Bliss Event Productions

{Featured}:: Style Me Pretty:: Jess + Tim

2011-09-07T06:42:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that we are totally infatuated with Style Me Pretty {but who is not, right?}. Every morning with coffee, I devour the updated posts and pictures in awe. It's my "Eye of The Tiger" each day. Getting me pumped up and enthusiastic about working and planning beautiful wedding days. It spurs our creativity juices and reminds me that there are endless possibilities to design and to make sure each and every one of my couple's has a truly unique and beautiful day.

So it is an honor to have a feature run on the main page of my daily bible. And the wedding featured last week was definitely one for the books. I worked with Jessica and Tim to create a modern soft and sweet wedding. We chose a clean muted color palette and let the floral do the color talking. By far one of my all time favorites in floral details, Kate from Flowerwild Floral did some fabulous work yet again. The abundance of cloches, bell jars and wood elements mixed with gorgeous and fragrant peonies, dahlias, moss and various succulents created an eye catching floral design. I was very in love with all the details from this wedding. You can check out the full feature here on Style Me Pretty.

And I have to give a huge shout out and thank you to Carlie Statsky! I was blown away by her images. She is a wonderful talented photographer and it was an honor working with her as well.

All images courtesy and copyright of Carlie Statsky Photography

6 little letters...

2011-05-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

that make us super excited!

SMP LBB

We are honored to be members!

Check out our listing here

{Blogged} :: Style Me Pretty :: Ann & Steven

2011-05-06T08:13:00.000-07:00

Remember this "peachy" affair?

Ann + Steven's wedding is a recent feature on the Style Me Pretty blog. This gorgeous Annadel Estate Winery wedding took place last June surrounding a stunning bride and a dapper groom. We are very excited to see grace the blog pages of SMP! See more here...

Congratulations Ann and Steven!

{Published}: SMP Best of 2010

2011-01-06T13:57:00.001-08:00

Michelle + Steven's wedding has been selected and is featured in Style Me Pretty's Best of 2010 magazine. Check it out starting on page 40 along with the rest of the beautiful weddings and inspirations. Abby really does an outstanding job at featuring some of the most spectacular and gorgeous weddings and details daily on the SMP blog. Always great for a daily dose of matrimonial beauty!

smitten: Honeybee Press

2011-01-04T15:46:00.000-08:00

First things first... Happy New Year!!! I believe 2011 will be a wonderful and exciting year. Already starting off amazingly my first day back in the office. So I thought I would play catch up on the Bliss blog and begin a series simply entitled, smitten. These posts will feature vendors that make us swoon and details that we think ought to be shared. So without further ado, here is our first smitten post of 2011...

What's got me buzzing and has me smiling as sweetly as a spoonful of honey? Why it's a gorgeous letterpress company located in Washington that goes by the name of Honeybee Press! My heart skipped a few beats and my visions went dreamy when I browsed their website. The lovely Whitney Dickinson from Honeybee Press had recently sent me an email introducing their company and their simply divine work. It was love at first sight! Then today, the love factor grew even deeper when I saw the work of their exclusive calligrapher, Christy Schroeder of Pilgrim's Quill Studio. Stunning and perfect! Surely will make any guest who receives such an utterly elegant and perfect invitation giddy to attend your wedding or event. I'm searching for a place of prominence in my office as we speak to display mine when it arrives!

get smitten with Honeybee Press, www.honeybeepress.com

2010-12-22T13:11:00.000-08:00

{Photography} Meg Clouse... Top Secret Project!

2010-10-20T09:21:00.000-07:00

We are super huge fans of Meg Clouse Photography! And excited to spread the word...

Meg is seeking a fun and fabulous couple who is getting married in NoCal and have yet to book their photographer. If you are interested, please click here: MEG CLOUSE TOP SECRET! We are quite sure you won't be disappointed. Meg is ultra fun and creative and extremely talented. Good Luck!

{Published}

2010-09-24T07:18:00.001-07:00

I would be lying if I said this published feature wasn't my favorite. Partly because I loved with working with this couple and the very detailed planning and design elements that we worked on. Partly because the photographer, Mr. Jose Villa, is a genius and beyond a pleasure to work with. But mostly because this feature runs in Town&Country. Since I was about 9 years old, I have read this publication religiously. I remember the first time I picked the magazine up in my grandmothers home and spent a few hours scouring the pages and absorbing the picture content like a little sponge. Everything was so decedent and perfect. My Barbie's house was transformed into little copies of what I saw in this magazine and my Barbie herself became one of the refined and gorgeous women who posed beautifully in their well manicured living room on a plush sofa. I still have a subscription to this magazine to this day. And when I received the news that Michelle and Steven's wedding would be gracing the amazing pages of the Weddings edition running this Fall/Winter... well let's just say a fantasy I had as a young girl finally came true.

It is a divine spread in the magazine and reflective of the love Michelle and Steven have for each other and the inspirations for their wedding day. It was an honor to work with them and the other amazing vendors on this wedding including Jose, Paula Le Duc Fine Catering, Got Light and Flower Wild Floral.

Town&Country Weddings Fall/Winter edition is available on newsstands now. For more information, please visit their website www.townandcountrymag.com

Emily + Hodaka :: Teaser

2010-07-25T21:18:00.001-07:00

Emily and Hodaka {or Hodie as Emily so lovingly refers to him} were married on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in Sonoma at Jacuzzi Family Vineyards this past June. A gorgeous couple plus a talented photographer equals some amazing pictures. Here is just a teaser of what I am sure will be a stellar album of images... Enjoy!

I adore her wedding dress...

and her bridesmaids dresses were beautiful! Definitely one of my all time favorite bride and bridesmaids dresses.

This picture makes me smile. A great group of groomsmen!

All photography images courtesy and property of Junshien

Get Involved..

