Well, the time is finally here! The overall winners of the Photo of the Year contest are ready to be announced. After tons of photos and thousands of votes, here are your amazing 1st place photos!

1st place in the Engagement, and our overall vote leader in all three categories, is…

James Fry Photography! This photo of David and Cassandra from downtown Grand Rapids, is perfect. The lighting, the colors, the rain and that kiss! Love this one. Could it be any more romantic?

From James: We did their engagement session in March of 2010, so it was still a little cold…you know Michigan :)  We had spent the evening doing photos all around the downtown area with the threat of rain.  We stopped for some coffee and went out to do some night shots and it started to rain as we were shooting.  Instead of bailing, we kept going and ended up with this awesome shot. Who knew the rain would work in our favor? :)

Our next 1st place winner, in the Michigan category, is…

Heather J Photography! I have had the opportunity to get to know Heather over the past few months, and this photo is a really great representation of her art. I am in love with this candid shot of Katie Bonita on her wedding day in Wyandotte, MI, captures so much in just one quick shot.

From Heather: My main goal when I take a photo is for it to convey happiness.  I think this photo does the trick.

I think you are right, Heather. It definitely makes me happy just seeing it! As a special prize for being the top Michigan photo, Heather will be attending the Smarter Business Workshop on May 11th, hosted by one of my absolute favorite people in the world, Anne Ruthmann! If you are a photographer and haven’t signed up yet, you must head to the website now and do it! Anne has helped me in my business more than I could ever explain and you would be crazy not to attend.

The final 1st place winner, in the global category, goes to…

K. Holly Photography!

I have to admit that this photo of Pamela and Mark, taken on their wedding day in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, makes me crave warm, sunny, tropical weather and lots of palm trees. Not only is the location fantastic, but Kristen really captured it perfectly!

……….

All of our three 1st place winners are going to receive a prize package! Here is what they will get:

One of my new favorite things, a frame from The Vintage Crush. These frames are to die for and our winners will get an 8.5×11 in their choice of color and style. How lucky?

They will also receive a rockin’ Lens Bracelet from Adam Elmakias!

One full year of advertising on The Bliss Blog!

… and a brand spankin’ new digital copy of Paint Shop Pro Ultimate X3 from Corel Corporation!

You voted and here they are! Our fabulous contest winners, Kayu and Shannon, celebrated their wedding day on Sunday and it was absolutely beautiful. These two are such genuinely nice people and just a joy to be around. They are so in love and it was a great privilege to share their special day with them. I am so grateful that they entered out “Love Story” contest and won! On top of gorgeous weather and a super sweet couple, I had the opportunity to work with some great vendors. Anne Ruthmann is always fabulous, it is just a joy to be around her and you know that whatever photos she takes will be amazing. For the very first time, i had the chance to work with Epic Motion for videography. They are great! Ryan and Tyler are a lot of fun and were moving around all day. They are very professional and work very hard, but also took the time to make us all smile. Check out their blog for some great trailers and information.

“Day-of” coordination services by Bliss Weddings, Photography by Anne Ruthmann, Videography by Epic Motion, Ceremony venue – Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Reception venue – Michigan League Ballroom, Transportation – Limo World, Bakery – Cake Nouveau, DJ – Platinum Mix, Flowers & Décor – Shannon’s Aunt Jackie, Lighting – Quest Productions, Favors – Personalized CDs, Other vendor – Shutterbooth

Shannon & Kayu,

Thank you so much for allowing me to take part in your wedding day. I wish the best for you both and know that with the sweetness and romance I see in your eyes, you will be together for a lifetime. Have fun and enjoy knowing that you are with exactly who you were meant to find! Congrats.

I just wanted to say Happy Belated Anniversary to Faye & Brian. These two were such a blast to work with and seriously, could they be any hotter? Ha ha! It is hard to imagine that it has already been a year.

The Mr. & Mrs. celebrated their one year anniversary on June 9th! Congrats Faye & Brian!