The first time that we visited the Now & Always showroom, Cindy Hefferan had dozens of candles and lanterns lit, all of her twinkle lights were sparkling throughout the room, and her portfolio was arranged to showcase a large collection of events she's decorates. Cindy does this for every client because it introduces them to the Now & Always style of decorating. It also hints at what's to come for the bride and groom, should they hire Cindy to create a mood for their reception. What all of this really says to us, though, is that Cindy cares about presentation and details.

With certification in fresh floral and wedding design, eleven years of experience in decorating, unique organza overlays for tables, a wonderful inventory to spark your ideas (she carries everything from snowflakes to chair covers, and more!), and the commitment to making each wedding different, Now & Always has earned the right to be one of the area's top decorating experts. As Now & Always enters their fourteenth year serving local brides, this season is proving to be their busiest year on record. And we think we know why. Let us explain…

Where the designs are born

Working out of Paris, Ontario, Cindy is relaxed, not at all pushy, and she gets enthusiastic the minute she starts to talk about decorating weddings! Because Cindy also comes from (and has always worked out of) a small town, we've started to wonder if all artistic people start out in towns like these...

The Now & Always showroom is a quaint, cozy room filled with candles, topiaries, centrepieces, chair covers, seating charts, fabrics, candelabras, a wrought iron gazebo, gates, lanterns and arches, decorated tables, hurricane lamps everywhere, and even an altar for ceremonies that don't take place in a church or chapel setting.

Designing is in the blood

The philosophy that Cindy adopted from her parents when growing up was, 'if you're going to do anything, you should do it right'. With a father who is a carpenter, a mother who is a seamstress, and with Cindy's own ten years of experience as a professional floral designer, it is obvious that design and attention to detail must run in the family. Cindy says that each detail should not only look good from far away, but should also look great up close.

Stefanie Knight told us that Cindy and her team were extremely easy to work with when Now & Always decorated her September 2009 wedding reception. "Cindy was always very efficient in responding to my emails and phone inquires," she told us. "She was very knowledgeable and was able to offer suggestions for decorating to give [my wedding] that extra special touch, and she was always willing to work with my schedule."

Cindy says that brides who visit her aren't looking for the "fluff and puff", they are looking to "achieve a breathtaking wedding that is both unique and elegant." Now & Always does just that by using fabrics in white and ivory with hits of colour accents, twinkle lights, candles, chair covers, and an array of different florals and greenery that seem to perfectly add a hint of Mother Nature to the beauty of a wedding.

Classic, elegant and contemporary was just what Rachel Girardi got for all of her December 2009 wedding décor with Now & Always. She told us that she loved how Cindy’s options were “creative and didn’t have to be the typical ‘fluffy’ wedding.”

Charlotte Schoenfeld booked Now & Always to decorate her 'Winter Wonderland' wedding because of their reputation for being very professional and doing a great job while still being affordable. She told us that the ceiling treatment they did for her was gorgeous, and working with Cindy was wonderful. "I felt she knew exactly what we wanted and was able to provide everything we were looking for."

Keeping up, staying on top

What sets the designs of Now & Always apart from the rest is Cindy's background and experience. With a start as a floral designer, she can take her knowledge and translate it to flowers and beyond to make over-the-top wedding atmospheres. She takes the well-respected 'Flowers Canada Wedding Trends' course each year, and has trained with, and from the best, such as Patzee of Patzee's floral in London - a widely recognized expert.

Although fresh flowers and bouquets are available, Cindy has a selection of intricate floral arrangements to offer, all that have been designed and crafted by her, using roses, calla lilies, and tons of different shades and types of greens. A popular request for weddings is the Now & Always chair covers that are all locally hand-crafted. The covers come in more colours than ever - white, ivory, chocolate brown, black, and more with some options for accents, including sashes, kimono sashes, glittery bands and flowers, but are virtually limitless. These still remain one of the most popular items because they instantly update your hall. “I still work with jewels to add sparkle to the wedding décor as well. Brides love bling!”

