Perhaps you’ve scoured the pages of the newest issue of CS Brides and noticed the humbling presence of Bliss! If not – you must check it out! If you’re unable to get your hands on a hard copy, check out the digital edition here!
One of my favorite projects of this year was a photoshoot that the editors of CS asked us to be a part of. The challenge was to put together a celebratory scene using the colors blood orange and tangerine. The interpretations among the three planners were pretty fun to see!
While I’m still waiting for heaps more photos from the shoot, I wanted to share the few I have. Check out the feature here on page 170!
The late spring day was spectacular! When approached to be involved, we immediately claimed my favorite little locale – Ava Terrace at Public.
The beautiful vintage china, flatware and glassware was from a favorite new vendor, Small Masterpiece, who flew in from LA for our shoot.
Bliss is thrilled to be featured on Style Me Pretty‘s national website this morning! They have chosen to feature one of my very favorite couples of all time, Rebecca & Dan.
Rebecca and Dan are an inspirational couple that could not possibly be more in love – I ADORED getting to know each of them even better throughout the planning process. Sweet Rebecca was actually a sorority sister of mine, and I now feel jipped that it took until planning her gorgeous wedding before we really fell for one another…over a love of design, darling details and beautiful flowers!
The inspiration board I initially created (below) was a useful design tool when working closely with the florist and stationer. (We decided to swap out the pinks for more of a warm peach/coral accent…which I’m still obsessed with!)
Because I’ve already posted a bit about their story, today I wanted to simply share a few more of their beautiful photos, taken by Stevi and Matt of Avery House.
R&D – when can we start planning your anniversary party?
Miss you so…Xx
(photo credits) inspiration board photos not sourced, all wedding photos by Avery House
The newest issue of beloved online lifestyle publication, Matchbook Magazine, is live and after excitedly perusing the pages, I was thrilled to see some adored, familiar faces in the back of the issue. The wedding of favorite former clients (and true lovebirds), Meghan and Brinker, was selected as one of two featured weddings.
We 20 and 30 somethings must remember…good apparently can come from an evening spent at Butch McGuire’s…
For more on Meghan and Brinker’s wedding, click here.
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.
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!}
Renny and I are beyond honoured that Bliss was {again!!} recognized by real brides as one of the best wedding planning firms!
On top of that fun news, we just got our spankin new glossy coffee-table books: The Knot Ultimate Wedding Lookbook {find it here} that features copious inspirational wedding images, helping brides with color selection, style navigation and much more! Flipping through the pretty pages, Renny and I noticed that we both have past client events that are showcased!
Wonderful photographer, Becky Hill, recently told me that a wedding we did together this summer was featured on Elizabeth Anne Design’s blog and I wanted to share a few of the images as a way to inspire us to keep the faith this chilly winter weekend…summer will in fact make it’s way back to us, and it is so very worth the wait!
The sunny August day could not have been more picturesque – it was a day that girls dream of from early ages when the only weddings attended were hosted in the backyard in honour of favorite stuffed animals. Chelsea and I worked together to design a wedding that was simple, elegant, refined and sophisticated. A romantic and classic color palette of creams, ivories and champagnes were subtly highlighted with dusty antique pinks.
The traditional ceremony took place at the charming neighborhood church, St. Mikes in Old Town. With a bit of time between the ceremony and reception, the bridal party and Becky toured the city in search of beautiful photo ops – copious to be had.
The bride and groom were among the first to arrive at Hinsdale Golf Club for just a few moments to themselves before the celebration continued in the formal gardens.
The gorgeous ring {on loan from her jeweler} was just the perfect shade of soft pink.
The dinner and dancing was held in the beautiful dining room overlooking the verdant golf course.
A trio of centerpiece designs {by great friend and designer extraordinaire, David Gould} enhanced guest tables around the room. Here, a low silver-footed bowl hosted abundant collections of open roses, spray roses and hydrangea. Understated hints of seeded eucalyptus added a bit of depth and texture.
The cake was created by local bakery Toni’s Sweets, and accented with silk ribbons and crystal brooches.
Chelsea and Adam started the evening off with a first dance to the sexy Sade song, By Your Side. {Music provided by Mary from Toast and Jam}.
It was a pleasure to work with such a beautiful couple in such a lovely setting…Many happy years, Chelsea and Adam!
