The Elegant Bridal Guide- Winter/Spring- Issue 22

BRIDAL GUIDE BRIDAL GUIDE

Photo

Lauren

Serving Central Illinois & Indiana

LETTER from the EDITOR

I am so excited to be sharing this issue during our TENTH season and it holds a special place in my heart because it symbolizes a survival story. In the midst of a pandemic, weddings have looked a bit different, but it’s clear we haven’t given up on celebrating LOVE!

I am so eager to present our 22nd issue of the Elegant Bridal Guide! So much labor and love has been poured into this magazine and I couldn’t be more excited to share it with you. I hope every page gives you new ideas and inspiration and provides introduction to the superb wedding pros in this industry.

new FROM THE EDITOR^

Like our past issues we obsessed over every detail to give you the best information to make your wedding planning a little easier and oh so fun too! This issue is filled with content rich articles, encouragement, advice and real local weddings, all to help you plan your big day!

I am absolutely thrilled to introduce editor of this fabulous resource couples with businesses since The Elegant Expo Group, Inc. resource for everything weddings online. From stunning photos access to the wedding professionals planning pages, you can count throughout your entire engagement.

If you haven’t yet booked all of your vendors, you need to start! Don’t miss the return of our annual Winter Bridal Expos. This is our TENTH season and there you will find scores of wedding pros, free samples and show-exclusive deals. Find more information and register for tickets at ElegantBridalExpo.com.

We are so proud to produce the fifteenth edition selection of local wedding providers from all over bridal directory will help guide you towards your

While our bridal guide has grown and evolved over the past ten years, one thing has never changed and that is our commitment to being the best planning resource available. Whether in print, in person at our Bridal Expos or online, we promise to continue to strive to be the premier resource for bringing Central Illinois couples and wedding professionals together.

Please be sure to let these oh-so-wonderful wedding and how you found them. Our business has been success these companies experience with our products the pages of this magazine, an exhibit display at our website, your acknowledgment allows us to continue tools in the area.

Last but certainly not least, please let any wedding professional you talk to and meet with via this magazine or an Elegant Bridal Expo know that we sent you.

Be well, and happy planning!

Congratulations on your engagement, and we wish your journey as you plan this special day.

Warmest wishes for a happy wedding day filled with

Ashley

Ashley Peecher, Publisher & Editor contact@elegantbridalexpo.com www.elegantbridalexpo.com @theelegantbridalexpo

Ashley Plunkett, Publisher & Editor contact@elegantbridalexpo.com www.elegantbridalexpo.com www.facebook.com/theelegantbridalexpo

Warmest wishes for a happy wedding day filled with love!

Memorable Receptions

Barrack's Cater Inn

Ravina on the Lakes

Barrack's Cater Inn

Stoney Creek Inn Gateway Building Five Points Washington

East Port Banquet Center

East Port Banquet Center Packard Plaza Trailside Event Center

Five Points Washington Gateway Building

Venue Chisca

website

full venue

Marlene’s Event Barn

Memorable Receptions

Memorable Receptions

Barrack's Cater Inn

1224 W. Pioneer Parkway, Peoria

Packard Plaza Stoney Creek Inn Trailside Event Center Venue Chisca

Ravina on the Lakes Stoney Creek Inn Gateway Building Five Points Washington

Receptions

Barrack's Cater Inn

Ravina on the Lakes Stoney Creek Inn Gateway Building Five Points Washington

East Port Banquet Center Packard Plaza Trailside Event Center

East Port Banquet Center Packard Plaza Trailside Event Center

Barrack's Cater Inn Ravina on the Lakes Stoney Creek Inn Gateway Building Five Points Washington

Protection for your pride and joy

Visit

Venue Chisca

Venue Chisca

website for a full venue

Visit our website for a full venue

East Port Banquet Center Packard Plaza Trailside Event Center Venue Chisca

For the family

Like a good neighbor,

1224 W. Pioneer Parkway, Peoria

1224 W. Pioneer Parkway,

W. Pioneer Parkway, Peoria

Photo Spot Light

VIVID STUDIOS, INC

Joe & Alissa (7.24.21) Ceremony & Venue: Milford, IL

What can I say about these two? My goodness, apart from being the funniest couple, they were fantastic to hang out with. These two had a great group to celebrate their big day with. Everyone was easygoing and giving each other a hard time, just like I like. The day went off without a hitch. Even though we had to wait a whole extra year for this day to come it was worth all the wait. My favorite part of the day was Alissa’s first look with Joe. He was so happy to see his beautiful bride, his smile was so big!! CONGRATS to the new Mr. + Mrs. Warner!! We loved being a part of your special day! -Holly

A new bridal experience coming to the Peoria area February 2022! Our vision is different from others as this is about a momentous occasion in your life and we are here to celebrate it. Once you have arrived, it is our mission to ensure that your experience is unlike any other and you are able to walk down the aisle in the dress of your dreams!

