LWPI again welcomes 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.

Plastic bags are the worst possible choice for your gown because plastic emits fumes that can yellow your gown. If you have a bag made from muslin or tyvek, there will be no harmful fumes, but bags are not a particularly good choice for long-term storage. Hanging for long periods of time can distort the shape of your gown even if it is hanging from the ribbon loops attached to inside seams. All fabric, especially lace, will stretch if you hang it, and who needs a big bubble where the bustle should be or a saggy-looking bodice?

Having a professional clean and pack your gown in an acid-free wedding chest is a much better option. A professional will pack your gown so that it maintains it shape perfectly with a minimum of folds and creases, and the wedding chest takes up a lot less room in your closet than a big bouffant gown bag. Wedding chests also protect your gown from sharp objects that can slice into your dress. And they are a much more effective barrier against insects and mice than bags. A bride once came to me in tears because mice got into her bag before the wedding, shredded her train to make a nest, and left her a present of lots of little black stuff!

No museums that I know use bags to store textiles, and that, too, should tell you something: An acid-free wedding chest is a better choice than any bag.

The journey to your future begins with the first step. Did you know that LWPI now offers one-day seminars around the country for those looking to speed up the learning process and get started right away as a certified wedding and event planner?

Seminar instructors help students meet all assignment requirements, create project presentations, and prepare for the industry CWEP Exam. Seminar students receive access to LWPI’s online student center, which includes the student library, community, and resources for six months after the one-day seminar. Each LWPI student also works with a trained and certified wedding and event planning mentor who guides them through the certification process and assists with students’ internship experiences.

Life is busy, and starting a new career takes time. Find a seminar location near you, and get started today on your path toward becoming a certified wedding and event planner!

Click here to enroll for CWEP Seminar with Online and Mentor
Click here to enroll for CWEP Online Only with Mentor
Click Here for the CWEP College Classroom Schedule
Click to enroll in Preston Bailey’s Signature Wedding and Event Design Course
Click to Enroll in LWPI’s Green Weddings Course
Coming Soon! Preston Bailey’s Series of Floral Design Courses

CWEP Tuition will vary based on enrollment options such as online, seminar, college classroom, etc.

When it comes to interviewing possible bridal clients there is one thing every certified wedding and event planner must be: prepared. Being prepared means being on top of new and exciting wedding trends, and it means that planners must anticipate the questions brides-to-be are going to ask. Here are some of those questions; how would you answer them?

. How long have you been a planner?
. Are you a certified wedding and event planner?
. Is this your full-time job?
. How much do you charge?
. How many weddings have you planned?
. How many clients do you take on at one time?
. What is the largest wedding or event you have planned?
. Will you be at the wedding?
. Are you willing to travel to another region on the day of our wedding?
. Do you bring a staff with you?
. What are the best venues that fit our budget?
. (Once they choose a venue) Have you worked with this venue before?
. Can you help us with venue contracts?
. Can you get us discounts with vendors?
. Are you willing to stick to our budget and not guide us in a direction we can’t afford?
. How, and how often, may we contact you?
. Do you also plan honeymoons?

Suffice to say - brides are likely to add numerous questions to this list, but these are some common ones that every planner should expect to answer, and answer well. Remember that brides want to feel comfortable and feel heard. They’re likely going into this interview with a very specific vision in mind, and although your ideas may enhance their dreams - they’re still the clients’ dreams!

It’s important to remember, also, that although you’re the one being interviewed it’s a good time for you to get to know potential clients and try to figure out if you will work well with them. Trying to figure out how to say no? Read this great column by LWPI instructor Amanda Allen of MMD Events in Tampa, Florida: Insight from the Wedding Planning Institute: Saying No. To do a great job and end the day with a satisfied client you have to make sure your personalities mesh well!

What other important questions would you add to this list?

Whenever I think about a fall wedding I envision leaves on a tree on an autumn day. These are the colors that are customarily used in a fall-themed wedding. Typically, you start with yellows, oranges, greens and reds. All of these colors give off the warm, bold and vibrant colors characterized by fall. Below is a great inspiration board that demonstrates some of these colors in a fall-themed wedding.

Autumn Wedding Inspiration Board (Weddingblogger on Polyvore)

I love this time of year because it is just the right weather to have an outdoor wedding during the day and not have to deal with scalding-hot or freezing-cold weather. This can prove to be great for the bridal party as well as the guests. It is also great because this time of year yields some wonderful ideas for wedding favors or decorations that can be very cost-effective, like fresh apples, gourds and pumpkins. These are great things to use as table decorations or as favors for your guests.

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

We’ll be the first to admit that these are ideas we’ve never seen in person. Fake wedding cakes? Rental wedding cakes? That being said, we can see the need for these in many bridal situations. Wedding cakes can be very expensive, and some couples just don’t see a reason to spend so much of their budget on dessert. Chances are, however, that they still want cake-cutting photos even if they want to forgo a traditional cake! What to do, then? Here are a couple of nontraditional and unexpected ideas that certified wedding and event planners can work with. Brilliant or bonkers? You be the judge.

