Nicole Conway, the owner of Conway Creations and Events, established her company to follow her dream. She started off by helping friends and family plan their weddings and events. Upon receiving her certification from Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute in 2007 she began her career, and she has since been selected to share her knowledge and expertise with students in the LWPI course at Yuba College in Marysville. Nicole teaches aspiring students how to become successful wedding planners while also giving them hands-on experience and exposure to many different types of local wedding vendors.

In 2010 Nicole and her company, Conway Creations and Events, were honored to receive Wedding Wire’s 2010 “Bride’s Choice Award”. Her company has coordinated numerous events of various sizes, budgets and styles, and clients love working with Nicole because she sincerely cares about them. She listens carefully to understand her clients’ desires, and she utilizes her vast resources and exceptional coordination and organizational skills to help bring their visions to life. She also understands the busy lives that couples lead today and so she focuses heavily on the convenience factor for them by making herself available via phone and e-mail at all times.

Nicole is creative and driven and always welcomes the next big challenge life has to bring. She loves sharing in the most important day of people’s lives - from the moment one gets engaged to the cans rolling behind the limo! Her goal with couples is to make the planning process about them and their life together.

What does Nicole like the most about being a certified wedding and event planner? “Definitely the dream come true that I helped to create,” she says. What does Nicole want to say to her prospective students? “Dream big, always give first and do what you love and the rest is easy!”

Nicole currently lives in Roseville, Calif., with her husband and two children (and their two spunky cats!). Be sure to check out Nicole’s company website and blog, Facebook page, and follow her on Twitter.

Candice Owens is president and co-owner of Haute Minded Events (HME), a social and corporate event-planning firm specializing in sophisticated and cosmopolitan events. The firm was founded in 2007 and is located in Washington, D.C., and produces some of the area’s most jaw-dropping events, both small and large. HME is the newest division of holy matrimony and thrives on the mantra of turning events from hopeless mediocrity into historic moments.

Ms. Owens possesses an eclectic set of skills that allow her to design, create and direct events with the eye of both a performer and a designer. She is an accomplished thespian with a background in dance and the arts, finding a home in theatrical productions. Ms. Owens not only acts but does more than dabble in the world of dance. She has had a diversified education and career path including graduating from Johnson C. Smith University and attending the Art Institute of Charlotte, where she majored in Fashion Marketing. Her couture eye and envelope-pushing style have landed her stints with Nordstrom and enabled her to design and finetune the look and feel of an event.

After a stint in the wedding-planning division of the firm, holy matrimony, Ms. Owens was able to strengthen the design and management muscles in the world of luxury weddings. While working with holy matrimony, Candice had the opportunity to assist Style Network’s, Season 7, newest planner Vicky Johnson on the nationally syndicated show Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? She developed the special touch needed to deal with one’s most precious day while maintaining a logistics mastery over the flawless execution of an event. Whether working with groups of 500 or 50 Ms. Owens is always able to bring a new level of style and professionalism to both the event and the industry as a whole. She has had the esteemed opportunity to work for clients in the NFL and affiliated sports organizations, planned destination weddings in Mexico, and had the opportunity to meet, greet and be photographed by Rolling Stone magazine with R&B singer Usher Raymond on his 2008 “One Night Stand” tour.

Owens earnestly believes in creating opportunities for those to follow in her footsteps should they so desire. She currently serves as a mentor to other young entrepreneurs that seek to not only realize their dreams, but see them come to fruition; along with volunteering as a screener for the Women Entrepreneurs of Baltimore and most recently becoming an LWPI certified wedding instructor, teaching event and wedding planning at the College of Southern Maryland. Some of her accomplishments are being featured in and on Grace and Mercy Magazine, Trends magazine, Balleralert.com, mydeejay.com, Wall of Styles Radio Show, “The Magic Hour,” nationally syndicated shows Say Yes to the Dress, The Dr. Oz Show, Emceeing for TSimone Designs 2010 FALL Fashions line, and becoming a member of the National Association of Professional Women. Ms. Owens resides in Maryland.

