Blissful Affair 2010 - Part Two

As promised - more images from A Blissful Affair 2010

Blissful Affair 2010 - Part One

A Huge AHP Thank You to the amazing vendors that helped make the 2nd Annual "A Blissful Affair" another great success!

Calihan Catering
Chicago Social Brides
Erin Gallagher
Fleur Couture
Flour Cake and Pastry
Greenstar Creative
Honey Bee Weddings
Katherine Anne Confections
MDM Entertainment & Lighting
Photobooth Express
Sharon Daniel Salon
Style Matters DJs
The Dress by Nicole
BBJ Linens & Hall's Rental

MORE TO COME LATER THIS WEEK!

A Blissful Affair 2010

Complimentary Inspiration!

Bloomingdales + A Perfect Event + Amanda Hein Photography

As always, it was lovely to work along side Debi Lilly of A Perfect Event and her team at the "Pre-Wedding" Party. The event was a huge success and many amazing vendors were involved including:

A Perfect Event
Bloomingdales Home & Furniture Store
CSBrides

Around the store there were vignettes full of amazing details ie: bridal shower, engagement party, first dinner at home, breakfast in bed, after party and many more! (I think Debi is going to be doing a more detailed post from the event so I will link you all to that as soon as it's up!) Here is just a quick peek:

AHP does it again - thank you!! Wedding Wire Bride's Choice Awards 2010

Chicago, IL – January 19, 2010 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced Amanda Hein Photography has been selected to receive the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for Wedding Photography!

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

Amanda Hein Photography is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”

We are happy to announce that Amanda Hein Photography is among the very best in Wedding Photography within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. We would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™.

For more information, please visit Amanda Hein Photography today!

A Blissful Affair

Back and Better than Ever!!
2nd Annual "A Blissful Affair"
Exclusive Bridal Event @ Oak Brook Bath + Tennis Club

Thursday February 18, 2010 6-9pm
RSVP TODAY!!

Nicole + Dan :: The Details

Like I promised here is the ALL-STAR vendor list from Nicole and Dan's romantic winter wedding!

Leading the Pack: Katie of Dettagli Weddings (Full Service Coordination)
Florals: Natalie of Hello Darling
Photography: Amanda of Amanda Hein Photography (that's me!)
Tunes: Spencer of Style Matters
Cake: Amy Beck
Photo Booth: Shutterbox
Dress: Ines de santo (Bella Bianca)
Shout out to Rev Phil, MDM Lighting and Naperville Trolly

Kirstin and Kara on MSNBC.com

You of course all know our friends Kirstin and Kara (Smitten Boutique and Magnificent Milestones) well recently MSNBC.com did a feature on these two ladies which I just had to share for two reasons. Reason #1 - They're just so fun and I thought you all would love the inside scoop. Reason #2 - I managed to get a cameo! You'll see me with my camera backpack entering the boutique as they were filming - this was the same day I went in to shoot their window display for our other friends Natalie and Vita (Hello Darling Floral.) Oh and you'll also recognize their portrait I took for their ADORABLE merger announcement. Too much fun!!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Eye Candy

A little shout out to our friends over at Hello Darling - they've done the cutest spring window display in Smitten Boutique. If you're in the West Loop be sure to stop by Smitten to check this out - so cute!

Debi's 80's Bash!

Our friends over at A Perfect Event sure pulled off a SWEET 80's Bash for their very own Debi Lilly. Every detail was of course 80's including arcade games, delicious appetizers and deserts circa 1980's, staff was dressed in black T-shirts with famous 80's sayings, guests played in the photo booth, zebra prints with hot pink/orange, music videos playing behind the bar, Spiked Tang was flowing, and what 80's party would be complete without guests dressing as their favorite 80's characters!! The gorgeous Skylight Studio was a photographer's dream to shoot at - check out some of Debi's details:

