Wedding Styling To Die For: Ruffles and Bells
Mr Theodore has long loved the awe-inspiring creations of Melbourne based wedding and event stylists Ruffles and Bells. They’re known for creating a more traditional look when it comes to wedding styling, and if anyone knows how to give classic style a contemporary and sophisticated feel, it is this team.
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Eliska started Ruffles and Bells back in 2007 and they are now known as one of the greats. If anyone will take your wedding planning and styling to an entirely new level it is Eliska and her team.
Mr Theodore spent just a brief couple of minutes getting to understand what makes Eliska tick, and more importantly, why she is just so damn good at what she does.
What inspires you to continually raise the bar? I love it when we hear a guest say “oh I haven’t seen that before” or “I wouldn’t have thought of that”! I believe that just because it’s a wedding doesn’t mean it has to be done a certain way.
We take a lot of inspiration from trends, particularly in architecture, food and fashion and it’s always refreshing to do something different that people haven’t seen before. Sometimes it’s about thinking outside the box and turning the table around. We look at every event that we design as giving our own interpretation of a particular style. A big part of what we do is getting to know our clients or couples so giving them a fresh look at things is something we take pride in.
When you started Ruffles and Bells back in 2007, where did you envision the journey would take you? Far from what it is now, that’s for sure! I started Ruffles and Bells as a hobby so I could do something creative since I ended up in IT, but it grew into something bigger than I have ever thought. Never would I expect it to be where it is now. It’s still humbling to see how far we’ve come and also exciting to see what it can become in the next few years. It’s been evolving with me which makes it even more special.
I knew from early on that I wanted to help other people in whatever I do, but it was only recently that I’ve realised that Ruffles and Bells has actually given me that channel to help couples and also other creatives who have been on the same journey as I was when I started. I’m really so grateful to be surrounded by an amazing team and a supportive community.
Talk us through the process you take your couples… from initial enquiry, through to the brief and into the wedding day itself. The very first step is for my team to understand what you need. Whether it’s someone to create a whole concept for you or someone to guide you and make sure everything looks great or even just someone to cross the T’s and dot the I’s. Most of our packages are custom to every couple because we know that every couple needs different things.
From there, we try to make it as straight forward as possible. We love sitting down with our couples to get to know them (individually and together) and that’s when we brainstorm to create the concept that is uniquely designed for them. It can be as simple as getting to know your favourite food or your favourite travel destination and the possibilities from then on are limitless.
Our team will put together what we call a lookbook for you to make sure that you can visualise what we have put together and we will start pulling the right people from there. We’ll coordinate your wedding styling team, everyone from ourselves, to your stationery designer, cake designer and to your furniture people and everyone else that is involved to pull the look together.
Basically the lookbook is there to get you excited about your wedding 1. Because you have a team now who will make sure your wedding looks amazing and 2. Because you can now relax and focus on other things like your dress etc.
Our team will then liaise with everyone until the day of and ensure that the vision from the lookbook comes to life. It’s the best feeling to see our couples walk in for the first time and see something that started from who they are as a couple expand to a whole event and experience.
Any advice for couples in the lead up to their big day and that all-important question… what style? I say this to all our couples – just be yourself. You have your own style as individuals and you have your own style as a couple. You can follow trends for sure but do not forget to celebrate your own style. You don’t have to put a name on your style either. No guests would come up to you and ask you what your style is. Don’t be shy to tell your stylists what you love because in the end, it is your day and the best-styled weddings are the ones that reflect the couple more than anything. One of our main goals as stylists is to make sure that when your guests walk in, the elements throughout your wedding resonates with them because it is something truly yours.
Predications styling predictions for 2020? More bold colours and inspirations from fine architecture. I love it when couples are not afraid to play with colours especially with florals since it is a big part of every wedding. We’ve seen arches last year and I believe we still, but people are now also starting to appreciate simple lines and curves.
Learn more about Ruffles and Bells by finding them on Mr Theodore - CLICK HERE. Or, follow them on Instagram - CLICK HERE.
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