Interested in signing up for LWPI’s wedding and event planning courses? Take a tour here. Or sign up for an online course here.

When Jennifer Taylor opened Taylor’d Events by Jennifer in 2005 she had no professional wedding- and event-planning experience. She had helped friends and planned her own wedding with the help of a great Wedding planner, and she knew then that it was a job for her. After talking to her Wedding planner and many others in the wedding industry, she knew it would work, so off she went.

In 2010, her hard work has paid off. She was awarded by Seattle Bride Magazine Best of 2010 Day of Wedding Coordinator, as well as 2010 Bride’s Choice by Wedding Wire. She was also asked by Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute to start teaching its Everett Community College class, which she considers a great way to give back to the industry.

Jennifer is one of the founding members of Wedding Network USA, a new wedding professionals networking group. She is the National Regional Director, which means all the regions report to her. She is also a member of the Association of Bridal Consultants and is one of 26 Professional Bridal Consultants in the State of Washington. Through ABC she became a Distinguished Graduate through their Professional Business development class. She also belongs to numerous wedding-networking groups locally and nationally.

She has been quoted and written about in various Seattle wedding magazines, blogs and local newspapers. The topics range from “So you want to be a Wedding Planner” to décor and design ideas, to teaching brides how to plan their wedding on their own.

Jennifer earned a bachelor of arts degree at Western Washington University, and before getting into the wedding-planning business she worked in the retail and communication industries. She knows all about work pressures and timelines and how they affect brides and grooms as they plan their weddings.
Over the years Jennifer has met many brides, who, despite having different budgets, traditions and backgrounds, all really want the same thing: to have a wedding to remember and have fun planning it.

Jennifer says it’s wonderful to be able to pass along tips and expertise and watch what brides create with the information. And at the same time, she enjoys being part of the big day and ensuring that things go as smoothly as possible.

Lisa Smith began planning special events when she was a high-school junior. From homecoming dances to the junior and senior proms - if there was a planning committee she was on it. After her graduation from high school in 1991 it was no surprise that her passion for planning special events followed her to Fairmont State College in Fairmont, W. Va. It was there in 1992 that she planned, coordinated and designed the First Black Student Union Ball. In addition she planned and promoted a concert for an at the time little-known band named Hootie and The Blowfish.

In 1996 Lisa returned to Michigan and began working for Wintor- Swan LLC, the largest African-American owned printing and bindery company in the United States. Lisa planned her first paid full-service wedding in 1999, and from that point she began giving advice and planning, coordinating and directing weddings for co-workers. In 2000 she began working for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan, and it was there that she really began to cultivate her event-planning passion. During this time her husband began to notice the huge amount of time that Lisa was spending on planning weddings, and he came to her and together they decided that she should pursue it as a full-time career. With the full support of her husband, Joseph, Lisa left Blue Cross in 2007 to start her own business. She proudly earned and received her distinguished designation as a certified wedding planner and became a proud member of the Association of Bridal Consultants. During this time Gabbi Grace Events was officially launched.

In 2009, almost two years after completing her certification, Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute received a recommendation from Lisa’s former instructor, Narketta Sparkman, the president of the Detroit Chapter of ISES, to be her replacement as an instructor with LWPI. Lisa began her journey of teaching one of the things she loves most - planning weddings and special events - at Macomb Community College in Michigan.

Today, Lisa continues to teach for LWPI, and she is excited and looks forward to teaching Preston Bailey’s Signature Wedding and Event Design Course. In addition to being a speaker and hostess for the Association of Bridal Consultants Michigan Chapter, she has volunteered her time and experience for Jazz on the Vine, which benefits Gilda’s (Radner) Club, a nonprofit cancer-support community. Not only is Lisa an educator in the wedding industry she continues to remain a student by attending industry-related seminars, workshops, conferences and monthly association meetings.

