Oregon Daily Emerald
January 29, 2002
RiDAL Guide
Bridal show woos betrotheds
* ,ding dav personal and unforge«a6,e
Uariefy of vendors offer ways to make a
By Danielle Gillespie
Oregon Daily Emerald
Engaged pairs walked through a
maze of 87 vendors at Sreese Pro
ductions’ fourth annual Emerald
City Bridal Show, held at Lane
County Fairgrounds on Jan. 19-20.
The bridal show provided
couples with an opportunity to
acquire information about cake
decorators, photography, wedding at
tire, floral shops and other wedding ac
cessories provided by businesses in the
surrounding area. Sreese Productions
has produced bridal shows throughout
Oregon for 15 years.
“I am getting married next Christmas,
and I think this is great. They have a lot
to offer, and it is very helpful. The peo
ple here are wonderful and will sit and
talk with you about your questions,” Al
bany resident Carlye Haima said.
Vendors featured at the show, such as
Sweet Home-based Chafin Farm Car
riages, provided brides and grooms with
the option of choosing elegant or West
ern-style carriages for their weddings.
Chafin has wagonettes and hitch wag
ons that can carry from as few as
two passengers to as many as 35.
“All of our carriages are
pulled by Belgian horses
weighing 2,000 pounds
apiece,” owner LaDonna
Chafin said. “We have car
riages for all occasions.”
Out of Hand, located
in Eugene, is a home
based business that de
signs wedding invita
tions. All invitations
are hand-made by
Qlara Regan and
printed from a
laser printer for
distribution.
“I sit down with the bride and groom,
and I have a book that they can look
through for ideas, or they can come to me
with their own,” Regan said. “I encourage
them to show their individuality and pick
what they want.”
Southtowne Bakery makes all its cakes
from scratch and can design them to look
exactly like a drawing or picture a cus
tomer brings in. The cakes are generally
four layers high with three layers of filling.
“We make soy and sugar-free cakes for
those following a diet, and our most popu
lar flavor is chocolate raspberry,” said
Dawn Hills, manager of the Willamette
Street Southtowne.
Southtowne Bakery has three stores
in the Eugene area and one business in
Cottage Grove.
Eugene’s Artistic Photography special
izes in photographing elements within a
wedding that other photographers may
overlook, such as candles, flowers and
rings, to create a more memorable wed
ding day, photographer Mia Baki said.
“Basically, what I try to do at weddings
is capture moments that will show off the
couple’s personality. I try to take pictures
that tell a different story about the day,”
Baki said.
Artistic Photography also provides cou
ples with the option of having black-and
white photographs taken throughout their
wedding day.
Bridal shop Bellamissa, also located in
Eugene, is owned by Bess Noble, who has
20 years’ experience in design, custom
sewing and fitting. Noble works with
brides-to-be on codesigning their own
personal wedding gowns as well as cus
tomizing their veils. Noble designs a
bride’s gown in four fittings and uses silk
and synthetic materials.
“If someone comes in with an idea for
a gown with a picture or drawing, my
wife, Bess, will make it from scratch,”
Barry Noble said. “It is pretty unique.”
E-mail reporter Danielle Gillespie
at daniellegillespie@dailyemerald.com
I
!
Forest nuptials
Couples looking for an outdoor
wedding can choose from many
Eugene-area locations, including
vineyards, riverbanks and lakes.
Page 28
Engagement exams
Couples engaged while
in college add wedding plans
to the list of challenges they
already face.
Page 3B
Global customs
Find out which culture
customarily serves fruitcake
as part of its traditional
wedding reception.
PageBB
Delieloiisiy ever after
The Sweet Life pastry shop
has more than 500 cake
designs from which couples
can choose.
Page 88