Step by Step

Bridal shows are an opportunity to learn about what's out there in a personal and unique manner. Vendors showcase the best of their work - and their personalities - at a show. So take the time to see their work and determine whether or not your temperaments are compatible.


Wedding Steps brings together some of Fairfield County's best wedding professionals. Below are a few of the vendors that you'll meet if you go to the bridal expo they are hosting this evening at Chatham Manor.

So back to the title.

Step by step.

That's the way you need to plan your wedding.

Think ahead, collect as much information as you can, and most important ... enjoy the run up to your wedding!

Attend the Wedding Steps Bridal Expo tonight.

                      Aiello Photography

Chatham Manor at 493 Connecticut Avenue in Norwalk, CT.

6 - 8pm

Be one of the first 50 brides and who knows .. you may walk away with a $25,000 wedding!

Effortless Grace

Two things were clear to me after I talked to Rosemary Fanti.

(a) I want to hire her when I renew my wedding vows.

(b) I want to be her when I grow up.

Now for those of you who know me, (b) is a really big statement .. because I'm very happy with who I am.

But Rosemary is just that kind of person.

Beautiful inside and out from what I've gleaned over the past couple of months of following her work. And she would have to be in order to pull off what she does. Which is capture the fluidity and emotion of life's special moments in a few strokes.

I had the greatest time listening to the story of her life. Hearing how her talent was discovered as she painted on any wall she could find as a small girl; about her studies at the American Academy of Art; and her experiences as an Art Director in New York City.

And make no mistake - she brings all of this into play as she celebrates her love of drawing people.

As we talked about how she came to wedding illustration, she laughed and told me she'd been the 'designated artist' at friends' parties for years. It just needed to be taken to the next level.

The chance to go freelance didn't come her way until she answered an ad on Craig's List for a wedding illustrator, however.

That was in 2005.

After that she placed a quarter page ad in Chicago Social Brides magazine, did a few bridal shows, and worked steadily on building momentum.

She still retains her day job as Creative Director for a firm in Chicago, but looks forward to the day when she can give herself over totally to her art.

So what does having an illustrator at your wedding translate into?

"Your average wedding is at least three hours long," Rosemary explains. "In that period of time I usually manage 10-15 illustrations on archival-quality paper. In either charcoal or pastels. Couple's choice."

"There are so many moments worth capturing," she said. "The bride being made up, the groom waiting for the bride, key moments in the ceremony, the reception, speeches, cutting the cake, the bride and groom in the car. It's complementary to photography in so many ways - and really helps capture the essence of the day."

A really nice element to this kind of art is that the couple in question get instant gratification. The drawings are photographed for Rosemary's records ... but the artwork doesn't doesn't go home with her to be mailed out at a later date.

It stays with the couple.

They can take their memories home instantly - and derive pleasure from them forever.

The incredible (and fun) aspect is that none of it is a literal impression.

Rosemary's background in fashion means she fuses all sorts of elements into her drawings. There's a certain amount of stylization that makes the figures look like fashion sketches, but at the same time everything is totally fluid. "I sit somewhere discreet and watch people as they move around a room. It's all about capturing their true spirit."

"People love that," she explained to me. "You hone in on something unique about that person and maximize on it. And everyone looks incredible. It's as far from a caricature or a cartoon as you can get."

While perusing photos for this feature, these drawings caught my eye.

A wedding with a masquerade theme - where guests were masked and the ceremony began at midnight.

Rosemary told me that she has loved every single event that she has covered - because of her passion for learning about people - but this one was an illustrator's dream.

Although Rosemary will travel wherever she is needed to immortalize your special day, she also offers her couples another wonderful service.

Send in a treasured photo after the wedding and she will make a portrait for you.

Ready to find out more?

You know you are.

Contact Rosemary through her website, her Facebook page, or call her up on 815.341.3340

Tell her I said hi!

Inflatable Cheer

Balloons are full of magic.

Ask my four year old about them and that will be the first thing out of her mouth.

Ask my seven year old, and he'll quote Winnie the Pooh and tell you that "nobody can be uncheered with a balloon."

Give a child a balloon and he or she will drag it around the house long after it's stopped serving its purpose. I will say I love doing bridal shows, but dread the weeks that follow; because we are constantly tripping over the balloons that come to live with us (the balloons in the photo are a mere fraction of the number that lived with us for a few weeks in November of last year) and having to resort to making them disappear in the night.

Be that as it may, however, balloons are full of magic.

Colorful and beautiful in their simplicity, they are reminders of happy times. They are also, by nature of their shape, eye-catching. And that is more so today than ever - because there are so many ways to incorporate balloons into décor.

The wedding day is one of the most important days of our life - and we want that day to be memorable. But outfitting a reception hall can be a daunting prospect. Not to mention a costly one.

And that's where today's featured wedding professional comes in.

"You want something you'll remember," Cindy Greenfeld of Party Creations of Connecticut said to me when we talked on the phone a few weeks ago. "Something with personality. We can create décor at any price point. We want to be sure that our services are affordable for you. We are very aware of the challenges of balancing expenses with the need to celebrate joyous milestones. Depend on us to deliver a spectacular event within your budget."

Being a member of the Qualatex Balloon Network means that Cindy is a qualified balloon artist. Promoting the belief that balloons create atmosphere and communicate emotion in a uniquely effective way.


"And they do," she explained. "balloons can transform a room and make it almost a living thing. They can transform the ugliest room into an elegant one, and have become a very popoular way to decorate. Not only do they have the unique ability to fill large areas of space affordably, balloon designs can be downright stylish."

