Our Story

From a young age, Melissa Barban was disciplined in Hospitality with a creative gene – one she was not quite ready to explore nor did she realize her capabilities.  Setting up events and banquets in order to train her team of the expected brand standards; she always had a disciplined approach and a focus in attention to detail and symmetry.  

Every knife, fork and plate needed to have precision in where and how it was placed.  Years later, she and her husband would be helping many of their friends and relatives with minimal décor and food set up for their personal events.  It was then that people began asking Melissa for her business card.  She amusingly chuckled and constantly replied, “I am not a decorator, I am a Hotel General Manager”.

Fast-forward to her own engagement party and yet again people assumed she hired a décor company.  That day she jokingly said to her would be best man Chris.  “Can you imagine if we launched a décor company and decorated for a living!”  The party was over and she continued her work as a General Manager while planning her own wedding.  

Her search began for an event decorator that was in their budget range but it had to have impeccable attention to detail.  It had to be her version of perfect.  She couldn’t find anyone to fit her measuring stick and the birth of Fairytales Creations and Catering took place.  The name was chosen with the thought that every young girl or boy dream of what Disney portray in their movies; in fairy tales and happily ever afters.

It was all part of the stage being set for where we are today. We launched and began by advertising on Kijiji alone.  I still remember the pain and numbness I felt after we completed our first gig.  It was 150 people at Caledon Golf and Country Club.  I met the client at Square One, he paid, sign his contract and I was then off to purchase eggplant satin.  I stitched chair sashes throughout the night taking turns with our then 11 year old daughter.  

As dawn approached I could barely keep my eyes open but the mixed emotions of fear, excitement, nerves and the intent on making his event nothing but perfect kept me sane.  It was over as fast as it began.  As I sat in a corner awaiting final payment from the groom trying to hold myself up and stay awake, I heard a voice saying, “WOW, She did an amazing job – this is nothing like we expected”.  (He did not see me sitting in the corner).

The satisfaction and happiness he felt is the energy that still feeds my soul even today.  He referred a few friends, they referred their friends and relatives and it continued.  During that time the hospitality industry was changing with additional responsibility for the same wage.  A sudden change of hotel ownership and I found myself miserable going into the job that I loved and always pictured myself retiring from.  I drove myself to work feeling sick on many occasions because my duties were no longer one that fueled my passion, because of the new top down approach that stifled my creative passion and friendly personality.  

My schedule consisted of Monday to Friday at the hotel and evenings and weekends doing consultations and wedding set ups.  The more weddings and the increased “OMG, this is better than we expected” fuelled my desire for change.  One morning at 4am, I decided that my Plan B was going to become my Plan A.  I tendered my resignation that week and never looked back.

As we dove into designing our dream wedding we discovered that limited set up time hindered our desire for lavish decor and lush floral products. It also became apparent, how much work it was do it all ourselves and as our enthusiasm and zealous intention dwindled and was replaced by exhaustion, we also realized that there was a need for additional passionate team members to assist in executing Melissa’s designs. Our clients and portfolio have since grown to a more refined sense of taste and appreciation for beautiful things and the time and investment it requires.

Our however our heart, soul and passion has remained the same and our excellent customer service is what we are still known for along with our unique sense of style and above average level of professionalism in the wedding and event industry. With over a decade under our belt and over 900 events executed our portfolio and style has drastically improved over the years because we have invested in learning and education to continue to take our designs to new heights. 

We felt it was time we changed our branding to reflect our level of experience and our high-end style. We also kept hearing people say that they thought Fairytales Creations and Catering meant that we did tea parties with balloons and little girls and not lush flowers and décor.