, blooming branches, white birch and bird motifs.

One fun thing about the wedding was most of her bridal party lives in California and are choreographers.  They surprised the bride and groom at the reception with a full on performance of Michael Jackson’s Thriller dance – the original.  It was amazing!  We helped them rehearse in a secret location at the gorgeous Chicago History Museum.

Hello friends -

I have been gone for a while. It has been a fabulous and VERY busy wedding season.  We are at the wind down stage and i know i need to get updated on my blog posts.  I have so much to tell you and share.  So many gorgeous weddings from this past year.  We have had some absolutely amazing clients who i know we will stay close with for many, many years to come.

On to some of the biggest exciting news in Bliss Weddings history…..

We are extrememly proud and honored to welcome the fabulous Kara Hilier Superfine to our Bliss Team.  Please read more about her in the press release below.  We plan on taking the wedding industry by storm with my and Kara’s extensive experience in the industry. Stay tuned for a lot of exciting fresh ideas from Bliss in the coming year. We have a lot of surprises and completely unique ideas up our sleeve.  Can’t wait to share them with you and all our new clients to come.

Lots more to come soon.  Keep checking back for the latest and greatest.

Happy Wednesday!

Yesterday, I got interviewed by a reporter from Medill Reports Chicago. They are an online newspaper written and produced by graduate journalism students at Northwestern University.

They were doing a story on the wedding industry and if vendors are folding due to the economy. Because we are in the glorious city of Chicago, and all the vendors i work with are of the higher end, no one has any need to worry about their vendors here.  However, i did tell them that vendors are willing to wheel and deal more now than ever.

Don’t be afraid to ask for discounts or ask if vendors can throw in a few extras.   Maybe a caterer can throw in an extra hors d’oeuvre or a couple extra desserts.  Maybe the florist will throw in flowers for the restrooms.  Maybe the band will even negotiate an extra singer.   It certainly doesn’t hurt to ask.

Enjoy the Article here.   I have also included a sneak peak below.

Happy Planning!

Hello Friends -

Hope you are all enjoying the lovely weather in Chicago…HA!!!  Just kidding. Are you ready for Spring yet?  I sure am.

I am happy as a clam today, (even if it is 15 degrees outside) because the March issue of Chicago Magazine just came out and I am honored to be named one of Chicago’s Top Wedding Planners.

I have coveted every Chicago Magazine since i moved here 11 years ago. I can’t wait for it to come every month. I get so many of my ideas and unusual vendors and venues from the magazine.  If you live in Chicago, and don’t get this magazine every month, you are missing out.  It has everything and everyone you need to know, and all the happenings around this amazing and diverse and fabulous city.  Needless to say, when Chicago Magazine called and told me they had named me one of the top planners. I was over the moon with delight.  The writer told me she had been watching me for years and had read many wonderful things about Bliss.  How cool is that?

Please pick up the March issue if you can, and if you don’t live in Chicago, i have posted it below for your reading pleasure (sorry for the scan job.  Couldn’t wait for the pdf’s)

Stay warm and happy out there

Happy Weekend!

I am in love with my new ad in the Spring/Summer 09 CS Brides.  The picture is from a gorgeous wedding i did in September at Northmoor Country Club on the North Shore.  The ad was pulled together by Jessica Jones.  She is a very talented graphic designer and has a wonderful blog on DIY and design called What About Orange.

She also used Bliss Weddings & Events in a promotional contest last summer for AD Pack USA and won the top prize!  Nicely done!  They just uploaded the pictures to their website. Look under applications then contest. It was a clever project to market facial tissue packs in a different way.  The front of the tissue pack said  “Cry for all the right reasons” and featured a bride crying using a tissue.  The back said “Bliss Weddings & Events can help make sure nothing goes wrong on your special day.  So, the only reason to cry is how blissfully happy you are!”  Maybe i should get some of these tissues printed for my brides.

Hello Friends -

Please be sure and pick up the latest isssue of CS Brides – Spring/Summer 09.  A wonderful wedding of mine was featured under “Scene Chicago Weddings”.  One of my absolute favorite weddings.  Erin & Derrick were so blissfully happy, incredibly sweet, giving, grateful, fun, love life and LOVE color   We will be friends for a long time.  The wedding theme was “Vintage Indian”.  The colors were rich berries, eggplant, indigo blue and whites.

The Wedding ceremony was held in Glenview at a gorgeous little white chapel where the bride’s parents were married.  It looked like something out of a magazine.  There were these amazing huge oak trees.  Most of the time guests would enter off the parking lot (boring), but i wanted guests to walk through those amazing oak trees and up the courtyard.  We asked the church to fix a couple of the bricks in the courtyard since most people do not use this path, which they did happily.  We hung large signs from long strands of ribbons in plums and pinks from the trees.  The first sign directing guests from the parking lot said, “Erin + Derrick” with an arrow pointing towards the tree path.  The second sign said ” Almost Married”  with an arrow pointing towards the courtyard.  The last sign was hung on the back of the getaway car and said, “Just Married”.  So fun!!!

After the ceremony, guests traveled to the Glen Club where they were greeted by a large white tent on the patio of the golf course for the cocktail hour.  Sixty vintage gold embroideered parasols in berries and blues hung above.  The tables were dressed in ivory linens and set with antique gold lanterns.  The place card table was draped in a sheet of wheat grass and rich berry linen.

Guest then entered the ballroom where the tables were draped in eggplant linens and set with mahogany chiavari chairs with eggplant chair covers.  Gorgeous centerpieces soared over head in vintage fluted glass vases.  The flowers were some of the most beautiful flowers i have ever seen.  I was swooning.  Lavender and purple hydrangea, deep berry dahlias, lavender mokara orchids, fuschia gloriosa lilies, pale pink peonies…OH MY!!!  We placed a string quartet up on the balcony that was covered with the sari’s from the church.  Since they were covered up from the sari’s, the beautiful music drifted down during dinner.  Guests weren’t sure where the music was coming from. I love that element of surprise.

It was a magical day.  The couple, their families, and their friends were truly amazing.  Everyone had an incredible time. I was floating on cloud 9.  This is why i am so lucky to do what I love for a career.  So i can meet people like Erin and Derrick and make all their dreams come true   Enjoy the pictures.

From my home to yours, I am wishing you a very happy, safe and wonderful holiday season with your friends and family.

It really is a magical time of year. Take time to count your blessings and stay grateful for what you have, not what you need.  There is no greater gift than wonderful friends and family.

Can’t wait to see you all next year!