2010-07-22T14:28:00.001-07:00

and help a great organization, because the ball is just around the corner! ANYONE can help, anyone can donate... not just wedding industry professionals! {really you should} If you are not a wedding industry professional with a wedding service to donate, you may also donate cash that will go directly to making wedding dreams come true for couples facing challenging and heartbreaking times in their lives. Be someone who inspires and passes along happiness to those who truly wish, want and need it and make a donation today.

* I just happen to LOVE the name of the ball too : )

Wish Upon a Wedding is the world’s first nonprofit wish granting organization providing weddings and vow renewals for couples facing terminal illness and serious life-altering circumstances regardless of sexual orientation. Our organization offers couples a chance to enjoy a very special day, without any thoughts of existing health or other serious issues, while surrounded by their closest family and friends.

By celebrating the courage & spirit of these couples, we help create lasting memories that will be cherished for years to come. It is our hope that others facing similar situations will find hope, strength, and the promise of eternal love.

ABOUT

On October 1, 2010, Wish Upon a Wedding will begin auctioning off hundreds of products and services, in 46 cities throughout the country, to help couples create the perfect wedding or event, all at incredible prices! All proceeds raised will help grant wedding wishes for terminally ill individuals. Your donation will provide us with the crucial funding needed to make these wishes come true.

WHEN

Donations will be accepted until August 31, 2010. Our auction committee will approve submissions during September, at which time you'll be contacted. The auctions will be open for bidding during October and November, in conjunction with our Blissful Wishes Ball.

HOW TO DONATE

It's SIMPLE! Click on DONATE AN ITEM {or in the left column} to submit an item for consideration. If approved, your donation will be featured in our nationwide online & live auctions, which will be open for bidding during October and November. These auctions will be heavily marketed in your area.

By donating an item or service, you'll be helping to make wedding wishes come true for terminally ill individuals, and you'll receive great exposure for your business in return. You'll get a mention on our site that can link back to your own web page, as well as a spot to advertise your logo and photos from your company! It's a great way to PAY IT FORWARD, and gain business in return.

Note About Your Donation

Your submission will more likely be accepted if you donate "A Custom Cake for 100 guests, maximum value $600.00" Rather than $100 off any Custom cake order. This is just an example. We need actual items, and services, not coupon type donations. Thank you!

THE BLISSFUL WISHES BALL

The Blissful Wishes Ball is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC and will be taking place in several large cities during November of 2010. Many of the items which will be available AT the actual GALAS are also available to be previewed right here on our Auction site!

Please visit our website for details and information on how to purchase Gala tickets, which go on sale August 15, 2010, and will be available in the following locations:

San Francisco November 10
Los Angeles
Chicago November 1
Washington D.C.
Houston
The Carolinas
Denver November 11
Portland
St. Louis
Atlanta
Orlando

Ann + Steven... Part I : : Divine Details

2010-07-09T10:24:00.000-07:00

Ann and Steven were married at Annadel Estate Winery & Gardens in Sonoma on Saturday, June 12, 2010. After 2 years of planning, one location change that resulted in a complete redesign of the wedding look and several plane trips later, this wonderful couple exchanged vows and celebrated with family and friends on a magical evening. The vintage apricot and blush hued event accented with black and white, gold and silver and drops of crystals set the mood for a romantic and elegant fete.

My very dear friend, Tiffany from Adeline and Grace Photography, came to the wedding to photograph detail images for me. Here is a first look at some of the details of Ann and Steven's wedding day.

Iced French Lemonade and Peach Water greeted guests upon their arrival

Ann and Steven were married in the center of a ceremony circle

The dinner reception took place in the ruins.

Chef manned Heirloom Tomato Bar at the cocktail and hors d'oeuvre reception

Sweet temptations of the evening

The vintage white lounge consisted of mirrored tables and custom made pillows

The mirrored console table in the lounge was later transformed into a confection dessert bar

Ann + Steven... Part II : : Tablescapes and Floral

2010-07-09T10:21:00.000-07:00

We used the ruins area of Annadel Estate Winery for the dinner reception. The tables were set into a "U" layout so that the open area between and at the far end of the tables could be used as dance space. This also allowed the guests to face the band and see Ann and Steven throughout the dinner reception. Ann had a very difficult time picking between to charger plates that were to be set on the tables. So in the end, I suggested using both to bring both an eclectic and unique look yet still maintain a cohesive feel to the tables. On each table, one side of the table was set with a gold burst charger and the opposite side was set with a gold beaded charger plate. All other accompanying stemware, flatware and linens remained the same at each place setting. The tables were adorned in a very beautiful apricot, champagne and blush striped linen with apricot chair cushions on each gold president's chair. French hemstitched ivory napkins completed the place settings. Apricot and gold linens accented surrounding tables and bars. Crystal chandeliers hung above the tables complimented the light romantic feel and provided a very magical glow inside the ruins once the darkness crept in.

Ann loved simple but awe inspiring flowers. Her favorites being the white and black anemone and of course, garden roses. Lucky for her that Annadel is also a garden providing floral to many of the florist and floral designers throughout the Bay Area. Tanja Fischer of Blumengarten Floral created all the beautiful arrangements including an ostrich feather centerpiece. Over half the floral items used throughout this wedding were grown on the Annadel Estate Winery property.

Ann + Steven... Part III : : Sweets & Paper

2010-07-09T10:15:00.000-07:00

More lovely details from Ann + Steven's wedding starting with their stunning cake. This gorgeous creation was by Kelly Zubal of Inticing Creations. The 4 tiered blossom tinted cake featured french lace and hand crafted white and black sugar anemone flowers. The cake was displayed on a vintage gold cake pedestal adorned with crystal drops.

All the paper products, including the foil embossed invitations, were designed and printed by the talented ladies of Lynne's Studio, Lynne and Dana. The gorgeous silk box wrapped in a satin blush ribbon with a nesting love bird perched on top were designed and produced by the bride herself.

