Awhile back we introduced you to Aimee Wendell, the owner of 2Chic Events and Design, who worked with a bridal couple featured on We TV’s Platinum Weddings. Aimee, a 2008 graduate of Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute, runs her company out of Sacramento, Calif. The couple she worked with, Frank and Charity, had a $1.5 million wedding, and it was featured on Season 5 of the hit TV show. Aimee recently sat down with LWPI to talk a bit more about her experience with LWPI and We TV.

Tell us a little bit more about your experience with LWPI: I graduated from LWPI in 2008. I signed up for the LWPI program at the same time that I started my business. So by the time I completed by certification I had a few weddings under my belt!

What was your favorite part of LWPI’s program? I liked that the program challenged me. Creating inspiration boards, reading about all of the different cultural wedding traditions, reading up on etiquette and looking up statistics were things that were a lot of work but were so incredibly valuable in the end!

Did your training with Lovegevity improve your existing business? The training helped me start my business. The tools that were provided were so valuable!

How long have you been in the event-planning business? I’ve been in the event-planning business for 15-plus years, and wedding planning specifically for almost 3 years now.

What skills do you think every wedding planner should have? Hands down: patience, organization and an ability to smile through any situation. I’m not going to lie! This is a tough job at times and we deal with so many different personalities. You have to be patient and kind at all times. Every vendor and every client is a potential future referral!

Let’s talk about the couple you worked with in the We TV episode. How did your partnership with them begin? Charity and Frank were referred to me by a vendor that I work with, and they first contacted me asking for day-of coordination. We met and clicked instantly and they booked me right away.

Are they representative of the couples you usually work for, or was their case and budget a special occurrence? Charity and Frank were right along the lines of other couples that we work with. Although their budget was bigger, they were a pleasure to work with and were no more high maintenance than my typical couples. They were fabulous!

How does planning a million-dollar wedding differ from a $25,000 or $50,000 wedding? The biggest difference was in our ability to put top-notch vendors in place all the way around. The team that I had working with me was amazing! There was a lot more pre-coordination on my part than there typically would be, but the day was executed so smoothly because we had the absolute best vendors in place!

How did you get connected with We TV? Did you know taking on this wedding that it would be featured on Platinum Weddings? Charity and Frank submitted themselves to We TV. That’s when my job went from day-of coordination to much more! I had no idea in the beginning. Everything changed very quickly, including the budget and all of the extras! I was excited to jump on board though, of course!

Tell us a bit about your experience working with TV. Is there more stress involved? Are deadlines stricter? The filming of the show was a blast! Our crew was very fun to work with, and nothing is scripted for this particular show so it’s all very natural. The biggest stress is in the pre- and post work that you have to do with the network. I would say that the hours that I had put into the wedding quadrupled due to that aspect of it. And yes, the deadlines are strict and stressful!

Would you do it again? In a heartbeat! It was one of the greatest accomplishments and memories I may ever see in this lifetime.

Since you’re a successful wedding planner we’d all love to hear what trends you think are hot for fall/winter 2010. What are your brides requesting? Anything new you’re seeing and expecting to grow popular? 2010 is the year of the romantic, vintage-inspired wedding. Personalization down to the finest detail is so big right now, too. Even including some DIY aspects to create that personal feeling is very big right now. I’m expecting to see some very fresh, bright, colorful weddings next year with some interesting new color combinations. I see the incorporation of interesting, unique paper and other natural elements being a big trend too, in lieu of flowers.

Thanks so much, Aimee! We know you did a spectacular job, and we’re so excited about your success and wish you more in the future. We love your advice that “You have to be patient and kind at all times. Every vendor and every client is a potential future referral!” Aimee’s episode originally aired April 18 on We TV. She says it re-runs at least once monthly now, and it can be bought on iTunes or ordered on Comcast On Demand. For a bit more about the show and Aimee, check out the following links.

* Read all about Frank and Charity’s amazing wedding.
* See a list of their vendors (including Aimee!)
* Read an article about the experience in Sacramento Bride and Groom.
* Aimee’s website, blog and contact information.
* Follow Aimee on Twitter.

