Today’s real wedding feature is an epic one! Emily Tishhouse, from Emily Kay Photography, sent these photos over and I am thrilled to share them with you. Cat and Josh seem like one of those awesome couples that you want to be friends with. I would have loved to have been at this wedding. How cute is that green crinoline, by the way?! Love it!

A little more about Emily and this shoot…

Fun Details: Cat & Josh used an oathing stone when they repeated their vows. More info about oathing stones here and they can be purchased on Etsy here.

This is Emily Tishhouse, owner and lead photographer at Emily Kay Photography. Our studio is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and we specialize in weddings and boudoir photography for the modern bride. We had the pleasure of photographing Cat and Josh’s fun vintage inspired wedding day! I love it when I get brides like Cat, who have unique, relaxed weddings where everyone has a good time. Their venue, Cobblestone Farm is my absolute favorite location to photograph weddings! There are so many great natural spots to take pictures and their barn is fabulous!

Want to see more? Check out Emily’s blog post here. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

If you live in Michigan, it can be difficult to acknowledge what a beautiful state you live in. On the flip side of that, if you are from out of town and planning a wedding in Michigan, you obviously know the beauty that will surround you. Why else would you chose it as your locale?

One way to make sure that your guests see the same thing is to turn your wedding into a vacation for them! Most of the time, people who are visiting from out of town want to experience the area in the best way possible. No matter what time of year you are getting married, there are tons of fun activities that will give your guests the best Mitten experience possible.

1. Winter Activities. If you live in Michigan, you either love or hate the winter. It is sometimes hard to see the perks of bringing in guests at the coldest and snowiest time of year, but there are fun activities that come with the negative stigma. Why not schedule some ski time or book a couple hours for an open skate at an ice rink? Even the smallest of activities, like building a snowman, can make for a memorable trip, especially if they are from an area where the temperature doesn’t drop below 70 degrees.
2. Spring Activities. Spring is my favorite time of year. I might be a little biased, since my birthday is in May (mark your calendars!). Trips to local gardens to see the flowers in bloom, or spending some time taking a stroll through one of Michigan’s Main Street areas would be the perfect addition to a wedding weekend. The fresh air, the beautiful surroundings and wonderful temperatures will definitely bring a relaxed smile to the faces of your friends and family.
3. Summer Activities. Sailing, sand castle competitions, sun bathing… the epitomy of a summer in Michigan. Your guests will love seeing fireworks displays, heading to the zoo, or taking in the sunny weather while flying a kite.
4. Autumn Activities. Fall is one of the busiest times for tourists in Michigan. You can’t beat the fall color tours and wine tastings. Instead of hosting your rehearsal dinner in a restaurant, why not schedule a day in the winery with a wine pairings to multiple courses? Tip: Check out the Michigan Wines site for great ideas and locations.
5. All year round. Regardless of the time of year, Michigan has everything from Museums to Aquariums to satisfy the tourist craving. The best thing to do is check out the local Tourist Information Center or community website in the area of your event information.

Photo Source

I have been waiting a long time for this wedding! Not only are Melissa and Todd two amazing people, they are also a TON of fun and have some of the most genuine friends and family I have ever met.

One of the reasons that I was looking forward to their big day, besides the outstanding team of vendors we chose, was the location. If you haven’t been to the Horticultural Gardens on MSU’s campus, you are surely missing out. The arboretum has a few different garden areas, including the Japanese garden where the girls did their finishing touches and the English garden where the cocktails were served. The day was perfectly sunny and a little warm, so we made sure the guests stayed hydrated with bottled water during the ceremony. A must on a hot August day!

The ceremony in the round was the perfect mix of sentiment and celebration. Rev. Kirk Haas officiated, and Melissa’s brother surprised everyone by playing & singing the recessional song. It was incredibly heartwarming.

I loved the personalized ties for the guys and the perfect shade of purple on the bridesmaids! Melissa was STUNNING in the dress she purchased from my favorite bridal salon, Gina’s Bridal. Look at those shoes!

After the ceremony, Alison took Melissa and Todd out for some photos and I am in awe at how beautiful they look!

One of my favorite moments from the day was right before the reception began. I was standing outside of the tent with the happy newlyweds before the grand entrance and turned to look at them. The smiles on their faces and the smitten look in their eyes let me know that the day was a huge success. During the reception the dancefloor was packed! I swear I have never seen so many awesome dance moves. Pretty sure someone pulled out the running man, at least once. :)

I had a lot of favorite moments during the day, but watching Todd and the bridesmaids serenade Melissa was by far the funniest scene all day. The girls choreographed the routine flawlessly and Todd belted out the lyrics to Cover Girl, by New Kids on The Block. Yes, it was the perfect addition to an already entertaining day.

