Congrats to Tia and Fred who were featured on Essence.com!  Their gorgeous wedding can be seen here and here.  Images by Ross Oscar Knight. 

Venue: Pensacola Beach Hilton, Planning and Design: Bliss Event Group, Flowers: Kebbie Hollingsworth, Cupcakes: Betty Weber

Huge thanks to Chocolate Butterbean for the stunning custom signage and Smitten Sticks for the custom bow ties on a stick!  Love love love!  Oh, and those adorable striped straws?  Created by our very own Emily Ayer with calligraphy by Moya Mimms.

We always give our brides the option to anonymously recommend us, but we've been lucky enough that all of them want to share their glowing words with us!  So humbled by this recommendation from the bride, Mrs. Sara Dickinson:

Our wedding was three weeks ago in North Carolina. We both live in Arlington so Bliss helped us plan our wedding from a long distance.
 
In my opinion Bliss went above and beyond my wildest expectations. Lara and her team were accessible to me anytime during our 10-12 months working together and the promptness of their replies to my questions were practically real time. They have tons of resources to pull from and generously gave me options to choose from. Any wedding planning process is going to be challenging, but Lara made me feel comfortable throughout the whole thing -- I knew I could trust her to get the job done perfectly. I really enjoyed having Lara and her team handle all of the florals as well. That eliminated a vendor and really made the look of the day cohesive. Lara and her team also did a fantastic job dealing with my other wedding vendors.

Our wedding day was incredible. From the morning we started getting ready everything went smoothly to the moment I walked down the isle. I felt 100% relaxed and did not feel the need to have any sort of checklist going. Lara and the girls had it under control. Having Lara's assistant [Whitney] there was really beneficial with getting the guys ready/organized! I of course could not be in their area! I really felt so spoiled... I never wanted for ANYTHING throughout the day. Lara's crew are extremely professional and organized. I felt like I knew what was going on when and where, etc.

I do feel like I'm bragging to a complete stranger but I'm not the type to over embellish. I'm an extremely honest person and I mean it when I say this -- If you go with Lara and Bliss your wedding will be the most beautiful wedding you've ever been to. I promise you that.

On your wedding day it will be important to be surrounded by kind-hearted and loving people. A wedding is about love obviously and the love and passion that Lara and the crew have for their work is beaming through. I loved being surrounded by them on our wedding day. They will only add to the awesome joy you'll be feeling that day.

Good luck with your planning process and best wishes for a happy marriage! We're entering week 4 and absolutely loving it :)

Best Regards,

Sara Dickinson

We love you Sara and Tyler and can't wait to share your whole wedding here soon! xo Lara

[Sara and Lara pictured above as shot by Kyle Barnes]

First the DETAILS

The WEDDING

and last but not least... the infamous SMILEBOOTH

Wishing you a lifetime of love and adventure, Poonam and Chirag! xo Lara

It was a dream to work on this wedding!  The best part?  DeAnna and Allen got pregnant on the honeymoon and now have a beautiful little boy! 

What a great way to celebrate a first anniversary - with a beautiful new family.  Many thanks to the dream team on this wedding: Pensacola Beach Hilton, Kebbie Hollingsworth, Betty Weber, Brian Oden Lighting and Meg Baisden Photography. 

For more wedding pics, click here.  Happy one year anniversary DeAnna and Allen! xo Lara

Of course, we certainly didn't execute this wedding single-handedly!  Everyone at the Park Taven, where the ceremony and reception took place, was a joy to work with.  It was great to meet and work with so many new-to-us Atlanta vendors, including Heather and the team of Stylish Stems; Melissa of Melissa Schollaert Photography; Luna Strings, the string quartet for the ceremony; Mark Brickman of Baker's Man who created the wedding cake below and an INSANE Fruity Pebbles groom's cake; Magnum Companies, who was responsible for the dramatic dance floor lighting; and Diane of the DM Band, who kept the party going all night and even extended the band's contract because no one was ready to leave.  And last but not least, we were thrilled to have the chance to work with Eliana of EllyB Events.  She went above and beyond for us and we are so thankful!

It was also an exciting wedding, as you may remember from this post: Lara almost got attacked by a heckler mid-ceremony, and Emily nearly had her hair set on fire during the sparkler exit!  No one ever said being a wedding planner was boring...

Patricia and Jay, we wish you so much happiness!  Congratulations on an absolutely beautiful wedding and what we're sure will be an even more beautiful marriage!

It's been a truly Blissful year and we've sent so many wonderful couples down the aisle.  Merry Christmas to all of our 2009 and future 2010 brides!

