Real Wedding – Taryn & Kori!

Taryn and Kori are madly in love.  When the bride’s family hired me to plan their wedding, I was so excited to be a part of something so solid and deep.  
The planning started with the bride’s unique color palette:  Saffron, teal, grey and white.  They were hoping to find a venue that would feel right with such a strong color story, a setting that was warm and had character and a slight rustic vibe.
We decided on the Skyline Loft at Bridgeport Art Center and here is how the day unfolded…
  The bride dressed at the Sofitel, a hip mod hotel in the heart of the city.
Their first meeting was planned earlier in the day, allowing the couple to join their bridal party for fun photos around the city, before heading to the venue.
The brides’ delicious bouquet, created by Floral Goddess Cornelia McNamara, was composed of lush specialty blooms including cattlaya orchids, fragrant garden roses, oriental poppies and ranunculus.  Peeks of velvety dusty miller foliage added texture to the naturally controlled bouquet.  I’d call it as close to perfection as possible!

Guests were transported to the 5th floor ballroom by a massive open-air freight elevator, the perfect clue that Taryn and Kori’s wedding would be anything but cookie-cutter!

The touching Jewish ceremony was witnessed by the couples closest friends and family.

During the cocktail hour, guests enjoyed a gallery wall of vintage photographs of the couples relatives on their wedding days.
Waiters passed a signature cocktail, the Izze Clementine Mojito – a nod to the couples’ current home in Colorado.
Postcards, doubling as escort cards, were strung from timber beams and secured with small clothes pins.  Later, guests scribed playful and heartfelt notes to the bride and groom – the postcards were then collected to be mailed to the couple over months following the wedding.

After cocktails, guests were welcomed to an evening of dinner and dancing by the sounds of Ken Arlen Orchestra.  Square and rectangular tables were dressed in deep teal linens, topped by custom grey and white runners.  Some of the tables were highlighted by soaring foliage arrangements on vintage birdbaths.

The tables also featured petite collections of milk glass, subtly metallic vases and trophy urns filled with garden roses, billy balls (the brides’ favorite!), parrot tulips and orchids.

A touching surprise – the young brother of the groom hopped up on stage and played the sax alongside Ken Arlen.
Guests enjoyed a huge table layered with heaps of sweet treats – all homemade by friends and family.

The night ended as the photographer snuck the bride and groom to the roof to snap some photos with the weekend’s unique ‘supermoon’ in the backdrop.  

Kori and Taryn had so much fun celebrating their new beginning throughout the evening – an evening that so perfectly suited them.  Oh, how I miss them so….

[image credits]  all wedding photos by Jai Girard Photography

Real Wedding: Lindsay and Philip

It’s been a while since I’ve had the opportunity to properly post, let alone share some wedding photos.  I have found myself with a few bonus minutes and felt compelled to share some photos from one of the more romantic weddings of my year.
Lindsay’s inspiration was pure romance, a la Romeo and Juliet.  The bride loved lush, gardeny wild flowers and arrangements that were loose with layers of texture and movement.  Jesse Deckard (formerly of Event Creative now of BLISS!) helped us pull it all together with beautiful floral, lighting and fabric treatments.
From inspiration (board) to reality:
The stunning bride dressed in a suite at The Ritz, while the groom spent time at home with some buddies.
This was the private moment where Lindsay and Philip met up for the first time on their wedding day.
The girls wore gauzy barely blush dresses and carried bouquets of garden roses, astilbe, fragrant freesia, dusty miller and lisianthus.
Both the ceremony and reception took place at one of my very favorite venues, The Ivy Room.  The seriously gorgeous weather cooperated for their outdoor ceremony, held in the charming courtyard of the venue.  
Guests moved inside for dinner and dancing where a beautiful restaurant – style meal awaited them, compliments of Entertaining Company.  Soft chiffon curtains were added to frame the beautiful Juliet-style doors.  Taupe linens were paired with rustic farm-chairs.    
Two centerpiece designs adorned the dinner tables.  A single low, lush and gardeny arrangement in worn silver footed bowls graced one half of the tables while brushed silver candelabras and smaller, varied arrangements were displayed on the alternating tables.  Flowers included garden roses, delicate chamomile, privet berries, garden stock, astilbe, lisianthus, andromeda and hydrangea. 
 A single ivory majolica spray rose accented each napkin.
The bride loved daisies and had Sarah’s Pastries create the whimsical confection (this was Sarah’s last weekend of producing wedding cakes, tear).
The couple and their LOVELY families enjoyed every minute of their féte, dancing the night away to a unique playlist from Front of House packed with loads of salsa and latin-inspired tunes.
Unlike the brides’ initial inspiration, this love story has simply one of the happiest of endings.

