LWPI is delighted to once again welcome Sally Lorensen Conant to the blog! Sally is also known as the Gown Care Lady, and she has a wealth of invaluable knowledge for brides and certified wedding and event planners. Be sure to visit her Website, the Association of Gown Preservation Specialists, too.

Six Things that Can Spoil Your Wedding Day

1. Drooping bustle: Whether your bridesmaids simply cannot figure out how to fasten your bustle or your gown is very heavy or someone just plain steps on your train, you will wish you had asked for extra hooks or buttons to keep your gown from dragging on the ground. Plan ahead, and attach several safety pins to the lining near the hem of your gown so they will be there when you need them. Here are some other tips for emergency gown.

2. Flowers that hide your gown: If you are going to carry a large bouquet, practice holding your flowers low. If you hold them too high they will hide your gown when you are walking down the aisle, and you will see more flowers than gown when you look at your video and your photographs.

3. Veils and hairstyles that hide your face: Make sure your veil frames your face — not hides it — after you lift your blusher. And remember not to obscure the right side of your face with your hair. That’s the side next to the groom, the side everyone wants to see when you are at the altar.

4. Relatives taking photographs: Uncle Charlie may be a great guy, but he is not trained to stay out of the way so that others can see you when you exchange your vows. And it is also not fair to relatives who want to be part of the celebration to make them spend the day behind a camera with one eye closed. Let a professional capture all those special moments and share them afterward with your family.

5. Unplanned schedule of events: Avoid leaving hours and hours between the ceremony and the reception if you possibly can or some guests may party so hard they do not make it to the reception. If there must be a long delay, offer guests some options such as a lounge in the reception venue or, for out-of-town guests, a list of nearby things to do. On the other hand, do not forget to allow enough time for photographs. No one really minds if you miss hors d’oeuvres  with your guests, but a dinner that gets overcooked because you are still taking pictures is a disaster. If you are having your ceremony and reception at the same location, you might even consider posing for your formal photographs before the ceremony, and then you will have extra time to spend with your guests.

6. Kids at weddings: If you plan to have a very young ring bearer or flower girl, be sure each gets to bed early the night before the wedding. Designate someone other than mom or dad (if they are in the wedding party), to watch them during the ceremony. For children at the ceremony, whether they are in the wedding party or not, things such as snacks in a Ziplock bag that opens quietly, clear (in case of spills) juice in boxes, and a coloring book with washable markers will hold their interest. At the reception, serving children’s meals promptly and having books and crayons on hand will help keep them at the table.

One more tip: After all your thoughtful planning, try to relax and enjoy each moment. It will all go by much too quickly, and your friends and family are there to share the joy of your special day — not to complain about missteps along the way.

Adapted from The Seven Biggest Wedding Mistakes by Rod Jovanelly at A Touch of Color Photography in Connecticut.

If you follow Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute on Facebook you already know that LWPI has partnered with The Wedding Report to put certified wedding and event planners in front of thousands of brides and possible clientele. But have you seen all of the recent posts at the Wedding Ideas, Tips & Trends blog? They’re written by LWPI graduates and instructors, and we at LWPI are so excited to have them share their expertise with the wedding industry.

* Nicole Brennan of Lovely Girls Events writes about the awesome and fun trend of Late-Night Wedding Treats and Truckies.

* Randi Lawrence Moore, the owner of Randi Lawrence Moore | Couture Wedding Gown Salon, gives tips on how to maximize a wedding budget.

* Shafonne Myers of Making Your Event Special says you can save lots of money by doing your own makeup, and she shares some ideas on how to make your makeup look professional, too.

* Chezelle Rodriguez, who specializes in destination weddings at Chezelle Dezines, has advice on how to storm- and hurricane-proof a wedding, great advice during hurricane season!

* Amanda Allen of MMD Events is excited about the fall-use trend of using burlap at weddings and special events, and we are, too! So rustic yet chic.

* And Aimee Wendell of 2Chic Event & Design has written several articles, including her latest on how to deal with post-wedding depression.

Are you an LWPI graduate or instructor? Are you interested in writing for The Wedding Report? Contact us for more information on how to get started. We’d love to work with you!

