Lights, Settings, Wedding!

What comes to mind when you think about a a loved one–or yourself–planning a wedding?

Gown. Wedding/reception venue. Food. Guests. Photographer. Videographer.

But, would lighting, table settings, centerpieces, color and style coordination on everything from decor to invitations and overall wedding design rank high on your list?

It would for Hatboro-based Trilogy Event Design, a brand-new, all-encompassing wedding and special event planning and design business set to open at the former Lacey Lady, 124 N. York Road next month.

"That's what you get from a planner," General Manager Michael Magro Jr. said. "The idea behind Trilogy is to design the wedding and events from start to finish."

Like its name implies, Trilogy is comprised of three event professionals who brought together their separate businesses as part of a joint side business.

Components of Trilogy Event Design

Magro, of Montgomeryville, handles the project management side of the business, while his wife, Francesca Staffieri, Trilogy's creative director and owner and principal designer of Little Woman Design, creates customized wedding stationery ranging from unique save the date cards featuring cartoon likenesses of each couple, to wedding invitations, ceremony programs, thank you cards and everything in between.

Staffieri, who graduated from the Tyler School of Art/Temple University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design degree, made her professional design debut while planning her own Nov. 18, 2011 wedding. 

"The response from our guests was really great," Magro said. "They really liked all the attention to details. We said 'we need to do this.' "

Staffieri began Little Woman Design the following month and created wedding stationery for 30 couples in 2012. She is currently working with 22 couples on wedding day materials. 

For their wedding, Staffieri said she and Magro spent between $3,000 and $4,000 on wedding-specific stationery alone. Despite the steep price tag, Staffieri said it's worth the cost.

"You get something that's 100 percent custom made from scratch for you," she said. 

About a year ago, the couple met Randi Martin, of Abington, a wedding and special event planner who would eventually become the third prong of Trilogy Event Design. 

Martin, who completed Temple University's wedding planning certificate program in 2006 and founded Always Fabulous Events the same year, has since planned numerous weddings, social and corporate events. Like Magro and Staffieri, Martin, Trilogy's chief event planner, said she was looking to rent office space and partnering up made sense. 

"Hatboro is like a quaint little town, but we want to add a little zazz to it," Martin said from the trio's 800-square-foot storefront.

Once Trilogy Event Design is up and running, the appointment-only business will offer joint packages featuring design and planning services coordinated by Martin and Staffieri. 

"Right now we're referring each other as the separate businesses," Martin said.

Ultimately, the intent is for the Trilogy core of Magro, Staffieri and Martin to meet with couples together.

"If couples start with us, we can help cut through all that extra work they're going to have to do," Magro said. 

Like selecting linens, arranging centerpieces, setting lighting and more details that, without a keen eye for planning, could be overlooked. It's enough to boggle the mind of any bride-to-be, according to Martin. 

"The Internet and the wedding magazines are just information overload," Martin said. "I'm big on educating people on stuff instead of just doing it for them and charging them a lot of money."

To learn more

For more information about Trilogy Event Design, visit the Web site by clicking here, or call 215-674-3528.