Well, after 400 entries, five thousand votes, and the help of a few industry friends… Here are your Bliss Blog’s Second Annual Photo of the Year Contest winners! Monday, we announced the winners of the Engagement category. Yesterday, we announce the winners of the Homegrown category and today we are announcing the winners of the Around The World category.

Little known fact about our Around The World Category: The entries represented 14 different countries!

Congrats to…

Huge congrats go out to Bryan Rupp Photography! Not only are Bryan & Leah fabulous photographers, you can really get a feel for their sweet personalities on their site. To me, it speaks miles that Jordan and Luke (the couple in this photo) are the ones that submitted this picture on behalf of Bryan Rupp Photography! Congrats on winning first place.

Sybrand Cillié, of Pro Photography in South Africa was actually the winner of last year’s contest! Their work is always beautiful with a lovely vintage flair. If you have not seen it, please check out their website to see more of the gorgeous artwork!

I have to admit, I had never heard of Tag 7,  until this contest launched. I am now happy to inform that I am a HUGE fan. Their work speaks for itself! Beautiful, timeless, and full of energy. Congrats!

A big Thank You to everyone who voted! Please make sure to visit the winners’ websites and blogs to enjoy more of their beautiful work.

Well, after 400 entries, five thousand votes, and the help of a few industry friends… Here are your Bliss Blog’s Second Annual Photo of the Year Contest! Today, we announce the winners of the Engagement category. Tomorrow, we’ll announce the winners of the Homegrown category and Wednesday the winners of the Around The World category. Check back to congratulate all of the winners, or see if you are one of them!

Little known fact about our Engagement category: Our top three had nearly 70% of the almost 2,000 votes!

Congrats to…

Congrats Derek! To see more of his fabulous work, visit his website!

Photo title: Naomi and Johnny. Info: An engagement photo! Naomi and Johnny were married Berkley, MI on September 12, 2009, but we took these engagement photos down in Hart Plaza one hot summer night in July.

Also, congrats to our Second & Third placed photos by Hillebrand Photography & K Holly Photography!

A big Thank You to everyone who voted! Please make sure to visit the winners’ websites and blogs to enjoy more of their beautiful work.

You all know how I feel about handmade items for weddings! I thought I might as well share some of my absolute favorites right now. Here are my top ten Etsy listings and their sellers for the week!

Lace Shrug by Rohm $225

Star House Wedding Topper by Urastarhouse $95

Custom Made Shoe Clips by LoBoheme $45

Anna Double Hair Flower Birdcage Set by PrimandPosies $55

White Silk Rose Ring Bearer Pillow by Idotakeu $31.99

Wedding Boutonniere flower and feathers by myrakim $13

Butterfly Place Cards by TimelessPaper 150 for $150

Lanterns Wedding Invitation by Powerandlight $5

Come With Me Necklace by Lana0crystal $28.50

Clutch Blue Swirls by lynndavid $39

On Sunday, I was lucky enough to participate in the first annual Marry Me In Milford Bridal Show. It was fantastic! I really did have a lot of fun. Not only did I get to spend time with some of my favorite people (Jamie Honce, Nicole Ladonne, Gina’s Bridal & Posh Hair and Makeup), but I also got to meet and chat with tons of brand new brides to be! There is something so refreshing about hearing stories of the sweet proposals and seeing the gorgeous rings! (And tasting the cake samples doesn’t hurt either!) It was exactly what I needed to get back into wedding season mode, which starts in just a couple weeks! Can you believe it? This winter has just flown by!

My favorite part about this show, and what I believe made it so special, was the fact that only hand selected, small businesses were invited. This created such a comfortable environment right from the start. There weren’t any high pressure sales, or nagging vendors following your every move. It was laid back, easy going and just a really good time!

Just so you all know, Nicole, Jamie and I are still offering the $300 off special. So, if you are looking for a planner, photographer and a videographer, let me know!

A huge THANK YOU goes out to Gina & Kari, and their staff members, for putting on a great show. I can’t wait for next year!

The Final Round is here! Our judges have narrowed all three photo categories down to the top ten of each category. I have revised the timing a bit to make sure that every section gets a solid amount of time for voting. Make sure you follow the directions below exactly, to ensure proper submission of votes. Only one vote per person! No cheating!

Voting for the Engagement Category will end at 7PM on Friday February 26th. I will be giving each category a full 5 days of voting. So, make sure to check back on  Monday the 1st for The Around the World category and then the final results for all three categories will be announced on March 8th, 2010! Best of luck to all of our participants and congratulations on making it this far! There were over 400 submissions this year!

The Final Round is here! Our judges have narrowed all three photo categories down to the top ten of each category. I have revised the timing a bit to make sure that every section gets a solid amount of time for voting. Make sure you follow the directions below exactly, to ensure proper submission of votes. Only one vote per person! No cheating!

Voting for the Homegrown Michigan Category will end at 7PM on Friday February 19th. I will be giving each category a full 5 days of voting. So, make sure to check back on Monday the 22nd for The Engaged category, Monday the 1st for The Around The World category and then the final results will be announced on March 8th, 2010! Best of luck to all of our participants and congratulations on making it this far! There were over 400 submissions this year!

Pink is one of the most used colors around Valentine’s Day. It is also one of the most common wedding colors! Why not share my love for all things pretty and pink by posting a few of my favorite girly wedding inspiration photos from my travels around the web. I hope you love them as much as I do!

Meg Smith via Snippet & Ink via Simply & Forever Blog

JL Designs (The Romantic)

via Le Couple Toy blog

via Credit Crunch Bride

via Hostess With The Mostess

One of my absolute favorite things about my job is the opportunity to meet and become friends with fantastic people in the industry. A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to meet Katie from Simply and Forever. Not only is she a totally rad person, but she writes a delightful blog for her wedding coordination and planning business. (Which I added to my Google Reader immediately!) When browsing her blog yesterday, I saw this lovely little engagement shoot by the fantabulous Stephanie Williams Photography. I couldn’t help but want to share this with all of you during our Valentine’s Day week series. How cute are the red hearts everywhere?

Want to see more? Head on over to the original post on Stephanie Williams Photography blog. Don’t forget to visit Simply & Forever’s Blog, too!

Can you imagine how excited I was when I saw the beautiful work of Simply Bloom Photography on Green Wedding Shoes yesterday? This is what I call a dream shoot… one that I dream about participating in! Perfect styling for Valentine’s Week, right? Love it!

Be sure to check out more of Simply Bloom Photography’s work and head on over to Green Wedding Shoes for more adorable inspiration.