|
vendor reviews: decorators
|
Interviewing Mary Bruce, Owner & Designer, Do it in Style
Mary Bruce has an approach to wedding décor design that is all her own. After more than ten years of running her decorating company, Do it in Style, Mary and her staff have transformed countless ceremony and reception spaces with the elegant in-style décor that brides choose her for.
Mary's designs are more about fabric layers, luxurious satin, lighting, subtle accents, detail, and constantly trying something new than they are about fitting into any specific category or trend. She explained her approach only by saying, "I am an expert at my own style... I love clean lines, simple design, and ultimately, a beautiful wedding." What we loved was her excellent reputation and her endless photos of gorgeous weddings. The Ring sat down with this spirited Scottish decorator to find out more about what makes her so popular with local brides. Let us explain...
Personally speaking... Mary Bruce has always had a flair for decorating. "I've always loved decorating, creating beautiful spaces..." In fact, she admits that her own daughter was one of her biggest supporters, giving her the encouragement to take a real step into the business of wedding decorating back in 1998.
Obviously finding her true calling, Mary Bruce has since built a reputation and clientele that keeps her more than a little busy with weddings. With her husband, daughter, and a team of decorating assistants to help her, Mary designs about sixty weddings per season - an average of two weddings per weekend. She has six staff on hand to help with each detail, with assistants for linens, floral design, set-up, tear-down and more.
Another mark of success is Do it in Style's recent status as the preferred decorator for both The Cutten Club and the Delta hotel in Kitchener.
Vanessa, Food & Beverage Manager at The Cutten Club, described Mary as "a wonderful lady who is very professional yet easy to talk with. She's not pushy, has great ideas, is very flexible and has a calming effect in the midst of the craziness of wedding planning!"
About her style, Kate Wight, the Delta Kitchener-Waterloo's Wedding Specialist, tells us, "Mary's style is current and elegant. Do it in Style is flexible and will take the time to source and go out and get a decor item to suit a particular theme for a wedding."
To maintain a successful business, a happy workplace is key. To accomplish this, Mary makes sure to maintain good working relationships with each of her six staff. Mary's husband, Eddie, also works at the office often.
A Do it in Style wedding Hours of planning, painstaking detail, and time goes into each bride and groom's wedding. But for Mary, it's the end result that makes the work worth every moment. A finished wedding space that sparkles... A bride's face that lights up at the sight of her wedding day... These are the moments that best gauge the success of Do it in Style.
"My favourite memory of Do it in Style is when I sat at the head table and looked around. Wow, Mary can really do miracles... I wanted to cry but it would spoil my makeup," Samia Mourtzakis told us. She hired Do it in Style to decorate and provide the centrepieces for her September 13, 2008, wedding. "...Mary understood my vision and my heart stopped when I walked into my hall (the transformation was amazing). She brought an urban contemporary theme to a simple hall with minimal instructions."
Do it in Style offers full ceremony and reception décor. This includes table linens, lighting, backdrops, props, ceiling treatments (also known as canopies), table centrepieces, chair covers with or without accents, ceremony aisle treatments, table and alter décor, entranceway arches, centrepieces and a lot more. Her inventory is huge, her portfolio is impressive, and her eye for elegance is understood.
Do it in Style specializes in chair covers and beautiful organza sashes in various colours - many of them in deep, multidimensional colours that sparkle and add drama to any décor. "I work with a lot of high-end fabrics. This allows me to offer quality and also cater to any colour scheme." If she doesn't have a specific colour, she will find it for you.
A flair for the contemporary While Mary may have her own approach to wedding design, her ideal wedding is one in which a bride comes to her with a vision. She loves anything and everything that could be considered contemporary or a new, fresh idea. While contemporary can mean different things to different people, to many it means clean lines and designs that are simple and elegant.
"You have to stay current and use state-of-the-art materials," says Mary. Not only does this mean keeping on top of current trends and colours, but also finding new ways to decorate. Mary loves to experiment with new props and materials to keep things contemporary.
If a potential client comes to her with a vision that Mary can't be completely enthusiastic about, Mary will point them in the direction of a decorator that is perfect for them. Ultimately, if she can't help or feels that your vision doesn't fit with her style, she's happy to find someone who can help you.
Taking the time... Mary knows first-hand that it's the personal connections, long in-depth consultations, and on-location meetings with her brides and grooms that make the difference. She makes it her job to establish real relationships with each of her couples while planning their wedding design.
