Having the wedding you've always dreamed of is something that Wendy Bennewies, Owner of Devine Wedding Design, believes every couple deserves. So, whether you're planning a small, intimate wedding or a large, grand affair, Wendy has made it her mission to turn your wedding dreams into a reality. Devine Wedding Design carries everything from backdrops, ceiling drapery and centrepieces to the smaller details such as envelope containers, linens and chair covers that fit into a long list of colour schemes, styles and themes.

Wendy knows that creating a day that measures up to the vision you've had in your mind since you said "I will!", isn't always easy. That's why her company doesn't just rent décor, they supply the expertise and staff required to pull it all together from helping you choose the right pieces to complete set-up and tear-down. This leaves the bride and groom to relax and enjoy their day.

We sat down with this decorator to find out how and why (aside from incredible prices, popularity and experience) she's won the hearts of so many brides...

Personally speaking...

Wendy started out in the decorating business by working for her aunt in a special occasions company. With styles changing she took on a partnership. In February of 2007, she took a leap, venturing into the world of weddings on her own, opening Devine Wedding Design in Mitchell. Between the two companies, Wendy has been designing weddings for nine years. And since that world of design is constantly changing, Wendy says that she's always learning something new - whether it's on her own or through continued education.

She is also the chairperson for the Stratford Bridal Expo, a show put on every February and November. "Being a chairperson is like coordinating a large event, ensuring all aspects of the wedding world are available for the couples to view, offering selection and choices and making sure everyone leaves with a better understanding of how they are going to attain the wedding of their dreams," Wendy told us.

Among her repertoire of special occasion décor is decorating for corporate functions, store windows, home, business, and seasonal décor.

To keep up with the busy and continually growing wedding seasons at Devine Wedding Design, Wendy has added new decorating designers to the team. "Emily and Joan have many years in the service industry and have exquisite style and designs that will keep us unique to the decorating industry, and our youngest designer Sarah will introduce the new innovative styles and trends for our modern brides” says Wendy.

In fact, Wendy has become so in demand in the past few years that she has worked with brides all over Southwestern Ontario- including London, KW, South Huron, Kincardine and all areas in between.

With so much experience and so many weddings under her belt, Wendy says she still loves what she does and her favourite part is "meeting new people, and the excitement of brides." And to ensure that each bride feels this excitement, she continually asks herself, "Are they going to love it?" Wendy is so enthusiastic and passionate about what she does that she says she does everything in her power to make sure each bride is happy with the outcome of their personal design.

Cassandra Hahn was certainly one such bride who was very happy with the reception décor that Wendy did for her wedding. "Wendy is there for you and your big day," Cassandra told us. "You are number one on her mind when you are with her. She makes you feel at ease when you have to make decisions on things you never even imagined would come up." She adds that Devine Wedding Design's style can range from contemporary to traditional, and whatever you're looking for. "As soon as you start telling Wendy your ideas, she just makes the rest come together! If there is something you would like, she will get it for you."

Beauty for the bride

Since Wendy and her design team subscribes to the attitude that wedding planning should be fun and exciting, and not stressful, she says she is very easy going with what couples want and likes to lend a hand wherever she can. That's why she offers more than just décor rentals - when you hire Wendy and her team, you not only choose items to decorate your day with, you also hire them to completely set-up and tear-down those items, taking the pressure off you. Wendy will even go so far as to help out with coordinating other items and services, when possible. "We love to create the atmosphere the couple has envisioned their wedding day to be," says Wendy. "That way we will be guaranteed that the bride will have no décor stress on her wedding day."

It's their extreme attention to the detail that sets them apart in the industry – helping couples with the little things they don't think of or may have missed. "We ensure all that those things are complete," says Wendy. "Applying favours, seating plans, head table or registry decorations… if there is something that looks incomplete, we feel it is our job to ensure every detail is finished. We get to know all of our brides personally to ensure their own style, design and overall ambiance is complete."

Wendy says she helps brides and grooms in various ways, from working with them to collectively create ideas, to recommending another service for them if she's not the best person for that particular task. Most of all, though, Wendy says she's willing, and able, to create any wedding ambiance a couple has envisioned for their wedding day - from small and intimate to large and lavish - with endless possibilities for unique ideas and themes.

Erin and Andre Schuler hired Devine Wedding Design to decorate their reception, including providing amazing lighting, a lounge area for guests to enjoy and all of their linens. Erin remembers, "After talking with Wendy in person we were really impressed with her ideas and also how open she was to ALL of ours. It was one of the easiest parts of planning our wedding. She always made us feel at ease and on the days leading up to the wedding, she had everything organized and ready to set up. On the wedding day we didn't have any worries about how the venue would look."

