Bridal showcase tries to ease pre-wedding stress

Jenny Schaeffer said that so far, planning for her December wedding has been “both wonderful and awful.”

“I love thinking about the day and all the friends and family who will be with me for it,” the 29-year-old Wheaton resident said. “But there's just so much to do. Sometimes I get really stressed out.”

Schaeffer was among the many brides- and grooms-to-be attending the Bridal Showcase at the Naper Settlement on Saturday in an effort to ease some of their stress.

The showcase, which got under way Friday, brought dozens of vendors to the Naperville site to offer consultations to couples planning their nuptials. Caterers, DJs, bakeries and hotels were among the professional organizations on hand.

“I'm looking at a lot of things — cake ideas, invitations, decorations,” Schaefer said.

Naperville residents Dan Turner and Stacy Mukite, who are getting married in October, said they, too, planned to meet an assortment of vendors at the showcase.

“We want to get as many business cards as we can,” Turner said.

Plainfield resident Stephanie Rock was one of the vendors present. Rock owns Favor the Earth, an online boutique that sells environmentally friendly gifts.

At the showcase, Rock displayed items such as small decorative boxes that could be used for table favors.

“The boxes are embedded with wildflower seeds, so when people are done with the box they can plant the seeds,” Rock said. “Weddings are a new part of my business, but I've gotten a good response today,”

Mike Falco of Lorenzo Formal Wear in Lisle attended the showcase to offer tuxedo tips.

“Vests and long ties are still popular for weddings, but I've noticed more men going for the more traditional look, with the lower button on the jacket and bow ties,” Falco said.

In addition to providing advice to local brides-to-be, the Bridal Showcase serves as a way to showcase the Naper Settlement itself as a wedding site, said Beth VanDeWoestyne, a Naper Settlement rental attendant.

“We think this is a unique for an event like that,” she said. “We have an intimate chapel, and guests would have access to the grounds as well. We hope to make a good impression on people throughout the day.”