Picture a bride at a bridal fair, running haphazardly every which way as she tries to do and see everything that the event has to offer, all the while getting her name down for prize drawings and picking up every free piece of literature available. The stress and sweat of it all is nerve-racking to even imagine, let alone experience.

This is the way Candace Kalasky, a Blair, Neb., native, describes the typical bridal shows available to brides. After experiencing this hectic environment while she was planning her own wedding, Kalasky decided that there was a better way to do it.

The idea that planning your wedding can be different than the craziness described above is one that is fairly new. Though people have been planning elaborate, stressful weddings for years, the wedding business has evolved from the traditional idea of dresses, venues and vows to incorporating more creative and unique aspects into a wedding. Brides, and the rest of their wedding parties, still buy bridesmaids dresses and establish general themes and colors of the wedding. It is how the brides make their vision come to life that has drastically changed with wedding planners, extravagant bridal shows and personal stylists. Many of the changes within the wedding industry are occurring locally, specifically in Omaha. So are the wedding planners, extravagant bridal shows and personal stylists the new or old way? That’s confusing.

Kalasky, who lives in Omaha with her husband, has made a career out of her sense and skill for planning weddings. Kalasky started her business, Lovestru.ck Weddings and Events in 2010, and is the Lead Consultant and Design Specialist there. Don’t capitalize titles after names.

This company, which launched its first Lovestru.ck Event this past September, is one that was developed by three former brides who found themselves overwhelmed by the traditional bridal show experience and wanted to create a different atmosphere for brides.

“My business allows me to be creative while exercising my left brain problem solving skills,” Kalasky said. “I love meeting newly engaged couples and having the opportunity to learn about their love story and getting to know their families.”

Kalasky’s business, which is also run with Omaha residents Lesley Pick and Megan Hunt, focuses on getting “up close and personal” with a wedding. This includes having brides look at stationery in person, sample food and drink options and see dresses. Unlike traditional fairs, the Lovestru.ck Event puts weddings in an extremely tangible form. Instead of laying out catalogs with out-of-the-box ideas and items brides could incorporate into their wedding, Lovestru.ck provides real examples that brides can truly envision for their big day. The goal is to leave the bride feeling “inspired, energized and confident that you can plan your perfect wedding without sacrificing style or your budget.”

“As former brides ourselves, we knew that the experience of the traditional wedding fair left us deflated, exhausted and overwhelmed,” Kalasky said. “When the three of us met, we saw the opportunity to bring the unexpected to Midwest wedding culture by hosting a bridal fair unlike any other.”

Kalasky enjoys working with brides and making the wedding planning process easier for them. She also enjoys the added bonus of getting to look at the finished product and having a sense of pride with the final outcome of the event.

“We bring in some amazing businesses run by genuine people, so I love seeing all of them work together in one place,” Kalasky said. “I also love to hear all of the feedback from brides.”

These reactions have been appreciative, and have led to discussion of what is next for the Lovestru.ck Weddings and Events company.

“The brides really responded to this new bridal show format,” Kalasky said. “The attendees loved the quality of vendors we had. We’re currently planning another event, and we’re hoping to find a venue that can accommodate more vendors and brides and couples.”

Described as “Omaha’s first wedding show created for the modern couple,” it provides many services to brides, their grooms and their families that not all fairs do. One specific aspect of the Lovestru.ck Event that makes it unique is the incorporation of different individuals and companies who cater to brides and the wedding industry, including personal stylists.

Unlike traditional fairs that present magazines of companies and allow brides to glance through them, this event shows multiple directions in which a bride can go with her wedding, with stylists present to show the bride exactly what can be done.

One such personal stylist who was brought into this event is Natalie Navis, a personal stylist from the Omaha area. She described the Lovestru.ck Event as “a truly magical, memorable day – just like a Pinterest board came to life.”

Though her passion lies in everything to do with personal styling, Navis spends her days working full-time as an attorney. A 2006 Creighton University graduate and English major, Navis moved on to law school after graduation.

“I really enjoyed the creativity inherently involved in my literature studies and so transitioning right into law school after graduation was a bit of a shock,” Navis said. “But I made it through and am in my fourth year as an attorney now. About a year and a half ago, I decided that I really needed to pursue my passion and started to channel my love of fashion and writing into my blog and styling business. Ever since then, I’ve been working on both jobs, and hoping that I can streamline my passion and my career sooner rather than later.”

