Ready. Set. Vote!

Below you will find our Top Ten Finalists in the Engagement Category in our 3rd Annual Photo of the Year Contest. Please take a look at all 10 and decide which one is your favorite. To get a closer look, click the photo, wait for it to load and then click again. You will be able to see the set at full size, if you really want to inspect each one. ;) In order for your vote to count, you have to click the number of your favorite photo in the Poll at the bottom of the post AND leave a comment telling us which one you voted for and why you love it so much. If you don’t do both, your vote will not count, so make sure you follow the rules! Only one vote per email address.

Voting for the Engagement category ends on April 12th.

Your votes will be tallied and the Top Three in each category will be announced during the week of April 18th!

Also, if you are taking a second to vote, please consider donating to Wish Upon A Wedding below. This amazing organization grants wedding wishes for couples faced with terminal illness and seriously life-altering circumstances, regardless of sexual orientation. Thank you!

Happy Valentine’s Day to all the Bliss lovers out there. Thank you so much for being a part of our little community. I L-O-V-E each and every one of you!

xoxo, Amanda

Scroll down to see two Valentine Inspired posts from the past.

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

Re-post from Valentine’s Day 2010!

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!

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

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

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!