A Bliss Bat Mitzvah at Lansdowne
Another successful event, planned by The Finer Points, took place at Lansdowne Resort with a spectacular Bat Mitzvah. The main ballroom was transformed into a winter wonderland by Fandango with tables draped in silver linen with silver chiavari chairs, a skating rink dance floor, glowing kids’ tables and a spectacular lighting display of swirling snowflakes. A snowboard simulator, alpine skier, greenscreen photographer, and a caricature artist from Entertainment Connection kept the kids entertained while the band, Nightlife, had the guests dancing late into the night and Jessica Pi Productions captured every fun moment on video.
Bliss Members at Nature House
When not making wedding and groom’s cakes, Mary and David from MallowDrama also bake up creative cakes for social, corporate, and community events. This past weekend, they donated a cake for the grand opening celebration for Reston’s Nature House.
Jessica Piscitelli, of Jessica Pi Productions, serves as the marketing chair on the Friends of Reston Board. Friends of Reston has successfully raised over $1.5M for the design and construction of Nature House. Nature House is a year-round environmental education building located at Reston Association’s Walker Nature Education Center. Nestled in the woods at this beautiful 72-acre park, Nature House is a model of sustainable design and green construction. Nature House is LEED Gold Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The cake for the celebration included 4 tiers, featuring the Nature House logo, a tree inspired by Reston Association’s logo, an oak leaf in fall colors, and a three-dimensional acorn. In addition, there were edible sculptures of a squirrel and a turtle, and edible fall leaves made from fondant. A variety of techniques were used to decorate the cinnamon spice cake that was filled with caramelized apples: hand-painting with brushes, sponge painting, cake carving, and hand sculpting.
The line for cake was long, with about 175 slices served that afternoon.
Bliss Stages Wedding at Stonewall
The Bliss Collection recently staged a fake wedding. Why, you might ask yourself, would we spend time and money providing services for a wedding that was not real? Well, we all get to work with each other on a wedding here and an event there, but we simply can’t all work on the same event in the real world. So we staged one!
This was an opportunity for all of the vendors on The Bliss Collection to work together on one event at one time. Alexander Morozov and David Madison, our photographers, and Jessica Piscitelli, our videographer, also covered the event so we could share the details of what it looks like when we do all work together to put on an elegant wedding event. More photos and video coming soon!
Here is a list of all of the vendors who participated in this event and what they contributed:
Bergerons Flowers & Events – ceremony flowers, bouquets, personal flowers, centerpieces
Blush Bridal Boutique – gowns for bride and bridesmaids
David Madison Photography – photography
The Finer Points – member of events committee, added event planning support
For All Occasions – member of events committee, added event planning support
Gala Cloths – tablecloths, napkins, chair covers
Jessica Pi Productions – videography
Leslie Kane - Mary Kay Cosmetics
M. Beem Jewelers – engagement and wedding rings, and bride’s jewelry
Makeup Artistry by Tracie Rosales – make-up application for bride and bridesmaids
MallowDrama – wedding and groom’s cakes
My Mobile Salon – hairstyling for bride and bridesmaids
Photography by Alexander – photography
Presentations – invitation suite, programs, escort cards, menus, table signs, custom-labeled wine bottles
Say “I Do” Your Way – officiants
Seasons Cards & Gifts – favors
Select Event Rentals – china, chargers, glasses, flatware
A Sound Plan – DJ/emcee
Stonewall Golf Club – event facility
Takes on Table Numbers
At Presentations, LLC, we always love working with our wedding couples on the little details that make their big day more personal. Adding some creative force to traditionally dull table numbers is a great way to do this. At a minimum, we recommend that our clients carry the artwork from their wedding stationery over to their day-of materials (table numbers, seating cards, programs, menus, etc.).
Some of our couples have have taken this a step further, replacing table numbers altogether with:
-Photos and locations that the couple has visited.
-Values important to the couple.
-Words or subjects related to the wedding theme or location.
- And, our personal favorite, photos taken through the years of the bride and/or groom with their guests. This takes a bit more legwork for both designer and clients, but the results are well worth it. It is a wonderful way to show guests how important they are in the couple’s lives.
Details like this can help to bring cohesion to wedding design.
-Pam Colaluca & Susan Wilson, Presentations, LLC
Jessica Pi Productions Customer Service
I don’t know what my competitor’s customer service is like, so I would hate to say, “this is what sets me apart.” What I will say is that there are two areas in particular in which I think I have outstanding customer service – I take the time to listen, and I am a perfectionist.
I will start with listening. We are a boutique video shop. We are not creating cookie cutter videos. We create a unique video based on the bride and groom’s unique vision – every time.
I talk to each bride and groom several times before their wedding day to find out what they want in the way of video coverage. Not only do we discuss style likes and dislikes, but also preference for how we interact with guests and vendors – whether or not we will pose or in any other way dictate behavior or just stay completely out of the way and capture what happens from the background. My associates take their cues from me and we always make sure that the bride and groom’s ideas about how we cover a wedding are heard.
Additionally, once editing begins, I ask a ton of questions. What music do you want? Do you want fast paced editing, slow and romantic, black and white, sepia, or everything as real as can be? What parts do you know you want left in? What parts do you really want cut? We do the work, but you get to choose how we do it.
And that leads me to being a perfectionist. I often wish I weren’t. It would save me a lot of time. But I thoroughly review every video that we produce, whether or not I am the editor. I make sure each video tells a story, that every sequence makes sense, that each filter applied was well placed, and that the timing on every montage works with the rhythm of that song. After the 40 or so hours myself or my other editor spend compiling the first version, I often spend several more hours going through and making sure every detail is just how I would want it if it were the video I was going to be watching for my anniversary ten years and twenty years in the future.
- Jessica Piscitelli