| Tuesday, January 16, 2007 |
| Flowers, Fashions And Flowing Chocolate Spark That Wedding Spirit During Bridal Expo |
DECATUR - Debby Sarsany and Dawn Olson know the way to any bride's heart: chocolate.
The line rarely dwindled at the booth of Au-Chocolat, a chocolate fountain rental business co-owned by the two sisters, during Bridal Expo 2007 at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel this weekend.
"Chocolate fountains are huge at weddings because they entertain as well as feed," said Sarsany, next to two fountains oozing with premium Ghiradelli chocolate and caramel. "And we like doing the bridal shows because they have such a target audience."
Hundreds of brides-to-be, along with fiances, family members and friends, meandered through the center Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, stopping at a variety of booths to speak with vendors or sign up for door prizes. Everything a wedding would need was available for viewing at the annual expo, from florists and disc jockey services to tent and carriage ride rentals to reception halls and catering services.
"We try to get everyone in the wedding spirit; January is a good month for that because a lot of people get engaged in December," said Dawn Gates, president of the Bridal Expo and owner of Zip Flowers by the Gates. "It's our hope to give brides some good ideas and give vendors a good lead on weddings."
The booth by Heavenly Delight Cakes caught the eye of Melissa Moeller and Grant Herzberger, who will tie the knot July 7. The two said it was the first expo they had attended and came to get ideas for their summer wedding.
"It's really nice, actually," Moeller said of what the event had to offer.
The style and setup of the expo has many vendors coming back year after year, with more than 60 involved this weekend.
"We really like this one; they meet year-round to take input from the vendors about how to make it better each year," said Ann Lascody, whose booth displayed freeze-dried floral art from Beautiful Keepsakes with co-owner Melinda Sloan. "We get a lot of feedback from this show."
The expo was complete with a daily bridal show, presenting some of the latest trends and dresses from area bridal shops, including Castaways Bridal, Marinæ#161; and Seno Formal Wear.
The show featured song and dance routines by the models, lively and sometimes emotional background music and an array of colors, representing the show's theme, "Bridal Fever." Professionals from Seno make the yearly drive from the Chicago area to choreograph and run the show, said Seno representative Paul Schoneknoll, one of the show's coordinators.
"It's unlike any show," he said. "We love coming down here each year; the people here are just so darn nice."
by COURTNEY KLEMM - H&R Staff Writer
Courtney Klemm can be reached at cklemm@herald-review.com or 421-6968.Labels: events |
posted by All About Home @ 2:51 AM  |
|
 Social bookmark this
![[Social Submit this]](http://www.socialsubmit.com/images/socialsubmit.png "[Social Submit this]")
|
|
|
|
