Simply Stunning

Here Comes the Bride Bride: Angela Petrak Fiance: Paul Kiska Date: Dec. 13, 2003 Let it Snow: "I've always wanted to get married around Christmas,€VbCrLf says Petrak. "It's such a magical time.€VbCrLf Winter Wonderland: Icicle lights will cast a lustrous glow on the reception hall. If you're considering a wedding in December 2004, Petrak suggests buying lights and other festive decorations right after Christmas of this year because they'll be on sale. Dressed in White: The beaming bride will be wearing a simple, traditional gown from Catan's Bridal Plantation in Strongsville. "It's awesome. They have everything there,€VbCrLf says Petrak. Something for Everyone: Each guest will receive a handmade ornament. "In fact,€VbCrLf says the bride, "that's what we're doing for my bachelorette party: going out to dinner and coming back to make ornaments.€VbCrLf The More the Merrier: The wedding party will include 11 bridesmaids dressed in traditional burgundy gowns. Ethnic Eats: "He's Slovak and Italian, and I'm Croatian, so we're having lots of ethnic food,€VbCrLf says Petrak. Hearty dishes such as rigatoni, stuffed cabbage and schnitzel will "make the reception cozy, even though there will be so many people,€VbCrLf she adds. The Honeymoon Can Wait: Petrak and Kiska want to share their first Christmas as husband and wife with their families. So they'll spend the holidays here and leave for St. John's after the New Year.

Who says the East and West sides of Cleveland shall never meet? The Dec. 13 wedding of Angela Petrak and Paul Kiska will take guests from St. Raphael's Church in Bay Village to the Croatian Lodge Party Center in Willoughby. Kiska, a reporter for WEWS NewsChannel 5, is a West Side native, while Petrak grew up in Mentor.

 

There's little chance of anyone getting lost between the ceremony and the reception: With about 500 people expected to attend, guests can form a happy convoy along I-90.

"We said we were going to have a small wedding,€VbCrLf Petrak says with a shrug of her shoulders, "but we have a huge family and a lot of friends.€VbCrLf

Just a few years ago, people close to the couple didn't suspect they'd one day be seeing Petrak and Kiska get married. "We were just really good friends,€VbCrLf Petrak says of the days when the duo both worked for NewsChannel 5. "But then I left for a reporting job with a Fox news station in Lima, Ohio, and that's when we started dating.€VbCrLf

They became engaged last winter, and Petrak decided to move back to Cleveland. Over the past few months, she has been scurrying between the East and West sides of town to try on gowns, pick out flowers and make sure that every detail is just right for their much-anticipated nuptials.

"I bought my dress at Catan's Southern Plantation in Strongsville,€VbCrLf she says. "Gallery of Flowers in Willoughby helped me pick out flowers and coordinate colors for the wedding.€VbCrLf

Recently, she visited Jenniffer and Co., a full-service salon in Mentor, to glean ideas for her wedding-day hair and makeup. "I want to grow out this €˜stack' in back,€VbCrLf she says, lifting up layers of her angular haircut. "I'd like to wear it up for the wedding.€VbCrLf

Hair stylist Jessica Pachay trimmed Petrak's hair in the back to even it up with the front and create a stylish, symmetrical bob. "We kept it sweet and simple, but spiced it up a bit,€VbCrLf Pachay says of the cut. "She should only need to snip the ends a couple of times before her wedding.€VbCrLf

Pachay chose an Aveda enlightener with toning in a golden blonde color that closely resembles Petrak's natural hue. Lowlights along the top of her hair keep the blonde from becoming brassy or overpowering.

üetrak really likes the Aveda products that makeup artist Heather Barnicoat-Slaybaugh selected for her face. "She wanted to focus more on my eyes, so she used a purple eye shadow and black liner, but pale lipstick and blush,€VbCrLf says Petrak. "They're colors I don't normally wear, but they were great.€VbCrLf

No doubt Petrak's bright green eyes will be sparkling as beautifully as the decorations at her wedding reception. "It's a winter wedding, so we're going to have lots of white lights and glitter,€VbCrLf she says. "The hall will be decorated in burgundy, gold and silver. It'll be simple but really beautiful.€VbCrLf

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