Cafe Brauer Real Wedding from Style Me Pretty

A darling autumn client wedding was recently featured on Style Me Pretty and my shameful lack of free bloggin’ time has kept me from properly posting.  Here are some of the beautiful photos from the Cafe Brauer wedding, captured by Amanda Hein.
Dramatic sweeping views from the room where the girls dressed.
Final touches before the dizzying events of the day got underway.
Escorted by her father, the bride made her way to her awaiting car that would take her to meet her future husband.
Both the ceremony and reception took place in the historic ballroom of Cafe Brauer.  The officiant that performed the ceremony also married the brides’ parents decades ago.  The ceremony was heartfelt and perfectly tailored to the head-over-heels couple.
The I Do’s with Lincoln Park Zoo as the backdrop.
After the ceremony, the celebration continued with loads of laughs and a packed dance floor from start to finish.  
I love love loved working with J&G and their lovely families.  
It was evident that this special day was merely the start of a lifelong love affair.
Continued best wishes, you crazy lovebirds!
Xx.
[photo credits] all images shot by amanda hein

Real Wedding – B&J!

It’s always nice to have a little summer inspiration during the dreary winter months, and this client wedding should just about do the trick!  
A wonderful couple of mine was married this past July.  They wanted a wedding that felt seasonal, comfortable, slightly preppy, with a touch of rustic and a hint of whimsy.  Their crisp color palette was simply navy, green and white.
Here was the inspiration board I created at the start of our planning together:
And here’s how it all came together…
The bride carried a fluffy and full bouquet exclusively of white lisianthus.  We worked an heirloom necklace into the ribbon wrap for a personal touch.  The groom wore a coordinating boutonniere, backed by a rich camellia leaf.
The bridesmaids wore simple chiffon navy dresses and carried monochromatic bouquets of ‘green trick’ carnations (!) punctuated with hypericum berries.  All of the mens’ ties were the perfect green and navy stripe.  Loved them, so!
The ceremony took place at St. Clements, nestled on a charming residential street in Lincoln Park.
The happy couple revisit the location of their first meeting over coffee.  Her married monogram was stitched into her dainty clutch for use later at the reception.
[Clockwise from top left:]  
The cocktail hour took place on the beautiful plaza of the Chicago History Museum, where the stripe theme continued with darling custom cushion covers.  
Refreshing mojitos were circulated during the early evening cocktail hour.  
Verdant fern foliage was collected in petite silver julep cups.  
We brought umbrellas to provide a bit of shade from the summer sun (for both guests and the performers we hired from a busy Chicago corner).  
Instead of a traditional guest book, I often will have custom postcards created by our stationer.  The postcards have simple prompts, encouraging guests to write a note to the bride and groom.  At the end of the evening, I collect the postcards and give them to a family member who will [at random] mail them off to the newlyweds throughout their first year of marriage.  It is a very special way to keep the excitement of the day with you long after the celebration ends.
Before guests were invited inside for dinner, they found their seating assignments pinned on boards covered in fresh foliage.  We then move the boards inside to display the scribed postcards. 
 The Chicago Room featured a combination of rectangular, square and round dinner tables and alternated rich navy with crisp ivory table linens.  The elevated centerpieces were simple, manicured bundles of salal foliage, adding a rich pop of color against the neutral backdrop.
The round tables featured a lower collection of white blooms contained in varied vessels.  A trio of shaded lamps provided extra illumination at the table.
Each place-setting was pre-set with a rattan charger, a mason jar water glass and mercury glass votive cups (masking the faux votives required by the venue).  Arrangements of white roses, hydrangea, garden stock and lilies were presented in cut crystal, mossed pots and worn silver.
Jesse made a handsome custom bar of rich wood [to match the chairs] and green and white striped fabric [to match the straws, of course!].  Opposite the bar, across the dance floor was a comfy lounge finished with custom pillows.
Toward the end of the evening, the couple was able to sneak away from all of the excitement…finally sharing a quiet moment together on the beautiful steps of the History Museum.
A special thanks for the amazing roster of vendors:
Photography:  Averyhouse
Event Design:  Jesse of Event Creative

Style Me Pretty Feature – Galleria Marchetti Wedding

A totally charming and elegantly whimsical Bliss wedding was featured on Style Me Pretty last week.  Renny truly adored these clients and did a wonderful job pulling the darling details together!

