This morning the wedding blog of all wedding blogs, Style Me Pretty, featured an inspiration shoot we were thrilled to be a part of.  The shoot had a “modern day fairytale” theme, and it came out as dreamy as ever.  Click here for more photos and the Style Me Pretty Feature!

Props to all the amazing wedding professionals that put this together!  Stay tuned for the video feature of the shoot.

Venue: Imago Ballroom, Floral by Bella Bloom, Rentals by West Coast Event Productions, Photos by Emily G Photography, Printing by Paper Bloom, Hair/Makeup by Face Body Beauty, Menswear by Duchess Clothier, gown by Charlotte’s Bridal, Jewelery by Mandalena, Dessert Buffet by One Divine Party, Video by Black Label Films, Officiation by A Beautiful Ceremony NW

To say that I adored Nicole & Jay would be a HUGE understatement.  I absolutely loved working with this couple and getting to know them both along the way.  It is not common for the groom to be a part of almost every aspect of planning, but Jay was.  He let Nicole make many of the decisions, but definitely played devil’s advocate and always injected a great dose of humor.  It really made the planning process fun!

The wedding and reception were held at the beautiful Treasury Ballroom, downtown Portland last November.  Zest decked out the aisle with a whimsical petal design, and the ceremony itself did not leave a dry eye in the house.  Nicole & Jay wrote their own vows and they were so incredibly thought out with the perfect mix of sweetness and humor.  They were quite possible the best vows we’ve heard (Brittany & I had tears streaming  down our faces!!) 

A really fun piece of the ceremony was that Jay surprised Nicole with a wedding band.  She had her eye on this specific band for months, but was trying to be practical and decided to stick with wearing her engagement ring on its own.  Her face when Jay pulled out the sparkly band was absolutely priceless!

The reception was a good old fashion party and had a stunning palatte with shades of red, black and ivory.  Guests enjoyed a great dinner and a groom’s cake made with Oregon Duck colors in the shape of skis, as a homage to Jay’s love of the sport.  The booze flowing, and guests danced the night away into the wee hours!

There is nothing better than watching your clients let loose on the dance floor and truly enjoying their wedding day.  Half way through the reception Nicole & Jay snuck out with Laurel, their talented photographer, and took some amazing night time shots.   This photo is one of my favorites—breathtaking!

Photos by Powers Studios, Video by Shields Films, Officiating by Robert Griffin, Floral by Zest, Cakes by Lambs Garden Home, Catering by Vibrant Table, Hair & Makeup by Powder, Inc., Sound, Music & Lighting by Chad Dowling Productions

 It’s so refreshing to look outside and see the pastel pink of the cherry blossoms in bloom as well as the vibrant yellow daffodils and purple grape hyacinths popping up after a long grey and rainy winter.  So its no surprise that Pantone, “the authority on color,” has been inspired too with its dynamic selection of color for spring and summer!  I simply adore the range of vivid brights to soft muted tones that are brilliantly paired and are the perfect starting point when choosing the over all colors for your wedding all the way down to the perfect accessories for the wedding party.

Which leads me to our Stella & Dot GIVEAWAY! 

When you take these fabulous colors and combine them with the 2012 bridal trend of statement earrings both big and small…Stella & Dot delivers, and this is where you are in luck! Patricia Carlile, a local Independent Stella & Dot Stylist, is offering all Bridal Bliss blog readers the chance to win the statement earring of their choice!

Check out a small selection of Stella & Dot jewels below that follow the color trend, and then scroll down to find out how to enter.

 There are multiple ways to enter!

1. Leave a comment on this blog post telling us which statement earring you would like to win.  Once you have left your first comment, you may leave as many additional comments on this post as you like.  Be sure to go to Patricia’s Stella & Dot website to see the full collection of earrings!  Remember, you will win your choice of any statement earring so be sure to look at them all!
2. Extra entry if you “LIKE” Patricia’s Facebook Fan Page, Stella & Dot Style by Patricia Carlile  (be sure to leave an additional comment on blog post that you did this)
3. Extra entry if you share your favorite Stella & Dot piece from Patricia’s website on FACEBOOK (again be sure to leave an additional comment that you did this)
4. Extra entry when you pin your favorite Stella & Dot jewels on Pinterest 

The giveaway will remain open for 10 days only.

Everyone is eligible to enter and you can enter multiple ways, as stated above.  If you decide to take advantage of any of the extra entry options please be sure to leave an additional comment for each extra entry so we can keep track!  So for example, if you share your favorite Stella & Dot statement earring on Facebook be sure to leave an additional comment that you have done so on this blog post.  The more times you comment, the more times you will be entered to win.

Big thanks for photos to Style Me Pretty, Southern Afternoon, The Knot (forums), and of course Stella & Dot!

Last week some of my college girlfriends and I had a crazy idea for a girls trip and went to Reykjavik, Iceland for an extended weekend.  We had the BEST time and while we were there, checked out some darling shops and boutiques.  One of our favorites had a great display of tea cups and really made me want to style a wedding or event after the look.  How fun to have a bridal tea or luncheon with this gorgeous china?