“Becoming a certified professional wedding and event planner has been one of the best things I could have done. Not only did I learn a lot of new things it has also afforded me the opportunity to teach something that I truly love, which is celebrating love and life and helping clients customize their events. I look forward to teaching people how to set up and run their wedding and event-planning businesses so that we can continue to have a wedding and event-planning industry that is reputable, and have clients hire certified professional wedding and event planners who they can trust to share in planning, coordinating and execution of their event.”

Shafonne Myers is living her dream by helping others realize their dreams. While attending Mary Baldwin College she coordinated all social events on campus through her direction of the Baldwin Program Board. That experience helped her further develop the leadership, creative and organizational skills she brings to her clients as well as to her classroom students.

Since graduating from MBC, Shafonne founded and is president of Making Your Event Special, a top wedding and event consulting firm in Richmond, Virginia, and now Indianapolis, Indiana. Continuing her tradition of bringing people together, she organizes socials and workshops to provide couples with tips and tricks to help plan their weddings as well as wedding and event planners looking for continuing education. She also offers consultations to couples and aspiring wedding and event planners through face-to-face meetings, phone calls, emails and Twitter.

As a Certified Wedding Planner and instructor for Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute, Shafonne tells her students and future planners to “Just get out there and live your dream”. In addition to her expertise, warm and bubbly personality, and meticulous attention to detail, she also offers internships to graduates of the program and helps any way she can to ensure their success.

“So often students come through the program and doubt themselves, not thinking that they can make it. It is hard, and it will be tough, but I reassure them that if they got this far, then it is meant to be,” she says.

Shafonne and her staff at Making Your Event Special pride themselves on providing superb customer service as well as helping the community and future wedding planners achieve their goals. She is the author of several articles on wedding planning, which have been featured in many local and national wedding-industry publications, and runs her own wedding blog, Divas and Weddings. She loves sharing her knowledge as well as providing real-life experience with her students, with the hopes that they will accomplish their dreams as she did.

Are you interested in becoming a wedding and event planner? Take a moment to check out a tour from Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute. Lovegevity also offers a Signature Wedding and Event Design course from Preston Bailey, and a Green Wedding Planning course. Combination classes are available, too, as well as online courses. You can meet our instructors and see a list of some LWPI partner schools here.

Are you an aspiring wedding and event planner in the Akron, Ohio, area? Heather Porcella is already running a successful business, and she can show you how it’s done.

Heather Porcella considers it an honor to create a spectacular wedding that brings her client’s vision to life. As the owner of Truly Your Events, Heather was voted the “Best Wedding Planner for 2008” in the Akron/Canton Ohio area by the MyFoxCleveland.com Hot List. Her company has coordinated numerous events of various sizes, budgets and styles.

After graduating from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design and a minor in Business Administration, Heather worked in Residential and Commercial Interior Design as an art teacher and as a floral designer. Her experience planning showers and weddings for friends combined with her education led her to create her own event-planning business in 2003. Truly Your Events offers the latest in wedding-planning trends including eco-friendly designs, full event coordination, and free initial consultation to provide clients complete planning services to help them save time and money and alleviate stress.

After becoming an LWPI Certified Wedding Planner in the spring of 2008, Heather agreed to share her knowledge and expertise with students in the Wedding Planning Institute’s certification course at the University of Akron. Heather will be teaching aspiring students how to become successful wedding planners by bringing personalized attention and creativity to every client’s occasion. “In today’s busy world, trying to plan a special event can be very stressful and time consuming. By providing solutions to the demanding needs of event design and coordination, you can allow the client to enjoy a stress free celebration,” Heather writes.

Candidates for the wedding-planning certification course at the University of Akron can register by calling Cheryl Beckwith at 330-972-6460 or by visiting http://www.uakron.edu/ce/schedules/WeddingPlanCert.php. The Spring 2010 session is scheduled to begin April 12, 2010, and will meet Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for eight weeks. Tuition is $795 and includes classroom instruction, textbook, six months’ online curriculum and support access, and post-graduate job-placement assistance.

