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

I am beyond thrilled to be bringing you the first “Real” post of the wedding season and the fact that it is all about one of the most fantastic couples I have had the joy of working with makes it that much better.

Anat is definitely one of those genuinely kind people. She cares, and you know it from the moment you meet her. After working together for nearly a year, I was really looking forward to seeing all of the day’s details come together, but I was sad that I wouldn’t have an excuse to chat with her on a regular basis anymore. Anat & Nick had already been married, but wanted to have the opportunity to share the special occasion with family and friends. So after doing it on their own, they planned a relaxed and beautiful day that would revolve around the ideas of family and friendship.

The day started out like most others, but there was something a little different in the air. On a typical wedding day, there is at least a little anxiousness that greets me. Whether it is a mother looking for her earrings or a best man who got a stain on his shirt… There is always something. This time, friends were gathered downstairs playing a game of scrabble, the guys were kicked back having a drink and the girls were all cozy upstairs getting their hair done. No matter which room I went into, I was greeted with a smile and a completely calm “Hello”. It was unlike any event I have ever done, in the most wonderful sort of way.

The ceremony was the epitome of personality. Everything from having their dog, Sammy, as the ring bearer to having Nick’s brother, Glen, officiate the ceremony, was perfectly executed. Of course, having the event at a place like River Birch Lodge, really lends to the relaxed feel they were looking for. Sammy even let out a little bark at the perfect moment, causing a chuckle to go around the crowd of guests. Anat & Nick’s family and friends are some of the nicest around!

I loved the reception almost as much as the ceremony. Just like the rest of the day, there was no rush to get through the time line. We left a lot of room in the timing for guests to mingle, give a toast, grab a bite to eat and just enjoy the time they spent together. With so many guests from around the world, it was important to Anat & Nick that they all had a chance to really kick back. Everyone pitched in during the hora, the music was perfectly chosen, and the food from A Movable Feast was delicious. Lisa, from Pot & Box, did a wonderful job creating the perfect flowers.

Looking back at the photos, by the amazing Aruna B Photography, I can’t help but smile. No detail was left out of the planning and the love that these two share just blows me away. I feel completely honored to have been involved in such a kind and sweet day.

Planning & Coordination: Amanda Freeman, Bliss Weddings & Events

There have been a few requests to see examples of the amazing films from some Real Bliss Weddings, so here you go!

The first is from Dawn & Rocky’s big day, filmed by the always amazing Jamie Honce.

Dawn and Rocky – Wedding Film | Our Lady of Sorrows, Shenandoah Country Club from Jamie Honce on Vimeo.

The second is by Two Penny Productions, from Lisa & Matt’s beautiful Detroit Wedding.

Lisa & Matt from Two Penny on Vimeo.

The third beautiful film is by Tri-Foot Productions, from Joanna & Tom’s wedding.

Tri-Foot Trailer: Joanna & Tom’s Wedding Day from Tri-Foot Productions on Vimeo.

Our fourth film is by Epic Motion and features the beautiful details from Kayu & Shannon’s wedding.

Trailer: Shannon and Kayu get married at the Michigan League in Ann Arbor from Epic Motion on Vimeo.

The fifth and final video is from Deanna & Cass’ big day, by the fabulous Days To Remember Media.

Deanna and Cass’ Preview from Lee Higginbottom on Vimeo.

WooHoo! Day Twenty Two! My task is to share a website with you today! Since I am very proud of the hard work behind it, I am going to share MY website! You can see photos of events we’ve done, learn about what our clients say and more!

Photo by Anne Ruthmann

Visit The Bliss Site, to learn more about me, Bliss and what we do!

2009 was such a wonderful year for Bliss Weddings & Events. We had the opportunity to work with amazing couples, beautiful designs and a great team of vendors. Some of my favorite highlights include:

• Having the opportunity to do what I love and help people at the same time!
• Getting to know my clients on a personal basis and spend one of the most important days of their lives with them!
• Watching past clients move forward with their lives and begin starting their families. So many new Bliss babies!
• Working with some fabulous and well respected vendors.
• Networking with other wedding industry friends via MWEP and a million different social media tools (Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc.)
• Attending life changing seminars and workshops, including Eventology 09.
• Continuing to learn from some of my wedding planning idols!
• Teaching new planners and coordinators with the experience I have gained.
• Hiring on three new assistants and continuing our internship program!

A few of our favorite events from this year:

• Joanna & Tom’s beautiful pink and gray wedding with bridal party photos at Comerica Park
• Deanna & Cass’ heartwarming wedding at the beautiful Orchard Lake Country Club
• Lisa & Matt’s Oh-So-Sweet wedding at Mac and Ray’s
• Erin & Grant’s vintage inspired yellow wedding at Dearborn Ritz Carlton
• Anne & Aaron’s smile-filled wedding in Ann Arbor
• Amee & Matt’s chic & swanky wedding at Royal Oak Music Theatre
• Kim & Rich’s gorgeous blue wedding at Meadowbrook & Penna’s

We also had the wonderful opportunity to be featured in two major bridal publications this year! One was a 5 page spread for Shannon & Kayu’s wedding and the other was an article on Unique Reception Entertainment.

