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Dreams Come True

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By ANGELA DELGADO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 30, 2008

TOWN 'N COUNTRY - Tucked away in a nondescript strip mall, a fairy tale wonderland known as The Event Factory has been fulfilling the dreams of those celebrating birthdays and weddings for 10 years.

The 50,000-square-foot facility at 7565 W. Hillsborough Ave. is painted white and surrounded by fast-food eateries, a Big Lots and TJ Maxx. Still, the floral decor by the entrance teases to what guests will see after they enter.

"Being that it was in a shopping center, I was a bit disappointed, but once you're inside you definitely forget where you are," said Shellie Murawski, 26, who is holding her wedding at the facility on May 31.

Upon walking through the front door, guests are greeted by a statue of a knight on a horse. If guests take a left, they will reach the bridal salon and offices, but if they take a right and walk through the gazebo gate, they will go through castle doors and into the Enchanted Forest.

The interior gives guests the illusion they are walking in the castle's courtyard and are surrounded by castle walls. The walls and ceiling are black to suggest a nighttime atmosphere. Flowers and shrubbery are everywhere, and guests walk along "cobblestone" floors to reach the Enchanted Forest, which has flowers and numerous trees decorated with white lights.

The Enchanted Forest serves as the walkway to the Secret Garden, where weddings take place, and to the Celestial Swan Ballroom, where celebrations continue through the night.

The garden is surrounded by ivy and flowers, and the ballroom is royally decorated with chandeliers and thrones for the guests of honor.

"When I went inside, it was definitely breathtaking," Murawski said. "Unique. It was just like I was in a different world."

Murawski's ceremony and reception will be in the Enchanted Forest, Secret Garden and celestial ballroom. The forest, garden and ballroom take up 10,000 square feet of the facility's space and accommodate up to 150 guests, owner Harry Simon said.

The Event Factory's crowning jewel is the Castle Ballroom, which features a Castle Courtyard and the Castle Chapel. Couples have their ceremony in the chapel, and guests can enjoy cocktails in the courtyard before heading into the ballroom for the reception. That space is 18,000 square feet, accommodates 550 and gives couples or birthday girls the opportunity to make a grand entrance in a carriage or convertible Hummer.

The Event Factory is the embodiment of Simon's vision. He has provided holiday decor for malls and rented holiday props for corporate parties. When clients began requesting space to hold parties, Simon said he thought he would build a ballroom to meet the demand.

"Once we learned that the corporate environment was something we could take and entertain in this facility, we determined we'd add weddings and Sweet 15s and 16s," Simon said. "We created a princess atmosphere where they won't have to do anything but show up and enjoy the event."

With The Event Factory, most everything is included in the package price: the catering, the flowers and decor, the photographer, the videographer and disc jockey. Only things such as the attire, alcohol and cake are separate.

The most expensive package is less than $20,000, before tax. The packages were developed by Simon and his wife, Carmen, in 2000.

"We realized what a pain in the neck it was to do all the interviewing and try to pull all that together with the facility," Simon said. "We made it as easy as it could possibly be for people shopping to host an event."

Aside from the ballrooms, Simon is starting to build a bridal salon that will feature wedding dresses, some by designer Kirstie Kelly for Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings. The Event Factory is going to be the Tampa Bay area's exclusive dealer for the line, and the facility will host a charity ball June 6 to debut the designs, Simon said. A trunk show for the dresses, which are inspired by Disney princesses, will take place June 6-8.

The charity ball will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The ball will feature a fashion show for the Kirstie Kelly line, which donates $125 to Make-A-Wish every time a specific platinum gown inspired by Cinderella is purchased.

The Event Factory also is venturing into franchising. The Town 'N Country facility is the only location open, but Simon is hoping others will be interested in national or international franchises; only the Tampa Bay locations will be owned and operated by the company. Applications are being accepted.

"This is our creation, and this is the first," Simon said. "The franchise program will be the vehicle to implement additional ones outside the Tampa Bay area. You can't find a facility totally decorated in a theme and taken to the extreme like this is.

"We describe it as going into a movie sound studio," he said. "People don't expect this in 50,000 square feet of shopping center."

If the county approves, a new exterior soon will provide a clue to passers-by. Simon hopes to add a castlelike façade to the north entrance to "embellish the outside of the facility." The new look would face Ambassador Drive.

"It's coinciding with the county doing a lot of construction on Ambassador Drive," he said. "They're putting in new streetlights and landscaping, so we're trying to coordinate where this is all coming together at the same time."

Simon hopes to have the new façade up by the end of summer.

Although the facility won't have the castle exterior in place for her wedding, The Event Factory meets Murawski's wish for a simple yet unique location to marry her sweetheart, Cassiel Shoben, 26. Even though the couple moved to Brooklyn, they are having the wedding locally to accommodate their families. Murawski found the facility online.

"Being in Florida, I would've liked an outside wedding, but because of the weather and humidity, I didn't think it would be feasible," Murawski said. "I feel like this place offered a lot for an indoor-type wedding. They have an indoor garden, which is a nice touch.

"It's kind of like being outside without being outside," she said. "I'm very excited. It's everything I envisioned. I always thought I'd be stressed out, but I feel like everything has fallen into place."

THE EVENT FACTORY

LOCATION: 7565 W. Hillsborough Ave., in the Town 'N Country Plaza

PHONE: (813) 806-0026

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday and Monday

WEB SITE: www.theeventfactory .com

Reporter Angela Delgado can be reached at (813) 865-1501 or adelgado@tampatrib.com.

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