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Bliss Collection Honors: Washingtonian Bride and Groom

The members of The Bliss Collection are always so proud when other hard working members are acknowledged for their excellence!

Washingtonian Bride and Groom has listed some of our beloved members in its latest issue! Why exactly is this an important honor?

Well…

According to wedding planner Myrna Hyman, “I found out that one finds themselves on this list based on votes from colleagues in the industry, which I think is pretty special.”

Miles Stiebel of MSE productions added ” MSE Productions is listed in the most recent 2012 Washingtonian Bride & Groom under Music & Entertainment. MSE Productions has been recommended by the Washingtonian as “One of the Best” for over ten years. This publication has become a fabulous resource for brides and grooms planning their wedding.”

So…which members of The Bliss Collection were listed?

Jessica Piscitelli (videography), Kristi Odom (photography), Myrna Hyman (wedding planner), Miles Stiebel (DJ services), Kelsey Thompson (photography, one to watch)

Congratulations, everyone!

More Bliss Collection Honors: Wedding Wire’s “Best Of” List

Great news, Bliss Collection members! Sooo many of us were listed on yet another prestigious list: Wedding Wire’s Best Of!

Susan Smith was listed under the category of Wedding Planners.

Myrna Hyman was listed under the category of Wedding Planners.

Kristi Odom was listed under the category of Photographers.

Kelsey Thompson was listed under the category of Photographers.

Jeanna Hilton of Stonewall Golf Club was listed under the category of Venues.

Miles Stiebel was listed under the category of Music and Entertainment.

Jessica Piscitelli was listed under the category of Videographer.

Congratulations to everyone! This is an awesome honor!

Bliss Member Wedding

By Jessica Piscitelli Robinson

As you can imagine, I have a lot of friends who work in the wedding industry, and only one wedding to go around. Choosing vendors from among my friends was very difficult, but I ended up with the best wedding team a girl could ever hope for.

I have listed everyone I worked with with at the end of this post. They were all fabulous and I highly recommend every one of them, so please follow links to their websites and hire them for all of your weddings.

But I need to say a few words about the Bliss Collection members, because Bliss was a wonderful resource for me for planning my wedding.

In the following video, I made sure to include live audio from both the procession and the recession because Eric Waters, a guitarist with MSE Productions, did such a fantastic job. I married a Robinson so the recession song was particularly key and, even though it wasn’t on his playlist, he learned it especially for my wedding.

As you can see, I shortened the video of the ceremony considerably. Not so in the Blu-Ray disc we have at home. It was such a beautiful ceremony that I kept in almost every moment for our own video.

This image won first place in WPPI's First Half Competition in the Bridal Party category.

Our own Bliss Collection member, Kristi Odom, has been rocking in the world of photography (and wedding vendor) competitions lately!

Some of the recent competition wins and personal accomplishments of our own Kristi Odom include:

2012 “Best Wedding Vendor”: Washingtonian Bride and Groom
The Knot: Best of Weddings 2010
WeddingWire: Brides’ Choice Awards 2011
1st Place: WPPI 1st Half International Photography Competition
4 Fearless Photographer Awards
National Geographic Wild Angle Photo Contest: Honorable Mention
2010 WPPI 2nd Half International Photography Competition: Multiple Accolades of Excellence
Kodak Connect with the Pros: selected for Times Square Display
Myphotopipe: featured pro of the month

More Tuxedo Tips From Blush Bridal Boutique

We are so excited that Blush Bridal Boutiquein Gainesville is now offering men’s formalwear! Ok, let’s continue our lessons about tuxedos!

Lesson 6: The Rules

All tuxedos should be rented from the same vendor and any man who will be in many of your wedding pictures should be in a tuxedo to ensure a consistent look across your wedding party and in the pictures you are taking to create memories. This means if grandfathers will be in many of the pictures they should wear a tuxedo, too. It is a good overall look for any man with a role in the wedding to be in a tuxedo.

The groom’s vest, tie and shirt color usually matches the bride’s dress color, usually white or ivory. The groomsmen’s vest and ties match the color of the bridesmaid’s dresses. The ring bearer matches the groom or flower girl. The ushers, fathers and grandfathers typically don vests and ties in black or silver. This is to avoid too many different colors in a small group. Again, think of how the wedding photos will look.

Blush Bridal Boutique Has Tuxedos!

Did you know that Blush Bridal Boutique in Gainesville now offers tuxedo rentals? The consultants at Blush are fully trained and ready to help the men in any wedding party to look their best! So how does the tuxedo selection process work? Here are some pointers!

Blush Bridal Boutique now offers a spectacular selection of men's formalwear!