Wendy says that she has enjoyed each wedding she has decorated because they have all been unique. Custom designing each wedding making it unique to each and every couple is our goal. We don’t want to leave thinking we had done this before.

Wendy also keeps up with trends in the industry and has started to bring in the outdoors, as is shown in her online gallery, with bling and crystal accenting, vintage flair and rustic country are the most popular requests for the 2013/14 seasons. Wendy has all the items needed to complete all of these looks. She says she also makes sure she offers the newest trends in patterns like damask, and colours like purples, greens, black and metallics, for linens and chair covers that more and more couples inquire about. Wendy takes a theme and runs with it, or follows a trend that you love.

For the 2013 season, Wendy is offering an even larger selection of runners and linens in a variety of colours, textures and patterns. With so many choices, brides can easily see their wedding day vision come to life.

One of our favourite things that Wendy offers is a line of elite ceiling draperies and backdrops that are in line with the season's décor trends. "Our designer product lines have increased and with a designing team building new unique backdrops and ceiling draperies there will be new styles to suit every couple's style and budgets," says Wendy. "We haven’t increased pricing and want to ensure brides the best service in this area for decorating."

Packages

Devine Wedding Design is set to fit into just about any budget. Wendy makes it easy to love her company. She says she can customize any package to fit any wedding - and with a changing economy, Wendy says she's aware that "everyone wants the best value for their dollars. Since Devine Wedding Design is a home-based business, I can bring value and personalized service, and keep pricing realistic for every wedding budget."

Cassandra, who has been recommending Wendy to all of her engaged friends, told us that she was completely satisfied with Devine Wedding Design's prices. "I was actually expecting it to be a lot more than what it was," she says. "Wendy's pricing is great, very reasonable, and fair, which helped to make our big day a huge success."

Each package requires a deposit to book, a valid credit card number will be needed for the damage deposit, which will not be billed if there is no damage

The most popular package at Devine Wedding Design is Elite Elegance, which Wendy's website says, "Totally transforms the atmosphere satisfying your unique decorating dreams." True traditions and beautiful beginnings are also predesigned packages but with all of the packages we are able to customize them to suit every couple's individual needs. These package outlines are available on the website and show the general estimation of price and item choices. All pricing include set-up and take down of the décor.

"Elegant and budget friendly" is how Jennifer Shelley described Devine Wedding Design, who decorated her ceremony and reception. "Wendy's price was right around where I needed it to be and she even put some extra things in that I had no idea she was doing." She adds that that was one of the great things about Wendy – "she gets to know your personality and makes sure that you get everything you need or want."

In addition to packages, Devine Wedding Design also has an abundance of individual items for rental, such as entranceway decorations (iron arbours, a black iron gate and coach lanterns, among others). There are also many unique backdrops like the Black Iron Victorian Park, the Victorian Arbour and the Brown Shakespearian Gate. More 'extras' include designer centrepieces, wedding invitations at 20% off (when booking a package), customized bouquets and boutonnières, a unique selection of wedding party gifts, memorial candles and sand ceremony items.

Devine Wedding Design is now offering a DIY décor package. With the Do It yourself bride in mind we are adding a new addition to the décor family. Adding Décor packages for the bride who likes to take charge and do things herself. With 3 creative packages to select from you will be sure to find one that suits your desired look and style. Wendy’s team will drop off your selected package to your venue including everything you will need to complete your décor and will pick it up after the event is over leaving only minimal clean up.

Smaller packages, designed to provide specific elements, are also available - such as head, cake, gift and registry table décor, or a four-panel ceiling canopy.

Wendy's list is plenty and the possibilities for uniqueness are endless. As the website says, Devine Wedding Design offers "Devine designs with you in mind."

Walking you through your wedding with Wendy

Wendy recommends booking as early as possible, but usually six to nine months in advance is adequate to ensure you get the items you want, though she can do last minute weddings if she and the items are available. Call Wendy for an appointment for your free consultation, you can either meet her at her home design studio or at her studio in St. Marys located in Simply Sew 97 Queen street, to discuss your desires and budget. Wendy always meets her couples herself, saying, "I want my bride to be assured that everything will be completed as discussed over past visits together. Everything is updated with a copy of changes sent to the bride to ensure everyone is compliant." After your preliminary meeting, Wendy will email you a copy of what you talked about and a quote, but she specifies that there's no pressure or obligation to book her at this time.

When Cassandra first met Wendy, she found her to be funny, friendly and outgoing and was "hooked" after just one meeting with her, telling us that she knew Wendy was the one she wanted to work with for such an important part of her big day. She also liked that Wendy had "albums of weddings she had done. She let you see what exactly different options looked like on someone's big day. It was helpful compared to imagining what it might look like. I also liked that she has her house set-up displaying a lot of her items available. It helped to see things in front of you rather than in a catalogue."