At the end of the night, I was able to just sit for a few minutes and really take in the day. Days like this really remind me why I do what I do. Watching something that we have worked so hard on for so many months, with so much emotion and excitement, and seeing it come together in the most perfect of ways, is rewarding. It all boils down to the people involved. The bride and groom, the mom and dad, the best friend, the vendors… nothing brings people together like a good ole-fashioned wedding. ::Sigh:: I love my job.

Melissa & Todd, You two already know how much I adore you, so I will skip the sappiness. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect match and can’t wait to see where life takes you. I know you will do amazing things together. Thank you for bringing me into your big day plans! XOXO

Make sure to check out the fabulous trailer below, by Owen Video! You will LOVE it.

Melissa + Todd | Wedding Trailer from Andy Owen on Vimeo.

Team of Pros:

• Wedding Planning & Design: Amanda of Bliss Weddings & Events
• Assistant Coordination: Courtney of Bliss Weddings & Events
• Photography: Alison of Bates Photographic, Delia Turner second shooting
• Video: Andy of Owen Video
• DJ: Sara of Platinum Mix Productions
• Officiant: Rev. Kirk Haas Secular Ceremony
• Cake: Family Friend
• Floral: Sebesta Design
• Linens: Bliss Weddings & Events
• Rentals & Venue: MSU Horticultural Gardens, CE Lewis Arboretum

What a gorgeous couple! When I met Nicole & Travis and Nicole’s mom, I knew that we would have a blast working together. I literally started working with them three days before their wedding day, when they realized that they needed an extra set of hands organizing the last minute details and keep things running smoothly on the big day. (Huge THANK YOU to Sylvia, of Bridal Beauty on Location for the referral!)

Nicole & Travis live out of state and planned their beautiful wedding in Michigan. Specifically at Beacon Hill! This was my second time working at the venue and I have yet to be disappointed. The staff is wonderful and attentive, the food is delicious and the scenery is outstanding. The weather wasn’t the greatest, with huge gusts of wind and lower than normal temperatures, but everything went off without a hitch and it ended up being the perfect day for a wedding.

Watching these two interact with each other and the 28 (!!!) members of the bridal party, including the ring bearers and flower girls, was an absolute joy. Everyone is insanely gorgeous and absolutely hilarious. What a great day!

Below are a few of my favorite shots of the day, taken by Jim Van Luven from Mike Staff Productions. Enjoy!

Team of Pros:

• Coordination: Amanda of Bliss Weddings & Events
• Venue: Beacon Hill Golf Course & Banquet Center
• Photographer: Mike Staff Productions
• Hair & Makeup: Bridal Beauty on Location
• Video: Dark Lake Video
• Officiant: Rev. Mike Fry
• DJ: Eddie Hakim of Happy Hour DJs
• Flowers: Flowers by Amore
• Photobooth: Qwik Picz
• Chocolate Fountain: Maximum Delights

The past few months have been absolutely crazy with events, two vacations and a ton of details in the midst. I promise to be back to the regularly scheduled program in the next week as things start to slow down. In the meantime, I will leave you with some eye candy from recent events. I hope this bribe little taste will keep you satisfied until we meet again. ;)

Photo 1: Bates Photographic Photo 2: Mike Staff Productions

Just in case you missed it, here is the video of our inspiration shoot done by the amazing Jamie Honce Productions. I was blown away when I first saw this! My only request from Jamie was to make it feel natural and effortless. Boy, did he ever nail it!

Flirty at the Fair | Carnival Inspiration Shoot from Jamie Honce on Vimeo.

Have questions about the shoot? Leave a comment or shoot me an email! I would love to answer questions and hear your feedback.

My biggest concern when creating the details of the recent inspiration shoot, was to make it easy to recreate without breaking the bank. So often, inspiration shoots are completely unattainable by the average couple and can lead to frustration and envy. That is why I told all of our vendors to keep it natural, fun and easy! This was especially true with the decor for our fabulously fun shoot.

It might sound strange, but my entire design concept was based on two things. Cotton Candy & our Blue Striped Paper Straws. In order to keep the setting feeling soft and light, I went with a cotton candy pink and a lighter shade of a teal blue. The linens were actually poly cotton with sheer striped overlays. The combination of the two was under $25 per table, which is really good for linen pricing!

