We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bri Meystrik. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bri below.

Hi Bri, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

My family is extremely close. Growing up, my cousins were more like siblings because we were around each other for so much. This meant, as we got older, we were all starting to get engaged around the same time as well! To save money on centerpieces and decorations for our weddings, we all started accumulating candles, votives, lanterns, vases, etc. and would use them to set up each other’s receptions! It was so fun and something we girls really enjoyed doing together, my mom and I particularly. Setting up weddings became our quality Mother-Daughter time. Her and I would come up with designs together and hunt down vintage, one of a kind pieces from antique shops or specific ideas that the bride would bring to us. At one cousin’s reception set up, it was suggested by our family to start a business out of our design hobby. We began expanding and doing more friends’ weddings, which would spread word to their friends. We started getting more calls until a hobby became a business, Dunkley Decor & Design!

We began Dunkley Decor & Design officially in 2020; what a year to become an entrepreneur. Covid had significantly diminished the wedding industry with people being restricted on gathering in public places. But, we made up for it in the new Micro-wedding fad! We enjoyed these small 10-20 people gatherings even more because of their intimacy. Our favorite was a couple that rented out an old house in downtown Wentzville that was converted into a bakery and meeting place. We had free reign to design a Ceremony space in one room of the house, a bar and buffet in the bakery’s kitchen, a desert and cake room in the next space, and a fine dining setting in the dining room! While we managed to push through Covid like any other business, what we hadn’t expected was the boom that came after! Couples that had pushed off receptions for when restrictions had been lifted were coming out of the woodwork to have their event as well as couples that had just recently gotten engaged. I had been working part time at another job but pretty soon, our little side business had replaced my income and afforded me something that I will be forever grateful for; more time with my children!

Bri, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

With turning our hobby into a business, working for ourselves has never felt like work. Event planning and decorating can cause a lot of stress on a couple who just wants to enjoy their day with their loved ones. Dunkley Decor & Design’s main objective is relieving the stress of event planning and decorating. We sit down with the couple and design their dream wedding. We then gather what they need for the event. The day of their event, we handle setting up and taking down their decor so that they could truly enjoy their special moment, which has been our biggest draw for clients! But handling decorations is not the only thing we do for our clients. Being at the venue as soon as it opens means that we are there all day for the couple’s every need. We ensure the centerpieces and accents look amazing from every angle. We run out to get that random thing they forget at home or on the party bus. We make sure every boutonniere is straightened. We have that much needed safety pin or duct-tape for a wardrobe malfunction. We fix the icing on the cake after a delivery mishap. Anything that pops up unexpectedly, we are prepared for.

Each wedding that Dunkley Decor & Design has been a part of became a personal relationship. Our couples keep in touch for years after working with us. Meeting these families has become an unseen perk of starting this business. The emotion and love that we are so blessed to witness not only between the couple, but with the individual and their own families as well is something that never gets old. Every first look, mother-son or father-daughter dance, or reading of vows continues to produce a tear. It’s extremely gratifying to be around love in all forms all the time.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

We have used several strategies to build our clientele. We have done bridal shows in the greater St. Charles area and in some local venues. It’s always a great way to meet newly engaged couples and share what you can do for them. But honestly the most effective strategy has been letting our work speak for us. A lot of our new clients are referred to us from our previous couples or were guests at previous couples’ events. Seeing our work in person, especially our set up and clean up process sets us apart from the rest.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I definitely think our relationships with other vendors and venues has helped build our reputation. Being able to work well with so many different overlapping aspects that go into one special day takes mutual respect and teamwork. Everyone wants everything to go smoothly and efficiently. If you’re friendly and willing to help when it’s not necessarily a part of responsibilities, that’s what people remember and makes you someone that they want to continue to work with.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dunkley-decor-and-design.squarespace.com/
• Instagram: @dunkley_decor_design
• Facebook: dunkley_decor_design