Once you have picked your wedding colors and the groomsmen for your wedding party, it is time to select tuxedos. Finding tuxedos for your wedding party is an easy item to check off your to-do list, and gives your groom a pivotal role in the wedding planning process.

For starters, have all of your men measured as soon as you pick out the tuxedos (the ring bearer should wait until one month out to ensure his growing body fits his tuxedo).

Most tuxedo shops work with out of town wedding members; don’t let that be an excuse for tardy measurements. Here’s a crash course in Tuxedos 101 to ensure you pick the right look for your wedding party.

Lesson 1: Tuxedo Jackets

Blush Bridal Boutique in Gainesville provides fabulous customer service and an amazing selection of bridal gowns and accessories.

I recently read a wedding blog that advised brides to avoid shopping in bridal boutiques if being semi-clothed in front of a stranger sounds stressful. The writer noted that it is way less mortifying to buy online or shop at the “warehouse” stores that just leave you alone to put on the gowns you wish to try.

I could not disagree more!

Allow me to explain.

When a bride shops at a bridal boutique, like Blush Bridal Boutique in Gainesville, she isn’t just shopping! She is consulting with a trained professional who understands what looks good on each different body type. The boutique experience goes something
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Jessica Pi and Kristi Odom Team Up

By Jessica Piscitelli, Jessica Pi Productions

In the words of the bride…
“Enlisting Jessica Pi for videography was a last minute “splurge” and I could not be happier with that decision! I’ve heard/read that so many brides regret not having a videographer to capture the day and I decided that was one regret I didn’t want to have.

Jessica was recommended to me by my amazing photographer, Kristi Odom, and I was extremely lucky that she happened to be available on such short notice! Jessica was awesome to work with – even though we didn’t get a chance to meet until my actual wedding day! Upon waking up the morning after the wedding, my first thought literally was, “THANK GOD WE HAVE VIDEO TO RE-LIVE THAT AMAZING DAY AND SEE ALL THE THINGS WE DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO SEE/APPRECIATE YESTERDAY!”

Check out this recap of their beautiful day.

Read More

Our Newest Member – Susan Smith

The Bliss Collection recently welcomed Susan Smith, of Simply Elegant Weddings, to our illustrious ranks. We are excited to have another talented and friendly wedding planner in the gang.

Photo by Timmester Photography

Here’s what Susan had to say about her style of weddings:
“It’s all about elegant weddings – from the simple to the sophisticated. I listen closely to what is important to the couple and go above and beyond to make sure that our services exceed their expectations.”

And why should a couple use a wedding planner?
“I always tell brides that on their wedding day all they will have to do is get ready and have fun. We will take care of everything else and ensure that their wedding details will be executed as planned.”

Our Newest Member – Miles Stiebel

The Bliss Collection is excited about our newest member – Miles Stiebel, of MSE Productions. MSE Productions is a music and entertainment company located in Reston,VA. You can learn more about the services MSE Productions offers in this video about them edited by Jessica Piscitelli, of Jessica Pi Productions.

Here are a few more things you need t know about MSE Productions:
Not only does MSE Productions provide top talent, but we can help you select the right entertainment to match your style. We continue to work with you after you book your talent, going over pertinent details prior to your event so that you can enjoy yourself on the day of your event.

Our stellar reputation has shown that we are totally committed to each and every wedding, so that a bride will feel extremely comfortable knowing that MSE Productions will make sure that the music will be perfect on her wedding day. We offer packages when booking both a classical ensemble for the ceremony and cocktail hour, and a band or DJ for dinner and dancing. This also makes it much easier for the bride – having one-stop shopping and one music coordinator.

We offer sound systems for wedding ceremonies and other events including battery operated sound systems when electricity is not available. For the client who wants music that is both traditional and hip, we offer string trios, quartets, violin and guitar duos and other “traditional” classical groups that not only play classical music, but can include pop selections by Coldplay, Bon Jovi, Beatles and Lady Gaga to name a few. We offer groups that can play classical music for a ceremony and can then play jazz during the cocktail hour. We also offer non-musical entertainers such as magicians, stilt walkers, jugglers, impersonators and other theme characters.

MSE Productions was rated “One of The Best” by WASHINGTONIAN, received the Bride’s Choice Award from Wedding Wire, and was rated the #1 Entertainment Agency in the Mid-Atlantic in the Best of Weddings Pick by The Knot.

For more information, or to book music or entertainment today, contact:
Miles Stiebel
MSE Productions
11800 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 405
Reston, VA 20191
miles@MSEProductions.com
www.mseproductions.com
www.milesstiebel.com
T: 703-620-5554

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