Your distinctive day

by Tricia Despres

Every bride's dream is simple – to create a day as unique as the love she and her fiancé share for one another. Yet creating a one-of-a-kind wedding day takes extensive preparation and planning. So we'd like to help, bringing you tips and trends from local experts to help you arrive at the altar in style.

Dresses
The wedding dress is one of the most special parts of any wedding, defining the style of the entire day. Brides spend countless hours finding a gown that will take everyone's breath away. This year, many designers are creating wedding gowns with a more romantic and feminine feel than ever before.

"Designers are attempting to offer simpler and therefore, less expensive styles this year," explains Melissa Russell, who owns Bella Bianca in Oak Brook Terrace with her sister Natalie Bauer. "The details are more in the fabric rather than in excessive beading. And since the styles are a bit simpler, many brides are really taking advantage of accessorizing with jewelry or hair adornments."

Wedding dresses can be priced from $500 to thousands of dollars. "I suggest that brides don't go to more than three stores," says Sue Zanayed, owner of Naperville's Bri'Zan Couture. "My personal opinion is for the bride to bring along their mom and one other person they trust. Otherwise, things can get really confusing really quickly."

Once the wedding dress is chosen, it's time to outfit the women who will stand beside the bride. In recent years, brides have tried to select cocktail party dresses. Deep purples, ocean blues and eggplant continue to be popular in 2010.

And while the bride is certainly the center of attention, the mother of the bride is not far behind. "They are also looking for dresses in rich jewel tones, a far cry from the champagne dresses everyone seemed to be wearing in prior years," explains Zanayed.

A Joyful Occasion Bridal
630.245.8500
www.ajoyfuloccasionbridal.com

Bella Bianca
630.627.4027
www.bellabianca.com

Bri'Zan Couture
630.428.1414
www.brizancouture.com

Catering
Naperville-area caterers have tremendous expertise, not only at serving delicious dishes, but at creating memorable events overall. David Miller, owner of Chef By Request, says his company also coordinates table settings, linens, music and more. "The trend is to try and emulate the cutting edge style of high-end weddings in Chicago," he says. "We are offering selections like smoked duck, lamb carpaccio, and creative side dishes like couscous and polenta."

Modern brides are looking for interesting ways to welcome guests to their receptions, including specialty drinks or themed drinks that set a mood and create conversation. "We're doing a lot of mixology bars with organic juices, flavored vodkas, herbs and sugars," says Miller. "We also try to use unique glassware for an added touch."

The trend in hors d'oeuvres is small: mini plates, baby forks and lots of creative combinations for guests to sample, like mini fruit and cheese flights with dried figs, poached pears and bite sized portions of European cheeses.

Belgio's Catering
630.369.6100
www.belgios.com

Chef By Request
630.493.4300
www.chefbyrequest.com

My Chef Catering
630.717.1167
www.mychef.com

Flowers
Flowers are the ultimate accessory for any wedding, and modern brides want anything but the ordinary. Tulips, peonies, roses and hydrangea are extremely popular right now.

There have never been so many great colors, sizes and varieties of hydrangea available," says Don Phillip, president of Phillip's Flowers. "They are expensive, but provide a lot of coverage due to their size. Often a single flower can be the foundation for a large dramatic arrangement. They remain one of the more classic and romantic garden flowers."

In years past, brides had some sort of color theme, taking them from the church to the reception to the decorations on the limo, but more couples now are avoiding a strict color scheme.

"Well, the "greening of America" is driving decor colors," explains Phillip. "Think of the natural colors with an emphasis on warm tones, reminiscent of the Grand Canyon. Or consider our coastlines with turquoise, sky blues, sands, bleached creams, or sea grass green."

There is also a modest return to the cascading bridal bouquet.

Trends are changing in reception flowers, too. "Previously, folks kept the place card table decorations to a minimum thinking that the guests spend very little time at that place," says Phillip. "Now, with
the cocktail hour becoming more important to entertain the guests while the bride finishes her photos, the idea of a 'show stopper' place card decor has come about. The intent is to start off the wedding experience with a bang with a big dramatic decoration."

Dave's Floral
630.355.2276
www.davesfloral.com

O'Cie Floral
630.420.7475
www.ociefloral.com

Phillip's Flowers
630.719.5200
www.phillips-flowers.com

Cakes
It's tough to channel surf these days without eventually turning on some sort of reality show involving cake shops. For local vendors, this popularity means while couples think they know exactly what they are looking for in the dessert department, many come in with some unrealistic expectations.

"People have a ton of knowledge about wedding cakes right now and have some really creative ideas," says Judy Wechman, owner of Cakes Plus in Naperville. "But they sometimes don't have a real idea as to how much work goes into a cake or how much the cake of their dreams will actually cost."

The trend in wedding cakes right now, is the simpler, the better. Local bakers say that a majority of wedding cakes are going with minimal decorations and cakes stacked on top of one another.

"Tiered cakes are all the rage right now," explains Cris Patolot, chef and owner of French Cakes Patisserie. "I often encourage our couples to offer a different flavor of cake for each tier."

Of course, before ever signing on the bottom line, it's a good idea to sit down for a consultation appointment, and this is one the fiancé won't want to miss. Cakes Plus sets up special tasting appointments with prospective customers three months before the big day.

"Many people might be able to make a pretty cake, but not everyone can make a good tasting cake," explains Wechman.

Of course, as people look to save money on every aspect of the wedding, Naperville's Foiled Cupcakes has become an extremely popular alternative. "Cupcakes are extremely trendy right now," remarks Foiled Cupcakes owner Mari Luangrath. "Besides being more economical, they can also serve as a unique wedding favor, given as a gift to your guests."

Cakes Plus
630.961.1411
www.cakesplususa.com

French Cakes Patisserie 815.436.7331
www.myfrenchcakes.com

Foiled Cupcakes
630.848.9141
www.foiledcupcakes.com

Transportation
And since the key to any wedding is "getting to the church on time," transportation for the special day is extremely important, but trends are changing. "People don't seem to be going toward the big SUV limos anymore, and they are looking for ways to cut costs such as trying to work out one way deals," explains Mike Belgio, owner of Belgio's Chauffeuring in Naperville.

While some newlyweds enjoy riding alone to the reception, many wedding parties celebrate together during that time. Many people love the celebratory atmosphere of Naperville Trolley. The historic fleet offers three-hour wedding packages for $975. "Everyone enjoys ringing the bell and waving to the passersby on the street. It's a real celebration," says Annette Wehrli of Naperville Trolley.

Of course, for the couple looking for something completely different, look no farther than Jim and Becky's Horse and Carriage Service in Peotone. The company furnishes horse drawn carriages for the most romantic of weddings. The spacious carriages can fit six people comfortably.

"There is nothing like the impressive sound and look of the trot of a horse pulling a carriage," says Mansell.

So however you celebrate your wedding and your love, embark on your new life together in style and truly enjoy your distinctive day.

Belgio's Chauffeuring
630.579.8910
www.belgios.net

Naperville Trolley
630.420.2223
www.napervilletrolley.com

Jim and Becky's Horse and Carriage Service
708.534.7600
www.jimandbeckys.com