The seating cards at each place setting were truly unique and personal. The bride requested that each guest email or send her a childhood picture of themselves. The pictures were then printed and layered on coordinating paper designed to match the tablescapes.

The outside of the beautiful wedding ceremony programs

The menu cards noting the wedding celebration dinner at the reception

The escort cards were displayed on a table featuring a bountiful bouquet of pure white ostrich feathers

The confection bar was a medaly of candies and french piped macarons. All were color coordinated to match the color palette of peachy-pinks to match the wedding decor. The confection bar was displayed on a mirrored silver console table in the lounge area. The table was custom bought for this event to match and tie into the elegant theme.

Hello!

2010-06-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

We are receiving a bit of a breather after 5 straight weekends of weddings. All were gorgeous, fun and memorable and we were so proud to take part in each couple's journey to the alter and revel in the celebrations that followed. And now for the really fun part following all the planning and resulting fete... the photographs... images... snapshots!!!

The awesome memory keepers of the day, a.k.a. the photographers, have started rolling out some sneak peeks and glimpses of the wedding days. From first sights and kisses and all the details that made each wedding unique and beautiful, these digital dreams let us relive and experience the magic all over again. Never underestimate the power of the lens and the person(s) behind it! Researching and selecting your photographer is one of the most important decisions you will make for your wedding, period!!! Because long after the cake is cut, the first dance is shared and music has ended... the photographs from your wedding day are what you will carry and share for the rest of your lives.

So without further ado, here are just a couple of timeless photographs taken by the talented Tyler and Christina of M Portraits from my cousin Lauren's wedding 2 weekends ago. I merely did some design and rental consulting and made a few vendor recommendations for Lauren and Ryan's wedding. I married into a very talented and crafty family, so really they did not need much input to make this a gorgeous and stylish soiree. Sadly, I was unable to attend because I had a prior marriage commitment taking place at Jacuzzi Family Vineyards that same evening. But my husband, Lisa and other family members kept me in the loop with texts and pictures throughout the evening. I had referred Lauren and Ryan to M Portraits after working with them last year on Ali & Jon's wedding and they did an outstanding job, again! Here are just a few images from the day. We cannot wait to see the full album... sure to be stunning in deed! Congratulations again Lauren and Ryan!

A beautiful handmade sign and arrow pointing the way to the festivities made by Lauren's dad

Beautiful and timeless floral for the entire wedding was done by family friend Cindy

I have received some images from out first wedding of the season also and will be sharing those in the next few days. This week we will be putting the finishing touches and wrapping up the timelines for our August weddings. We also have a few new clients that have joined our calendar and we will begin work on their weddings along with continuing to work on weddings for the 2011 season.

On the Agenda

2010-05-27T08:28:00.001-07:00

This weekend is the wedding of Candace & Eric at Cline Cellars on Saturday. We are excited for a beautiful weekend (finally!) and another gorgeous couple! We love working at Cline Cellars and with their amazing staff. Rehearsal is Friday evening and setup begins Saturday morning for this 175 person wedding. Best wishes to Candace & Eric! We look forward to being part of your special day.

Today I am off to lunch with two of besties, Tiffany from Adeline and Grace and Jennifer from Lush Floral. Not only is it a day to talk weddings, this past weekends and best of all Tiffany's upcoming nuptials. But we are also celebrating Tiffany's Birthday! Happy Birthday Tiff! You are the best and we love you.

Yesterday wrapped up the finishing details and confirmations for next Saturday's wedding of Emily & Hodaka.

Another busy week and weekend lie ahead, but all engines are a go!

Happy weekend to everyone!
Brandy

With much gratitude...

2010-05-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

Leading into our next post regarding this past weekend's wedding, I would like to take this opportunity and send out much deserved and well earned "Thank you's" to all the vendors who made this past weekend's wedding a huge success. Their true professionalism, dedication and flexibility made my job and the task at hand so much easier to get through and make happen. Without each and every single person on site at Beaulieu Garden and at Black Stallion Winery, the day would have turned out much different. So from my assistant Lisa to Mollie and every person on her amazing staff down to the production crew lady and gents, the DJ, the photo booth tech, the amazing florists, the talented photographers and our outstanding rental company, Classic Party Rentals... you have my undying gratitude. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

A very special Thank You to Black Stallion Winery president Laina and her staff of Leeza, Mary and Stuart! They opened their doors to us and the entire wedding without a moments hesitation. They are the epitome of true Wine Valley hospitality. Thank you so very much for providing your time and winery to us at the last minute and making this a wedding to remember. Again from the bottom of my heart, you have my extreme gratitude for accommodating us and providing outstanding service.

And to the bride and groom and their amazing wedding guests... Thank you for your patience and all the smiles! You made our tasks so much easier with your upbeat attitudes and serenades of rain songs. You all rocked!

Cheers!
Brandy

Weekend Wedding News

2010-05-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

First, I would love to Congratulate Happy and Tony as our newest married couple! They were an exquisite couple and had a gorgeous ceremony surrounded by their loved ones.

The weather up to the point immediately following the ceremony had followed the forecast of weather {dot} com. Sunny skies with intervals of clouds and a 10% chance of light precipitation. The morning was a typical stunning May morning in the Wine Country. Gorgeous sunny blue skies with just a hint of white puffy clouds looming on the horizon. It was starting out to be a beautiful day for a wedding. Setup, load in and production began on schedule. The dinner tables under the leafy arbor were dressed in their rich chocolate linens surrounded by dark wood chairs and fuchsia chair pads. The tables were adorned with flatware, flights of wine, champagne and water glasses. Each place setting included a charger set with a custom menu card, fuchsia silk napkin wrapped in a leather baggage tag containing that seats guest name. Vibrant green and pink floral arrangements and romantic candles completed the tablescapes. It was gorgeous! Our amazing photographer, Tiffany, stepped in and began detail shots of the area and the tables.