With 10+ years of experience in the service sector, and the business knowledge gained while currently earning her business degree, Jen Ramsey provides the very best in service, putting her open and friendly personality, and well-honed organizational skills to good use planning weddings at Weddings by Grace and Mona. She receives frequent compliments on her dedication and consistent communication with each couple served, and is a master at multitasking successfully for time-sensitive activities. In her spare time, Jen enjoys leisurely weekend hikes with hubby, Rob.

Weddings by Grace and Mona is a wedding planning company based on O’ahu, Hawai’i that is devoted to making every couple’s wedding dreams come true. Committed to excellence, professionalism, and fun, Jen is an asset to the company, sharing her creativity, enthusiasm, and dedication with couples to make their wedding as amazing as the couple themselves. See more about Jen and her work at the Weddings by Grace and Mona blog.

For more information on registering for Jen’s class, visit Kapiolani’s Web site or call 808-734-9211.

Emily Meyer has always loved the idea of planning the most important day of peoples’ lives. She was the go-to person for friends and family when it came to planning social events and birthday parties. Each event was executed beautifully and flawlessly. It is when she began planning her own wedding that she knew this is what she was meant to do. With everyone around her getting engaged, she took it upon herself to offer them wedding-planning services by researching vendors within their budget and coordinating the processional for the ceremony. This is when Emily took a more serious approach to wedding planning and design.

She enrolled in the Wedding Planning Institute as her passion grew deeper for creating a fairytale ending.  After researching the best wedding vendors in Oklahoma City and completing the necessary training, the Wedding Planning Institute proudly recognized Emily as a certified wedding planner.

After six months of working closely with other wedding planners, Emily opened the doors to a whole new wedding experience. She started her own business in September of 2009. Her company, Chandelier Weddings, was a huge hit in the Oklahoma City area. After executing three weddings in her first month of opening, a high reputation and word of mouth from clients and vendors became her best marketing tools.

A unique aspect of Emily’s business is catering to not only high-end weddings, but also to weddings of couples who cannot afford an extravagant wedding. Emily says, “Every little girl dreams of that day where she will walk down the aisle to meet prince charming. For rich or for poor, I feel that every girl deserves to not only dream that wedding, but have that wedding.”

Emily was excited to find that the Wedding Planning Institute was looking for instructors in her area. She knew this was something she needed to pursue. With her ambitious attitude and strong passion for wedding planning, teaching what she loves would be an absolute joy. Emily was offered the position at the University of Tulsa and is eager to begin this endeavour as a new instructor with the Wedding Planning Institute. She looks forward to other teaching opportunities and sharing her knowledge and passion with other soon-to-be wedding planners.

“Becoming a certified wedding planner is one of the most rewarding jobs that could ever exist. Because you are certified, a bride and groom can trust you so much more. The best part of the job is when you see that bride walk down the aisle and the look on the groom’s face the first time he sees her. It is priceless. It is at that moment when you know that you have just turned a little girl’s dream into a reality and created a fairytale ending where this couple will begin a new chapter in their lives.”

The next Wedding Coordinator Certification courses taught by Emily Meyer at the University of Tulsa will be held from Feb. 8, 2010, to March 31, 2010, on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuition is $795 and includes text book, online access in addition to classroom instruction, testing and national certification from the Wedding Planning Institute. To register, contact Frances Najera at the Office of Continuing Education at frances-najera@utulsa.edu or 918-631-2937.

Without realizing it at the time, Jessica Moore had been groomed since childhood to become a Wedding Coordinator Instructor. She grew up in the wedding industry as she watched and assisted her parents run their video-production company, which had deep roots in wedding videography. Not only did this experience provide Jessica with powerful background knowledge in event execution, but she also learned intimate lessons in running a small business while watching her parents’ business grow.

