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

The Knot Best of Weddings 2011

A big giant THANK YOU!! to all of you who voted us the Knot's Best of Weddings 2011!  This is our second year in a row!  We're so thrilled and honored to be given this award!  

xo
Kasey

A Look Back: 2009

I say this every year but this really was our best year yet! It was a whirlwind but it was fantastic in so many ways. I'm feeling truly blessed to have had the clients we did, met the people we met and traveled to the places we did.



January

Erica & Nate were married in Cleveland,OH. We created a wintery wonderland for them at the Renaissance downtown.



February & March

We spent these months working on the many details of the weddings to come in the summer months. I'm glad we had a little extra time because we produced some really beautiful weddings this year.
We were invited to be a member of the Style Me Pretty's Little Black Book
I also traveld to New York to visit a fellow friend/planner Preeti. I had the pleasure of assisting her with one of her largest events of the year - Sheetal and Jasons wedding. Everything about that wedding was fabulous - the people, the decor, the food!
Our three OSU interns offically came on board with us! Welcome Christa, Chelsea and Angela.



April

I headed to Indianapolis for Eventology. It was a great conference and I got to meet so many of my twitter friends in person.
The Wedding Skills Workshop officially launches!




May

Emily & Michael were married on May 23rd at St Catharines in Bexley followed by a stunning brunch recepetion at the Westin.

Erin & Trey were also married on May 23rd at Immaculate Conception

Karen & Phil were married at Our Lady of Victory on May 30th.
Our very first Wedding Skills Workshop: Floral Rescue was held on May 22nd at Rose Bredl in the Short North!
On a personal note - My husband was awarded the 40 under 40 award from Business First. I was so proud of him for being awarded this very special award. Maybe I'll be able join him as a 40 under 40 recipient in 2010?



June
We held our 2nd Wedding Skills Workshop: Attire Rescue at La Jeune Mariee on June 10th.
Wedding Skills Workshop also held a Finance Basics workshop at the end of June for 20 wedding professionals in Columbus.
I traveled to Grand Cayman in June to attend Engage!09 at the Ritz Carlton. I had never been to Grand Cayman and was so impressed with the wedding professionals I met there. It was also nice to meet and spend some quality time with some of my favorite people in the wedding business. If you are considering a destination wedding I'd definitely put Grand Cayman at the top of my list!



July
Stephanie & Jason were married on July 18th and had a beautiful pink and gold reception at the Hilton Easton.
The Wedding Skills Workshop hosted the Cake Rescue workshop at Bakery Gingham in German Village.
We travelled to Marion, OH for Lindsay & Jordan's July 25th nuptials. We had a ball with both Lindsay and Jordan's families. I've never seen such technically advanced toasts by Jordan's brothers!

August
Mindy & Chris had a one of a kind wedding on the roof deck of the Renaissance on August 8th
My husband and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary!
Stacia & Josh were married on August 15th
The Wedding Skills Workshop hosted a PR/Marketing basics workshop at the Renaissance.
We put together a beautiful reception design for Sara Ann & Eric on August 29th
I also took G to Walt Disney World for his 3rd birthday with Shawn & my parents. It was the most magical trip ever. I can't wait to go back again, this time for Asher's 3rd birthday.
Our new blog launched this month as well. We love the new design and hope you do too!

September
Sarah & Dave had such a fun wedding at Cosi on September 19th
We planned the Victorian Village Home & Garden Tour's 35th Preview Event, held at a private residence in the neighborhood.
The Wedding Skills Workshop hosted a Ceremony 101 workshop at the Blackwell Hotel.
We were so excited to do a table top shoot for Bride & Bloom magazine as one of the featured coordinators.