The ceremony started and ended on schedule and as guests began making their way to the cocktail reception area, the winds picked up speed and dark menacing clouds began a quick step into the skies overhead. As the production crew was beginning to put the finishing touches on the lounge areas in the dinner reception area and the chandeliers came on to set the mood, drops of rain began to fall. With the quick winds and seemingly faster moving clouds, we figured this was our 10% light precipitation making a quick check in and moving out even quicker as it had done the night before. But within moments, winds came to a complete hault as did the clouds above. Light drops of water turned into a full fledge very cold hail storm. In the reception area, production crews and catering staff ran to take cover in the catering kitchen barn. We all stood in shock and disbelief and watched as the mother of all hail storms took hold and drenched the area in balls of frozen water. Pelting the dance floor and lounge furniture, destroying menu cards and table name signage, there was nothing to do at that point but watch and wait to see what would happen in the next few moments. As it continued to hail, we began the talk of alternate plans and how we should proceed. Lisa and I grabbed umbrellas and began a sprint over to the cocktail reception area to check on the bride and groom, the guests and begin an emergency conference discussions with Mollie from Paula LeDuc on what are next steps were. Guests were gathered in the carriage house and many had pulled the chairs off the lawn and were lined up under the patio area watching the hail fall. We were greeted with smiles, jokes and offered glasses of wine and shots of alcohol. A few guests watching the display Mother Nature was putting on had broken into choruses of "rain" songs... "Blame it on Rain", "Singing in the Rain", "Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head". The mood was light and the groom and bride were smiling and enjoying their guests. They told us to just keep the hors d'oeuvres and drinks coming while we worked on alternate plans and all would be great. Make alternate plans becomes much easier when you have a chill guests and an even chiller bride and groom!

The phone calls began for Mollie, Lisa and I as we converged into the very small 10' x 10' satellite catering kitchen and the hail continued it's assault on the area. The reception area was completely ruined if the hail storm stopped, so our option was an alternative location. We began the calls to both the inn's wedding guests were staying at in hopes that their event spaces were free and able to accommodate our event. No such luck. I then made a call to my good friend, Marilyn who runs the Special Events for Black Stallion Winery. They have a gorgeous winery with a large event space. Unfortunately, Marilyn was not in and the winery was closing, but as luck would have it, Leeza had answered the phone. Leeza assisted Marilyn and also worked in the tasting room. My luck continued when she said Laina the President of the winery was there and she transferred my call. I explained to Laina what was happening and what we needed. Without hesitation or further details needed, she extended the true gift of Wine Country hospitality and said absolutely, come right over, we are happy to help! Now with a plan of action we began the process of transferring guests onto awaiting shuttles, dismantling of the reception area and calls to the rental company to deliver fresh linens and napkins. I gave an update to the bride and groom and all the guests. A round of applause then guests began to huddle into groups under umbrellas to make the walk to the shuttles. By the time I made it back over to the reception area, Mollie and her awesome staff had preformed a true miracle. Soggy linens, napkins and chair pads lay in heap - every piece of glassware, charger, flatware, chair and table had already been loaded into their trucks and were beginning to make their way over to the winery. The kitchen staff was loading the remaining food items and kitchen equipment into another truck for transportation to Black Stallion. Paula LeDuc's large crew had gathered quickly and worked extremely efficiently to have the whole event broken down and on the move to the winery within a half an hour.

Lisa left shortly after the first catering production crew to assist with load in and setup at the winery while I stayed with Mollie at Beaulieu to ensure all guests made it onto the shuttles and all the detail items that survived the hail storm were loaded in our cars for transportation over to the winery. The DJ equipment and photobooth were loaded into trucks and began the trek also. The last major detail was transporting the wedding cake. DJ Adam gingerly lifted the cake and carried it to my awaiting vehicle where he held it securely through the short travel time to the winery.

Upon arrival, the catering production crew was already very busy drying the glassware and flatware along with the tables and chairs as they were unloaded off the trucks and brought into the massive barreling room at the winery where dinner would take place.

The winery staff had greeted the guests upon their arrival with glasses of wine and bottles of water and ushered them into their warm beautiful tasting room. The fireplace was lit and a roaring fire burned with intensity as guests were mingling at the tasting bar experiencing some of the best wines in the Valley. Within an hour, the barreling room was ready to receive guests and the if no one knew what had happened in the few short hours before, they would have thought this was the way the wedding was meant to take place. The evening proceeded without further incident and according to a few hours off schedule. The bride and groom were ecstatic the way the evening had turned out and with our entire teams quick planning on the fly. They were in awe of the graciousness of Black Stallion Winery and the dedicated and hardworking staff of PLD, whose well oiled machine pulled off an amazing endeavor. After the dancing had ended, the last piece of cake was eaten, the dessert bar devoured and the last bottle of wine was drunk, the guests departed the wedding for their cozy warm beds (or perhaps Hurley's) with wedding memories that will be talked about for a very long time... complete with a happy ending!