Today’s post comes from Kate Harrison, the author of The Green Bride Guide. Kate and LWPI offer a Green Weddings course, which is a great way to attract new, eco-conscious clients to your wedding-planning business. Are you interested in becoming a certified wedding planner? Check out LWPI’s classroom and online courses today, and be sure to consider bundling the Green Weddings course, too.

In 2010, the Green Bride Guide launched the country’s first green wedding gift registry, where every product is hand picked by a team of experts for beauty, quality and environmental savings. The registry was created to make going green easy for couples by offering a complete collection of eco-friendly alternatives for everything from bedding to dishes. But there are more incentives to create a green wedding gift registry than just convenience. Here five reasons why your choice to create a green registry makes a difference:

1. Green gifts support the green economy: Every year, Americans spend $20 billion on wedding gifts (about $8,000 per wedding) and 70% of gifts are purchased off a gift registry. When you create an eco-friendly registry, you ensure that the money spent by your guests goes to support eco-artisans and companies taking significant steps to green their business practices. Every product in the Green Gift Shop is tagged with its country of origin, eco-certifications, and eco-strategy, so you can quickly assess its social and environmental benefits and filter your search to find products that represent your values as well as your style. The “why we love it” part of the product description provides additional information about the artist or company that manufactured the piece.

2. Green gifts are better for the environment: You may not realize it, but many of the conventionally produced products we buy are detrimental to the environment. For example, cotton, which is often touted as a “natural fiber,” is actually one of the most heavily pesticides crops in the world.  Most crystal is still made with lead (which is bad for you and for the environment), and almost all of the pottery in the United States is now manufactured is Asia under lax environmental regulation. Because many of our home goods are shipped in from overseas, their transport also contributes to global warming. The companies that Green Bride Guide works with take active steps to decrease their environmental footprint at every turn, from using organic, recycled or local-produced materials, to shipping in recycled packaging.  Plus, the site offers free carbon neutral shipping, neutralizing the impact on climate change through alternative energy programs.

3. Green gifts are unique: Quality green home goods are hard to find (and we know – we are always looking for them!) Because most of the artists and companies the Green Bride Guide represents work on a small scale, they are not found in major department stores and are hard to locate online. When you create a green wedding gift registry, you are adding interesting, unique and one-of-a-kind items to your wishlist – items that will reflect your taste and values for years to come.

This is the final journal entry from Tara Martin-Crawford, an LWPI graduate who has been interning at Preston Bailey Designs the last three months. Tara is a graduate of Preston Bailey’s Signature Wedding and Event Design course, and she is the first LWPI graduate to intern with Preston. All graduates of this course have the opportunity to apply for an internship. Will you be next?

For the final week of my internship I worked briefly with the design department. I am definitely a computer-literate person, but I don’t have experience with graphic design or any of the programs used to create renderings and floor plans. In Preston’s course he gives a list of suggested programs that can be used for event design. I was told by employees in his design department which programs they have found work best for them. Vectorworks is what they primarily use to create floor plans. For renderings they use a combination of Google Sketchup, Photoshop and Adobe InDesign. For people who are just starting out with graphic design, these programs may be a bit too advanced. AutoCAD, I was told, is a good program that is a bit easier to use. Another option for those who are not computer savvy is to hire a third party to create your computer images. There are a lot of companies that charge reasonable fees to turn your ideas into computer-generated images.

I was able to sit down and have a chat with Preston on my last day to get some lingering questions of mine answered. During my internship I didn’t really have the opportunity to work directly with him because most of his time is spent working directly with clients or with the design team. In any event, one of the questions I asked him was to outline what the process is from the initial client inquiry up until the event is produced. This is what Preston said: When the client first calls or emails PBD the sales department gathers as much information as possible about the event and what the client does and doesn’t want for it. The client then comes into the office and meets with Preston and a member of the sales department to discuss the event. Preston said he always has images and ideas prepared to present to the client based on the information gathered during the initial inquiry. He will also present the ideas that he has specifically for his or her event, but is careful not to give away too many ideas in case the client doesn’t commit to working with PBD. (He doesn’t want his ideas stolen and used elsewhere). After the initial meeting and the client decides to hire PBD the company secures a non-refundable retainer fee which is usually around $25,000, depending on the size and overall cost of the job.

