MARY SWAFFIELD is the President, Designer, and Lead Planner of Lavish. In addition to her studies in Event Management at Mount Royal University, she graduated from the prestigious Interlochen Arts Academy in the USA and also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Classical Music Performance from the University of Calgary. Prior to starting Lavish, she worked as a Musician, a Program Coordinator, an Instructor, a Marketing Assistant and various other positions which she now credits for her diverse organizational skills and design aesthetic. Married to her high school sweetheart for 10 years now, Mary planned her own wedding without the assistance of a Wedding Planner and from that day forward vowed that she would encourage every engaged couple to hire a professional to plan their day! Though a glimmer of an idea was sparked that day, she tucked her own experiences and ambitions away as she pursued her music career and began raising a family. In late 2008, tired of the politics in the music industry, she expressed her frustrations during her bi-weekly night out with her closest girl friends. Moments later, the idea for Lavish was born. Within 2 months, the first Lavish Wedding was in the works! In just 2 short years Lavish went from an idea scribbled on a cocktail napkin to one of the most recognized, widely respected and renowned Wedding Planning & Design companies in Canada.
In 2011 Lavish was awarded the coveted STAR Award by the Canadian Special Event Industry for best Theme Decor. In July 2011 Mary will begin a 2-year term on the Board of Directors for the Calgary Chapter of ISES (International Special Events Society). She is a member of ISES, CBA (Calgary Bridal Association), and is a Certified Wedding Coordinator through the WPIC (Wedding Planners Institute of Canada). Her work is frequently published on wedding blogs and in magazines, and her services are in high demand, with couples often booking her 12 – 24 months prior to their wedding and in some cases, before they officially become engaged.
Mary credits her success to her passion for the industry, her tireless work ethic, and an old-fashioned love of all things romantic! She finds design inspiration wherever she is – online (various fashion and design blogs), through interior design, in nature, art, and music. Her biggest inspiration are her clients – she loves getting to know their love stories: finding unique and modern ways to incorporate each love story and each couple’s personality into their wedding. Her clients appreciate her fierce negotiating skills, her dedication to making the planning experience a positive one for all, her quirky sense of humor, her love of all things wedding, and her commitment to providing each and every couple with an unforgettable experience.
When Mary is not busy planning weddings, she enjoys spending time with her husband Ian and her three young children, Luci, Lili and Cohen. She loves attending concerts, reading, swimming, reality TV, shopping, and enjoying the amazing restaurants and art galleries in and around Calgary. She also loves socializing – she is the organizer behind monthly get-togethers for the Calgary Wedding Industry, as well as bi-weekly pub nights with her closest girl friends.
mary {@} lavishweddingdesign {dot} com
twitter.com/lavishmary
Lauren joined the Lavish team as a Wedding Coordinator + Designer after her own experience having Lavish as her Month-Of Coordinator. It was during the planning of her own wedding that Lauren discovered her true passion for weddings.
Lauren has always been design-focused and enjoys many of the various aspects that encompass design. Lauren obtained her Architectural Technologist Diploma from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. Upon graduation she immediately focused her talents on residential design in the Calgary home building industry. Finding work in Calgary was the last piece of the puzzle to get Lauren to make the move from Edmonton. She had met the love of her life at a music festival in British Columbia and the two of them began long distance dating. Once Lauren finished school she decided it was time to make the move. She lives by the words “If there is a will, there is a way.” Sure enough, within the week of deciding to move Calgary, she was moved in, unpacked, and ready to start her new job that Monday.
After living in Calgary for one year Lauren became engaged. She immediately began planning her wedding with enthusiasm. Friends and family often commented that she had found her niche in wedding planning and indeed she had. Over the past couple of summers she had attended numerous weddings and enjoyed seeing how each wedding could compliment the personalities of the bride and the groom so beautifully.
Lauren’s keen eye for details enabled her to plan + design a wedding that would eventually be featured on what is considered to be the most prestigious weddings blogs worldwide.
Lauren’s clients appreciate her determination, professionalism, creativity and her infectious laugh.
After reading all of her favourite wedding blogs, Lauren loves reading baking blogs. Trying out newly found recipes in her kitchen is one of her favourite ways to spend an evening.
lauren {@} lavishweddingdesign {dot} com
twitter.com/lavishlauren
Renée Pittet has spent her life travelling the world for both leisure and business.
From organizing skiing ventures in the Austrian Alps to managing the arrangements for Global leaders in the high paced oil & gas industry, Renée’s commitment to planning special and memorable events has been her passion from a very early age.
Renée holds Event Management and Public Relations certificates from Mount Royal University, and has extensive education in business and marketing. Through her experience in the tourism and travel industries, Renée has gained a strong commitment to customer service and is proud to be able to help couples in both English and French.
Being involved in so many diverse industries, Renée believes that no detail is too small to be paid special attention. It was only a matter of time before her focus shifted from corporate events to social events, especially weddings! After stepping in as an Assistant on several Lavish Weddings, it became clear that she had an unmistakable talent for coordination, design, and coming up with creative solutions to unusual problems. By focusing on each and every angle and possibility, Renée’s clients know that there will be nothing that she hasn’t thought of and planned for, and no problem that she can’t creatively solve with the help of the Lavish team.
In light of her very diverse range of experiences, she believes that the magic of the most special day for any couple is that they have absolutely nothing else to do but to revel in every moment of that day.
When not busy planning weddings for Lavish, Renée enjoys spending time with her adorable daughter Audrey as well as her husband Dan, a well-respected entrepreneur here in Calgary. She also loves to shop, plan elaborate birthday parties for her daughter, and spend time gathering her friends and family for any special occasion.
renée {@} lavishweddingdesign {dot} com
twitter.com/lavish_renee
Sarah initially joined the Lavish team as a member of the set-up crew, and she quickly proved herself as an amazingly hard worker with a fabulous eye for detail! She was quickly able to fill in as Mary’s assistant when needed, and become an invaluable member of the Lavish family.
She has known since she was a teenager that she wanted to pursue a career that had something to do with design. She briefly studied architecture and interior design, but felt that neither of those specialties was the right fit for her. It wasn’t until she planned a large surprise party for a close friend that she realized that her future was in event planning.
Sarah’s favourite part of being part of the Lavish team is seeing the guests’ faces when they catch the first glimpse of the ceremony & reception room after it has been transformed, and knowing in that instant
that all of the hard work that has been put into creating and executing the design has been completely worth it! Aside from all things wedding-related, Sarah loves to bake, spend time with her friends, family and her crazy neurotic dog! In the winter she enjoys snowboarding. Her current obsession is painting her nails!
Sarah is currently attending the University of Victoria’s Business Program, and is excited to take on her new role at Lavish while she is in BC.
sarah {@} lavishweddingdesign {dot} com
twitter.com/lavishsarah
