My New Years Eve wedding is presently featured and I’m so enjoying reminiscing about all of the gorgeous details and fun we had planning Emma and Tom’s wedding.
In an effort not to bore you with a double feature – you can check out more of this stunning candlelit extravaganza here and here.
Another stunning Bliss Wedding was featured on Style Me Pretty the other day! This wedding was about as dreamy as it could be, in my book. We all know I’m quite partial to garden parties and tent weddings!
The wedding was held on the family property. The estate boasted acres and acres of verdant lawns and towering trees. Tents were erected, gardens were tended and no detail was overlooked. Renny was instrumental in the couples planning and partnered with my design love, Jesse of Event Creative to execute brides vision.
The bride selected a color palette of lavender, green and white. Perfect for her spring wedding. While the bride adored flowers, she wanted it to feel like a lovely garden party – not something that was too opulent or stuffy.
Here are some of the gorgeous photos from the day.
Due to questionable weather, a separate ceremony tent was added to the plan the week of the wedding. Jesse created a custom rich wood arbor under which the bride and groom stood as they repeated their vows. Florals including gnarly grapevine, hydrangea, peonies, smilax and lilac adorned the structure.
The aisle was simply noted with pomanders of bun moss and button pomps suspended from silk ribbons.
The darling programs featured a quatrefoil pattern that was repeated throughout the event. All printables were created by favorite Cheree Berry.
Fragrant lily of the valley {my absolute favorite} was fashioned into a bouquet for the bride and a charming boutonniere for the groom.
For a client earlier this year, I hired an artist to paint a live rendering of the reception. It’s become our latest obsession. Renny knew it would be perfect for this client! Here, the artist captured the ceremony as it was happening.
Jesse designed a couple of free-standing moss hedges that repeated the quatrefoil pattern.
Guests seating assignments were slipped into organza ribbons hand-sewn into pockets.
The cocktail hour was held in a third tent and featured rosemary lemonade cocktails and delicious bites passed on custom lucite trays.
Dinner and dancing was held in the largest tent, complete with darling lavender pennant flags.
Lush and gardeny florals detailed each of the dining tables, all presented in varied white ceramic vessels.
Featured flowers included hydrangea, viburnum, lilac, peonies, allium, hyacinth and hosta foliage. Gorgeous, gorgeous!
I love the unexpected sculptures Jesse added to the tablescape.
In addition to the stunning tabletop decor – floral, candle, lantern and branch laden pieces were suspended over guest tables throughout the tent. Sight-lines are certainly never a concern with floating centerpieces!
The cutie place card for the bride and groom…
In addition to the quatrefoil pattern that made multiple repeat appearances, a custom motif of an actual tree on the property was used for a handful of items. Here, the custom illuminated bar featured this personal motif.
Whimsical desserts were offered along with darling custom towels.
The guests enjoyed every bite of the meal provided by Jewell Weddings.
Without the constraint of venue end times, the guests were able to dance until the wee hours of the morning.
August into September, and now approaching October has been packed with back-to-back {to-back-to-back-to-back etc.} amazing client weddings – which has meant the attention has been solely on my brides. Husband who? Free time, what? Late nights and early mornings have kept me from posting as much as I’m dying to. So forgive me for the lameness of this delay, but Bliss has something to share!
One of Renny’s recent client weddings was featured on Style Me Pretty and I have been itching to feature some of the gorgeous photos.
These cutie clients decided to spend the year of their wedding traveling the world. {Um, yes please.} Renny’s role was huge as their ally, guiding the couple on all decisions remotely.
The ceremony was held in Wrigley Square, at the foot of Millennium Park in a bustling and beautiful clearing amidst the towering skyscrapers.
Guests were greeted with charming ceremony programs by stationary fav, Cheree Berry, and refreshing citrus water.
Seriously darling flowers girls announced the arrival of the bride.
The bride carried a bountiful bouquet of fluffy peonies. So soft and romantic!
{Just in case you weren’t sure who was who…}
The reception was held mere steps away at the Chicago Cultural Center. I love love this fluffy cloud of gypsophila {alright, alright…babies breath} highlighting the place card table in G.A.R Hall.
For dinner and dancing, guests moved to one of my favorite rooms in the city: Preston Bradley Hall. The remarkable Tiffany Dome is the largest in the world.
Romantic florals featured roses, peonies, garden stock and tea roses – all presented in varied glass and crystal pieces.
The tables were named after locations the bride and groom visited together in the travels.
The tables were set with elegant charger plates, framing the rose-accented menus. {Love the di-cut silhouette of the card!}
I am currently working with a darling bride to plan her early spring wedding next year. It’s taking place at a brand spankin’ new venue, Bridgeport Art Center. To say I’m IN LOVE with the space is a massive understatement – we already have two client weddings booked here.