Then the design team goes to work and comes up with three different design options. They create renderings and storyboards, which are then presented to the client at the first of two presentations. Once the client decides what look he or she likes during the first presentation, a second presentation is scheduled. For this one the design-element options are actually created for the client. Again, three options are generally presented. During the second presentation the client can choose specific items that he or she likes and/or make suggestions for how things should be modified. Once all elements have been selected and agreed upon the floral and production departments begin to price out the overall cost for the event. Those costs are then transferred to a proposal (with mark-ups, of course) and given to the client for approval. After it is signed the client is required to make a deposit equal to 50 percent of the entire cost of the job. It is not until this is done that orders can be placed for the supplies and elements needed to create the event. The final balance is due two weeks before the event date.

During my time with PBD I learned that the second client presentation can be pretty expensive to create. I asked Preston if that cost ever exceeds the amount of the initial retainer fee. He said that PBD tries very hard not to allow that to happen but there are instances when it does. In the cases when it does happen, he and the rest of the team need to sit down and take a closer look at what they think the overall cost for the event is actually going to be because it could be more than they anticipated. It takes a lot of experience to be able to price out an event without actually taking the time to price everything out. If you have the time and the resources to price things before you present them to a client go ahead and do that just to be sure that you are working within and maximizing the budget. It’s always surprising to find out what things actually cost because it’s usually more than what you might think and you don’t want to provide your clients with options that they either can’t afford or aren’t making the most of the money they have to spend.

My internship at PBD went by so fast! At the same time, though, I felt like I had been there forever. Everyone that I had the opportunity to work with was awesome. They all made me feel welcome and comfortable while giving me the chance to learn about and experience doing something I love. I appreciate everyone’s help and guidance so much. There is a reason why Preston Bailey Designs is one of the top event-design companies in the world: It has the best staff in the industry! I am really going to miss working with and seeing them all, but I will always be grateful for and remember everything that I learned during this experience.

Congratulations, Tara, on a job well done! LWPI is excited to follow what is sure to be an amazing career. Join us in wishing Tara good luck as she puts what she’s learned from LWPI and Preston Bailey to work in the real world!

Good news for Floridians! An LWPI certified wedding- and event-planner course is starting soon at State College of Florida in Sarasota, Fla., Sarasota County. The fall instructor will be Anna Pohl, who says her students can look forward to several field trips and some great speakers.

Anna Pohl is a certified wedding consultant with an MBA and BFA in fine arts. She says her background in business, paired with her creative side, are invaluable in navigating clients through the world of event planning. One of her strengths, she says, is figuring out what wedding style is best for each client: traditional, beach, modern, elegant, vintage, green or ethnic. She also tends to go with the creative flow and her events and weddings often counter what’s considered the norm.

She says her favorite thing about wedding planning is that “being a planner is truly knowing that I have helped couples and families to celebrate a very important occasion in their lives, their wedding.” And the toughest part? “Probably staying completely organized at all times. No slacking off for a wedding planner!” she says.

She is the owner of Day Planners (of Sarasota, Bradenton and St. Petersburg, Florida), and even before starting her own business she was an award-winning director of catering and events at Mattison’s in Southwest Florida. When she began her career she focused on event planning in the biotech industry, working on international meetings. Among her other awards and recognitions are: People’s Choice Award - Best Planner; the Herald Biz Bash Flash Award - Top 20 Event Planners in Florida Under the Age of 40; and the Gulf Coast Business Review’s 40 Under 40 Award. Anna events have been written up in several publications, including Kiplinger’s, The Knot, Sarasota Magazine, SRQ Magazine, Scene Magazine, Biz Bash Flash, Taste Magazine, Nuovo and several local newspapers. She was also recently interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, along with Preston Bailey, about wedding planning.

She wants her students to “never forget that you should do your very best to make your wedding clients as happy as possible. You should always strive for perfection and give the utmost care to your clients, their families and their friends. You shouldn’t be doing this profession if you don’t truly mean to do all that you can for those getting married. Go above and beyond, and then your clients will be thrilled and you will be blessed.”

To learn more about Anna, check out her Website and Facebook page. To register for her class, visit the LWPI Website.

