A Look Back at 2012: The Bliss Wedding & Event Design Year in Review

This is always one of my favorite posts to write of the year.  It's so much fun to look back at all the wonderful people we met, clients we worked with and beautiful events we produced. 

Be sure to click on the links within the post they're linked to fun images from our events and travels!  Here we go!

January 2012
I was fortunate to attend the Alt Summit in Salt Lake City, Utah.  I attended alongside a few planner friends - Ali, Candice and Stephanie from various cities around the country.  Candice from Jubilee Events and I took a quick trip up to Park City for Sundance Film Festival.  It was amazing!  You can see a few of our snowy pics on my Instagram feed here.   If you ever have the chance to attend this film festival go! It was such a wonderful experience and I can't wait to get back one of these days.

February 2012
We were asked to style two booths at the Central Ohio Home & Garden Show. I love the designs we came up with.  The first booth was a Sweet 16 party theme and the second booth was a 1st Birthday circus theme.  The milestone birthday themed and tied to areas and different history items in Columbus and tie into the Bicentennial of Columbus.  You can see the booths here and here! 

March 2012
It's Cakes For A Cause was right around the corner so we were busy working on the sweetness of our 3rd year hosting this event.  We were also busy planning the beautiful details of our summer and fall weddings!

April 2012
Cakes For A Cause was April 5th at the Mid Ohio Foodbank again!  We were back and sweeter than ever!  We had a fantastic turnout and with the support of our family, friends and neighbors, we raised enough to feed 24 people for an entire year!  24 PEOPLE!   ps - mark you calendars for 2013 - Thursday, March 28 from 6-9pm!

Also this month I was featured in Special Event Magazine talking about our newest company - Oh So Lovely Events.  The girls of Oh So Lovely specialize in wedding day coordination. 

May 2012
This was different this year to be off for the month of May but we stayed busy planning our fall weddings and meeting with some wonderful new brides that we welcomed into the Bliss and Oh So Lovely Events family!

June 2012
On June 9th, Dick and Elise said "I do" at the Topiary Garden and celebrated with their guests at the Blue Stone.  

I also became an official member of the Ohio State University Hospitality Management Board!  As an Alum I'm so excited to be a part of this great group of professionals!

July 2012
This was a pretty busy month in the Bliss and Oh So Lovely Studio!  On July 28th we had 3 couples walk down the ailse!

Samantha and Teddy walked down the aisle at St Andrews in Upper Arlington and celebrated with their guests at Scioto Country Club.

Ania and Bill walked down the aisle at St Joseph Cathedral and celebrated with their guests at the Columbus Museum of Art.

Haley and Oliver walk down the aisle in a hay field in Northwest Columbus complete with english morning suits, top hats and tulips.  The moved to a neighboring field to celebrate with their guests under a beautiful high peak tent!

August 2012
We only had one wedding this month and oh my goodness was is a pretty one!  Lindsay and Kurt walk down the aisle at St Francis Assisi in Victorian Village and then celebrated with their guests at the Ohio Statehouse.   Ellysium Productions was on hand to film the same day edit film.  It's one of our favorites!  

September 2012
Our fall was moving full steam ahead! 

We started the month with Sean & Stephanie's wedding at Sean's parent's house in Delaware Ohio.  This was a gorgeous tented wedding that was so unique and true to Sean and Steph's playful personalities!  
 
Every year we volunteer our services to the Short North Civic Association's Home and Garden Tour.  This was my 11th year helping plan the preview event.  Seventh Son's Brewing Company was our host for the night and it was so exciting to get a sneak peak of the great new location here in the Short North.  

Sarah & Dan walked down the aisle at St Brigid of Kildare and then celebrated with friends and family at Muirfiled Village Golf Club.  It was a great day, but mother nature was not very cooperative.  Cold temps, strong winds and a power outage made for an interesting evening....but we were so prepared and the party went on and was just perfect!

October 2012
We were off for the month of October so I took advantage of a few days to run away to Walt Disney World with my little guys.  It was such a fun trip to see the magic of Disney and what magical moments we created and will keep with us always.  This is one of the boys favorite photos from our trip.  That's my dad and I diving the Living Seas in EPCOT.  They boys were beyond excited and I could actually hear the through the thick glass wall.  One of my favorite moments EVER.    