Many of us get into this business because we love weddings: the flowers, the fashion and the fun that comes along with figuring out the details. But there are so many events out there beyond weddings, which is why  Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute also puts a strong focus on event planning. Every class is urged to put on an event during the semester, and one class, led by Marci Bridgeford of Elk Grove Adult and Community Education and the owner of A Joyous Occasion, recently led her students through a fun, rewarding planning process. Marci, who is an instructor with LWPI, says:

“(The) class successfully did this by choosing the charity as a class - The Children’s Receiving Home of Sacramento. Led by their instructor every inch of the way they had a representative from the Receiving Home come to their class and they conducted a consultation. They asked all the appropriate questions and got a vision of what the home needed and would want. From there they drafted a donation letter and handed it out to various vendors, local companies and friends to raise money for the event. (Not one cent was an out-of-pocket-cost for the class or instructor). They drafted their vision and budget for what they wanted to create and had that dollar amount as their goal. With the generosity of the community and their passion for the event they ended up raising 3 times their goal and were able to give the home much more than they originally planned.

This event taught the class how to market, how to sell themselves, how to conduct a consultation, how to work with vendors, how to create a timeline, how to create the responsibility lists, how to work the A6 components, how to set up, work the event, and break down the event. It also taught them how to work within a budget and reconcile their books at the end of the event.”

The LWPI students held a party for the home’s girls, and it was about fulfilling desires - not just wants. A budget of $800 was initially planned, but the students ended up raising $3200! Just what did this fun event entail?

* A gym was decked out in all types of cute decor, to make the girls feel special. Pizza was donated, which really helped the budget. And what kid doesn’t love pizza?
* The girls had “points” that they used to buy things in a “store” set up by LWPI students.
* A makeshift photo booth was set up, and the girls could have their pictures taken with celebrities (which were posters of celebrity faces.) This was an especially huge hit, Bridgeford said.
* A henna artist was also brought in, which the girls also really loved.
* And all the extra money in the budget meant that the LWPI students were able to put together gift bags for the girls.

“Implementing an event into the curriculum was a great way to give each student hands-on experience of creating and implementing an event from start to finish,” Bridgeford said.

LWPI would love for all of its instructors to have their students plan this type of event. Lovegevity has always encouraged its students and graduates to get out into the community and do things to help others. This is a great way to get started off on the right foot.

If you received our recent newsletter you know that LWPI is on Facebook. Have you dropped by yet? We’ve been offering daily polls, and we’re loving the conversations that our current and former students are starting. Here are some of our recent questions and a few responses. Want to talk some more about these topics? Leave a comment here to get the conversation started, or visit our Facebook page to share your opinions! And remember - there is a poll posted every day. We’d love to hear your feedback!

1) In your wedding-planning experience, what is the most popular way to serve food at a reception? Buffet, sit down, stations….
* Jadana Donely CWP said: “With the majority of my clients, I see them leaning more towards Buffet Style to offer their guests more variety of food options. I think the cost depends on what is involved in the setup & display and the amount of food being offered. Buffets can become expensive because you are now offering 3 different meats, 3-4 different sides, maybe 2 vegetables, maybe 2 different salads etc… When you have an elaborate display like this the cost is more than a plated meal [in my experiences].”

2) Have any of you planned a destination wedding? What has been your favorite location? Has anybody been abroad?
* Shanda L. Johnson said: “I started out planning a destination wedding in Los Cabos, Mexico but didn’t b/c the bride changed her mind w/ a formal group of guests. I liked the Dreams Resort in Mexico.
I really saw the importance of still having a coordinator 2 work w/… the couple in addition 2 the resort coordinator. The resorts make these “packages” sound good but it’s a lot of fluff. However, I’m a fan of destination weddings in Jamaica!”

3) What is the VERY FIRST question you ask your bridal couples? Budget? Number of guests? Date? We want to know! Discuss….
* From @classicmodern via Twitter: “‘How did you meet?’ My designs are all about telling clients’ stories, so it’s a great way to start the conversation about it.”

4) What is your IDEAL time length to plan a wedding? (Say, with 300 guests.)
* Meagan Vanover said: “I prefer to book most vendors close to the one-year mark. Saturday events can get pretty competitive. My shortest? Just over 3 months. Not ideal!”

5) What non-traditional wedding “cakes” have you seen lately? The cupcake craze rages on, but we love the idea of an ice-cream cake!
* Emily Meyer said: “My fiance is going to have his groom cake be a Guiness flavored, Guinness Mug!”

We can’t wait to see what our certified wedding and event coordinators are going to say next! Find us on Facebook every day. (And you can follow us on Twitter, too.) If you didn’t get the August newsletter but want to be on the delivery list be sure to let us know! A September issue will be going out in a few weeks.