October
This was our busiest month of the year!
Greg & Samantha were married October 3rd at Darby House in a beautiful outdoor ceremony.
Alex & Ryan were married at Franklin Park Conservatory in the Palm House followed by a tropical inspired reception.
We hosted the 2009 Knot Party for all of the wedding professionals in Columbus at Station 67.
Mandy & Steve had a green & black and "M" inspired soiree at Cosi.
The Short North Wedding Collective hosted the very first Short North Wedding Walk.
The Wedding Skills Workshop hosted Reception 101 at Event Source.
We created a fun fall NYC inspired celebration for Chloe's Bat Mitzvah
Michelle & Greg tied the knot at Hawk Gallery with a Chihuly inspired reception at the Crown Plaza downtown.

November
We were named Best of Wedding/Event Planners by the Knot Wedding Network for Columbus, OH.
Asher was born on November 4th at 6 lbs 12 oz!

December
We took this month off to recoup from the busy year and spend some quality time with our families!

Whew! What a year and I can't wait to share what we have in store for 2010. Stay tuned for images from our September and October events. They'll be coming soon and we can't wait to share!

We wish you a happy and safe New Year!

15

I'm so happy, excited and proud to announce the grand opening of 15!

15 is a shared meeting space in the Short North that I have the pleasure and honor of sharing with Amy from C Studios and Janna from Janna Coe Designs. We've been hard at work for the past month and a half to pull everything together for the space and our grand opening gala.

The grand opening party was a huge success. We had almost 100 attendees comprised of clients, vendors, friends and family members. Everyone who came out to celebrate had a fantastic time. I was honestly sad when 9pm rolled around and our party was over.

Janna did the most gorgeous floral displays. You can see in the pictures below how talented she is. Amy's beautiful pictures adorn our walls and she captured the mood and feel perfectly of the party. I felt like I was reliving it again just looking at her pictures!

I'd like to say thank you to the following vendors for their donations to our event. They really did go out of their way to ensure our party was a success.

Made From Scratch provided delightful hors d'oeuvres and our bartender who did a great job keeping the Bellini's chilled and flowing.

The Cake Studio provided our adorable little mini cookie cakes that were our favors. Everyone was so excited to take a little box home.

Jan Kish La Petite Fleur provided the a fabulous lemon cake that the guests enjoyed at the party. She also treated everyone to her famous truffles (little balls of chocolate cake dipped in chocolate). Can you say heaven?!

Lasting Impressions provided our beautiful linens and glassware for the party. Our retro champagne flutes were just the right touch of fabulousness we needed!

Thank you to everyone who came out to support us and our exciting new endeavor. I really have to send a big thank you to my husband who worked tirelessly on the space to help make is perfect for us. I couldn't have done it without you!

xo
Kasey

Pictures courtesy of C Studios Photography

More love...

I went to the post office today and in my little box I found two beautiful envelopes that had my name in them. Me being the person of instant gratification opened both right there in the middle of the post office. They were both thank you notes from two recent brides. The first was a post card from Fiji from Michele and Vince who you read about just a few posts ago. The second was from Erin & Justin who's wedding was May 17th.

I thought I'd share Erin's note with all of you because it was so sweet.

Dear Kasey-

...A huge thank you again for helping pull off the wedding of my dreams and for making the whole day worry free! You are amazing at what you do. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Big Hug-

Erin

I am expecting more picture's from Erin's wedding very soon. As soon as I get them I'll definitely share! Here's one just for fun!

Feeling the Love

I love my job!




It's really one of the coolest jobs ever... I have the honor and privilege to help guide my clients through one of the most important and special days of their lives! How many people can say they get to do that?!



I just received a note from Michele & Vince - the same Michele & Vince from June 7, 2008 in Cleveland, OH. I read the note they sent me and really it makes me so happy I could just cry. (For those of you who really know me, know this is completely normal behavior as the over emotional girl I am)! I thought I'd share a few of the very sweet things they had to say:



Kasey,
Vince and I just got back from our honeymoon yesterday. We had a wonderful time in Fiji. I would have loved to send this email sooner but I did not have Internet access.

Words cannot even begin to express the gratitude I feel towards the work you did. You made my wedding the best moment in my life!!! You did an excellent job in making sure that everything was followed through perfectly. I am still telling everyone I know that without you the wedding could have never been what it was....Thank You Thank You Thank You!!!

Michele & Vince