Certified Wedding and Event Planner Course
State College of Florida
7131 Professional Parkway East
Sarasota, Florida 34240, United States
Sarasota County, Florida
9/22/2011 to 12/2/2011
Thursdays from 6 to 10 p.m.
Register for the class

Tara Martin-Crawford’s internship with Preston Bailey Designs is drawing to a close. Now that she has experience in several departments Tara is starting to better understand her strengths. This week was filled with organization and paperwork, which she enjoys. Tara is a graduate of Preston Bailey’s Signature Wedding and Event Design course through LWPI.

This week I resumed working in the Production Department. I must admit that although working in floral was both inspiring and informative, I definitely feel as though my heart is in production. By nature I have always been an organizer, and working in production really gives me a chance to use that ability.

This week was a very busy one for me. The Production Manager was scheduled to travel at the end of the week for three overseas site visits. He wanted to take a binder with all his important documents for the three events so I had to create that for him. When going on site visits, especially those that are overseas, the time spent there is usually pretty limited. In this case, each destination was delegated two days, at the most. Therefore, the Production Manager has to keep a pretty tight agenda in order to accomplish all his goals and meet with all the necessary vendors. As a result, he asked me to create a meeting agenda for him and contact all the vendors to confirm their designated meeting times. I was also asked to type up a list of questions and important issues that he will need to address. For one of the sites I also created a sample packet that contained renderings, dance-floor samples, linen swatches, and aisle-runner samples, which the Production Manager will show to the vendors so that they can source items that are the same or similar to those used by PDB’s local suppliers.

Preston Bailey Designs has three big overseas events taking place within the next three months. Some of the crews will consist of people from companies that are local to the events’ locations. However, PBD likes to have some of its own members working the events as well. The Production Manager keeps a list of freelance workers who PBD regularly uses and a list of who is going to be used for each event. One of my assignments this week was to create individual lists for each event with the crew members’ names, contact information, passport numbers, dates they will be traveling to and from the events, and which airports they will be flying in and out of. The events are spaced close together so many people will be traveling directly from one event to the next. However, this isn’t the case for everyone. Therefore, you have to know what everyone’s travel requirements are.

As my internship with PBD comes to a close, I am really starting to reflect on how much I appreciate having had this opportunity. Not only have I gained a lot of knowledge with regard to event design and production, but I’ve also had the chance to meet and work with some really wonderful people. PBD has an amazing staff! From Day One everyone has been nothing but helpful and welcoming and I really appreciate that. Having not worked professionally in the event industry before, and having my first experience be with Preston Bailey Designs, makes me feel truly blessed and has confirmed my love and passion for the field. I know I still have some things to learn, but now, more than ever, I am absolutely sure that a career in the event field is meant for me.

Tara Martin-Crawford, LWPI’s intern at Preston Bailey Designs, continues her work with florals this week. Tara is a graduate of Preston Bailey’s Signature Wedding and Event Design course, and she is the first LWPI intern to work with Preston. She has only a couple of more weeks left in her internship. This week she talks about helping re-create some of Preston’s signature floral pieces.

This week was a very busy one for PBD. Cho Phillips and some of her team flew in from California to film the lessons for Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute and Preston’s next courses, which will focus on floral design. It was great to finally get to meet Cho in person since she and I have only had communication over the phone and through email. The new courses that she and Preston are creating sound awesome, and they will offer great learning opportunities for both experienced and novice floral designers. Creating the centerpieces and amazing floral pieces that PBD is so famous for would seem like an immense challenge for almost anyone. Not only are they extremely detailed, but creating them requires a lot of imagination as well as knowledge of working with flowers.

In order to showcase its famous florals the PBD Floral Department had to recreate some “classic” pieces as well as design and create new ones. One of the projects that I was given was to create a poodle out of ivy leaves and hot pink carnations. The base for the ivy was made out of chicken wire wrapped around bunches of white tissue paper. I used hot glue to secure the ivy. The foundations for the carnations were floral foam balls that were sprayed with water and plant food in order to keep the flowers alive longer. I was told to choose buds that were either fully or partially open. For ones that weren’t fully open, I used my fingers to spread the leaves and open the bloom as much as possible. The stem was trimmed to approximately three-quarters of an inch and pressed into the foam until secure. Hot glue was also used for buds that didn’t want to stay in place.