To be successful in personal styling, Navis relies on more than just a passion for fashion. She also follows a specific process for each job.

“There are three main categories of styling I provide: wedding styling, personal styling, and editorial styling,” Navis said. “The process with each is different, but I always start by taking the time to get to know my clients in terms of what their hopes are for their styling project … and focusing on what inspires them style-wise.”

When starting a job, Navis begins with research, which includes looking at stores the client shops at online, looking through magazines and blogs and even going on the popular pin board website, Pinterest.

“This initial process can take a lot of time, but is probably the most important part of styling in that it gives me a strong sense of direction of where I want to go with the styling,” Navis said. “The client can be as involved or as uninvolved as they want to be, but as a stylist my job is to bring the look of their dreams to life.”

To make their visions a reality, Navis takes her clients to local stores as well as national chain stores. Two of the consistent stores that she frequents with brides are Ann Taylor and Banana Republic. According to Navis, each store provides a different aspect of the styling, including accessories and gowns.

Navis’ typical clients are those who already have an interest in fashion, but just need a little guidance or information on how to style for themselves. She believes that if a bride takes the time to hire a personal stylist for their wedding, she not only has  not that interest but an interest in “expressing a specific and identifiable style”.

“That’s why I love working with the clients I do,” Navis said. “They understand that styling choices carry significance and can truly make a difference.”

Even though personal styling for everyday life and styling for a wedding can be similar, there are a few key differences, including that styling for a wedding could include styling for an entire wedding party, not just one person, or even styling for engagement photos.

“There is a lot of more pressure involved in styling for your wedding day than for your everyday life because you only have one chance to get it right, but that’s what I’m for —  to help you make decisions and feel confident about your wedding style so you can focus on the million other things you have to do to get ready for your big day,” Navis said.

In addition to personal stylists, on the vendor side of the Lovestru.ck Event are many contributors, including Lesley Peterson, founder and owner of Inclosed Studio in Omaha. Originally from Omaha, Peterson, a 2004 graduate of the University of Arizona, Peterson, like Navis, has a passion that drives her to do the work that she does, which drove her to the career she has today.

“My girlfriends were getting engaged when I moved back home after college, [and] they asked me to design their invites after they could not find what they were looking for themselves,” Peterson said. “I agreed and started researching invite etiquette, printers in Omaha and paper suppliers. Once I completed the final products, word of mouth spread and quickly found a market for custom invites in the Omaha area.”

Inclosed, which caters to anyone in the market for personalized stationery items, prints invitations, as well as holiday cards, greeting cards and, new this year, holiday coasters and gift tags. For weddings specifically, they not only design invitations, but also what they call “day of” stationery, including programs, table numbers and menus.

“We design invitations that are totally unique and different; we can print on handmade scented paper, or handmade glitter paper, we can letterpress in a variety of colors, including neon inks, or can put gold edge painting on invites,” Peterson said. “We love what we do, every minute of the day, and it shows through out work and couples.”

With so many resources available to plan a wedding, there are specific aspects of using a stylist or attending a unique event like the Lovestru.ck Event that can make any wedding unique. Each wedding planning aspect also has unique results, making the jobs of those involved all the more special.

“My favorite part is seeing everything come together in the end and the excitement and confidence that my client feels,” Navis said. “That ‘this is me’ moment, when the styling choices really reflect their own personal style and the client feels totally confident and comfortable in their look.”

Kalasky, who says the Lovestru.ck Event aims “to create an intimate atmosphere so brides can connect with vendors who really go above and beyond,” believes that it provides attention to detail that isn’t found in traditional wedding shows.

One such example is the vendors.

“We hand pick our vendors, so only the best of the best are showcased,” Kalasky said. “We also work really hard to create an intimate environment for couples to interact with vendors. Choosing quality vendors you can trust is the most important part of planning your wedding.”

If out-of-the-box, new and exciting ideas are used to plan a wedding, it can not only make the process a lot simpler, but can be also more congruent to a bride’s personal style.

“Be organized, have a great deal of patience, and to have fun!” Peterson said. “I think a lot of brides see hundreds of cool things to do on Pinterest, or bridal blogs, but I think the most important part is to come up with one theme and than figure out how to make that one idea unique.”