Nobody can predict what Mother Nature has planned and on this given Saturday, there was absolutely NO predictions of the ensuing hail storm that we experienced. This has been a completely abnormal Spring in the Wine Country and on a given day, even with blue skies and the Sun shining, there are parts of the Valley that have up to a 30% chance of some precipitation. At the beginning of the week, chances of rain for this Saturday wedding had topped out at 30% on Monday afternoon. We began plan B talk with the groom about tenting options. Beaulieu Garden is not the place you want to bring in a tent. People have their weddings at this location because of the stunning scenery and blocking it all off with tents kills those views not to mention the expensive cost added to the wedding budget. So it is no surprise when couples ask if they can wait a few more days to see how the weather predictions go as their wedding day draws closer. With this particular wedding by Wednesday the prediction for rain had moved to Friday with a very slight 10% chance of light rain for Saturday morning with clearing skies for the remainder of the weekend. Plan B went to the back burner and the couple gambled on the weather man being correct. He wasn't correct and the gamble was lost. However if there is a moral to this story or a lesson to be learned for any bride, groom or other person reading this who is planning a wedding... hire experienced and knowledgeable vendors. If you do not have a full service wedding planner and coordinator, hire an experienced Day of Coordinator at least. Not just someone who fills the need because they are required by the venue. Spend the extra few hundred dollars and the get coordinator who will not be just holding an umbrella for you to stand under, but who can put together a plan C within a few minutes and work with all the vendors to have the wedding on it's feet again. This can be said for catering and all vendors you hire for the day. Less experienced would have called it quits and blamed it all on the hail and dealt with the consequences on Monday morning. You never know what the day may have in store for you... whether it is a hail storm, rain, a vendor that ends up not showing, not enough rental items or a madrid of many other things that could possibly go wrong on the wedding day, having true experienced professionals working on your wedding will ensure that it is taken care of often without you even knowing about it. The likelihood that something goes really wrong is pretty slim to nil, but if does you can be sure that details are handled appropriately and with speedy action. That is insurance that is all to invaluable on your wedding day!

Weather predictions for this weekends wedding... 100% CLEAR SUNNY SKIES!

{all pictures in this post were taken with Brandy's iPhone. these are not the professional shots that will be released later}

And so it begins

2010-05-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

This week officially sets off our wedding season for this year and we start off with a bang! Normally we take only 2 maybe 3 weddings in a month and never more than 1 on a weekend. We feel this allows us to be better acquainted with our clients and allow for more personal time assisting them with organizing and planning the details. But also because we have families and we enjoy spending an occasional sun drenched summer weekend soaking up the warmth with them too! It just so happens that our weddings for May and June all coincide with each other thus we have 4 straight weekends of gorgeous soiree's taking place starting this weekend with the wedding of Happy and Tony. This will also be our first wedding of the year at Beaulieu Garden, a location we know and love dearly. Beaulieu Garden, or BG, has become like a second office to us. We are very fortunate to spend so much time on these stunning large lush grounds planning and coordinating beautiful wedding for wonderful clients and this weekend will be no exception. The finishing touches were completed a week ago and now we wait with excited anticipation to put all the moving parts in motion and celebrate Happy and Tony's love Wine Country Style!

Check our Tweets and Facebook page this weekend for details and highlights. In the meantime, we want to reacquaint you with the beautiful property of BG and a few of our previous weddings at this location.

Ashley & Blake ~ September 2008

Michelle and Steven ~ September 2009

Ann & Kane ~ July 2007

Click on the photo of each wedding to view that gallery ~ Enjoy!

On The Agenda

2010-04-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

This week is a busy week. One our favorite events of the year is occurring tomorrow evening... La Tavola's 2010 Linen Release Fete in Napa! Lisa and I will be attending to drool over the latest and greatest fabric additions to Tavola's house of linens and officially kick off the 2010 wedding season with some of Northern California's greatest wedding industry professionals. Betsy, Herb and staff always throw a party to remember and we are excited to be attending again this year.

Wednesday evening is the SF NACE Sabor Gala. Loads of great wedding professionals and networking all benefiting the local San Francisco Food Bank.

Friday brings the arrival of Happy and Tony, wedding clients finalizing the details prior to their May 22nd wedding at Beaulieu Garden. They will also be completing their "E-Session" with the utter fab Tiffany of Adeline and Grace Photography.

On Sunday I am so looking forward to meeting my first bride of 2011, Lindsey! She will also be in town over the weekend scouting locations for her wedding next year. I catch up with her on Sunday at one of the locations, to meet in person for the first time and get her thoughts on venues and locations she has toured. She has a pretty packed scheduled touring locations from Alexander Valley Wine Country, Sonoma to Napa and over to Winters in the course of 4 days.

And finally, Lisa and I would like to welcome Candace and Eric to our wedding calendar 2010. We had the privilege of meeting them yesterday in Napa to discuss their wedding taking place at Cline Cellars in less than one month. This is one extremely organized and petal to the metal couple! They were engaged in November and began their planning towards the end of January 2010 aiming for a May wedding and they succeeded! They have hired a fabulous group of vendors for their wedding and we are excited to be added to that list and take part in the big day.

It's a busy week, but a fun one and we wouldn't want it any other way!

Meet Ann & Steven

2010-04-18T19:45:00.000-07:00

Introducing one of my fabulous wedding couples getting married this year, Ann and Steven!

Ann and Steven will be getting married at the gorgeous Annadel Estate Winery on Saturday, June 12th on what I am sure will be a gorgeous day befitting of this couple. Ann has been planning her wedding day for a very long time and I entered into the picture about a year and a half ago. Ann has exquisite taste and phenomenal ideas and we have collaborated on the details to design a very personalized and romantic wedding day that captures Ann and Steven's visions. I had the pleasure of spending a few days with the couple last month when they visited from their Texas homestead to finalize details for their wedding weekend. We did the final site walkthrough, met with the caterer to do their menu tasting and we put the finishing touches on the design elements with visits to the rental companies and lighting production company. Ann and Steven also met with their cake baker to taste and design their wedding confection centerpiece. I would love to share details on what we have been planning and will be showcasing on their wedding day, but Ann has swore to me secrecy and has not allowed me to share photo details from the decor design meetings until the wedding day.

Although I have had much fun planning and designing this wedding with Ann and cannot wait to see everything pulled together on the wedding day, I am really excited for a special moment the couple is surprising their guests with! This couple has a really fun and comedic side to them and I am so giddy to see their surprise revealed. I adore weddings where the couples insert their personalities into the wedding and truly make it their own. Not just in design details or food, but taking it to another level by completely throwing themselves into the celebration and showing their guests how to party like rock stars. And that is just what Ann and Steven are... Rock Stars.