For the flowers, I wanted to stick with mainly pink with punches of red. In order to mix it up a bit, I wanted the shades to be darker that the colors in the linens and paper products. I think it meshed beautifully! What do you think?

Now, I am a sucker for a good prop and I was fortunate enough to have been introduced to Terri, the owner of the super cute Frank & Me, in Clarkston, Michigan. While eying the amazing trinkets and vintage items in her shop, I stumbled across a beautiful 1940s smoked glass cake stand, a beautiful pink & gold frame, and the vintage cake server, among other things that I fell in love with. All worked perfectly for the design.

The adorable dress was made by our model, Allison, and the flower hair accessory was made by BlissAccessories! Flowers by Watkins Flowers, creative design and linens supplied by Bliss Weddings & Events. Photography by Nicole Ladonne Photography.

I LOVE Cupcakes. Everything about them. They are easy to handle, the perfect portion and oh-so cute! When I was thinking about the delicious desserts that were to be featured in our inspiration shoot, my mind immediately went to simple, sweet and charming details. I wanted to feature adorable cupcakes, a DIY looking cake, colorful drinks and lots of variety. Thankfully, Robyn new exactly the person to assign the cake making duties. Kerri, from Cherry Chip, is seriously creative! I cannot believe how spot on her designs for the cake and cupcakes were (and super delicious, by the way!).

Kerri mixed the perfect hues of pink and blue and created a very DIY inspired single layer cake. What is your favorite element? Mine are the little white dots on the cupcakes!

For the drinks, I had to have pink and blue, with a punch of red. That was definite. I went with a pink lemonade and a blue punch and mixed in some fruit and berries. They both tasted delicious, until they were heated by the million degree sun all day!

Robyn also created a cute little candy buffet for an added bit of sweetness. Mix that with some vintage Faygo and super cute details, and you have PERFECTION, my friends.

Photos by Nicole Ladonne Photography

I was beyond thrilled today when I got a crazy phone call from my friend, Robyn, asking me “Did you see it?!” I, in fact, didn’t see it or even know what “it” was!

When I first started getting involved in the virtual wedding world, one of the initial places I visited was Style Me Pretty. Not only is it an unbelievable resource for inspiration, it is also one of the most well put together and most visited wedding sites on the internet. The day I found it, I promised myself that I would make it onto the pages some day. Well, that day has come! I am so happy that the crew selected our recent Flirty at the Fair shoot to grace their beautiful site.

As for the shoot itself, I can’t even put into words how happy I am with the end result. What started as a little spark, grew into a full blown fire of creativity. I knew I wanted to do something sweet, charming and easy to recreate for brides and grooms of any budget. I am lucky enough to work with some of the most inspiring people in the world and a few of my favorites helped create this beautiful shoot at the St. Mary’s Polish Country Fair. I honestly couldn’t have done this without them.

When I get an idea, it is difficult for me not to put it into motion very quickly and moments after the initial idea popped in my head for this shoot, I was on the phone with Robyn (Meant To Be Sent) and Nicole (Nicole Ladonne Photography) trying to figure out how we could make this happen in one week. That is the only time when the carnival would be in town. I knew it was short notice, but these two were on board from the start and helping to come up with ideas and concepts. Within 24 hours, I had Jamie (Jamie Honce Productions), Watkins Flowers, Kerri (Cherry Chip) right along with us. Within 48 hours, I had the little touches ordered from HeyYoYo purchased and a trip planned to one of my favorite eclectic shops, Frank & Me in Clarkston. This was actually going to happen!

The night before the shoot, I called to check in with everyone involved and found out that Nicole and Allison, our model bride, were actually MAKING the little blue dress!!! Apparently they couldn’t find the perfect one, so they decided to literally make it happen. I was in awe of the talent and creativity that oozed from these fabulous people. Between the ahhh-mazing paper from Meant To Be Sent, to the beautiful video by Jamie Honce Productions, this was going to be a real treat.

The day of the shoot was HOT, beautiful, and magical. Watching these details come together was a true joy, especially since none of us had met in person to go over colors and details! This just goes to show that when you ask for the help of a true professional, they will handle it better than you could imagine. I am eternally grateful for the relationships that this industry, and Michigan in general, has blessed me with.

Please head over to Style Me Pretty and see what our hard work created. I would love to hear your comments! Over the next few days, I will be featuring some of my favorite elements from the shoot. I hope you enjoy looking at this as much as I did creating it.

XOXO,

Amanda

Gorgeous Photos, Beautiful Weddings & Marvelous People.