After a couple has confirmed booking with Wendy, the more detailed process begins. Some brides would like help planning other aspects of their wedding, for example, coordinating tents, tables, chairs and dinnerware. These are services Wendy coordinates as a thank you for choosing her company for their wedding.

Wendy did all of the décor for Jaclyn Pol's wedding from the church to the reception, including the photo corner, backdrop, head table, centrepieces, and more. She told us that she and her mom agreed after their first consultation with Wendy that they liked her so much they wanted to invite her to the wedding. On advice to other couples looking for a decorator, Jaclyn said to look no further than Devine Wedding Design. "Wendy is great, she is friendly, accommodating and she has all different looks and styles to choose from to fit every bride's tastes."

Some brides envision things easily and others actually need to see and touch their desired options. For instance, centrepieces can vary in style infinitely. Wendy has a large selection of containers in a range of sizes and will work with flowers, beads, sprigs and twigs (among other items) to create a centrepiece that will complete your desired look. "Our signature centerpieces are all customized and cater to specific colour schemes, themes and unique situations," Wendy told us.

With the belief that time is valuable, Wendy always strives to provide quick replies to her clients' questions. 'Whether it is a service I offer, or a direction I can send them with a different service, I am here to help," she told us.

Wendy's friendly and personable nature was what Cassandra liked best about her. "I could call her anytime, email her any day, and she would be on the phone returning the call, or responding to the email within the hour. She was great at communicating with her clients. You felt like you were friends with her, and that she wasn't just your Wedding Decorator."

Erin and Andre Schuler remember their favourite memory of working with the Devine Wedding Design team, "We were dropping a few items off at our venue two days before the wedding and the Devine crew were there setting up. The room already looked incredible with the lights that were up and we were able to enjoy a moment from the outside of the building looking in on the romantic lighting. I think that was the moment I really relaxed and realized that all the vendors we had chosen were professionals and we had nothing to worry about."

Details, details, details

• It's recommended to book Devine Wedding Design for your wedding décor 6 to 9 months (or more) ahead of your wedding date to ensure the best product selection. Of course, last minute requests are accepted and Wendy will do her best to accommodate you!
• A non-refundable deposit is due at booking to save your date. Devine Wedding Design now accepts credit and debit card payments, cash, check and email money transfers after the wedding. 
• The remainder of your package or item amount is due 3 weeks before the wedding day.
• Wendy takes care of the set-up and take-down of your wedding décor, so you don't have to worry about bringing the items back the day after your wedding.

In other words...

"Thank You to you and your wonderful team, the hall looked absolutely amazing" - Christine

"We wanted to give you a huge thank you for making our wedding absolutely beautiful. We honestly could not have asked for more – it was amazing. We got a ton of comments that night and I am going to be sure to make sure all our engaged friends know your name! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" - Katie and Chuck

"I wanted to say a BIG thanks for making our wedding day look perfect! We had received so many lovely compliments from guests about how beautiful the room looked. You and you helpers did and amazing job. I will definitely recommend Devine Wedding Design to and newly engaged bride. Thank a bunch" - Kim and Shawn

"It has been a pleasure working with you over the last few months. Thanks for all you time and effort in making our wedding day special. The decorations were amazing!" - Barb

"Thank you so much for everything you did for our wedding. We loved the hall, it looked beautiful. Everyone was saying you did a wonderful job. Thanks!" - Kari and Mark

"Wendy and Decorating Team, Please know that the VERY hard work of your team and yourself did not go unnoticed and you completed the hall and made it so perfect! You helped to keep me calm in my one and only minor wedding crisis and worked so well under pressure. The compliments were unending. The ceiling décor was BREATHTAKING! The hall was unreal! The table cloths were my FAVOURITE! You are SO FREAKEN talented! You should be so proud of all the amazing work that you do and know that you are such a hardworking and UNBELIEVABLE person!" - Ashley

"I (we) can't thank you enough for the beautiful hall decorating. It really was breathtaking. You have a huge responsibility, but definitely the right person for the job. Even Mike said that, 'Yeah, maybe colours and detail are important.'" - Dale & Mike

"THANK YOU so much! Your ideas, experience and positive attitude were amazing! We appreciate you 'customizing' our package, taking care of everything and especially for setting up and taking things down. I'm sure it would have taken us days to figure out what you had done in only a couple hours! Everyone at the reception gave us compliments on our decorations and one woman even said it was the best decorated wedding that she had ever been to! We'd hire you for any event! Thank you!" - Jenn & John