Another big part of the Now & Always inventory is linens. “Brides love linens,” says Cindy. She has expanded her linen selection for 2012, with countless types, styles, textures, patterns and colour choices. Working with brides and their overall theme, linens of various textures often get paired and layered across tables and over backdrops to create a stunning, unique look that ties in perfectly with the rest of the day.

Given enough notice, Cindy can special order additional linens in for you as well. If you’re looking for something super rare, linens can be custom made just for your wedding. if you can’t find what you want in her stock. She can also have custom fabrics and linens made for you.

When Kathryn Hart met with Cindy to discuss the décor for her October 2009 wedding reception, she felt that Cindy was personable, friendly, and felt she was excited to work with Kathryn and her fiancé. "I felt like she was able to see what we wanted right away," she told us. "I also felt comfortable trusting her the day of the wedding…"

Cindy knows that to keep up with brides she can't just stock up on decorations and call it a day, so this decorator makes weekly quests for something new, beautiful or different. "I'm always looking for something new so that I can have exciting ideas for my brides," says Cindy. It's never 'what you see is what you get' with Now & Always... it's always more!

The designing process

Seventy percent of the couples who come to Now & Always are looking for guidance and ideas, selecting all of their options from what has been pre-designed and made available for them - adding a few twists, here and there. "The other thirty percent of my couples come with really great ideas all of their own. We get to work together to develop a look and feel that incorporates what they have designed in their heads, and what I can design with my hands," says Cindy. "It gives me a wonderful chance to do something unique while adding to the inventory of ideas and products that I can offer future brides."

Stefanie says that she went to Now & Always already knowing what she was looking for, and Cindy showed her and her fiancé décor that suited their style. "Our aim was to have a warm, elegant feel to our wedding, and the decorating complemented our style perfectly."

In Chantelle Wilson’s case, her July 2010 wedding’s décor was a combined creative effort of the bride, groom, and Cindy. “Cindy [was] open to our ideas, while offering her suggestions to make the decor modern and unique,” Chantelle told The Ring. Since Chatelle and her groom had hired Now & Always for everything from her gift table and entrance to table and centrepieces throughout the entire hall, they appreciated that Cindy was flexible with meeting times and was able to make herself available when she was needed.

Cindy limits the number of weddings that she books each weekend to three, depending on the size. If the event is on a larger scale, she may only take one, so she recommends booking as soon as you know you want her as your decorator. In an initial meeting with new clients, Cindy sits down with them, goes through the photo album of previous weddings she has done, and talks about what they see for the big picture. They can talk about chair covers, ceiling drapes, how to use colour, where to use it and when, and about a thousand other things. Then, when all ideas and options are on the table, they get to work designing a wedding!

Mother of the Bride (twice!) Becky describes Cindy's style as "Elegant, tasteful and refined". Cindy was hired to decorate both of her daughters' weddings and says she couldn't be happier with both. "Our daughters were married nine months apart. The décor for the first was black, silver and crystal. Following the ceremony my husband and I walked into the venue and were stunned by the absolute elegance of the décor, it was everything our daughter had dreamed of...that was my favorite moment!"

Becky continues, "Our youngest daughter's wedding was large and overwhelming and I was very worried about how we would turn a community centre into a beautiful wedding venue. Cindy was confident we could do this and reassured me that all would be well. The best compliments of the night came from local people who had been to many weddings at this community centre...they were astounded by the transformation."

From the first time Rachel met Cindy, she could tell that Cindy was genuinely excited to work on her wedding. “Cindy took hold of the ‘feel’ that we wanted for our day and ran with it… she not only had the decorating options we wanted, but when she didn’t have what we needed she made the effort to find it.” She adds that Cindy was professional and knowledgeable about wedding décor. “Cindy took all of the things I wanted out of the décor of my wedding and made them a reality. Her ability to think of the little details and go above and beyond my requests helped make my day so much more than I had expected.”