After working in the Pharmaceutical world for over twenty years, Cindy (who has a B.S. in design) went into business for herself. She specializes in creating unique custom balloon décor and deliveries for weddings and other milestone events - with support from her husband Eric and other family members as needed.

She's committed to bringing her clients the newest trends in balloon design by consistently attending educational classes - and by all accounts loves what she does.



"We work with with the highest quality balloons," she says. "They are biodegradable and decompose at the same rate as an oak leaf.

They are made of 100% latex from the bark of rubber trees - which is a natural substance - and can in the most wonderful colors. We also use foil balloons as needed."

Cindy can be reached through her website, or through Facebook. But, honestly, the best way to learn about her and her work is to call her up on 203.740.8233 and set up a consultation.

Hunting For Treasure

If you've never heard of Bronze Budget Bride, allow me to introduce you to Carlise Shepperd - the wonderful woman behind the website and the Facebook page of the same name.

The website is great; choc-a-bloc with fabulous projects and ideas to help the mini budget bride wedding plan a wedding with platinum style.

Last Easter Carlise held her first WedHunt - and she's all set to do it again.

Only this time it's going to be bigger and better.

She's teamed up with some fantastic wedding pros - and there are some great prizes to be won.

You can see some of them in the pictures below.

Milk Tea by bthanari

The October WedHunt will be similar to an offline treasure hunt.

11 rounds, 11 prizes.

Each round will last 15 minutes.

Numbered pumpkins will be hidden among the magazine articles every 10 minutes, starting at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday October 23rd, 2010. This means that a pumpkin will be posted at 1:00, 1:10, 1:20 and so on .... until all the pumpkins are found.

Each pumpkin will correspond to the prize for that round.

Mary Wibis

Once each pumpkin is hidden, a clues will be posted at the top of the page where it currently says October Wed Hunt is Saturday, October 23rd so RSVP today!

Head Full of Feathers

The clues will lead to an article in the magazine/blog - so if you are familiar with the articles then the pumpkins will be much easier to find.

HCC Garters

Favors by Dorinda

When you find the pumpkin in any round you must leave a comment stating the number on that pumpkin - to indicate that you've found it.

That will also let everyone know that it's been found.

Hand-Crafted Creations

Only one prize will be awarded per person to ensure that more than one bride walks away with a prize. However, if you are the first to find 3 pumpkins throughout the Hunt then you'll get the chance to choose between those three prizes.

Anyone can participate on your behalf but the winners must be a member of Bronze Budget Bride and reside in the USA.

So make sure that all your helpers are signed up before the October Wed Hunt starts since they will not be able to leave a comment even if they are the first to find each prize.

$20 GC from Luly Accessories

Will lili lutu be involved?

She sure will.

I'm sponsoring the mystery prize - valued at $250!!

You will need to RSVP for the event - so be sure to do that as soon as you possibly can.

The Hunt starts at 1/12c and ends at 3:00/2:00, and a list of all the winners and the prizes awarded will be posted on Monday, October 31st.

All winners will be notified via email and at that time the winners will be given all the information necessary to claim their prize. Winners' names and contact information will also be sent to the apposite vendors.

Please keep in mind that prizes needing personalization may take at least 4-6 weeks to be shipped out.

Ten23 Custom Decals

All questions should be addressed to BronzeBudgetBride@live.com before the day of the event - so that Carlise can answer them in a timely manner.

Good luck - and have fun!

Catching up with Tracy and Shane

I am sure you remember the first couple I showcased a few weeks ago.

Tracy and Shane.

Less than 30 days to the big day now - and over the past few days Tracy has been emailing me with photos - and progress reports.

Here's what she shared:

What can I say? Its been a crazy summer!

Since we last spoke we've gotten all the girls dresses, finalized Shane's side of the bridal, ordered t-shirts for the ladies, and purchased their shoes (one of their gifts from us). We've set up the account at Menswarehouse and most of the guys have had their fittings. Picked up silk flower arrangements and ordered my bouquet with a local florist for pick up on the big day. Invites are out and waiting the last of the RSVPs.

Churchwise we have completed all but our final session with our Bishop. Have some homework left to complete before the final session with wedding ministry. Still need to make programs and centerpiece ideas are just past the brainstorming stage.

My final dress fitting was PERFECT. My dress size has dropped by two since my engagement session - and held. So no alterations were needed.

Yesterday my Maid of Honor and I finalized the reception menu. picked my walk down the aisle song, coordinated the ladies walk down the aisle, made the final decision on favors, and picked out my cake topper.

Here are the dresses (from David's Bridal) that the Junior Bridesmaids (Tracy's younger sisters) and the bridesmaid will wear. The Junior bridesmaids (left) will wear Regency, the bridesmaid (right) will wear black.

The maid of honor's dress is going to be a surprise - but we did get a photo of her.

Now I don't know about the rest of you, but personally I can't wait to see photos of sweet Jaida (Tracy's little girl) ...

... wearing this beautiful number!

Best of luck to you both!

We'll be touching base one last time before the wedding.

And now it's giveaway time.

Congratulations to K on winning last week's contest.

This week's giveaway is a Swarovski pearl and crystal bracelet - which can be customized in white, cream, black, dark blue, mauve, purple, light grey or brown.

Wear it on your wedding day or gift it to one of your attendants in a color that will match her dress.

Value: $35

Rules remain the same.

Brides only, enter by leaving a comment, and remember to say where you are coming from or who sent you.

Contest closes on Thursday, September 23rd 2010 at 1900 EST - and the winner announced here and on Facebook on Friday, September 24th.

Good luck!