For a garden party, this over-the-top distressed shutter, vine, and rose confection (via Once Wed, photo by Jose Villa).  For a seaside soiree, this driftwood arch (photo by Corbin Gurkin via Once Wed).  For a rustic-vintage celebration, this twining grapevine huppah (photo by Jose Villa via Style Me Pretty).

For a graphic punch, consider typography and one of your favorite quotes (photo by Justine Ungaro via SMP).  For a laid-back party, choose streamers -- in abundance, they go from children's birthday party to punchy picnic faster than you can say "celebrate!" (Lower right photo by Tec Petaja)

Want an interior feel in the great outdoors?  Construct your own deconstructed chapel with old lumber.  A bright yellow dresser as an altar and a chandelier as a focal point are unexpected touches. (Photos by Stephanie Fay via Style Me Pretty)

Another way to make your guests feel at home in the out of doors: usher them into your ceremony through an elaborate door, as photographer Jessica Claire did at her wedding (photos by Jose Villa).

Which one's your favorite?

Hello, Bliss brides!  We are starting to get VERY excited about the fabulous ladies and gents we will have the pleasure of working with this spring and summer.  Among others, we have a green and white garden party, a pink and blue beach soiree, and an all-out, three day Indian extravaganza in the works.  Needless to say, we feel very lucky to get to collaborate with such fabulous couples.

From its inception, Bliss has always specialized in "the works" coordination -- taking every step of the wedding planning journey alongside the bride, from budget formulation to design consultation, to producing the event on the wedding day from the moment the bride opens her eyes until long after she and her groom have left the reception space. We strongly believe this kind of service and attention to detail from the beginning makes for a flawless wedding day and a fun and relaxed planning experience.

But recently, we've been getting more and more requests from brides who, at the last minute, realize they can't do it all on their own.  So, we're accepting a very limited number of day-of contracts based on location and logistics. Day-of service (which is essentially month-of planning, giving us enough time to wrap up all your details and confirm your vendors) ranges from $2000 to $5000, depending on your needs.

If this sounds like just what you're looking for, please email Emily for more information.  We can't wait to hear from you!

Lots of love and luck to you, Rachel + Lee!

Image credits, clockwise from top: Brooke Schwab, A Bryan Photo, Stephanie Williams

We love all of the different looks we're seeing on bridesmaids lately, from a range of colors to a range of styles.  Our new favorite twist, though, has to be the two-tone bridal party.  The blocks of color look so fresh, don't you think?  Best of all, the look can be classic and preppy (top), flirty and modern (left) or simple and romantic (right).

Here are some of our favorite sources for mix-and-match dresses, skirts, and tops to get you started:

Anthropologie

BCBG

J. Crew

Melissa Sweet

Shoshanna

Thread Bridesmaids

Vineyard Collection

Happy shopping!

P.S. We haven't forgotten about you, Bliss brides!  We're in final crunch mode over at Southern Weddings as we prepare to send our November issue off to the printers.  More regular posting will be back soon, we promise!  In the meantime you can follow us on Twitter: Bliss, Lara, Emily, Katharine, + Whitney.

Happy October, friends!  Just as this month is a time to celebrate our favorite things about fall (crunchy leaves, crackling fires, corduroy, fuzzy wool scarves), it's also a time to remember loved ones who are fighting and have lost the battle with breast cancer.  In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the SW ladies wanted to provide a little pink inspiration.  This board has a very ladylike vibe and would work well for a brunch or a shower -- perfect opportunities to celebrate the strong women in your life!

Look for more information and for ways you can help at the NBCAM website and the site of the American Cancer Society.

Inspiration board from Emily's personal blog, Peach and Pearl. 

Sources from top left: Lisa Lefkowitz via Style Me Pretty; Brides.com; Lilikoi Design via 100 Layer Cake; Martha Stewart Weddings; Jennifer Behr via Perfect Bound; Lisa Lefkowitz via Style Me Pretty; Lovin' Sullivan, Martha Stewart Weddings; Brides.com; dogwood bouquet, favor boxes, and taper candles all from Martha Stewart Weddings

Lara, along with Senior Editor of Brides.com Anne Chertoff, was recently asked to weigh in on how to handle bad service from vendors - when you should let it go, when you should step in, and, if you choose to confront, the best way of doing so.  We know you don't want to think about something going wrong on your wedding day, but -- just in case! -- this article is a great read.  Our thanks to Anna Sachse, the reporter, for thinking of us!

P.S. The article was syndicated to more than 200 news outlets across the country - exciting!  Here are links to a few examples:

My San Antonio

Chicago Wedding & Party Resource

The Monitor