While Cindy has a trusted team of people to help her execute her designs, she still personally makes sure that every event meets and exceeds her expectations. She inspects every decorating job that Now & Always undertakes to make sure you will be satisfied.

Cindy usually starts with the centrepieces - the focal point that makes the whole room flow - and then works from there. You can take one tiny inspiration (a favourite flower or colour, a mood you'd like to create) and Cindy uses this as a basis for her entire design. She can answer just about any design or floral questions and tie it all together with her past experience and knowledge. If you ask her what looks great with Lisianthus... she'll know what you're talking about and give you tons of great ideas! With Cindy's experience and training she can custom design each wedding for your specific tastes.

Kathryn feels that Cindy would be able to decorate in any style a bride was looking for. "I saw the simplest events… and some pretty outrageous ideas, [both] done elegantly," she says. Summing up her experience with Now & Always, Kathryn says it was "Fun, affordable, friendly, and Cindy was willing to work with any budget and idea." She adds that Now & Always offers a wide range of colours, linens, chair covers and room décor.

Breaking it down for brides

For brides who want decorations but don't want to be overwhelmed by having to choose every detail, Cindy has three packages to guide you through the basics of what you could design for your wedding day, with prices starting at $600. Cindy says, "The English Garden is a package that creates enough ambiance to enhance a wedding reception with gentle romantic touches, and it's great because it can fit into any budget." The Renaissance package, according to Cindy, creates an elegant display at a reception site, dresses up each of your guests' tables, and also gives you accents for the church. Last but not least is the Now & Always Classic Elegance package. "This is our most popular package," says Cindy. "It gives a couple a generous taste of everything that I have to offer, from ceiling to floor, pew to altar. I love this package because it lavishes a wedding with beautiful details that only Now & Always can offer."

Rachel felt that Now & Always was worth every penny. Even her fiancé, who didn’t understand why they needed a decorator, agreed and said that Cindy’s work “added something to our wedding that we could never have done without her and her team.

Chantelle agreed, “The prices were very reasonable and the quality of the décor was beyond our expectations… Worth every penny!”

Stefanie says you pay for what you get, “and I wanted a professional with expertise, and was willing to pay for it." She adds that she gave Cindy her budget and Cindy was able to come up with decorations that suited her ideas. Stefanie would, without a doubt, recommend Now & Always to couples who are looking for a decorator, telling them that "Now & Always will ensure you have the most beautiful wedding that you dreamed of – trust me."

Cindy let us in on the current trends, both happening now and up-and-coming. Here's what's new and hot for Cindy's brides:

• Lots of colour on the head table. Cindy's advice when it comes to the head table, "Don't let your bridesmaids blend in with the décor. With the right colour combination, you and your bridesmaids will stand out.
• Fabric: simple fabrics with a bit of glitz or sparkle, luxurious fabrics, crushed taffetas or velvets, embroidered and embossed fabrics, and multi-toned prints.
• Right now, linens in various textures, colours and patterns are hot. Now & Always keeps a large linen inventory. She adds that "combining colours and textures for that lush and luxurious look" with various fabrics has become an increasing trend with brides and that a main focus for most brides are the guest's tables where an extra punch can be added.
• Brides are putting the focus on the guest tables, particularly the centrepieces, "tall centrepieces with lots of bling are popular. There is a focus on bringing the table up visually instead of bringing the ceiling down." Now and Always has lots of new centrepieces for this season, including Moon Balls and large pieces with lots of bling.
• Chiffon overlays are back in style but they're large and they cover the entire table.
• Cindy says themes are out, "it's all about colour and fabric- whether your look is simple, bling or elegant, you can achieve it through fabric and colour."
• Cake tables that truly stand-out are popular and add an extra element of detail to your wedding day.
• Peacock inspired décor is popular for 2012.

The biggest trend, the one that will always be a part of the daily work at Now & Always, is that “anything goes.” Cindy is firm on this one. “Whatever a bride wants, she gets.” And that is just one part of what keeps this little decorating company doing big wedding business year in and year out.