November 2012
Shannon and Benji were married on November 10th at St Joseph Cathedral and then celebrated with their guests at the Ohio Statehouse.  Their wedding had a little bit of Panamanian flair to it and was such a unqiue experience for everyone in attendance.   
  
November 17th was wedding day for Elizabeth and Johnny!  They said I do and celebrated with their families at Darby House in a heartfelt and intimate wedding.   

December 2012
We started the month with Emily and James' wedding at the Athletic Club of Columbus.  It was a beautiful Christmas inspired affair with fun touches like real live mistletoe.  This was their 2nd wedding in one week.  Their 1st wedding was earlier in the week in London England!

The day after Emily and James' wedding I jetted off to engage!12 at the Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida.  This is one of my favorite events to attend and this was my fifth engage! event.  I love visitng and engaging with my event friends for a few days.  I'm always amazed and the ideas I come home with!  You can see my recap posts here and here!  

Tonight, Suzanne and Mike are tying the knot and celebrating their marriage and ringing in the new year all at once!  If you follow the Oh So Lovely instagram and twitter @ohsolovelyinc you can see a few images from their big day!

Whew!  What a year it was!  I'm so grateful for our amazing clients, vendor partners, friends and family.   I can't wait to see what 2013 has in store for us and our clients.  

Have a Happy New Year!  I hope it's a year filled with love, joy and peace!

xo
Kasey  
    

A Look Back at 2012: Interns Reflections

Well the end of the year has come and it is time for us the interns to tell you our favorite moments and decor items of the year the year were! We are not seasoned professionals, but we know what we like so we are taking a shot at predicting what the upcoming trends for the new year will be. So I will step up to the plate first. My name is Maggie Apel and I have been working with Kasey since June and had the chance to see many bea-u-tiful weddings! There are two things that stick out in my mind as things that I loved. This moment.



The light was just right the wind was bowling her veil without someone holding it up out of the shot. Second I am a bit of a flower freak and there have been two Oh So Lovely weddings that have had just wonderful flowers (not that the other were not)! Flowers on Orchard Lane really knows what they are doing!

                                                        Photo curtosey of Lang Thomas

As for trends. Well I think that the same day edit will become more popular. Because it is all the best parts of the day for you to see and the bride and groom get to see each other getting ready for the big day and there is just something downright fun about getting to watch your whole wedding day over again in under ten minutes! Also when it comes to colors say hello to naturals with pops of jewel tones! Much like the trends in the fashion world of a neon paired with a neutral. The wedding world is ready to accept this trend with open arms. Sans neon part because that's just crazy.

Paige Endicott has been working with Kasey just about as long as I have (she started in April)! But have no worries we each found different things to love about the weddings we have seen. Her favorite thing from this year was the BEAUTIFUL Sperry Tent from Sean and Stephanie's wedding, need I say more??



As far as trends for next year she thinks that Luxe Vintage will be a big decor theme for 2013. For example, as a table setting there would be an assortment of antique sterling silver candelabras and candle holders, and antique jars along with linens that contains a lot of texture such as lace. "I love when centerpieces are not all identical! There is something about an eclectic mix of decor that I find to be very beautiful and charming!" She exclaimed to me as she was excitedly talking about this trend making its way onto the scene.

Ann Ankenbauer has been work for Kasey for a year in January (woo)!  Her favorite thing that she saw this year was at one of our Oh So Lovely weddings. Haley and Ollie. There story is one for the storybooks! They met in South Sudan while working to empower girls there. The live in England now, but having just seen them at the wedding of her best friend I am excited to say that they get to go back to the place they fell in love to help those same girls! So this precious moment on the hay bale a beautiful picture of a beautiful couple! Any bride who is willing to climb up on a hay bale with her groom is awesome in my book!

                                                        Photo courtesy of Jessica Love

A trend that I see coming up in the new year is that brides are going to be taking some bold risks with their neckwear! Statement necklace have just been for the bold of heart, most girls don't think that they can pull them off. But have no fear...you can! It is your day and you most can definitely pull them off!