So in love…

The weather for their garden ceremony and tent reception could not be beat!
Freshly muddled mojitos…delish!
The tent canopy featured hundreds of café lights and strung tissue-paper poms.  The tablesettings were composed of crystal chargers, heirloom-inspired china and mismatched silver.  The florals were lush and gardeny composed of dahlias, garden roses and fragrant fresh herbs.
This summery stunner is the perfect pick-me-up for Chicago’s long winter months!
(image credits) all photos by jeffrey and julia woods

Style Me Pretty Feature – Real Wedding of Rebecca & Dan!

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

Matchbook Magazine – Featured Wedding

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.  
(image credits) all taken from matchbook magazine.  wedding photography by amanda hein

Real Wedding! Jordan & Lee

A favorite client couple, Jordan and Lee, got married this September at the Chicago Botanic Garden…my absolute 100% favorite venue.  Family and friends were the focus of this simple and elegant affair.  Here are some of the beautiful photos that Brett and Kiri of Pen Carlson captured.

The bride and her girls got ready at the Ritz Carlton, where their every need was seamlessly attended to.  
The ceremony took place at St. Mikes in Old Town, where the couple are longtime members.
After a run one early morning over a month prior to their wedding, I stumbled upon St. Mikes – and the shield of scaffolding that enveloped the building.  I was so nervous to share the ugly news with the couple, who had been planning their wedding for nearly 2 years…but to my relief they were more than OK with the rough look of the buildings’ exterior…The groom is on the board that approved the project!
The only flowers used throughout the wedding were a combination of cream and ivory roses:  vendela, sahara and ivory majolika.  Touches of autumnal foliage added the slightest hint of contrast.

After the ceremony, we shuttled all guests up to Glencoe, the home of the Botanic Gardens.  While guests arrived about 30 minutes prior to the cocktail hour, we had our stationer do a rendering of the garden with the couples favorite spots highlighted on the custom map.  Guests were welcomed to wander the grounds as formal photos were taken.

Guests were invited to the cocktail hour by the unique sounds of a traditional Greek trio, a nod to the grooms’ heritage.
Guests entered the English Walled Garden (one of my favorite spots at the Gardens) through the dramatic oversized blue gates.  Love!

The innovative hors d’oeuvres that Culinary Landscapes created could barely circulate the setting, guests were swarming servers for more delectable treats.  Here, individual bites of caprese salad were finished with powdered flavored olive oil (Chef is a major molecular gastronomy nut), tomato soup was paired with grilled cheese and foie gras bites clad in cotton candy.  Seriously!?  So fun.  So yummy.
Guests found their seating assignments pinned to free-standing boards covered in moss.
Dinner and dancing took place in the tented setting of McGinley Pavilion, overlooking the serene pond.
Gold candelabras were simply and naturally adorned with curly willow branches and bundles of roses, finished with heaps of flickering candles.

Worn gold cups also detailed the tables, filled with vendela roses, liquidambar foliage and seeded eucalyptus.  
The bride and her father had the most special and heartwarming relationship.  He was in heaven as they danced to My Way.
In addition to a delish cake, a massive family cookie table was assembled with dozens of family members contributing their favorite homemade Italian and Greek cookies.

The party was fantastic, never anything but a packed dance floor – thanks to a fun crowd and the Larry King Orchestra!

J&L are madly in love and were such a fixture in my life (after such a long engagement) that I miss them terribly!  
The day was simply perfect…precisely what they deserved.  
Vendor Credits:  Photography: Pen Carlson.  Setting: Chicago Botanic Gardens.  Catering:  Culinary Landscapes.  Decor:  Botanicals.  Entertainment:  Larry King Orchestra.  Printables:  Clementine Ink + Paper.

Press Feature – Style Me Pretty: Emma & Tom!

Wow – what an exciting run for Bliss on Style Me Pretty!  
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.
Bliss loves SMP!
PS:  Special thanks to the dashing Jeremy of Studio This Is, the debonair Jesse of Event Creative and the darling Devon of Cheree Berry for their instrumental involvement in E&T’s wedding!

{image credits} photos taken from style me pretty, shot by studio this is

Press Feature – Real Wedding Rebecca & Dan!

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.
  
I was honoured to be a part of it.