Wedding pictures and details will make their debut on this blog in June. Stay tuned!

Rolando's Tea Party

2010-04-08T10:22:00.000-07:00

I was invited to attend a delicious culinary experience yesterday hosted by the ultra-fab Rolando now with Betty Zlatchin Catering in San Francisco. Rolando never does a single thing less than perfect and yesterdays tasting feast was no exception. I was a guest along with the equally fabulous and whitishly funny ladies of SSE. Divine food and excellent company made for a perfect afternoon.

Greeted with beverages including spiked "Strawberry Lemonade" and "Peach Tea Light Martini's"

Hor d'oeuvres from taste bud Heaven... "Lamb Pops", "Curry Chicken", "Butter Poached Lobster" and "Croque Mesdames"

"Day Boat Scallop Cheesecake" and a trio of pork dish appropriately called "The Three Little Pigs"

No meal is complete with something sweet and this dessert bar was BLISS! It included chocolate bark, chocolate truffles, Miniature Berry Triffles, Rhubarb Tartlets, Seasonal Berry Spoons

Thank you to Rolando and the staff at BZC for hosting a gorgeous delicious lunch. An exceptional catering company with a very very talented culinary and styling staff.

Email, email where have gone?

2010-04-04T22:34:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to let anyone know who may have attempted to send an email to @blisseventproductions.com this past weekend, our host server was completing a migration of email accounts to a new and improved site and due to that fact, we were unable to receive or send emails since Friday at midnight. I was told that during the weekend project process we should incur no disruption of service, but there was a chance that our accounts could go offline. They did indeed go offline and hopefully will be back up tomorrow morning. I apologize for any inconvenience and please resend any emails that were not responded too or bounced back on Monday morning.

Wedding Season 2010... here we come!

2010-04-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

The 2010 wedding season is off and running. Planning, meetings, planning, tastings, planning, walk throughs and finally... planning! Our season here at Bliss Event Productions officially kicks off on Saturday, May 22nd with the wedding of Happy and Tony at the gorgeous Beaulieu Gardens. Lisa and I are looking forward to another fun year with amazing couples and the beautiful weddings they are inspiring us to design and produce for them. I thought for maybe the next month, I would write a couple of blog entries to introduce a few of the clients we will be working with this year. Kind of a before and after... meet them now and then after their weddings we will share images and details about the festivities.

Stay tuned to meet one of our fabulous couples in the next few days. And here's to an utterly wonderful 2010 season... Cheers!

Wish Upon A Wedding

2010-03-01T08:02:00.000-08:00

Wish Upon A Wedding was founded in San Francisco, CA, in January of 2010, by a group of wedding and business entrepreneurs and is America’s FIRST nonprofit wedding wish granting organization, producing weddings and civil union ceremonies at destinations across the United States for individuals facing terminal illness, regardless of sexual orientation.

Chapters:

Wish Upon A Wedding is now boasting twenty chapters nationwide, headed by some of the industry’s most renowned leaders with plans to expand to over 40 chapters worldwide.

Presidents:

Sasha Souza, National President & SF Bay Area President

Kevin Covey, LA/Orange County

Stella Inserra, New York

Ivy Robinson, The Carolinas

Eliana Baucicault, Atlanta

Mary Alice Sublett, Tennessee

Mark Kingsdorf, Philadelphia

Saundra Hadley, Indianapolis

Heather Hamilton Sims, Houston

Shelby Tuck Horton, DC

Elisa Delgardio, Orlando

Ali Phillips, Chicago

Daniela Isabella Ferdico Fagét, Seattle

Forming Additional Chapters:

Other chapters opening soon include Boston, Colorado, Arizona, Portland, Miami, St. Louis, Ohio and Nevada. We are also planning to open to chapters in other areas depending on need including international chapters. If you wish to start a chapter, please fill out the online form for consideration.

Who Is Behind Wish Upon A Wedding?

Many influential people in the industry are beginning to endorse Wish Upon A Wedding & you can find those endorsements on the website. There are also amazing people sitting on the Boards and Advisory Panel throughout the US such as Dana Larue Stiebel “Broke-Ass Bride” {LA Chapter PR Chair}, Leila Khalil {National PR Advisor}, Beth Helmstetter {National Outreach Director} just to name a few. They would love to have you join as well either as a board member or wish granter!

How We Grant Wishes:

To qualify for Wishes, applicants must be unmarried legal citizens of the United States, over the age of 18, who have been diagnosed with less than three years to live. Couples can be granted wishes either in the chapter where they live or in a chapter of their choosing as long as they are able to make the trip.

Couples can simply apply online to request one of three wedding types:

URGENT (Up to 10 guests, in hospital or at bedside);

BOUTIQUE (up to 25 guests, in home town of applicant);

ROMANTIC (Up to 50 guests, at any WUW destination)

How Can You Grant Wishes?

As the organization is building, Wish Granters are needed in all locations. Please apply online today to start helping Wedding Wishes come true. In two weeks, Wish Upon A Wedding will be granting the very first wish. To read more about that wish and the couple please visit the website.

Please use this info on your own blog and during the course of this week...if you have the time and the room on your blog this week.

It will help build a network of very important people in this industry whose main goal is to help these very deserving couples. After all, if you are in the business of creating lifetime memories, we are now asking you to help us create memories for those who are left behind because these couples do not have a lifetime together.

Well Spun... A Video Highlight

2010-02-27T13:54:00.000-08:00

Well Spun Wedding Films filmed the wedding of Michelle and Steven. With a vintage 8mm feel to the video, a lovely wedding film developed. Here is a short highlight reel to enjoy.