Growing up behind the scenes, Jessica learned that it was executing the small details that made a successful and stress-free event. It wasn’t until her friends started asking such questions as “When should we do the toast?” that Jessica realized she had unique knowledge! What was second nature to her was an invaluable resource to many friends who were now brides. Encouraged by friends and family, Jessica launched Something To Celebrate in March 2005 with enormous success.

Under Jessica’s direction, Something To Celebrate’s weddings and events have been published in numerous national and local publications. In The Knot’s inaugural Best Of magazine in 2007, Something to Celebrate scored 100% – the only wedding-coordinating firm in the nation to receive a perfect score from The Knot’s surveyed brides. Although The Knot no longer publishes grades for vendors, Something To Celebrate is proud to be included in the exclusive magazine every year. Jessica is repeatedly quoted in the media on wedding trends and is serving consecutive terms on the board of directors for Austin Wedding and Event Coordinators (AWEC).

Jessica is a graduate of Trinity University, where she studied education, and has 10 years of experience as a teacher. Through her role as Instructor with The Wedding Planning Institute, Jessica is able to marry (pun intended!) her roles as business owner, wedding coordinator and teacher into the perfect combination for her students as they take that important step in their wedding-coordinator career. Jessica recognizes the importance of obtaining your wedding-coordinator certification.

“Pursuing your certification sends a powerful message to your future clients and vendors. You didn’t just wake up and decide you wanted to be J-Lo (God forbid!), you made a well thought-out and researched decision to invest in a career, helping clients execute flawless events. When you register for this course, you’re demonstrating your commitment to excel in this profession,” she says.

The next Wedding Coordinator Certification courses taught by Jessica Moore at Texas State University will be held Feb. 1, 2010, to March 3, 2010, on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7 to 10 p.m. and March 16, 2010, through April 15, 2010, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 to 10 p.m.. Tuition is $855 and includes classroom instruction, textbook, six months online curriculum and support access, and post-graduate job placement assistance. To register, contact the Office of Continuing Education at 512-245-2507 or continuinged@txstate.edu. Register online at http://www.txstate.edu/continuinged/.

Pam DuVal

Pam DuVal has had a passion for weddings and events for as long as she can remember. After years of planning events for friends and family, she decided to make her dream a reality and start her own business, Promised Hearts Wedding Planning.

Prior to becoming a wedding planner Pam was business office manager for nursing homes and assisted living facilities in the New Bern, North Carolina, area. She gained invaluable knowledge in dealing with people in stressful, complex situations. Her experience with finances as an office manager has helped her to plan and manage her business as well as plan events with any type of budget.

Working almost every wedding with her husband, Joe, Pam recently expanded their business by opening a retail/rental shop in downtown New Bern. By constantly searching for new and unique items, Promised Hearts Inc. carries everything a wedding planner needs for their next event; rental items, candelabras, specialty linens, candy stations, unique gifts, wedding accessories, anniversary items, and more.

Pam is a Professional Bridal Consultant, co-director of the New Bern area networking group, an active member in the New Bern Chamber of Commerce, and a certified Sandals expert. Pam’s main goal is to teach students that by providing an exceptional level of personal care, they can help their clients have a memorable and enjoyable experience from the time they start planning until the big day, regardless of the event size or budget.

As an instructor with Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute, Pam strongly believes that having a professional certification in the wedding-planning industry gives her students “the training and credibility to become a trusted planner. Brides especially, must have confidence in their planner,” she says. “You will be spending a lot of time together and you must be able to have that level of trust.

“Wedding planning can be a great career that is fun and extremely fulfilling. It is exciting to see all the pieces come together the day of the event,” Pam adds. “To see the happiness on the bride’s face and to know that her big day has been a dream come true makes me happy. I just love what I do!”

Wedding and Event Planning Course
Carteret Community College
Morehead City, North Carolina / Carteret County, North Carolina
Sept. 13 to Nov. 15, 2011
Register for the course online