With a lovely Scottish accent, a lively and talkative personality, and thousands of ideas to share, it's not uncommon for your initial consultation with Mary to take an hour or more. "I think it's important that when you meet with someone, you get a connection with them. You should have a personal relationships with someone you're going to work with." Mary attributes her reputation and growing popularity to this personal approach.
Your first initial consultation at Do it in Style will be more of a get-to-know-you brainstorming session, in her downtown Kitchener showroom. You will chat and look over the Do it in Style portfolio. This is when Mary will help you pick and choose your wedding design from samples of possibilities and ideas. Her goal is to give you enough ideas to excite you, without giving you so many that you feel overwhelmed.
Advice for your wedding theme Mary, having dealt with many weddings, likes to give brides a bit of advice for choosing their wedding theme and colours. "Think outside the box! Yes, if your maid of honour is wearing green, you should incorporate green as an accent colour, but don’t use it in everything, everywhere. Your maid of honour and bridesmaids will blend in with the décor that way - let them stand out." She continued to tell us that the same thing applies with white. As the bride, you're the focal point of the day, and you can easily get lost in a sea of white linens at your wedding. "Think contrast and what you'd like to focus on when you’re planning your décor."
Advice for your venue To Mary, your choice of venue is one of the most important factors that go into your wedding decorations. Mary Bruce has decorated just about every major hall or wedding space in the K-W/Cambridge area, and she offers different expertise and ideas, depending on where you plan to hold your wedding day. You'll receive great advice on what design elements work best for your venue, and therefore what you should choose for the best overall look. "If you can, work with the hall accents for your décor. It's easier on your budget and will create a nice visual flow." Mary will meet with you on-site at your venue, to help you truly visualize the designs you're talking about as you discuss them. If Mary hasn't decorated a venue, she will always 'scope it out' before the wedding day - just in case. You can never be too careful. Knowing how high the ceilings are and where the beams are situated, are critical to appropriate wedding design.
In touch... Upon booking Do it in Style, you will find that Mary is both accessible and web-savvy. You will be corresponding with her in person, by email, and by phone to take care of the details as the wedding day approaches. It is important to her that you feel comfortable and taken care of in the months leading up to your big day.
When your day has come and gone, Mary Bruce will be in touch with you to follow up on every detail, and to make sure you were happy with the services she provided. "The most exciting part is the end result. Getting their thank you's... Knowing they've enjoyed the work we provided them with." Plus, she just loves to hear a good wedding story!
Booking&Pricing Do it in Style takes on no more than two weddings per weekend in order to give each one the full attention it deserves. Because of this, booking one year in advance is essential in most cases. That said, you are invited to inquire at any time, in case of cancellations.
Mary finds that most of the brides who come to her spend an average of $1500 and up, but she strives to work with most weddings - the smallest wedding budget to date being approximately $800. Her items seem to be competitively priced - with chair covers starting at $2 each. Do it in Style also has chair covers available for rental for those DIY brides, and Mary can give you more information on rates and availability when you contact her.
In other words... "Chris and I wanted to extend our sincerest thanks and gratitude for the incredible work you and your team did for our wedding! Every detail was perfectly set and created a beautiful atmosphere for our reception. You were such a pleasure to work with. Wish you all the best!" - Marina & Chris "We would like to thank you for your service of the chair covers and bows. They looked so lovely at the Grey Silo. And some of our guests thought they were an elegant touch. We couldn't agree more. We wish you continued success and will recommend you to our friends and family in the future." - Jennifer & Jason, April 2008 "...I wanted to send you a little note to once again thank you for all you and your family did to make Jenny and Mike's wedding so special. The decorating was so beautiful and I wish you could have heard all the compliments. Elegant, classy, gorgeous were just a few of the words I heard and the looks on peoples' faces as they walked into the hall said it all. You did an amazing job in making Jenny's dream a reality. And thank you for the lovely gift you left for Jenny and Mike. That was so very thoughtful. Forever grateful." - Lynn, November 2007
Mary Bruce and her staff at Do it in Style can be contacted by phone at 519-579-7918, by email at doitinstyle@sympatico.ca or you can set-up an appointment to meet with Mary in person. Do it in Style also has an extensive portfolio of work, categorized by location and services, found online at www.doitinstyleonline.com. We highly recommend that you take a look!
- The Staff at TheWeddingRing.ca * Prices are all approximate and are subject to change and verification by authorized staff and management of Do it in Style. |
Do it in Style builds reputation & clientele for
their own contemporary approach to wedding design
For more
information...