Vintage Vineyard from Well Spun Wedding Films on Vimeo.

Project Wedding ~ Anh and Kane

2010-02-25T14:52:00.000-08:00

Project Wedding is featuring another of my favorite couples' wedding on their Real Weddings gallery. The wedding of Anh and Kane was a beautiful event that featured a chocolate brown, soft pink and creamy white color palette. I worked very closely with Anh and Kane throughout the planning process to capture their vision and transform it into their reality. Anh is a very gifted and talented lady herself. She worked with Condra at Patisserie Angelica to custom design their wedding cake, even doing the detailed drawing herself. She also enlisted the very talented Suzanne Hanley of Atelier des Modistes to design and make her gorgeous silk and lace wedding gown. Elaine Bell Catering created a sumptuious menu and custom cocktails that guests feasted on throughout the evening. One of the most beautiful design elements of the evening, was the floral. Jennifer French of Lush Floral created 5 individual groupings of flowers each in their own centerpiece in varying shades of pink, cream and white that graced each table. Jennifer also custom designed Anh's bridal bouquet which has been featured on many websites and magazines. Anh and Kane shared their first dance under a canopy structure featuring an abundant selection of chinese lanterns in varying sizes and colors of their brown, pink and cream color palette. A beautiful wedding came to a conclusion that evening with the glow of a clear full moon leading guests home.

The bride's gorgeous bouquet created by Jennifer French of Lush Floral

The beautiful table centerpieces

Anh, the breathtakingly beautiful bride

Anh's wedding cake design executed by Patisserie Angelica

Lanterns of love above the dance floor

Anh and Kane share their first dance

Photo images courtesy of Union Photography

Vera Wang ~ 2010

2010-02-23T16:24:00.000-08:00

The 2010 wedding season is under way and all over the world, brides have begun scouring the website, magazines and stores for the frock they will grace the aisle in. A colleague of mine, Jon from Wells Spun Wedding Films, attended and produced this amazing video of the Vera Wang Spring 2010 Collection hosted by Wedding Library in New York this past weekend. If these decadent works of art are any indication of the wedding season that lies ahead, we are in for a breathtaking season!

Happy planning!

xo, Brandy

Vera Wang - Spring 2010 from Well Spun Wedding Films on Vimeo.

Style Me Pretty... Michelle & Steven

2010-01-22T11:56:00.000-08:00

This past Thursday, Bliss Event Productions had the honor of being a featured vendor on the Style Me Pretty blog, for the wedding of Michelle and Steven. Photographed and submitted by the amazing Jose Villa, this was truly one magical wedding. I worked with Michelle and Steven for close to a year to plan their French inspired fete here in the Napa Valley on the Estate of Beaulieu Garden. From the start Michelle was a delight to work with and honestly my day was not complete until we had spoken either by phone or email. I had the pleasure of getting to know this NYC based couple in person on one of their trips to the area for planning meetings. Such a fun couple with impeccable taste and attention to details. Michelle and I spent many a day on the phone planning color palette's, rental decor, tablescapes and chandelier layouts. Everything came together beautifully and Michelle's vision for the wedding day was achieved divinely. I truly had a wonderful time working with this couple and we joked at the wedding "how would we get by without daily contact?" and Michelle was positive she was going to experience a major case of wedding planning withdraws. But their wedding lives on in the pages of Style Me Pretty and will undoubtably inspire many brides to come.

Thank you Michelle and Steven... it was a pleasure working with you!

Photo images by Jose Villa and layout by Style Me Pretty

Winter Office Hours... Just an FYI

2009-11-06T11:38:00.000-08:00

Hi all! Just a quick note that Bliss Event Productions hours will change for the Winter season. Office phone lines will be monitored Monday through Friday from 11 AM to 4 PM daily and all appointments to meet in person are by appointment only. These hours will be in effect from November through March. We will return to normal office hours for the Spring through Fall season in April. Email is of course monitored daily through the day : )

Please also note that our office will be closed to observe the Christmas and New Year holiday starting Monday, December 21, 2009 and will be returning Tuesday, January 5, 2010.

Michelle & Steven... a sneak peak

2009-09-07T19:49:00.000-07:00

Chandelier mania in stunning brilliance on display at the Labor Day Weekend wedding of Michelle and Steven at Beaulieu Garden. This is just a sampling of one element of the unique decorum at this gorgeous wedding. Stay tuned for more on photos and details to come soon.

Photos courtesy of Jon Retsky of Got Light

Ali & Jon

2009-08-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

On July 11, 2009, Ali and Jon exchanged traditional Jewish vows under a breathtaking Chuppah created by Lavender Floral at the beautiful Geyserville winery, Styker Sonoma. The gorgeous couple led their guests to a scrumptious dinner prepared and served by Alex's Catering in the winery's very distinctive and stunning wine cave. The dinner table was one long family style dinner table that was surrounded by the wine barrels artistically up lit and draped in sheer brown organza by Got Light. After dinner, guests were invited to the upper lawn of the winery that was transformed into chic lounge with lots of lounge couches including a cigar lounge. As the sun set, dramatic lighting truly added a chic vibe to the atmosphere. Pacific Entertainment spun music through the night and guests noshed on a delicious dessert bar that featured both an assortment of candies and home baked pies and cupcakes provided by Just A Mom Confections. A fabulous evening had by one and all!

Photos courtesy of M Portraits

La Tavola is La STUNNING!

2009-05-05T09:04:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday, La Tavola Linen Company celebrated their One Year Anniversary by unveiling their stunning 2009 linen line at a spectacular open house party. I will say there is no mind more creative and detail orientated when it comes to linen and decor style than that of Betsy Stone, the fabulous owner of La Tavola. The new 2009 linen line is awe inspiring, jaw dropping gorgeous! Check out the new line HERE and have a kleenex or towel ready to mop up your drool as your browse the new linens as well as the rest of the beautiful linens that are offered.