The setting is gorgeous – raw but polished and warm. Exposed brick walls meet timber beams and soaring original skylights. Countless windows allow for unparalleled views of the skyline {a benefit of being in…well…Bridgeport!}
Here are a couple of images of the newly finished space:
{Obsessed with the natural runway/aisle!}
I am seriously loving the opportunity to play around with different styles and color palettes that would do a proper job of showcasing the beautiful backdrop of the venue.
Tomorrow, my darling bride and I begin the decor process and I have put together this inspiration board to use as a planning tool:
The bride loves the setting and wants to enhance it with a gorgeous palette of saffron/mango, rich ocean/teal, dusty greys and white. She loves vintage, eclectic touches, rustic but refined details and a warm and celebratory feeling.
Can’t wait to see how this continues to take shape!
{PS: Loving dreaming about what we’re going to do with the fabulous 80 passenger open-air freight elevator that takes guests up to the event space…a specialty bar and chandeliers will only be the start of it!}
Recent bride, Rebecca, and her planning-partner-in-crime sister, Jordan, were one of my absolute favorite clients to date. These sisters have such an impeccable style, fun and hilarious personalities and a marvelous grasp on reality. After spending the weekend with their friends and family, I could clearly see where they get it!
Rebecca and her sweet-as-pie husband Dan’s wedding is currently featured in Brides Chicago and I’m thrilled to share some of the gorgeous photos taken by favorites Stevi and Matt of Avery House.
While Rebecca and Dan live in Chicago, they chose the brides’ hometown of Bloomington Illinois to host their wedding weekend. Rebecca loved the idea of having her wedding at the country club where she grew up.
Here was an early inspiration board I created, before things evolved just a bit:
We ended up selecting a soft palette of creams, champagnes and golds accented with victorian blue, and a tonal highlight of peachy apricot {instead of the pinks}.
Here are a handful more images of the dreamy day:
The bride got ready in her childhood home {although her fabulous {and just a hint overly ambitious!} mother was in the middle of a major home renovation…that said – it certainly made for plenty of room for hair and make-up without much furniture!}
Rebecca rode to the ceremony with her parents and sister, Jordan.
The maids carried charming bouquets of garden roses and peonies. They were the perfect pairing against their dusty victorian blue dresses.
The happy couple, newly crowned man and wife!
The day was absolutely saturated with moisture. It rained forcefully from sun-up to sun-down, with just a few breaks that allowed for some photos on the golf course. The weather never once put a damper on the newlyweds’ moods…they were floating on air all day.
Obsessed with this pic.
Guests cocktailed under the protection of a tent overlooking the verdant golf course.
Everyone moved inside for dinner, where candelabras and white peonies dressed each table.
All printables were created by one of my favorite stationers, Jenna of Clementine Ink.
Stud.
Guests moved back outside for dessert and dancing, as the rain finally lost it’s determination.
The weekend was such a reflection of Rebecca’s hard work. To speak of it visually, it was warm, sophisticated, charming, romantic, classically current with a hint of prep. To speak of it emotionally, the wedding day was such a celebration of two people that were so clearly meant to be.
Perhaps you recognize this gorgeous photo from our Reveal Collaboration photoshoot? Well, we were all absolutely thrilled when Chicago Style Weddings Magazine caught sight of the photos and wanted to use one on their cover! The current issue is now on stands and can also be viewed online.
The newest issue of CS Brides {the Chicago Brides’ go-to for all things dreamy in the local wedding world} is out! I was thrilled to have a favorite client wedding featured on their glossy pages.
The incredibly romantic wedding of gorgeous young couple Emma and Tom was too much fun to plan! The couple came to me in the very earliest stage of planning…post engagement. They had been to very few weddings, weren’t quite sure about colors and stylings and wanted a partner to help shape their New Years Eve wedding vision into something romantic, formal, wintry, festive and current…
{haha}
I had such a wonderful time working with the blissfully happy couple {and the brides’ incredibly fabulous mother} that I wanted to share a bit more about their day.
I started playing with a few color combinations to get conversations going. With only mere deliberation, we landed on a palette of creams, greys, dusty blush and golds. Here was the inspiration board I created to use as a planning tool throughout the process.
After quite the hunt, the couple fell in love with an intimate private club, The Racquet Club of Chicago, and thought it was the perfect location for their winter wedding. The club has such a charming, residential feel – absolutely perfect for the intimate guest count of 100.
Beautiful boxes bound in grey velvet ribbons awaited guests that traveled from near {the brides’ dearest friends and family were from Indiana} and afar {quite the trip for the grooms’ friends and family who traveled from England}. The boxes contained indulgent treats hand-picked by the couple including a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, Garretts Popcorn, Luna Bars, nuts, mints and much much much more…
The bride wore a dramatic full gown by Vera Wang and her ladies wore Jenny Yoo in a gorgeous slate grey {my favorite alternative to black}. The brides’ bouquet was inspired by the bouquet her mother carried years ago and was composed of individual white phalaenopsis orchid blossoms. Her bridesmaids had petite bouquets of cream garden roses, dusty pink lisianthus, velvety grey dusty miller and subtle hints of winter green.