N. Second Street

IL 61525

book your experience

Photo Spot Light

LAUREN WESTRICH PHOTOGRAPHY

Michaela & Alex Pembrook (9.25.21)

Ceremony & Venue: Walnut Hall Estate in Carrollton, Illinois

Nothing short of a dream! That's how I would describe Michaela and Alex's wedding day at Walnut Hall Estate in Carrollton, Illinois! After meeting and photographing their engagement photos over the summer, I instantly "fell in love with these two!" They are both so laid back, thoughtful, and the way they each look at one another is playful yet, meaningful at the same time. I caught many of these looks from Michaela and Alex on their big day and it just added another level of delight as they said "I Do" to a lifetime of marriage! When I say their wedding day was perfect, I mean all aspects of it really were! The late September weather was warm, but with a cool breeze it was amazing. Walnut Hall Estate is a brand new venue and it was seriously gorgeous! It was my first time shooting there and Michaela and Alex, being the first couple to officially book them as a wedding venue, hyped it up a ton, and there was zero disappointment! This historic property with a three story brick farmhouse made the perfect backdrop for getting ready photos as well as bridal party photos outside. And the new modern white barn reception hall was beautiful and ready to host the large gathering of Michaela and Alex's family and friends, who had come to see these two tie the knot. I definitely hope to be back there soon! Congrats to The Pembrooks!

The perfect gift...

So Chic Boutique has been a Peoria area favorite for gifts and wedding supplies since 2013. The first boutique opened its doors in Morton, and four years later, a second shop was added in Peoria Heights.

Sara O’Shea, the entrepreneur behind both gorgeously curated shops, got her start in the wedding industry as an event planner with So Chic Events, founded in 2007. For 12 years, Sara has been a champion for local business, a powerhouse of ideas and local events, and a curator with a gift for making the shopping and planning experiences feel truly personal.

Now, there is even more on the horizon for So Chic:

Currently, there is a huge divide among couples about how to do their wedding stationery. Many engaged couples opt to go online for invites, but Sara says that personal assistance can’t be beat.

“There are so many little nuances, and until their wedding, many couples have never had a reason to order formal stationery in their lives,” she says. “So having someone who is in stationery and can walk through what you need in your invitations is really helpful, which you can’t get with the online process. People are often surprised that they can get comparable pricing to online with the personal help.”

CUSTOM INVITATION SUITES

So Chic Boutique has offered custom inhouse invitations for 3 years, but just in the past month, they have upped their game, Sara says.

“We have two, full-time graphic designers now so we can offer custom suites at a greater scale,” she says. “The timing is great because while wedding invites are our bread and butter, we can do shower invitations, signage, wedding day details, programs, etc. We can take care of all of it.”

Photography by Kara Kamienski

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WEDDING DAY INVITATIONS + PAPERS

What Sara says she loves most about offering custom invitations in-house is that they can really carry details through your whole wedding. Even if a couple purchased their invitations online or elsewhere, So Chic can still offer wedding day paper for them and match previous designs.

“A lot of the online places that do invites don’t do coordinating wedding day details so we have some brides who just work with us for wedding day paper,” she says.

Sara added that she loves the aesthetics of cohesive details.

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“Seeing those details carried through is something people will notice,” she says. “I think that events of any size, and any budget, should still have all the style and design they deserve.”

This personalized process, and the fact that you can sit down and talk to a live person, is what sets it apart, Sara says.

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Photography by Kara Kamienski

“People are being so much more creative and infusing their personalities in their stationery,” she says. “People are making them so much more personalized, like using a customized monogram or even their dog, to make it about who they are as a couple.”

If you want to work with So Chic to design wedding invitations, 6 months ahead of the big day is the ideal time to get in touch. But don’t panic if your wedding is sooner; shorter turnaround is totally doable. Once your invitations are ready, Sara recommends sending them out 8-10 weeks before your wedding.

Visit thesochicboutique.com to set up an appointment.

THE SO CHIC BOUTIQUE

As a lover of all things wedding, So Chic Boutique first started as an offshoot of Sara’s wedding planning services. Brides-to-be could find reception decorations and wedding essentials at the store, but over time, customers began to request even more gift options for bridesmaids, parents and event hosts.

“It’s still amazing to me how many people don’t know the stores exist and that it’s not just a wedding store,” Sara says. “It’s a full-service experience. We want you to come in and let us help you pick out bridesmaids gifts, hostess gifts, wrap the gifts, and have the whole small business shopping experience. You can still plan a party with us and buy pretty party things, but you can still shop if there’s not a wedding in your future.”