Here are a few photo's from the event.

The dynamic Trio at the Open House. From left to right: The Amazing Jennifer French of Lush Floral, who created some gorgeous centerpieces that embellished a few of the display tables and chairs at the party, as well as the table we are seated at. It was Bee-utiful! Also Tiffany Fosnight, photographer extraordinaire and myself enjoying the party scene.

I am so in love with this new rental item. Bean Bag chairs offered in two stunning linen lines from their Peau de Soie and Tuscany collections. How wonderful are these to add to lounges or for childrens area's?

Gorgeous combination of black white stripes and plaid paired together. The plaid linen is actually displayed in the new table caps that hug the table tops and create a very refined chic layered look. Jennifer from Lush Floral, created the yellow and black centerpieces that popped off the linens and provided a stunning overall look.

One Gorgeous (and fragrant) Brides Bouquet

2009-04-10T17:16:00.000-07:00

This bride's bouquet from the wedding of Brandlyn and Joshua last April, is by far my most favorite arrangement ever! Yes I said EVER! Not only is it a stunning work of art in a classic white palette, but it absolutely smelled divine thanks to the Lillies of the Valley. I wish I had better pictures of it to do more justice, as these images were taken with my iPhone only. I hope to bring you some additional images of this intimate wedding's tablescape... it was also stunning in it's own right. By the way, just in case anyone has no clue as to whose hands this beauty was created by, it happens to be the work of Jennifer at Lush Floral. Who else did you expect to create something this fantastic?

Blissfully InStyle

2009-04-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

I am ecstatic to have one of my all time favorite weddings featured this week on the InStyle Weddings Blog, styleschool. The wedding of Aubrey & Aaron was a gorgeous chic "Parisian" styled celebration that took place in May of last year on the beautiful Bear Flag Farm property in Winters. Aubrey had a very elegant and eclectic style and there was absolutely no detail overlooked or that was not styled to match her vision in this inspiring wedding. A special "Thank You" goes to the phenominal photographer, Gene Higa for not only capturing all the stunning images of that day, but for also submitting them to InStyle. Click on the image below to be redirected to the blog.

Hot off the presses

2009-04-01T20:38:00.001-07:00

On stands now is the latest and if I do say so myself, most spectacular edition of Your Wedding Day magazine. As usual there are some really sensational editorials, it's loaded with an abundance of decadent and inspirational details and ideas. I am really proud to be associated with such a glamorous publication and even more thrilled to have one of my weddings featured in this issue. The wedding of Jennifer & Brad was gorgeous event that took place on a beautiful day in a unique and stunning location in St. Helena. Jennifer who owns 13 Creative had a very chic and rustic vision for their day from the get go. We played with a lot of ideas to achieve the look she wanted and the end result was a completely personalized wedding that truly reflected Jennifer & Brad's style. We hope you will pick up this issue and not only check out Jennifer & Brad's wedding, but the other great features and editorials as well. You won't be disappointed!

Kelly & Chris, Part I

2009-03-31T14:50:00.001-07:00

Kelly & Chris, one of my favorite couples and one of my favorite weddings!

Kelly and Chris were married on 7-07-07 on a gorgeous private estate located on top of Crystal Spring Mountain in St. Helena. This was an amazing wedding with so many great elements that focused on bringing Wine Country flair together with Hawaiian fusion to create a spectacular personalized wedding that truly reflected Kelly & Chris' style. Kelly and Chris live in Honolulu and travel quite extensively around the world. Part of their experience in each location is find and try the foods that are renowned in that area. Chris, who has dabbled in the culinary field, really wanted to create a custom menu that blended many of the different foods they are extremely fond of. The end result was a seated 8 course chef tasting menu that blended many different flavors and spices into some divine dishes. The seated dinner took place over looking the Napa Valley just as dusk approached. The tablescapes were created with Kelly's inspiration of their home on the Big Island blending a soft lavender color scheme and bringing in the vibrant colors of the islands in floral elements that included bright green orchids to pure white peonies. The place settings were kept simple and clean using a mixture of square, round, and triangle shaped white china, to enhance the stunning culinary presentation of the food throughout the dinner service. The couples love of the wine was showcased in the wine service that accompanied each course and featured amazing varieties from some of their favorite wineries. To pay homage to their Hawaiian home, hand made orchid lei's were flown in from Hawaii the day before the wedding for the wedding party to wear. The wedding cake was also a custom created decadence that Chris worked on creating with the bakery. Hand rolled white chocolate formed the outer covering, resembling a volcano, and was generously adorned with fresh raspberries and blackberries. The cake sat upon a table accented with Hawaiian banana leafs.

click on each photo montage to enlarge, photo's by Jesse Leake

Ashley & Blake, Part II

2009-03-24T07:01:00.001-07:00

Here are some additional images from Ashley & Blake's amazing wedding.

click on image montages to enlarge, photos by Laura Turbow

Ashley & Blake, Part I

2009-03-23T06:38:00.000-07:00

Meet Ashley & Blake.

They were married on a perfect August evening on the stunning Beaulieu Garden Estate in Rutherford. I worked very closely with them along with their very wonderful mothers, Pamela and Claudia, on creating a very personalized and "Estate Elegant" wedding for 230 guests. Every consideration and element was thoughtfully planned from the delicious menu and lush floral decor down to the awesome lighting effects including a personalized gobo logo illuminated on the floor of the pool. At the end of the evening as guests departed, they received some tasty treats to send them off... ice cold milk shooters and chocolate chip cookies.

click on image montages to enlarge, photo's by Laura Turbow

Welcome!

2009-03-20T18:35:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our blog! We are so excited to share all our good things with you. We hope you enjoy reading and keeping up with us as much as we love planning and coordinating these gorgeous events!