A Little Fun for Saturday

Happy Saturday!

Our friends over at the Knot sent this over to us and we thought we'd share this fun little video clip with you.  All of you Randy Fenoli fans should really enjoy this!

















xo
Kasey & The Bliss Girls!

Destination Ohio!

We have been dreaming of summer and warmer weather here at the studio and we have destination weddings on the mind! A lot of brides want a destination feel, but would like to get married in Ohio, so we have dreamed up some cute ways to give your wedding that destination feel right here in the heart of it all!

This week we were dreaming of Napa, California and some yummy wine. When it comes to finding the right winery Ohio has a wide selection all over the state. If you want a database of Ohio Winery's go to the Ohio Wine Association. But having looked around there is one that stands out. Fox Hill Vineyard it is a small winery located in the Alexander Valley owned by a lovely looking older couple who truly loves what they are doing, we love that! When people truly care about their product they are going to give you a great experience. This photo from their website is so pretty, it seems like just the perfect place for an Ohio destination wedding!                                                          photo courtesy of Fox Hill Vineyard


xoxo, Kasey&the Bliss Girls

New Rules of Weddings.

 
                                              Image by Michelle Waters


 This week's rule is a favorite of ours!

Rule #4: Tipping

The old rule about only tipping service staff and those that work for "companies" is antiquated and should be tossed out into the recycling bin!  Our advice to clients is simple. You can tip any member of your vendor team (whether they own the business or not is irrelevant) as long as they are providing a level of service that has gone far above your expectations.  Many of your wedding vendors are small business owners and strive to do the very best job possible for you.  Showing your appreciation for a job well done means so much to them, not because it's about a little extra cash, but that you took a few seconds to recognize them for a job that was above your expectations.  Small business owners tend to take their jobs and the service they're providing for you to heart and a little tiny thank you means more than you'll ever know. 

Next month, we'll dive deeper into calculating tips for vendors, but for now, we thought we share this "new rule".

xoxo
Kasey & the Bliss Girls

The New Rules of Weddings.

photo courtesy of Red Gallery Photo


This post comes to you late on a Sunday night, not because of forgetfulness. No! But because it relates to this weeks new rule. The when. Say this was Labor day weekend I might just be getting back from a wedding.

Rule #3: The When For many years weddings have taken place on Saturday night, but it has always made the most sense out of town guests can come in on Friday and attend the wedding Saturday, then go home Sunday. Very logical and still is the most likely date for most. But now as previously stated time are changing. Friday night, Sunday brunch and Sunday are now fair game as wedding dates! There is also a logic behind them most times and it is this...

For Friday night that big ticket venue would be a little less expensive. If most of your guest are within a reasonable driving distance. Then this might be a good choice for you! It is all the Oo La La of the Saturday night wedding and it gives your guests their weekend still. Or if you do have out of town guests that stay, they get a few extra days to enjoy your fair city.

For the Sunday morning brunch. This is an awesome option for a budget first off , but also it is different and unconventional. It also lends itself to a more informal setting if that is something that you are looking for. It's just a causal affair with some nice food and good company. In my opinion it is also better for smaller guest counts.

For the Sunday night. This is a rare thing indeed, but I do believe it can be done! There is that random Monday once in a blue moon that everyone has off. Labor day being my example. This night will also most likely be very budget friendly!

 So there you have rule three. Don't be tied to what is considered "normal". Do what works for you and your guests!

Happy Planning!

 xoxo, Kasey & The Bliss Girls

Pintrest: Marquee Letter

Today marks a month adventure though the world of Pinterest Crafts!

I'm Maggie, one of the interns (I like to think of myself as the crafty one. Paige is the brains!) here at Bliss Wedding & Event Design.  I have been given this month to show you how doable some of these crafts we see on Pinterest are.  Lucky me because I'mm ambitious and would like to think that I can do everything I see! But as a recreational crafter, I have limits and some of those crafts we see are done by people who do nothing other than that!

But when it comes to weddings in particular I would have to say that most times, I can only do the same thing about 5 to 9 times before I want to hurt everything mostly because I find the work to become too tedious. At a wedding you have at least 10 tables and well I am reaching my upper limit at that point, BUT that should not scare you away from doing maybe one DIY project! So I am going to show you the good the bad and the ugly from my month of DI[wh]Y projects. Some will look awesome others may not. Keep your eyes peeled for the photo lantern. I am already having nightmares about that one! But today's craft was pretty simple and lost cost. It would be a cute decoration for your wedding.