Our most popular posts on The Bliss Blog were about River Birch Lodge (One of our favorite venues!) and Barbie’s Boudoir shoot!

Two of my favorite parts of 2009 were the headshots sessions done by Nicole Ladonne Photography (Just for me, Amanda) & Dustin Francis Photography (The Bliss Team).

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post about what is to come in 2010! There are some big things brewing behind the scenes here at Bliss and I am beyond excited to share them with you!

I received a very sweet email from Jess & Nate over at Mod 4 Photographic and just had to share. First of all, they sent this adorable little picture, with a bonus for Bliss clients!

Make sure you head on over to their blog to check out the phenomenal deal that they are offering for Boudoir photos, just in time for Valentine’s Day! I know that v-day seems very far away, but time seems to be flying by faster than ever these days and this is a gift your honey-pie is sure to love. On top of the already amazing deal, Bliss clients save 10% on the Boudoir pricing! Awesome, right?

Their new and improved website, blog and logo are so much fun! The boudoir site shows some of the sweet and sassy pictures. We know you’ll love Mod 4 and the photos the capture so much that we just had to post this.

I feel so overwhelmingly blessed to be surrounded by some of the kindest people in the wedding industry! It seems like everyone is updating their websites and blogs lately and we are fortunate enough to be featured as a preferred vendor by so many of our favorite people. I am beyond thankful for all of the kind words and support. These companies are the best. Thank you all! (Some of them have us listed as Your Bliss Weddings… which happens ALL THE TIME! Must be because of our website link, but that doesn’t matter to us. We are just thrilled to be mentioned!)

Castle Video Productions: Not only did Kristyn give us a lovely shout out on her favorite wedding planners page, she updated her beautiful website with a new layout, colors and gorgeous logo. Go check it out!

The Shooting Gallery: Dionne is a beautiful person, inside and out, and her photography doesn’t disappoint. Her style is gorgeous, the website is wonderful and her company is well known for quality design and above and beyond customer service. One of my favorites for sure.

Rondo Sting Quartet: Beautiful Music, Beautiful people. If you are looking for a fabulous musical addition to your wedidng day, head on over to their site. (and tell them we say hi!)

So In Love Invitations: We love Kristy and are so grateful that she is offering a very special deal to Bliss clients! You have to head on over to her site to find out what it is.

Music Box Productions: We just got word that Bliss is featured as one of Music Box’s favorite vendors. We can’t wait to see their new website when it launches! Everyone at MB is a blast to work with. You will love them as much as I do, I am sure of it.

Plush Paper Creations: Who doesn’t love pretty paper products? I am, of course, head over hells for Kathleen and her gorgeous work and it is really sweet of her to include us on her links page. After at least a dozen Bliss couples have worked with and have given her a thumbs up, we know you will enjoy anything she creates for you.

Nicole Ladonne Photography: It is no secret that I am a huge fan of Nicole and her beautiful photography. I have been behind her camera and in front of the lens on more than one occasion and always leave with a smile on my face.While you are checking out her blog and site, make sure to take a look at her recent mini-sessions for Melinda & Jason! They were a Bliss couple back in 2007 who are expecting their first little munchkin very soon!

Jason Aten Photography: I haven’t known Jason for long, but I am thrilled that we had the chance to meet. He is a very sweet person with a talented eye. His photography captures peoples’ moments beautifully, be it weddings or every day life. Love him and his work!

Wed Michigan Blog: What could be better than having everything related to Michigan Weddings all in one place? Informative and easy to read.

K Holly Photography: Kristen is literally one of the sweetest people I have ever met and her photography is beautiful. I just wish we were closer, so I could see her more often!

Jamie Honce Productions: Talk about gorgeous work! It doesn’t matter if you know the people in his videos or not, you will probably need some tissues when you watch them. Heart warming, touching, and beautiful videography.

Croft & Campbell Photography: All I can really say is that Greg and Jen are seriously a blast to be around. I love their work, I love their style and I love them!

Riverbirch Lodge: (aka The Palmer Estates) By far one of the best venues in the area and one of my favorite places to work with. Laura and the rest of the RB crew in Hartland are fantastic and I am pleased as punch to be one of their preferred vendors.

I feel so lucky to be one of the featured vendors over on Wedding Chicks. WC is such a wonderful resource for planning, details and vendor suggestions!