Again, when creating pieces with fresh flowers it is important to pack them in tightly so that they hold in place and stay alive longer. Also, you should always start placing your first flowers in the area(s) where you need a smooth border. That way you can make sure the edge is straight and neat and move on to the rest of the piece from there. The piece that I created wasn’t one that I would consider large in scale, especially for PBD. However, it was a lot more time-consuming than I thought it would be. You have to have a lot of patience and really take your time when you create a floral sculpture because even for smaller pieces you will probably need to hand-place a good amount of flowers.

All in all I think that my dog turned out pretty well. After having the opportunity to create a piece pretty much from start to finish (I had some help along the way) I think that I will definitely do a better job next time. As the saying goes, “practice makes perfect”.

Michelle Bromley

Do you live in the Austin, Texas, area? If so, and you’re interested in becoming a certified wedding and event planner, you should check out Michelle Bromley’s class with Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute at Austin Community College in Travis County. We recently sat down with Michelle to find out more about her, her class, and her teaching style.

How did you get involved in wedding and event planning? I started working in the event industry 15 years ago at a bed and breakfast overlooking majestic Lake Travis in Austin, Texas. During my five years there we turned the B&B into a wedding venue where groups could take the place over for the whole weekend. Not only did I sell the space, but I also became the day-of coordinator for the events. You can say I got my experience through trial by fire.

What is your work/education/experience background? When the nearby, nationally renowned restaurant The OASIS decided to construct an event venue as well I was asked to help the owner of the B&B develop the wedding program. I learned a lot from that process. Since then I have worked for catering companies, a charter cruise ship on Lake Travis, and with various planners. It was about five years ago that I realized planning the whole shebang from beginning to end is my strong suit. I have a Psychology Major and Business Administration background from Texas A&M, Austin Community College and Southwest Texas State University. One of the reasons I think I am so effective as an event planner is my education in psychology.

Do you own your own business? I worked as an independent contractor most of those 15 years with the dream that I would eventually own my own business. I was fortunate enough to be able to take over Allison’s Events as the owner last July. The previous owner is a dear friend of mine, and she made it really easy for me to take her reins. Since then I submitted a press release about the takeover, changing my name to Allison’s Events by Michelle, and am now in my second phase of rebranding to eventually become Here to Help! Stay tuned for a press release about that and my new website, www.heretohelpbrides.com.

What is your favorite part of being a planner? Design and Decor. I call it the calm before the storm when I get to bring a wedding vision to life. It is so quiet when I am setting up a room, and then it is very gratifying to me when all the guests and my clients see the room for the first time. It is a very dramatic, impactful moment.

What is the toughest part? Dealing with the psychological dynamics between family members.

What is your favorite part of the class? The projects and the design boards. I enjoy the classroom interaction and turn the online projects into class projects. It is interesting to see how far the students come from their first project to their fourth in both compilation and delivery.

What do you think is the most important lesson for your students? This is not the glamorous career that it seems on the surface. It is very hard, stressful work. An event planner takes on all of the stress that comes with planning any event so having a firm grasp on all the details, big and small, is extremely important. A wedding is one of the most emotionally charged days in someone’s life, and we in the event industry are right in the middle of it. You have one day to make it memorable (good or bad), so make sure you address everything that could come up in the planning stages. If something unexpected does pop up, deal with it with calmness and professionalism.

How has teaching for LWPI rewarded you? I recently hired one of my previous students, who is now certified as an Associate Coordinator. She has hit the ground running and is doing fabulously. I get about three or four inquiries a week asking if I need interns. I have made the decision to only utilize those who have taken classes and gotten some form of certification as interns. I also work with venues and have other event industry professionals asking me for intern referrals. Taking this class and getting certified really can help you get a job in the industry.

What trends do you see growing popular in 2011? Peacocks! Also, metallic colors: gold, silver, bronze and copper.

To learn more about Michelle, visit her website or Facebook page. And if you’re interested in becoming a certified wedding and event planner through LWPI, take a tour of the course or register for a class in your area today.

Wedding and Event Planning Certification
Austin Community College
Highland Business Center Campus
Austin, Texas / Travis County, Texas
September 13 through November 15, 2011
Register for the class online

Flowers can transform a dull, melancholy venue into an astonishing, eye-popping wonderland for your special day. From the simplest to the most elaborate, floral arrangements can be one of the main things that people remember when they leave your festivities.