Supplies:
Large Cardboard letter ( I got mine at Joann's)
White paint Globe Christmas tree lights ( LED or Normal, but I saw use LED they get less hot)
X acto knife

1. You will need to paint the letter white and let dry fully.



2. Next you take the X-acto knife and cut out the back, but not to close to the edges. I would say the cut needs to be about two inches wide.

3. This is the tricky step. You will need to space the light blubs and then cutting an X pattern on the painted side of the letter you will mark where all the letters go.



4. after cutting all the X's you will need to push the end of the light bulb thought he middle of the X. Do this for all of them.

5. Then if you have a letter like mine you need to remove the zig zaggy cardboard, so that you can do the next step.



 6. Time to reach the light blubs with the cord. This takes some patience and a willingness to fiddle with it. But once you get the first few the rest are as easy as pie!

7. PLUG IT IN!

 

 Very cute and inexpensive was to put your initials up somewhere at the wedding.

Happy Crafting!

 xoxo, Maggie

The New Rules of Weddings.

photo by Annie Sturgis

This week is going to have a bit of a history lesson attached! Woo hoo! ( I really liked history in school) Today for the second new rule of weddings we are going to be talking about who pays?

Traditionally the brides parents pay for the wedding. Most likely this tradtion came from waayy back in the day when girl's fathers would pay a dowry. Now you may also think that those days are long gone. But in reality it is still common practice in the South East Asian part of our world.

Now you may ask why would anyone pay the grooms family for their daughter to get married and well it was to prove that she was not just after his land and sheep! Although that may sound odd, these were also times when livestock was valuable and if your boyfriend had a lot of sheep well... your motives could be called into question. So now today, as you can see it is a practice that is still going on, although not with the same elements.  Traditionally the girl's parents have paid for most things at the wedding.

Which brings us to... Rule #2: Who pays?

In the eternal words of Bob Dylan " these times they are a changin" and as people are getting married at an average age of 26 (for women), you are in a totally different stage of life,  compared to years ago when girls were getting married at 16, 17, 19, 20.  People are waiting longer to get married, and with that age going up you, well, are growing up! At 18 years old you don't have a real job or anyway to support yourselves after you get married so of course someone else needs to help you pay.

The answer to the question of who pays is no longer such an easy black and white answer. For most brides, at an average age of 26ish, they more than likely have a real job and probably even a place of their own. So, you don't really need your parents to support you financially in your endeavors, although it can be nice. Yes, some parents will want to pay for it all and that's okay.  Others can't always help out all that much and that's okay. You just need to sit down with your fiance and talk about what you can and cannot afford on your own and decide if you want to ask for help or just plan the wedding you can afford on your own. 

Happy Planning!

xoxo, Kasey& The Bliss Girls

The New Rules of Weddings.

photo by Lang Thomas

So with 2013 already what feels like in full swing. We the Bliss girls wanted to spend the month of January talking about what we believe are the new rules of weddings. A lot has changed in the last 50 years as general note, but also in wedding world. Nothing is set in stone and your wedding day can truly be just as you imangined it to be.

New Rule #1: The sides of the bridal party do NOT have to be even!

Who is in the bridal party?  Long gone are the days of five and five where your sister ALWAYS is your maid of honor.  Now that is not to say that she can't or shouldn't be, but everyone is different. There are also no laws anywhere that say you need to have the exact same number of groomsmen as bridesmaids. Because it's the worst when you have to add your fiance's 2nd cousin because you need another girl standing up there to keep things looking even.

You don't.

Don't feel like you have to have all of these people standing up there, the two simple questions you will need to ask yourself is:

"Who do I want to stand up for me?"
"Who are the people that know me as an individual and us as a couple?"

When you answer those questions you see that the answer is right in front of you!  Those are people that you can't imagine your day without. Those are the people who should be in the bridal party and if that means you have four and he has three then it's ok. Because numbers aren't everything.

xoxo,
Kasey & The Bliss Girls