It is Tuesday Shoesday! This is my first time sharing in the love of all things shoe, but I knew I had to when I saw this photo by Kristen Taylor Photography. To see more TS posts, visit  Simply & Forever, Landlocked Bride, Gwyneth Paige, Swatchbook Weddings, Meant to Be Sent, Weddings & Pretty Things, Life in the Super Burbs, Slice of Lime, April Foster Events,  Lauren Kelly Events, Swoon Over It Photography and Bellwether Events!

This wedding is so sweet, I had to share! Visit Rock ‘n Roll Bride for more. These Kelly Moore Photography shots are to die for!

I am in LOVE with this lovely NY wedding, by Josh Goleman Photography, featured on Once Wed.

This real Florida wedding has my heart swooning! The DIY touches are perfect! Featured on my fave With This Ring blog and photos by Studio 222 Photography.

Are you thinking of proposing, or want to hint that you are thinking of being proposed to? (Wink, Wink!) Here are some fab tips from Anti-Bride.

These DIY soda escort cards are to flippin’ cute, I just had to share. Found via Rock My Wedding, originally posted on 100 Layer Cake.

This wedding, featured on Snippet & Ink, it the epitome of Rustic Romance. The photos by Jenn Cress Photography are wonderful!

One of the most asked questions that I get here at The Bliss Blog and as a wedding planner, is about wedding dresses for outdoor weddings. My recommendations always depend on your style, the location and the weather. Below are three of my personal favorites and the event that I would suggest them for.

1. The Summer Beach Wedding. When the sun and sand are factors, your best bet would be a light and flowy material like chiffon. Pair this gorgeous dress with some strappy sandals and you have a look that is perfect for any beach goddess. This dress from JCrew and the shoes from Cutesy Girl hit the mark.
2. The Farm Fresh Bash. One of my favorite locations for a wedding is a farm or a large, open piece of land. When you are exposed to the elements for more than a few hours, you will want to consider comfort as a big factor in your dress selection. My vote is for something short and sweet paired with your favorite pair of cowboy boots, of course! This dress from 4YourWedding (on Etsy) and the boots from Dan Post are spot on.
3. The Garden Party. If you truly want to feel like a princess in your garden location, you will probably want to consider the bugs. I have seen many bees fly under a wedding gown in my day. This could end in major disaster, especially if you are allergic! Focus on form-fitting and dresses without a lot of material to avoid the bug debacle. I love this Paloma Blanca gown paired with a cute pair of pumps from Forever 21.

This week’s Real Wedding was submitted by the fabulous Heather Jowett, of Heather J Photography. As soon as I saw the beautiful ceremony and loads of adorable flowers, I had to ask her for more!

Here is what Heather had to say about Katie & Adam’s Real Wedding.

Couple: Katie and Adam Hashimoto

Location: Independence Lake Community Park

About their wedding:

This is a wedding I photographed last summer.  What was so awesome about this wedding was that it was a completely church grown wedding.  Katie and Adam met at a campus church at the University of Michigan, where they were both in the worship band.  The wedding really was grown out of that church.  Myself, and Drew (who baked the awesome carrot cake) both met Katie and Adam through church.   The campus minister performed the ceremony, some other church members grilled hamburgers for their fun and casual reception, and Julie, the pastor’s wife, served as the coordinator.  One of Katie’s friends designed the beautiful invites.  I just loved that so many people from the church volunteered to make their wedding incredible, and the whole event was full of so much love between the couple, and for the couple.  And, luckily for all the guests, Katie and Adam topped the day off by treating us to a song.

I found out Katie and Adam had gotten engaged at a church function and I was so thrilled for the two of them.  It’s hard to express just how much this couple is perfect for one another.  I was so happy when Katie approached me shortly after they set a date to document her wedding day for her.

The cross on Katie’s bouquet belonged to her grandmother.  Katie is Irish, by heritage, so she wanted to include the Celtic cross with her bouquet. Katie has the inside of Adam’s ring inscribed.  It says “My dream boat” . The bridesmaids wore cinnamon dresses.  I love how they complimented everyone’s skin tones.  The arch was made by a friend.  The way the wind caught it on their wedding day was really beautiful.

(What an adorable story, Heather. Thank you so much for sharing!)

Quick Bio of Heather J. Photography:  Heather J specializes in documenting fun & awesome couples with fun & awesome photography.  She started her love affair with photography by photographing trees when she was 12 years old, and luckily, has gotten much better at taking pictures since then.  Website: www.heatherjphoto.com