Ashley Condron + Rachel Reiman = Beauty Dream Team (also reponsible for helping EVERYONE with the prerequisite “Kiki Lip” (a fantastic, bold lip, of course)……
Guests (boys and girls, alike) were encouraged to leave us a Kiki Kiss!
Kara’s favorite cocktail was clearly The Maaaaaavelous: Rosé with chambord, mint and raspberry.
The surprise professional dancers hired to act like guests – then break out into the ridiculous Kiki dance…AMAZING.
People danced so much I thought the floor would give way!
Renny and I (and our clients) can’t get enough of the cutie little details that, of course, couple with the larger, more impressive and notable elements of a wedding. A current favorite would have to be the Under Entree Cards…
Have darling, petite cards printed by your stationer to cue guests into a new or interesting piece of information: Perhaps there is a beautiful sweets table yet to be unveiled and you hope guests save room after their duet entree, or a bit about the history of the setting that you have selected to host your celebration, or a ditty about how you and your man actually(gulp) met.
Have the coaster-sized cards mixed well and distributed by hand to waiters as they are leaving the kitchen with guests’ entrees. Request that the waitstaff place them discretely under the entree platters so that when the plates are removed, guests are delighted by a charming little note.
I’m thrilled to finally share the gorgeous pictures of the photo shoot Renny and I designed this fall. It was featured on Style Me Pretty‘s national site yesterday, but here are some of the pretty pic’s for your viewing pleasure, all shot by Stevi and Matt of Averyhouse.
With the idea of producing a fanciful collection of parties that follow the progression of wedding-related celebrations a couple encounters throughout their engagement, Renny and I decided to take readers on a year-long journey with a dreamy faux couple, we’re calling Charlotte and William, joining them from fete to fete.
And so, we start with the engagement party thrown by our couple’s best friend. And here’s our story…
After getting engaged at the end of summer, the couple’s friends decided to plan the engagement party for late fall and hosted it at a charming new venue on the property of the Chicago Botanic Garden: Pullman Barn.
Set-up just outside of the barn was a darling (and delicious) muddling bar, featuring all sorts of goodies for a one of a kind concoction, upon guests arrival.
Muddle while you cuddle
Inside the intimate barn, guests found their seats with the aid of individually labeled gift baskets, doubling as place cards.
The gift baskets were themed “For a Lazy Sunday Morning” and included items intended to be much appreciated after a late night of celebration. Each was packed with a thermos ready for hot cider (just add water), fresh scones and apple-honey butter, super strong coffee, a seriously cozy blanket and crisp, fresh apples.
The rustic picnic tables were dressed with comfy cushions and a beautiful tablescape of silver, gold and amber vessels hosting bold pops of coral, peach and navy.
A garland of golden foliage hung overhead, while candles danced below.
Heirloom flatware and lace-cut dinner plates were used for the family-style feast.
A new obsession of mine…custom placemats were paired with napkin rings printed with the parties’ date, all designed by Cheree Berry Paper.
Fluffy peonies, open roses, seasonal ilex berries, concord grapes and autumn foliage were artfully arranged by floral goddess, Cornelia McNamara.
After dinner, guests were encouraged to relax and enjoy the setting. Whimsical games included golden apple croquet…
Customized mad-libs about the couple later read around the fire.
Talk about indulgent!
And what outdoor party is complete without s’mores!
The beautiful spread included sweet items like cider-spiced donuts, gourmet grahams, home made marshmallows and salted caramels, fresh herbs and savory items like cheeses paired with delicious crackers and fresh honeycomb. Guests paired their treats with cider or cordials.
The firepit was enhanced with cushions, pillows and throws for a cozy, lazy evening.
The coral, camel/gold and navy palette was seasonally appropriate, while proving to be unexpected and fresh.
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!}