Get Married TV - Allerton Hotel Chicago

AHP Sighting this morning on Get Married TV! Chicago's very own Allerton Hotel featured decor ideas accompanied by images from Katherine and Rudd's wedding I shot this past September. Get Married airs weekdays at 6:30am Central on Lifetime. To see today's episode and more click either of the images below:

Cary + Christina (The Details)

As promised, I want to share some of the amazing work done by friends in the industry at Cary and Christina's wedding.
Greatest Expectations Special Events & Weddings
Fleur
Chicago Illuminating Company

AHP Sighting - A Perfect Event

Our friends over at A Perfect Event have been working hard to update their website with fabulous new pictures of their latest and greatest events. Be sure to check them out for all of your event needs, including but not limited to, their AMAZING floral and tablescapes! Below is their new homepage - you might recognize this shot from our recent James Hotel event.

Smitten Boutique + Magnificent Milestones

Two of our neighbors in the West Loop have joined forces and we're so happy to share the news with you! Being two of our favorite ladies in the wedding industry you may recognize them from my past posts. Kirstin of Smitten Boutique and Kara of Magnificent Milestones have officially announced their merger. Here's what the two of them have to say about their new joint venture:

"Rather than existing as competitors, Magnificent Milestones and Smitten combined to make two great companies into one amazing powerhouse in the bridal and event industry. Going forward, Magnificent Milestones will focus on the sale of custom invitations while Smitten will focus on the retail boutique. Kirstin and Kara will both offer event planning services under the Magnificent Milestones moniker, giving brides and grooms the benefit of two seasoned planners under one roof. Kara and I both want the space to be a place where people can come and hang out, have a glass of wine and get excited about the good things that are happening in their lives!"

Kirstin and Kara would like to celebrate by offering my readers with 10% off of consulting, custom invites and everything in the boutique!! All you have to do is mention Amanda Hein Photography or print this blog post and bring it in the shop for your savings. The shop has great home accents and gift ideas for baby to newlyweds - be sure to check it out!!! The boutique is located at 1041 West Madison Street in the West Loop.

AHP Sighting

As one of the most highly preferred caterers in Chicago Food For Thought is nothing less than delicious, creative, and great to work with. Some of the venues we've worked together include: Adler Planetarium, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, and Chicago History Museum. I just got word Food For Thought rolled out a new website this week and we've got the homepage! Be sure to visit their new site to learn more about their services and while you're there search for our other images sprinkled throughout the pages!

A Perfect Event + The James Hotel

A few weeks back I was asked by our friends at A Perfect Event to take detail shots of a bridal event at The James Hotel. For those of you that are not familiar with The James, it's located just steps from Michigan Avenue and within walking distance to many of Chicago's hot spots. They are also making a commitment to be earth friendly by incorporating in-room recycling programs and offering a complimentary bicycle for guests. The James can accommodate up to 200 guests in their event space - which makes it ideal for a smaller ceremony/reception. For me intimate weddings are so fun. I love getting to know my clients, their families, and friends. Being so closely involved in the event allows for such personal moments to be captured with ease. Don't get me wrong I manage to find these moments at weddings large and small, but there's something about an intimate gathering that excites me. Here are some shots from the event.

A Blissful Affair : IV

Here are our three inspiration tables from Sunday's event. MANY MANY THANKS to Fleur Couture, Greenstar Creative, M&M, and Calligraphy of Oak Brook

A Blissful Affair : III

A final shout out to our third model Kelly - lovin' the eyes in these. Check back later this afternoon for shots of our lovely inspiration tables!

A Blissful Affair : II

Our next model spotlight is TJ. We played up her classic bridal look with some drama - love this first shot.

A Blissful Affair

For the remainder of the week I'll be posting my favs from our wonderful bridal event that took place this past Sunday at The Narnia Estate. To start it off I'll be featuring our models who wowed us with lovely gowns courtesy of Catherine Simms Bridal in Naperville.

Here's Swanie Rockin' it out: