One of the key attributes every certified wedding and event coordinator should have is being at ease with conversation. When it comes to working with bridal couples you want to be personable and show your fun side. Here are some great stories we’ve found this week to help you break the ice!

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* You catch more flies with honey: One bride recently went berserk in a bridal-gown salon when her request for alterations was turned down because, the shop owners say, of her bad attitude. Not only did she trash the store, but she also brought in her family members who helped make a huge mess. If you look up “bridezilla” in the dictionary, this is whose picture you’ll find! Yikes.

* An old wive’s tale: Have you ever been told to avoid throwing rice at a wedding couple because, horror of horrors, the rice will expand and burst open the birds that eat it? Scary story, right? Even those of us who aren’t card-carrying members of PETA want to avoid, you know, murdering the birdies. But good news! This tradition can begin again because surprise (or not) - it’s an old wives’ tale. Rice is a grain just like bird seed, experts say, and it won’t hurt our feathered friends. So while birds everywhere have been fattening up on showers of birdseed it may be time for a change of diet!

* We all know that a great way to Go Green at our weddings is to go vintage. But another way is to get in on the action and, perhaps, bid on a celebrity wedding gown! In this case it was Christie Brinkley, who seems eager to rid her house of all signs of her former husband as she moves on to her new life and new loves. Brinkley recently donated her old gown, a white Armani suit, to clothesoffourback.org and offered all the proceeeds to the American Red Cross.

* And finally, in these times of economic difficulty weddings can be an expense for which many people just can’t spare the cash. What to do? Why, try to get the attention of a celebrity, of course. A woman from Michigan was recently found on Twitter by Conan O’Brien when he decided to follow a random, regular person. She instantly became a cyber celebrity, and with the help of Conan she’s now getting custom shoes and a wedding gown, as well as a limo and wine for her reception. “My fiancé wants Conan to be his best man,” she added. “That would be really cool. And hey, if he wants us to come on his show, we’d get married on there. That would be fantastic,” she said.

Have you heard any fun wedding stories this week? A laugh is a great way to ease the tension that bridal couples are bound to have as they work out their budget. Calm their nerves with stories like these, and show them what a fun and personable wedding planner you can be!

Before a bridal couple can do anything else, i.e. order invitations, book venues or hire caterers they must set their date. As certified wedding and event planners it’s your job to know which dates should be off-limits if the festivities are to go off without a hitch. Here is a list of dates you may want to encourage couples to avoid in 2011. Yes, 2011! Since it’s March, and Valentine’s Day is just recently behind us, there are lots of newly engaged couples out there looking for wedding planners right now! You can never be too prepared in the wedding industry, right?

* January 1: New Year’s Day
* February 5 and 6: Super Bowl Weekend
* February 12 through 14: Valentine’s Day Weekend
* April 2 through 4: Final days of NCAA Basketball Tournament
* April 22 through 24: Easter Weekend
* May 7 and 8: Mother’s Day Weekend (and many college graduations)
* May 27 through 30: Memorial Day Weekend
* June 18 and 19: Father’s Day Weekend
* July 1 through 4: Fourth of July Weekend
* September 2 through 5: Labor Day Weekend (End of summer and last vacations for many.)
* October 29 through 31: Halloween Weekend (Although some couples may want to choose this weekend.)
* November 24 through 27: Thanksgiving Weekend
* December 23 through 25: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
* December 30 through January 1, 2012: New Year’s Eve and Day

What do you think? As professional, certified wedding and event planners do you steer your couples away from specific weekends? It may be a good idea to discuss family birthdays and big anniversaries, as well as due dates for relatives and members of the bridal party. How do you help a couple choose their date or dissuade them from using one they may have already set?

We know that as graduates of Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute you dream of having a successful wedding and event-planning business of your own. Just like in any part of life it’s helpful to gather hints and learn from people who are living the dream! We welcome today’s guest writer, Nadia Digilov, a celebrated wedding and event planner in New York City. She has great insight into the trends for 2010, which you can pass on to your brides and clients this year as you plan their festivities!

Top 10 Wedding Trends for 2010
By Nadia Digilov, the founder and CEO of NYC event-production firm Celebrating in Style

Whether you are planning an ultra classic or a super modern wedding you can implement some elements of the trends that are happening this year in to your wedding day. Here are some of the latest styles in catering, decorations, flowers and much more!

1-Reception Venue: Transform a restaurant dining room into an ultra chic reception with the creative use of the right lighting. No longer do you need a family country club or a local catering hall that has already been used over and over again by friends and family!

2-The After Party: The after party is a great marriage of the old and new at one significant event. During the reception you will have traditional wedding customs such as your first dance and in some cases some religious traditions. The after party is pure music and dance and is usually held at a separate room that is transformed into an ultra chic lounge.

3-The Decor: The natural trend is still going strong this year, with the use of trees being a unique way to replace the traditional flower decorations. Candles hanging from the trees are a wedding classic, however, this year why not get creative and mix in a feeling of whimsy by add in ribbons and wind chimes.

4-Seated Dinner Twist: Consider serving some dishes family style and having your caterer arrange the platters on a couple of different levels. Serve your guests food rich in color, which adds a feeling of abundance, color and life to your wedding tables.

5-Late Night Surprise: Your guests will love you for some late night snacks after they dance up a storm and a hefty appetite. Just when the guests thought the food, was done have the caterer bring out some late night snacks like mini hotdogs, cheese and crackers!

6-The Bar: Last year we saw a whiskey and bourbon trend, the year before it was champagne, and the 2010 trend is tequila! Margaritas anyone? Impress your guests with non-traditional cocktails like cool refreshing blackberry mint or grapefruit basil martinis.

7-Cake Top: The classic bride & groom cake top has some competition this year. The trend of the year is to substitute the good ol’ cake top with gorgeous symbolic flowers, custom made by your florist at the cake top of your wedding cake.

8-The Wedding Dress: Add some color to your wedding dress with the use of flowers, head-pieces or jewelry. Check out the line of unique jewelry from Marie-Lise Lachapelle which incorporates real flowers such as orchids, pansies, and roses covered in gold, silver and lacquer to preserve the shape and color of the actual flower. These unique pieces can be worn as necklaces, earrings, or even pinned into the hair for a boho-chic look: http://marieliselachapelle.com

9-The First Dance: Many of brides are going back in time to the 1940’s for the music and are choosing the romantic classics such as “I’ll Be Seeing You Again” and “Moonlight Becomes You.”

10-Dessert Table: A candy table in place of a full Viennese table is a very hot trend for 2010. The traditional Viennese table is filled with heavy cakes, while a candy table is fun and arouses a feeling of adventure and youth in your guests! Who wouldn’t like that?

Nadia Digilov is New York’s premier luxury wedding expert and the founder and CEO of NYC event production firm Celebrating in Style, www.celebrating-instyle.com. After seven years on the trading floors of the largest investment banks on Wall Street, her passion for production led her to begin creating luxury events that leave a lasting impression. Since 2002 Nadia has created weddings, corporate events, concerts, trade shows, and marketing events in major cities around the world; including New York, Miami, Moscow, Tel Aviv and St. Petersburg.

Even in times of financial strain and political uncertainty there is a willingness to help others. We offer our money and time to organizations that help children and victims of natural disasters, and weddings are no different. Everyone loves a happy ending, and it’s even better when we join together to make a fairytale come true. Horace Prescott and Dawn Barrett of the U.K. were recently married, but they weren’t always sure it would happen.

Dawn Barrett and Horace Prescott

They have been a couple for the last 10 years but first met as teenagers in London. Mr. Prescott suffered bowel and bladder cancer three years ago, and sadly it has now returned in his stomach and kidneys. Suffice it to say, medical bills and general stress have put a strain on the couple, who thought they may never become husband and wife. Mr. Prescott’s condition is terminal, and he has been told he has only months to live. After a story in the Evening Telegraph about the couples’ hardship support from the community started pouring in. The use of a vintage Rolls Royce was donated by a fellow resident, and a local Holiday Inn decided to offer a free reception, including a three-course meal, to the couple and their 60 wedding guests. Other local businesses pledged favors, food and decor for the wedding and reception.

Paul Noble, the general manager at the Corby Holiday Inn, said, “When a member of my team brought to my attention to the predicament of Horace and Dawn I felt compelled, as did the team, to help. Their touching story tugged on the heartstrings of all here and I don’t think anyone with a heart couldn’t relate to their plight. I know the team will do everything to make this one of the happiest days of their lives.”

“People are just so warm and it has given us such an lift. It is a lovely thing and they are all so kind. There are no words to express how kind they are being. A lot of kindness is going out of the world and it is great to see that there are people out there who are willing to help us,” Miss Barrett said.

As certified wedding and event planners your schedule is packed, and it’s easy to get caught up in the details and forget what a wedding ceremony is all about. A quick look around your community may reveal opportunities for you to give back. Everyone deserves a beautiful wedding - budget or no budget - and all children deserve wonderful birthday parties given in their honor. Building your business is important, and Lovegevity encourages its graduates to work hard and build their reputations, but it also encourages you to share your talents with your community. It’s a great way to recharge your batteries, so to speak, and lift others’ spirits at the same time!

One of the top reasons that brides turn to Lovegevity’s certified wedding and event planners is because they have great relationships with vendors. These relationships can equal big savings for couples, and they expect their wedding planner to know all the best vendors in the area. One of the hardest parts of planning a wedding is researching and interviewing vendors so that brides know they’re getting a good deal. As a wedding planner this is your job so it’s important to have a long list of friends in the wedding industry! Here are a couple of tips for establishing relationships with the wedding vendors in your surrounding area.

1. First things first. Get out and introduce yourself! Sure, phone calls are a great way to talk to someone, but a vendor is much more likely to trust you if they meet you face to face, or, put a face with a name you might say. Make a list, check it twice, and hit the pavement, including local bridal shows. If vendors know you and know you’ll bring them business they might carry your cards in their store and refer you to brides who stop by on their own. It’s a win-win situation.

2. Put your best face forward. In other words, act like a professional! Dress the part and talk the part. Research each vendor before you make contact with them. Know what their philosophy is. Know what their prices are. Ask them for pamphlets that you can keep in your folder. Professionalism goes a long way, and vendors will be more likely to recommend you if they know you’re serious about what you do.

3. Think beyond the obvious. You need to have a deep list of florists, caterers, photographers and musicians to recommend - the more you know the more likely you’re to have the perfect vendor for any bride’s budget. But there are other vendors to consider because you never know what a bride will request. Do you have any of these in your area? Consider ballroom-dance instructors, travel agents, insurance agents, and financial planners among others.

4. Make (and keep) appointments. Vendors are unlikely to turn away any bride who comes into their business, but it’s a lot easier on them when they’re expecting you. Consider giving them a bride’s budget in advance so they can prepare their presentation. They’ll appreciate the advance notice, and the bride is sure to get the best options for her day when everyone comes prepared.

5. Take notes. Some business people say there is no better advertising than through word-of-mouth. Referrals go a long way in the wedding world because every vendor-client relationship comes down to one thing: trust. When you work with a vendor for the first time take notes about their performance. What were their strong points? Weak points? What kind of bride do they work best with? All of this information can be invaluable when it comes to matching brides to vendors.

Good, strong vendors are the lifeline for every certified wedding and event planner. Knowing your area’s business community is the first step to planning a fabulous wedding.

What other suggestions do you have for the newest graduates of Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute? What questions are important to ask? Do any of you experienced planners have any stories to share?

Gray and Yellow Palette for 2010

One of the first ways a bride sets the theme of her wedding is with her invitations. Everything about that single piece of paper conveys a message about a bride’s style: colors (classic or funky?); fonts (simple, whimsical, dramatic?); shape (horizontal and traditional? square and modern?); and even wording (funny? romantic?) As a certified wedding and event coordinator it’s a good idea to be up on wedding-industry trends, especially in the world of invitations. It shows a bride that no matter her style you know what’s what in the bridal world. Plus having suggestions at the ready for every style bride is a great way to show you’re, you know, coordinated!

Wedding Paper Divas, a leader of premium, personalized wedding stationery, has recently announced the top stationery trends for 2010. From the save-the-date cards to the post-wedding thank-you notes there are new themes and color choices to be had! Among the newest trends are:

Enchanting Forest for an Ethereal Feel

* Enchanting Forest: These invitations have an ethereal feel, with earth tones and pastel colors. They would be a gorgeous addition to any outdoor wedding. With their simple branches and birds they would give guests an idea that a bride is trying to achieve a natural setting; perfect for an early spring ceremony!

* Old Hollywood: Imagine a bridal party made up of Old Hollywood Glamour - pin curls and waves, bright red lips and form-fitting gowns. There’s a reason that Mad Men is all the rage right now, and brides can have a retro wedding but still fill it with glamour and class.

* Fresh color palettes: We’ve already discussed that turquoise is the IT color of 2010, and the perfect accompaniment? Orange! You can also expect brides to ask about violet (again with orange as the perfect accent), as well as paler colors such as champagne, pink (with vintage gold accents. *Sigh*) We at Lovegevity also expect a rise in a gray and yellow palette. Vintage is all the rage right now, and these two colors fit right in!

Old Hollywood Brings a Touch of Fun and Glamour

There is definitely a distinct business side to being a wedding and event planner. You have to know how to budget and how to find brides. There is definitely a fun and creative side to wedding and event planning, too! The instructors at the Lovegevity Wedding Planning Institute can teach you everything you need to know, but it’s up to you to stay on top of the trends (but this falls into the fun category!) There will always be traditional, classic weddings to plan, but there are brides who like to run with the pack and ones who like to forge their own path. Keep these great new ideas in mind as 2010 weddings start to take shape. An invitation is the perfect place to begin working out a wedding theme, and all the choices in stationery make this a fun place to begin. Help your brides get their creative juices flowing with some of these great ideas!

We’ll freely admit that the first time we actually saw what Trash the Dress meant we were kind of horrified. Wedding gowns can cost serious money, and the thought of trashing it - literally! - after the wedding festivities are over is more than a little shocking. At the same time, however, we can think of a few situations - and a few brides - where trashing the dress is less surprising and more acceptable. And as a certified wedding and event planner you’re expected to have all kinds of weapons in your arsenal so when That Bride walks in and expects you to suggest the unexpected, a trash the dress folder may be the little detail she has been looking for!

Christa DiPaulo Becker, a bride that the New York Times intereviewed several years ago when it did a piece on this wedding trend, said that trashing her wedding gown seemed fitting because after everything was  said and done she was feeling pretty “antiwedding.” So for the brides who want to shed a little stress post-nuptials a trash-the-dress session may be just what the doctor ordered.

Trashing an expensive wedding gown may understandably send shivers down your spine. If you have a bride who knows beforehand that she’s interested in a post-wedding trashing session you may be able to persuade her to go green and buy, perhaps, an inexpensive used gown or something vintage that won’t break the bank. She’ll be saving the earth and keeping a little green in her wallet at the same time. (Plus, you may prevent the Mother of the Bride - or Father(!) - from having a heart attack at the thought of a $5,000 gown covered in, uh, mud.)

Michael Cooper, a Las Vegas photographer who is credited with starting the trend, said he was bored of traditional wedding photos. His edgy suggestions ultimately led him to putting brides (and sometimes grooms) in unexpected places: mud, water, by dilapidated buildings. Thus, a trend was born. For the bride and groom who like to think outside the box this may be a trend they latch onto. As a wedding and event planner it may be worth it to scout out a few places around your region where a trash-the-dress session would work. (And find out in advance which photographers are willing and experienced!) And, yes, grooms can get in on the action. Think how cute the photos would be of couples, while still in their wedding attire, climbed trees together, rolled around in the sand by the ocean, or played in the park. No - this has no aura of traditionalism about it - but weddings are about memories, and this is definitely one memory a bridal couple would never forget!

Links to check out:
* trashthedress.com
* a flickr thread dedicated to trash-the-dress photos
* it’s news to us, but this type of photography is also called rock the frock and fearless bridal!
* it’s all for the amazing photos, one recent bride says

Being a certified wedding and event planner means that you’re up on all the trends, and you can guide couples in any direction they want to go. As the wedding industry expands on television and the Internet there are literally hundreds of thousands of ideas out there. Sifting through all of this information can be overwhelming for couples - especially those whose idea of the perfect wedding may be less formal and/or less traditional. This is where a wedding coordinator comes in: It’s your job to help them form their idea of the perfect day then make it a reality.

According to the Wedding Report, traditional, formal weddings continue to be on the decline. Surveys of real couples in 2008 and 2009 found that brides and grooms are looking for less opulence and more focus on the family. Sure, crystals and sparkles are fabulous, but in today’s economy couples are putting more focus on their vows, their families and each other on their special day. Some wedding planners disagree with these findings, saying, “I’m getting my price, planning the right wedding for the budget. It’s all about knowing your market and providing the right service– and caring,” according to eWedNews. But that’s where we think experts are right: Being a wedding planner doesn’t mean you only work with couples who have huge budgets and big dreams. Being a wedding planner means you help all brides, regardless of budget, bring their fairytale to life. If this means a more intimate ceremony and a smaller reception that’s okay because all brides need help with the details.

Brooch Bouquet

Among the more popular low-key wedding ideas are ceremonies on the beach or at other outdoor locations and those with DIY touches. Some other ideas for low-key weddings may be receptions with more home-style food and personal touches during the ceremony such as a bouquet made of brooches that belonged to the bride’s family members.

What are other ways a certified wedding and event planner can help a bride and groom have the wedding of their dreams but make it a more simple day? The idea isn’t to cut their budget; it’s to make their budget work better for them. That’s where you come in. Start a folder of ideas for simple weddings. Show brides with smaller budgets that a wedding planner can still be their best friend. A good planner makes every wedding special, no matter the cost. And we all know that if you do a good job and make a great impression the referrals will start to flow in!

We’ve all heard of what some might call “Wacky Weddings.” If you’ve ever seen TLC’s A Wedding Story you know that couples are choosing to be married in lots of places other than churches. A few we’ve noticed are those in art museums, aquariums, and we even know of a couple who were married in an airport lobby! There is always a special tie to these places: Perhaps the couple worked somewhere together, or maybe they choose to marry in the place where they first met - even if it is a bit unconventional. There was the Georgia couple who were married in a Waffle House. And there was the couple who were married in Walmart. Well, add the Apple store to that list!

Joshua and Ya Ting Li recently said “iDo” to each other at the event on Valentine’s Day in the Apple store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. They were surrounded by a few friends and family, a lot of curious shoppers and some very surprised staff! They exchanged rings that were attached to, what else, iPods?! And one more curious tidbit: The wedding was conducted by a priest dressed like Steve Jobs. It may have a been a short, wacky wedding, but with those kinds of details no one can say they didn’t do a bit of planning!

As certified wedding and event planners you may be approached by couples who want their wedding to be unique, and yes, maybe a bit unconventional. It’s fun to think outside of the box, and graduates of Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute are always ready to put on their thinking caps and make any and all weddings those of a couples dreams! (Even if they want to, say, jump off a skyscraper while they take their first kiss!) Check out these links for some great Wacky Wedding ideas!

* LA Times’ photo gallery of Wacky Weddings
* Underwater Weddings in Australia (A guide! It could be a destination wedding, with a twist!)
* Bing.com’s Top 10 wacky weddings video
* The photographs from this actual Star Wars wedding are phenomenal!
* Renaissance weddings are hardly wacky anymore, but they’re certainly non-traditional.

According to The Wedding Report, and as expected, “the average cost of a wedding in 2009 dropped 10.2% over 2008.” 2009 was a rough year for everybody, and while 2010 is already starting off stronger brides are still finding that planning their wedding is a challenge with a small - or shrinking - budget. This is where certified wedding and event planners can step in and, in essence, save the day.

Spending was down the most in 2009 on jewelry, gifts and invitations. But couples were less likely to cut costs when it came to their music and photographer, and brides were still intent on finding the perfect gown no matter the cost. As certified wedding and event planners you are the person every bride should turn to simply because you’re In The Know when it comes to vendors. More couples are using certified wedding planners to help them get the most value for their wedding budget. In fact, statistics show that in regard to a-la-carte planners, getting-started coordinators, and day-of planners couples spent more in 2009 than 2008. A good planner is worth his or her weight in gold, and that’s what you need to let brides know. How can you do that? One way is to hit bridal shows.

According to eWedNews, “Bridal shows across the country are reporting a steady rise in both attendance and vendor participation over last year, signaling a better 2010 season.” Experts suggest that events that were put on hold in 2008 and 2009 are now in planning mode again because couples are putting job losses behind them. Couples are still being cautious about their spending, experts say, but in many cases they believe the worst is behind them, and they’re ready to move forward with planning the happiest day of their lives. As the economic climate improves, so will couples’ attitudes and with that will follow increased spending.

Any uptick in the economy is a positive right now. And as things improve more and more couples will go ahead with their engagement and weddings. It’s a great time for those interested in becoming wedding and event coordinators to pursue their dream. Getting certified through Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute is a great way to get started, and it may even give you a leg up when it comes to being The Choice for brides in your area. Interested in a course? Check our listings to see if there is a class opening soon in your area, or give us a call if you’d like to take the course online. Don’t let the opportunity pass you by! Brides are SUPER ready for something bright and happy in their lives after the winter and economic doldrums!