 But what do you take into consideration when looking for flowers? The biggest thing is time of year. Certain flowers are only in season at certain times. This means that if you want a particular flower for your wedding you might want to check to see if it’s in season so you can save some money. 
Here are some great summer flowers that are in season right now.

Chrysanthemums - Courtesy of w-wedding flowers

Chrysanthemums - Courtesy of Chiq Weddings

Peonies - Courtesy of Wedsavvy

Hydrangeas - Courtesy of Alicepub.com

All these flowers just scream summer. There are also flowers that are available year-round so regardless of the season they are priced just right.

Gardenias - Courtesy of The Twisted Sifter

Gardenias - Courtesy of Karen Tran Florals

Gardenias are so beautiful and they smell amazing. Their scent can fill a room with such an intoxicating scent.

Lily of the Valley - Courtesy of Snippet and Ink

Orchids - Courtesy of Style Me Pretty

Orchids are great because they come in some many shapes, sizes and colors.

Roses - Courtsey of Wish Special Events

Roses are a wedding staple and will always be looked at as the classic wedding flower. They are great wedding flowers because they can literally be dyed to match any color scheme. This makes them versatile and an ideal flower for any wedding, especially summer ones with bright bold colors.

Be sure to visit Shafonne’s website, read her new plus-size bride blog, follow her on Twitter, and read more about her in this LWPI Instructor Spotlight.

Tara Martin-Crawford, an LWPI graduate of Preston Bailey’s Signature Wedding and Event Design course, continues her summer internship at Preston Bailey Designs. As her time at Preston Bailey’s world-reknowned design firm winds down she moves into the creative part of her internship: florals. This week she learns some great tips on creating the beautiful floral pieces that Preston Bailey is known for.

After ten weeks in the Production Department I have moved into working with the Floral Department. This week we worked both in the studio and onsite for a Christmas-theme photo shoot sponsored by QVC. Of course, this was no ordinary “home for the holidays” setup. Everything was over-the-top and awe-inspiringly beautiful. My biggest challenge this week was getting over my fear of messing everything up. I have never been someone who is really good at making things, so I was definitely proceeding with caution  so as not to ruin the beautiful look of the pieces I was creating with the floral team.

We worked with a variety of materials including fresh roses, fresh orchids, beads, silk flowers, branches and ribbon. Neatness and efficiency are two absolute requirements when doing this type of work. Neatness I’m pretty good with. My speed and efficiency will I hope come in time. I was assured by the other girls who have been with PBD for a while that once you’ve had the chance to create some pieces and see how they are put together you will begin to recognize the best techniques for each piece. Hot glue, wire and straight pins are three vital elements that PBD uses to create a lot of its masterpieces. Both of them are easy to use, easy to conceal, and inexpensive (careful with the hot glue though, it definitely does burn). One tip that I picked up this week with regard to fresh flowers: If you are creating a piece using a lot of fresh flowers it is best to pack the flowers together as tightly as possible. This will prevent their petals from falling off and keep them looking alive longer.

Because we were doing a Christmas theme, I also received a much-needed lesson in gift wrapping. Maybe this is common knowledge, but a new technique I learned for creating bows with ribbon is: Instead of making the ends of the ribbon the same length when beginning your bow, keep one tail short (the final length it will need to be to tie the bow) at the top of the box. Crisscross the ends on top of the box and then wrap the long end smoothly around the underside so that you don’t create a knot underneath and the box will sit flat.  Again, I’m sure for some of you this may be common knowledge, but I was taught to keep the ends the same length and make a knot on the underside of the package. I guess all these years I’ve been doing it wrong.  Well now I will have no excuse not to create beautifully decorated packages the Christmas!

For someone who is not naturally crafty it is difficult to visualize how to create a stunning statement piece out of raw materials. However, being around such creative and talented people as those who work at PBD is definitely inspiring. Tapping into my creative outlets that have long been dormant (pretty much since childhood) feels really good. The pieces that PBD creates are well thought out, extremely beautiful, and often mind-blowing. Being able to be part of the process in creating these pieces is truly inspirational and has made me realize that with enough vision and the right knowledge, it is absolutely possible to create magic out of thin air.