Other than shopping, we had a great time exploring the town, hiking a glacier, enjoying the geothermal hot springs and of course…exploring the nightlife.

Keep Iceland on your radar for a fun and unique vacation adventure!

The talented folks over at Shields Films have put together an amazing promotional video for us!  This great trailer showcases some of our favorite couples and events from the past wedding season.  Take a look and watch some of our coordinators hard at work and for a sneak peek into some real weddings. Let us know what you think!

I cannot even begin to say enough good things about this couple.  First of all…look at them! They are GORGEOUS!  I had been looking forward to Nancy & Nate’s wedding all summer and loved getting to know them and their families throughout the planning process.  Nancy & Nate have the greatest personalities, as do their families.  Nancy’s parents were quite involved–her mom was as sweet as can be and her dad was seriously hysterical.  He always kept me on my toes and had an inappropriate joke to keep us all laughing.

This wedding at the Portland Art Museum was pure glamour.  The ceremony was styled in all white, ivory, black and candlelight.   We had an amazing gobo “break-up” pattern on the ceiling, soft blush up-lighting and fluffy beautiful flowers.  The couple’s dog, Zoe, even walked down the aisle and barked as if on cue when Nate broke the glass at the end of the Christian/Jewish ceremony.

Guests were wowed as they walked into the reception to see beautiful black chiffon draping, shades of white, black and now fuchsia.  The tables were adorned with stunning floral, black chargers, silk dupioni linen and the black and white dance floor was centered in the ballroom.  The cake was a delicious piece of artwork and the luxurious linen  it sat on was all black in a textured fabric matching the bride’s skirt.

Nancy & Nate’s wedding was a huge party.  Guests drank and danced all night, and there were smiles all around.   Everything turned out perfectly, as it should have for this wonderful couple!

Click here for Nancy & Nate’s slideshow courtesy of Holland Studios

Flowers by Zest Floral, Rentals by Ohana Party Rentals & Peter Corvallis Productions, Catering by Vibrant Table,  Cake by Dream Cakes, Videography by Shields Films, Ceremony Music by Duo Con Brio, Reception Music by Swingline Cubs, Makeup by Event Cosmetics

I saw this terrific idea on Pinterest and just had to share.  How many of you played Jenga as a child…or as a drinking game in college?!?  I have such fun memories with this game and I love the idea of having the pieces at your wedding for guests to leave a special note on.

Its a great way to bring a little nostalgia to your day and inspire guests to actually “sign the guest book.”  Imagine years into the future playing this same Jenga game with your children—brilliant!!

The newest issue of Oregon Bride Magazine was released last Saturday and I am thrilled to share that four Bridal Bliss weddings are featured!!  The first was the amazing ”country chic” wedding of Kimberly Maus & Matt Weishoff.  Kim is a news anchor at KPTV and I met her while at the studio shooting a segment about wedding planning.  We immediately had a connection and hit the ground running planning her detailed wedding day.

Kim & Matt met at the Pendleton Round Up where Matt was a competitive rodeo bareback rider.  The couple have a love for the Western lifestyle and certainly infused that into their wedding day.

Some of my favorite details were the cap guns that guests shot when the couple was announced as husband and wife, the leather escort cards hand made by the groom himself, the fab bar and the amazing chandelier made of Matt’s old rodeo numbers.

Matt now works as a contractor and put his skills to work for this wedding.  In addition to making the escort cards, bar and chandelier himself, he also crafted several signs (which Kim had adorable sayings for), built ALL the guest tables out of recycled wood, made a mosaic backdrop and even created a darling belt for his wife with her new last name.

After the ceremony, guests were treated to a yummy buffet of comfort food, some serious dancing, shots of Pendleton Whiskey and a gourmet s’mores buffet.

The level of detail at this wedding was crazy.  Kim had the most amazing ideas and worked on so many projects while planning.  The day ran perfectly smoothly, the weather cooperated, guests danced the night away (so many hot cowboys!!) and the bride and groom beamed all night.  I loved getting to know Kim these last several months, and through all of the planning she has become a dear friend.

Photos by Alicia Dickerson, Video by Moetic Films, Bouquets by Geranium Lake, Rentals by Ohana Party Rentals, Catering by McKillip’s Catering 

This fall I had the pleasure of planning Abby & John’s wedding…a darling couple with equally amazing families.  They were an absolute joy to work with and the wedding was a true representation of Abby & John’s fun personalities.

One of my favorite aspects of the wedding was a flash mob that the brides sister, Carly, had organized.  She sent a video out to family and close friends who all took the time to learn the dance set to Lady Gaga’s “Edge of Glory.”  The flash mobbers had instructions that when they heard a certain song come on (Footloose!) to head to the dance floor.  Imagine Abby & John’s shock as they watched the people they love most dancing in unison and putting on a show at their wedding.  Well…you don’t have to imagine because a friend caught it all on video (and its hilarious!!!)

In honor of the day…a few Halloween inspired wedding photos!  Happy Trick-or-Treating!

photo by The Sweet Life

photo by Nina Renee Designs

photo by The Knot

Photos by QC Weddings