Our Love Story
Our Love Story
Our love story is one of those, "He loved her. She was certain they were best as only friends. He patiently waited years then he moved away. She soon realized how much she missed him and how she loved him too so she flew across country to tell him" type of stories.
Within 6 months, there was a cross country move, the start of a new adventure, a proposal and an intimate wedding followed by a big wedding celebration the next summer!
We believe we're a unique wedding design and planning company for brides and grooms because...
the super short version
If you want the small, intimate elopement with only family members, we've been there. We'll share our secrets!
If you two want to say your vows in front of a crowd and throw a huge party, we've done that too! We'll guide you!
If you believe that the wedding day should focus on both of you, you've come to the right place! We both agree it's not just about the bride! We know marriage takes two and your wedding should be a reflection of both of you -- your personalities, your lives, your dreams, and your loved ones coming together to celebrate you together as a couple!
Tyler ensures the groom has his moments in the spotlight and Claire desires for every bride to feel as calm as she did on each of their wedding days! Together, we use our education combined with over 17+ years of experience in wedding and event design + planning to make this a fun, personalized wedding experience for you two. We believe wedding days are full of incredible forever moments, but more than a beautiful wedding day, we pray this will be the start of a beautiful marriage and a lifetime of celebrations!
OUR WHY
We've been there!
We've said "I DO" TWICE.
'Cause every single day,
before I knew your name
I couldn't see your face,
but I prayed for you
Every heartbreak trail
when all hope fell
On the highway to hell,
I prayed for you
Matt stell - "prayed for you"
'Cause every single day, before I knew your name
I couldn't see your face, but I prayed for you
Every heartbreak trail when all hope fell
On the highway to hell, I prayed for you
Claire Pascavis, MBA
CEO AND WEDDING & EVENT PLANNER
“You focus on the moments & we’ll focus on the details!”
It is really no surprise Quality Time is ranked as my top love language because I love
gathering people together for a reason to celebrate, a common purpose, to share a meal, go on an adventure, or strengthen a bond!
As a child, I was always planning the next party! During my teenage years, I discovered the love God gave me for floral design, events, organization and using those gifts to impact the world. In college, I earned my Bachelors in Recreation and Park Administration with a focus in event coordinating and interned with two wedding coordinators. My intrigue of entrepreneurship and a nudge from my grandfather led me to earning my Masters of Business Administration. I am a proud Illinois State University alum! Go Redbirds!
A culmination of all of these experiences and my education led me to creating this company, Designs Plus Events! I have pursued owning this company wholeheartedly since I was a teenager! Beyond my years of weddings planning experience, I have also planned & coordinated corporate conferences, university events including student entrepreneurship competitions, interprofessional events, virtual events, baby showers, anniversary parties, and fourteen simultaneous escape rooms run 3x in a row (42 rooms in 3 hours total)! One summer, this non-athletic girl even managed to plan a summer sports camp for junior high students! For eight years, I was part of the planning and implementation of a fundraising walk for research about Lupus. I love how each of these events has challenged and grown me as a wedding and event planner, but if I had to pick a favorite event, I would confidently say "Weddings are my jam!"
I desire for all brides to be as calm as I was on Tyler’s and my wedding day! So calm in fact, I learned later my sweet bridesmaids were betting on if and when I would have a wedding planner “I-need-to-be-the-leader-right-now” moment, but I never did + it's not my style! One of my secrets was hiring vendors I completely trusted who fulfilled their roles and allowed us to simply enjoy our day! Allowing you to enjoy those forever moments is the heartbeat of our company and how we desire to serve you too!
On your wedding day, our desire is...
ABOUT US
Tyler Pascavis
From planning weddings and events to capturing video and photos on my drone, my day to day life is never boring! As the Co-Owner and Director of Operations for Designs Plus Events and being married to the woman in charge, I help design and implement your dream wedding!
I have found that many times the focus can be solely on the bride, so I want to make sure that the groom gets his moment in the spotlight as well!
cO-OWNER, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS & VIDEO EDITOR
Focus on the Groom by:
- Taking more pictures of the groom solo! There will be a 100 of the bride and 5-10 of the groom! The groom should have at least a small photo shoot as well!
- Find ways to keep the groom entertained instead of stewing in nerves on the wedding day! It is inevitable that the groom will be waiting for several hours while his bride is getting ready! I like to ensure that there are few things in place to keep the groom out of trouble and away from his bride until that picture perfect, jaw dropping first glance!
Our History
Designs Plus Events was originally started as
Designs Plus in 1986 by Claire’s parents.
Claire: “My parents started Designs Plus as a floral design company focused on creating gorgeous wedding flowers for brides and grooms. During my childhood and my teenage years, I learned many skills from our family business including floral design, how to understand a bride's & groom's vision for their wedding, customer service, and hard work. I competed in floral design and even did live floral demonstrations in front of judges. Once I discovered my love for weddings, event planning, coordination, and details,I shifted my focus from floral design to the coordination of weddings and events. In 2016, thirty years after Designs Plus originally launched, I asked my parents for their blessing to carry our family business name and started Designs Plus Events as a tribute to my parents and all of the life lessons they taught me! Once Tyler and I said, “I Do,” he joined me in continuing to build our company, Designs Plus Events!”