Wishing you the happiest of New Years!

xoxo, The Interns (Maggie, Paige and Anna)

Wedding: Dick & Elise (a summer affiar)

We had the pleasure of being apart of Dick and Elise's special day in June. It was an Oh so Lovely wedding. Elise was a wonderful bride she had so many fun summer colors. Her ceremony was at the Topiary park downtown and the reception was at the Bluestone. Lang Thomas was there photographer, he was a hoot to work with he had a real southern charm ( he is from Kentucky). Below are a few pictures from the wedding and the link is to the rest of the photos! Happy viewing!






                Photos Courtesy of Lang Thomas


xoxo, Kasey& The Bliss Girls

A Look Back - 2011

I'm always amazed at all that we cram into one single year.  As I look back over the 2011 calendar, I am again amazed at all that we were fortunate to be a part of and experience in the past year.  This list gets longer and longer every year...so my apologies for the lengthy post.

First, we want to say thank you to our clients for trusting us with your weddings and special events!  We truly enjoyed working with each and every one of you.  

Now, here's a quick trip down memory lane!...

January 2011
I was lucky enough to accompany Kristy Eckert from Capital Style on Good Day Columbus to talk about wedding planning and the latest issue of Capital Style Bride.

February 2011
We were hard at work wrapping up the final details for Cakes For A Cause 2011 all month long. 

Style Me Pretty featured Ashley & Andrew's July wedding on their Little Black Book Blog!


March 2011
Cakes For A Cause took place March 1st at the Mid Ohio Foodbank in Grove City.  Thanks to the generosity of our bakers, donors and guests we were able to raise enough provide over 16,000 meals which fed 14 people for an entire year!

We partnered with Amy from C Studios to do an Inspiration to Reality shoot for Style Me Pretty where we brought a readers inspiration board to life!  Our shoot was titled "My Modern Clementine".  Take a look at the images from our shoot here.  

April 2011
Allison and Parker were married at the Westin in a beautiful military ceremony at the Westin. Columbus. 

The Wedding Skills Workshop held it's popular Flower Rescue Workshop at Flowers On Orchard Lane.

The search for our new studio began this month as well!  We had no idea it would take 6 months to find our new home.

We were up at the crack of dawn to watch and celebrate the Royal Wedding!  What a fun experience that was and what an impact social media has on the world today!  We tweeted live as we watched the big event unfold across the pond!

May 2011
I was so honored and humbled to be awarded and named one of Business First's Forty under 40 for 2011! 

Amy & Bob were married in a lovely spring inspired wedding at North Bank Park near the river!  We loved working with Nathan from Imagen Photography in Cleveland!

Kaci & Garrett were married this month and had a beautiful green and navy inspired wedding at the exclusive Muirfield Village Golf Club!

I attended engage!11 at the Grand Del Mar in San Diego, CA.  This was my third engage! and it is one of my favorite industry events to attend.  Being surrounded by the best of the best in the wedding industry does wonders for a business!

June 2011
Alex and Kevin were married in a very unique wedding at the Columbus Museum of Art.  Alex wore a stunning RED wedding gown.  We also enjoyed working with the Ely Bros for the very first time!  Their wedding has been featured in Columbus Monthly and the just released Capital Style Bride!

We attended the Jeni's Ice Cream book release party at the Wexner Center for the Arts! 

Lesley & Matt tied the knot in Marion Ohio in the latter part of June.  They had a lovely church ceremony surrounded by 400 of their closed friends and family.  A reception at home was the order for the day and it was truly one of our best tented events yet!  The tent layout and surroundings were just gorgeous!  Style Me Pretty featured their wedding thanks to the pretty pictures from Annie Sturgis and awesome videography by Studio Z! 

July 2011
Wish Upon A Wedding granted a wedding wish for Jonathan & Alyssa on July 18th in Cleveland, Ohio.  You can read more about their story here and see their wedding feature here and here on Style Me Pretty!  Thank you to CoreyAnn Photography and Moonstruck Productions for capturing their special day.   Sadly, Jon lost his battle to cancer in mid November. 