“... we bought a big old post office truck, which I think is so fitting because we’re a stationery store,” Sara

SO CHIC BOUTIQUE MOBILE

So Chic Boutique is hitting the road this summer, and you can soon shop your favorites at local events.

“In May we bought a big old post office truck, which I think is so fitting because we’re a stationery store,” Sara says. “We’re outfitting it to be a mobile boutique. It’s a fun way we can have a presence at all these fun events. It’s like a baby version of our store but it’ll definitely feel like our stores.”

Sara says that as her team became more involved with collaborative events and pop-ups, they needed a way to have a presence at more events. Enter the So Chic Boutique mobile, affectionately known as “Toot Toot.”

You can now spot Toot Toot at events around town so follow So Chic Boutique on Facebook and Instagram and sign up for the newsletter at sochicboutique.com for updates.

A New Shopping Experience

Down the Aisle Bridal Shop is a womanowned business new to Central Illinois. The owner, Rachel O’Kane, chose to locate her business in her hometown of Dunlap, Illinois, with the official GRAND OPENING celebration taking place in March of 2022. They are currently accepting appointments at both the Bridal Expo and through their website.

Body Positivity Movement

The concept for Down the Aisle Bridal Shop is a shopping experience that embraces the body positivity movement. When the owner was asked, “What does body positivity mean?” Her response is clear, “A lot of women struggle with what they perceive to be an imperfection to their appearance. It is my mission to help them express their innate beauty on

their wedding day in a way that allows them to feel comfortable, confident, and beautiful in their gown. Down the Aisle Bridal Shop is welcoming to every bride and every body type!”

Collection of Dresses

They undoubtedly have the most impressive collection of dresses for women with curves, a specialty that is dear to the heart of the owner. “When I found Glamour Plus, I fell in love. Then I was charged with the responsibility of hand-picking gowns that would compliment my bride’s style preferences and positively accentuate their figures. Let me tell you, these dresses are stunning and designed with curves in mind!”

Having come from the corporate retail world, Rachel O’Kane determined that it was also necessary to find a way

the Aisle

Shop is welcoming to every bride and every body type!”

for her business to give back. One of the collections Down the Aisle Bridal Shop carries, Alina Voce, is partnered with the Non-Profit Organization, The Exodus Road. A portion of the cost of every dress purchased is donated to The Exodus Road to help fund missions of rescuing women and children from Human Trafficking around the world.

#MyDressHerRescue

Down the Aisle Bridal Shop is excited to be able to offer dresses in both standard and curvy sizes, ranging from sizes 2-44. They are also proud to share that sample sizes in-store are equally represented, allowing every bride the ability to comfortably try on a variety of styles.

Your Appointment

Are you ready to celebrate this momentous occasion of saying Yes to your dress? Down the Aisle Bridal Shop offers three different appointment experiences. The Classic Bridal Experience is a traditional 90-minute appointment. The Sunday Bridal Experience features a Sunday Brunch themed celebration, where you can gather your bride-tribe at an exclusive private appointment. Lastly, they feature The Ultimate Bridal Experience. This is for the bride that is seeking an unforgettable experience that provides fun and interaction for her guests while also choosing her dream dress.

Book your appointment today at www.downtheaislebridalshop.com

down the aisle in the dress of your dreams!

Beautifully Yours Beauty & Boudoir

• Finished images ready in 7 days with your approval

Album Design proofed and approved by you and printed by all-female Lab employees in Italy, Australia, Canada as well as the US.

• Top of the Line professional printing and creation to provide you with a once-in-a-lifetime experience and delivered by-products that will let you relive the moments and cherish this special time in your life.

of Thrilled

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us for this Luxurious Experience.

Free Consultation with Proprietor via Phone or Zoom.

or Text:

Paul and Roberta Staske, Husband and Wife team for over 25 years.

accredited, All Major Credit Cards accepted, Venmo, Cash App, PayPal.

Cash discount and In House Payment plans available.

Roberta Staske - Happy Hugger

Division of Staske

& Boudoir

Savoy,

bpstaske@gmail.com

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BEATUTIFULLY PHOTOGRAPHED

Beautifully Yours Beauty & Boudoir Savoy, IL

A bridal boudoir shoot is the most perfect wedding gift for your partner because you can truly give yourself to your soulmate in the most beautiful and unique way. It's an amazing journey of pampering and empowering. The day is devoted to you, starting with professional hair and make-up done right in our studio. Your photo shoot with a 35-year professional master photographer that provides guided posing and expression will make you look and feel fabulous! Use your imagination because everything is within your control. Showcase all of your Bridal attire including Rehearsal, Pre-Wedding, Wedding, Reception, Honeymoon night, and Morning Brunch.

Thousands of Thrilled Clients. We'd love for you to be the next one.

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