Featured Weddings

Want your beautiful day to be featured on Unabashed Bliss?

We’d LOVE to hear from you!

Send an email to heidi {at} unabashedbliss {dot} com with a minimum of ten images from your wedding or engagement (be sure to credit your photographer). Write a brief description of your wedding; any special DIY projects; favorite detail or memory; etc.

We are thrilled you’d like to share your special day with us!

Colleen & Josh
July 2009

Ceremony ~ Saint Andrew Catholic Church
Reception ~ High Cedars Golf Club

I know Colleen from years ago when we met in seventh grade. Yes, we’re talking boy crushes, make up parties, shopping at the mall together and figuring the whole Junior High thing out. She was gorgeous then and my goodness she is stunning still! I’m in love with her and Josh’s wedding captured by Holly from Beautiful Endings Photography and wait ’til you see their post wedding shoot! Unbelievably mesmerizing! I’m convinced now of the benefits of doing a post wedding shoot.

We’d love to hear your engagement story: Josh had spent quite a bit of time designing my dream ring and was trying to come up with a great place to propose while it was being made. He decided on The Rose Garden at Point Defiance in Tacoma since it is one of our favorite places to go when the weather is nice. I remember he told me he was going to pick me up and we would go out there to walk around and then we would go out to dinner afterwards. When he picked me up, he was acting very quiet and all I could think was that I must have done something to upset him. Little did I know he was sweating bullets and getting ready to ask me to spend the rest of my life with him! When we got there we walked around for a bit in silence and finally he asked if I wanted to go sit on a nearby bench (which I thought was strange at the time but agreed to) where he got down on one knee (in the gravel!) and proposed! He pulled out the most beautiful emerald cut diamond surrounded by more diamonds with diamonds around the band (by now I’m sure you’ve noticed the diamond theme). I started crying and immediately said “yes!” We went back to his parent’s house where his folks, my parents and some more family members were waiting with champagne!

And your gorgeous gown: I found my dress at the 2nd place we went (The Wedding Bell)! I tried on about 15 gowns and the one I ended up with wasn’t even one I chose for myself. It was handed to me by the sales associate. It was diamond white, strapless with a sweetheart neckline and beading across the bust. The skirt was like fluffy whipped cream and had a billowy train that bustled into a puff of white satin.

What inspired you: I’d say I was mostly going for old fashioned glamour. Rich and vibrant colors inspired me the most. My colors were deep purple and kelly green. I wanted the bridesmaids to look like they could have walked out of a cocktail party in the 60′s and the groomsmen to have classic tuxedos with traditional bow ties like James Bond.

And your favorite detail: definitely our “getaway car.” We had a vintage, turquoise Studabaker that has been in my Dad’s side of the family since before I was born. My grandpa and uncle found the old, rusty frame and built it into what you see in the pictures. It was perfect!

Favorite memory: we had a beautiful and perfect Catholic ceremony. Everything was going almost “too perfectly” like a scene from a movie. At the very end of the ceremony, when the priest was getting ready to announce us as husband and wife, he said “It is my pleasure to introduce Mr. and Mrs. Josh Best” which led us to start laughing and a my mother to loudly whisper “FREESE!” from the front row! He corrected himself, re-introduced us and everyone had a good laugh. Our friends still address him as “Josh Best” every chance they get!

Weddings can be challenging! What was your biggest challenge: I would have to say my biggest challenge was the heat the week we got married! We were married during the hottest week of 2009 and it was over 100 degrees the day we were married. I was so worried people wouldn’t come, but luckily we had air conditioning and everyone showed up. I still feel horrible for my poor wedding party for all the photos we took outside before the ceremony!

What’s next for the Freese family: We are planning a vacation for our 1st anniversary on July 31st. We can’t wait to start a family in the next year and a half or so! For the time being, we are enjoying cooking, spending time with our family and friends, our jobs and being “newlyweds!”

Church: Saint Andrews Catholic Church. Reception: High Cedars Golf Club. Hair & Makeup: Gene Juarez. Dress: The Wedding Bell, 2B Bridal.

Beautiful Endings Photography

Thank you Holly for capturing such incredible moments! Colleen and Josh, an absolute stunning wedding! I love all of the details you put into the entire event, from the vintage glam bracelet to the “Just Married” sign on the back of your Dad’s Studabaker! We are definitely “perfectly inspired” by your wedding!

Kelley & Eric
August 2009

Ceremony ~ St. Vincent De Paul
Reception ~ Hotel Murano

You are going to love this Pacific NW Wedding full of glamor, joy, and the perfect amount of Tiffany Co. photographed by Kurt Smith Photography! Kelley is a gorgeous bride with a smile that lets you know exactly how happy she is! Okay, I’ll admit that she happens to be my Best Friend too!!! Kelley and Eric live in L.A., with their family residing here in the NW and thus planning a wedding at Hotel Murano in Tacoma seemed most appropriate. It was absolutely stunning! I just adore the hydrangea, rose and orchid centerpieces (especially the ones in the Tiffany Boxes). If I remember anything about this special day it was the joy both Eric and Kelley exuded and Kelley’s ability to dance…and dance…and dance…the night away!

Tell Us Your Engagement Story! For Valentine’s Day, we decided to take a little trip to the Big Apple. While on an early evening stroll through Central Park, Eric suggested that we continue our promenade in a horse drawn carriage. As we were riding through the beautiful scenic park, snuggled underneath a warm blanket, Eric told me that he had a Valentine’s Day gift for me. Before I could even wonder what it could be, he pulled out the little blue box that I had always dreamed of – and inside nestled the most perfect ring. He asked me if I would do the honor of being his wife and with tears of joy, I said, “yes.”
And Your Hollywood Glam Wedding Gown? Being a bride the size of a 9 year old (4’10) was really difficult to find a wedding dress I loved, and when you added the budget conditions into it, it was downright frustrating. I had been told of One Night Affair in Los Angeles where you could rent designer wedding gowns and decided to check it out on a whim. The moment I stepped into this dress it was perfect. I was able to wear an Ines De Santo gown that retails at $10,000 for $1,200 including the alterations! The dress was only worn once before me, and would only be worn once after, then they retire the gown. I had to make the decision of either getting to keep my gown, but not have one that fit me perfectly OR I could wear the designer gown of my dreams, and remember it always in pictures. For me – renting was the best choice.
What Inspired Your Wedding Mood/Tone? Father of the Bride and Tiffany and Co.
What Was Your Favorite Detail? I did not want my wedding to feel as though it was sponsored event, but anyone who knows me knows how special Tiffany’s is to me. I wanted hints of Tiffany’s without being overbearing. My favorite details were all the subtle ways we incorporated Tiffany into the day. To start, our invitations and the place cards were a tasteful black with Tiffany blue. My mother’s gave me a Tiffany charm shaped as a small heart key to have as my something new and blue. Half of our centerpieces were flowers sitting in a Tiffany box and finally, I wore a pair of Tiffany blue all star converse under my gown for the reception.Oh….and I got to marry the man of my dreams!!!
Do You Have A Favorite Memory From Your Special Day? I have A LOT – but one of my favorites was as our entrance into the ballroom – we sang the WSU fight song and all the cougs in the room stood up and joined in.
What Was Your Biggest Wedding Challenge: Getting over the feeling that you need to make sure everyone else is happy – this is your day and they are all happy just to be there.
What’s Next For You and Eric? Just as they say….first love…..then marriage…..then maybe a baby!?