Please check back as we update and add to this list. There are so many people that haven’t told us that we are listed, so we are excited to see who else has listed us as one of their favorite Michigan Wedding and Event Planners! If we missed your link to us, let me know and I will add you right away!

Talk about gorgeous! Every detail of Joanna & Tom’s wedding was right on point. The colors, the weather, the ridiculously beautiful people and the unmistakable love that these lovebirds shared. It was such a wonderful day and I was overjoyed that I was able to be a part of it all. Check out these beautiful photos by Kara Purtell. (Who is a blast to work with, by the way!)

Look at that church! The ceremony was at St. Scholastica in Detroit. I would HIGHLY recommend this place if you are looking for a church. Deux Adore did a wonderful job with the make-up, too. The flowers were done by HB Originals and lasted the entire night.

All of the beautiful paper products were done by Plush Paper Creations, one of my absolute favorite people to work with.

This was the second wedding we did with a bagpiper this year. Such a fun addition to the festivities!

I just love how sweet Joanna & Tom are. Both totally down to earth, relaxed and completely in the moment. Swoon!

Yes, they are ON THE FIELD at Comerica Park. How awesome is that? The guys even ran the bases, even though they weren’t supposed to!

Laurel Manor was the perfect setting for their large reception and has one of the most helpful staff around!  Pair that with the classy linens from Sposa Seating and you have a winning combination. Those adorable pictures of their pooch were taken by Mod 4. If you have pets, you should definitely look them up. The band that night was Nightline, and all I can say is WOW! They kept that dance floor packed all night. The wedding cake was done by Sweet Dreams Bakery. I wish I would have had a chance to try a piece, it looked beautiful.

This video of the day was created by Tri-foot Productions. The music is beautiful and the perfect match to the details of the day. Love it!

Tri-Foot Trailer: Joanna & Tom’s Wedding Day from Tri-Foot Productions on Vimeo.

Deanna & Cass are two amazingly smart, totally relaxed, and ridiculously adorable people. I don’t think I have ever seen a husband-to-be as excited and affectionate as Cass! There were so many personal details to the day and I was blown away by the love and support of their beautiful families. Enough chitter chatter, take a look at the wonderful moments captured by Lemus Photography! Huge thanks to Amy & Jorge for sharing these photos with us.

We start with my favorite moment of the day! Deanna taking a sneak peek of all of the commotion before the ceremony. Ironically one of the most peaceful photos I have ever seen.

Just look at the beautiful newlyweds! (And that beautiful dress!)

The ceremony, held at the Shrine Chapel at St. Mary’s in Orchard Lake, was absolutely beautiful and the reception was the epitome of class at Orchard Lake Country Club.

Deanna is timeless, and who doesn’t LOVE a birdcage veil bride?

The flowers were supplied by Bridgette O’Brien of One Of A Kind Botanical Design and they were some of the most creative I’d seen all year. Can you believe the peacock feathers were Cass’ idea?

Check out the wonderful video created by Days To Remember Media

Deanna and Cass’ Preview from Lee Higginbottom on Vimeo.

Deanna & Cass, Thank you for asking me to be a part of your special day. It was such a joy getting to you and I know that there are many big, amazing things to come for you both. Congratulations and best wishes! XOXO

The Wedding Day dream team: Planning by Bliss Weddings & Events, Photography by Lemus Photography, Ceremony at Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Shrine Chapel, Reception at Orchard Lake Country Club, Videography by Days To Remember Media, Flowers by One of a Kind Botanical Design, Music by Tim Hewitt Group, Bagpiper by Bob Droppleman, Cake by Buttercream Bakeshop, Ceremony Music by Go 4 Baroque

There are so many times when people ask me what I think makes a wedding perfect. Lisa & Matt’s big day was the perfect example of this…

So, please enjoy my version of Lisa & Matt’s “Recipe for a Perfect Day”, with the help of the AMAZING Amber Hunt Photography. Seriously, Amber is a true talent. Just look at these pictures!

First, you mix the many faces of a beautiful bride.

The anticipation of a handsome groom.

A few amazingly fun friends.

A dash of moments that take your breath away.

Romance & Commitment.

A handful of gorgeous details.

Celebration by the truck load.

And a whole lot of love that will last a lifetime.

There are so many things that I could say about how amazing Lisa & Matt are, or how completely wonderful their family and friends are, but it would take me a decade to list it all out. I am so lucky to have been able to enjoy their wedding day with them and I know that their’s it the type of love that will last forever. Thank you for being some of the best clients I have ever known, Lisa & Matt!

The Wedding Day Team: Bliss Weddings & Events, Immanuel United Methodist Church, Mac & Ray’s Harbor, Amber Hunt Photography, Two Penny Productions (I can’t wait to share the video!), Gina’s Bridal, Sposa Seating, Patrick James Productions, Viviano Flowers, Bocci Salon, Plush Paper Creations