The groom, wanting to dress as a proper Englishman, wore tails.
We arranged for the couple to have their first meeting in the charming and intimate library of the private club where the wedding ceremony and reception took place.
The ceremony was held in the card room at the Club. My dear friend and fabulous designer, Jesse Deckard of Event Creative, took care of all floral, lighting and decor. Here, Jesse’s staff custom built a shelving unit to perfectly slip into the window frame, allowing us to display copious amounts of candles to provide the romantic evening ceremony backdrop.
The couple floated on air, as they recessed as husband and wife.
Both the cocktail hour and dancing took place in the living room, walls of windows overlooking the gorgeous Gold Coast residential street.
The dining room featured two exaggerated, long tables, each set for 50. The heavy beams above were cascading with suspended candles, twinkling above guests as they dined.
The tables were dressed in grey damask linens and topped with countless candles and floral arrangements in containers ranging from cut crystal and vintage silver to white peeling birch bark. Florals included a creme collection of hydrangea, garden roses and orchids, subtly accented with dusty pink pepper berry and lisianthus, bleached peacock feathers and snow-tipped pine cones.
Unique flocked succulents adorned the tabletop, with worn votive cups flickering in the backdrop.
Because there were only two tables from which to assign guests their seats, we had each menu card hand calligraphied with each guests’ name. Guests were encouraged to wander the room, taking in the insanely gorgeous setting, as they found their seats.
Charming signs reminded the couple of their location.
The main bar was set in the library after the couples’ first meeting. Jesse custom designed this bar to look as if it was a piece of furniture – perfectly fit for the charming setting.
A gorgeous and indulgent spread awaited guests after dinner, set in front of the fabulous trophy case. Cupcakes were from Sweet Mandy Bs, petite fours, home made marshmallows, macarons and a croquembouche were done by Vanille Patisserie… and that only supplemented the heaps of candies I also arranged for!
Following a loving toast from the groom, waiters passed out flutes of champagne and individual packs of golden confetti. As the clock struck twelve, everyone celebrated to a rowdy version of old lang syne {a decidedly English tradition}.
This young couple is simply mad about one another. Their will be no secrete to their success – they’ll always have each other {and the memories of their fantastic affair on New Years Eve!}
The Fairytale begins with a bride, as most stories do. In this vision though, blue cotton candy grows on trees, pink tutus adorn pirouetting ballerinas, and white candles fervently flicker as she dreams about her wedding…
Here are a few more images from the dreamy project that showcases our avant-garde yet whimsical interpretation of a woman’s evolution into a bride.
With a mere blink of an eye, elfin ballerinas appear to gracefully tend to our bride as she begins to dress for her wedding.
The exaggerated fullness of the gown requires the additional aid of a golden ladder.
A frenzy of fluffing.
The entourage is on the move…
With a few more top-like twirls, we approach the ceremony.
Followed by a cloud of feathers, she makes her way down the illusory aisle.
An abundant bouquet of subtly sweet lavender sweet pea sends her thoughts spinning…
And suddenly our bride finds herself in her dream-spun reception. A bouquet of cotton candy in hand.
Where to begin?
Perhaps at a table set for two, dressed in confections and crystal and fanciful flowers under the shaded protection of a tree – canopy dense with teal tufts of cotton candy.
Only then, in another flurry of feathers…has she found: Her Prince.
May you all find your prince…and live happily {and oh so indulgently} ever after.
Today I awoke with an insatiable craving for cake and sweets. As a child, I despised your typical breakfast foods and would often beg to skip breakfast. My pediatrician told my mom that anything could be acceptable, as long as it was paired with a chilled glass of milk. It was then that my lifelong obsession with frosting was born. My mother used to keep a frosted sheet cake in the basement fridge, from which I would start my day with a slice and a glass of milk.
While I don’t have hidden confections to indulge in this morning, I thought I’d help satisfy my sugar craving by sharing a few of these gorgeous photos from the dessert table Renny and I designed for the shoot…
A petite four and a glass of champagne adorning the vanity. Nothing like dessert paired with one’s dressing drink!
I absolutely adore this pale yellow meringue cake, presented on my vintage silver platter. Home made marshmallow puffs, sprinkle donuts and a topiary of pastel pillow mints continue to make my mouth water.
This darling gold-dusted cake is protected from showers of cotton candy by a sweet glass cloche covering.
Petite fours, cream puffs, sweetpeas and strawberry shortcake…love.
If a refreshing first course of melting sorbet awaits, I can only imagine what the rest of the meal will reveal!
{photo credits} all photos shot by studio this is. sorbet by black dog gelato. cakes and confections by alliance bakery. All styling by Bliss