Kanika & Shaneen said "I Do"  in two ceremonies at the end of the month.  Their Sihk wedding ceremony was held at the Renaissance Columbus.  Their second, non denominational, ceremony was held in the North Courtyard at COSI followed by a reception under the stars in a clear tent on the English Plaza.  Amanda Julca was our event photographer and Steve at Studio Z captured the every moment of the day.  You can see them here and here!

On July 31st we officially said goodbye to our studio at 15 W 1st Ave, our home for the last 3 years.  The search still continues for our new home!

August 2011
Shawna & Mac were married at the Ohio Statehouse in a gorgeous formal wedding!  We loved working with Christa Kimble as our photographer!  You can see the pretty wedding photos here!  Shawna is Mandy's younger sister who you might remember seeing on our website and blog in 2009!

We officially launched our sister company Oh So Lovely!  Oh So Lovely is wedding day coordination company that specializes in wedding weekend and wedding day coordination services.  You can follow Amanda and her planning adventures on twitter and on the Oh So Lovely Facebook page! 

Liron & Jeremy were married at traditional ceremony Tifereth Israel. You can see pictures from the big day here on the Oh So Lovely Facebook page! 

We had a great time working on a Modern City photoshoot with some of our favorite vendors in Cleveland, Ohio.  Amy and my team made the drive up and we set up the shoot on the side of the road at the Superior Viaduct.  A blog post with these images is coming very soon!

Our friend Amy from C Studios asked us to help style a fashion shoot for Big Rock Little Rooster and Romona Keveza at the end of the month!  You know how much we love Amy and just look at how these images turned out!  STUNNING! 

September 2011
We launched the new and very much improved Bliss Wedding & Event Design Website!  Please visit the new site at blisseventco.com

Rebekah & John were married in a super sweet ceremony on the West Terrace at Franklin Park Conservatory.  A reception full of good food and lots of dancing immediately followed in the Atrium and Zen Terrace!  We were so fortunate to work with the talented Simon Yao on this wedding!  You can see a few images from the big day here on his Facebook page!

Jessica & Ben were married in a fun Japanese, movie premier inspired mix of a wedding! 

The Short North Civic Association's Home & Garden Tour's Preview Event was held at the Harrison Park Community center!  I think this was one of our best preview events ever!

Rachel & Jeff were married in a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony at Tifereth Israel followed by a modern reception at the Columbus Museum of Art!  I can't wait to share images from this wedding. Kitty Maer was our photographer for the big day!

Our draping project of the Goodale Park Gazebo came to an end this month.  We were the "wedding planner" hired by the Columbus Parks & Rec department and the Friends of Goodale Park to help dress up the gazebo while the fountain was under construction and experiencing a little delay for completion.  We had a great time hanging beautiful white drapes each weekend for the weddings this summer in the park. 


October 2011
Sarah & Joe were married in a fall festival inspired wedding at the Venue at Smith Brothers.  I can't wait to share the gorgeous images created by Amy at C Studios!

I attended the NYC Bridal Market for the very first time with our friends from CT and FL!  What a great experience to see all of the new bridal gowns for 2012 right on the runway.  We had a private viewing with THE Romona Keveza!  We attended the famous Martha Stewart Weddings party and the Knot Party at the NYC Public Library! 

As soon as we returned from Bridal Market, it was time for our photo shoot with Capital Style Bride!  Our glam, city photo shoot is featured in their winter issue on news stands now!  You'll see our model/bride on the cover!


November 2011
I attended engage!11 Grand Cayman for the 2nd time!  It was a life changing, business changing trip!  I'm so excited to begin implementing all of the fun new things that I've been inspired by my friends and collegues in the wedding industry!

Finally!  We found a new home for our studio!  35 E 5th Ave is our new studio address and we're so excited!! 


December 2011
We found out that we have been awarded the Knot Best of Weddings for 2012 as an Editor's Pick!  This makes 3 in a row!

We were also excited to be included as one of Junebug Wedding's World's Best Wedding Planners and Designers!  This is such a prestigious group of celebrities and professionals, I'm so honored to be accepted as one of them!

We spent the rest of December working on the studio, planning with our 2012 clients and getting geared up for a really fantastic 2012!


Happy New Year!  Look out 2012!  The Bliss Girls and Oh So Lovely Ladies are coming your way!

xo
Kasey