Fake the Cake, of California

Fake Wedding Cakes. How many times have you been served a piece of wedding cake that tasted, well, just not so good. Fake wedding cakes solve that problem. They can be gorgeous - filled with details and flowers and everything that wedding cakes are known for. Fake wedding cakes are gorgeous in photos, too, and they’re less likely to get ruined on their trip to the venue. There’s just one thing: You can’t eat them! If you have a friend willing to decorate your cake for free this is a good option. They save time by using styrofoam, and you save money by skipping the bakery. But what about your guests? They get a slice of sugary perfection - straight from a sheet cake hidden in the venue’s kitchen.

Rental Wedding Cakes. Don’t have a friend with handy decorating skills? No problem. There are companies with fake wedding cakes to rent. That’s right. You get to choose a cake that matches your theme. They set it up for you at your reception, where your friends and family ooh and ahh over it. Then it’s whisked away (your guests, once again, get a piece of sheet cake), and the rental cake is off to amaze the guests at another bride’s wedding. You can’t get more budget-friendly than this!

So what do you think? Is the wedding cake a disposable part of the overall wedding budget? Have you ever seen these options where you live? We think they’re a smart option, if done right.

Over the summer we had the pleasure of following Tara Martin-Crawford, an LWPI graduate of Preston Bailey’s Signature Wedding and Design course, as she interned with Preston Bailey and his staff in Manhattan. We know that what Tara absorbed during her 12 weeks will be invaluable as she begins her career as a certified wedding and event planner. Now that she’s had some time to sit back and digest what she learned she’s back with a few thoughts on her LWPI course and internship.

Preston Bailey, Tara Martin-Crawford and LWPI CEO Cho Phillips

“My internship at PBD was both rewarding and challenging in many ways. The first couple weeks were a little stressful because there were major events scheduled both weeks so I really had to hit the ground running. However, after I had a little time to settle in, I really started to love what I was doing. The vast majority of the work I did with PBD was in their Production Department. One of the best things that resulted from my internship was that I discovered my likes, dislikes, strengths, and weaknesses. I really loved working in Production and I also enjoyed working with flowers. Production really brought out the “organizer” in me, which has always been a big part of my personality. However, working in floral inspired me to want to learn a lot more about flowers and to find ways to be more creative in both my business and everyday life.

I used to be very creative as a child, but as I got older I became more practical and my creative urges began to dwindle. Working with PBD definitely awakened those old flames and has helped me realize that I do have artistic abilities that I can apply to my career. One of the challenges of the internship was learning how to create documents and make them user-friendly for the entire team. I’m not used to working as part of a team when it comes to planning and designing events. As an amateur, I have always done things in my own, informal way. As a PBD intern, I had to learn how to create important formal documents that could be used over and over by the whole team. It was challenging because I had to learn what information would be needed, by whom, and how to include it. Despite the fact that I was so new to the event industry, and, at times, didn’t know what I was doing, everyone at Preston Bailey Designs always treated me with kindness and respect. That was one of the other “bests” about the internship: getting to know the PBD team. They really were a pleasure to work with and amazing to learn from. They are obviously the best in the industry for a reason, and I hope to have the opportunity to work with them again in the future.

Taking Preston’s course really helped me prepare for the internship, and it was interesting to see how the concepts and processes described in the course were actually applied to the events he and his team create. For example, mood boards are extremely important to the design team. After Preston has his initial meeting with the client he sits down with his design team and creates the mood board, which will then be the foundation for designing the entire event. Giving the client the three design options is also an essential part of the success of his client relations. People love to have choices and taking the time to create exciting options for clients makes them feel as though the desires they have for their events are being taken seriously. I also had the opportunity to see how color saturation, lighting, and statement pieces were used in events and how important each is to the cohesiveness of good designs. I learned to be more of a perfectionist than I already am because it is the small details that really make an event spectacular.

I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to work with Preston Bailey Designs. I feel much more inspired, confident, and knowledgeable with regard to the event industry than I did just a few months ago. I feel like I want to keep learning and have been following up on some areas such as flowers and lighting that I want to know more about. I am also in the process of taking the Certified Wedding and Event Planner course though the Wedding Planning Institute. I had the opportunity to assist with some planning while I was at PBD, and I feel as though this is also an area that really interests me. I am so excited to finish the course because then I feel as though I’ll have the well-rounded education I desire and be able to assist my future clients with any facet of event planning or design they want or need.

Thank you so much to Cho Phillips, Preston Bailey, and all the members of Preston Bailey Designs for giving me this opportunity and helping me to further realize my goals and dreams. It was truly an inspiring and wonderful experience!”

Congratulations again, Tara, on a job well done! Are you interested in being the next LWPI intern at Preston Bailey Designs? Every graduate of his course has the opportunity to apply! Take a tour of his Signature course or enroll today!

This month’s Real Wedding comes from Randi Lawrence Moore, the owner of Randi Lawrence Moore | Couture Wedding Gown Salon in Atlanta, Georgia. You can read more about Randi in her Instructor Spotlight (Chattahoochee Technical College - North Metro Campus), and she has a few articles available at The Wedding Report’s Wedding Tips and Trends blog. Today she gives us some of the details of the wedding she planned for Michael and Tomeka Stevens.

“Working with this couple was a joy. Who says love doesn’t come later in life? With this being their second marriage, Michael and Tomeka wanted to go out with a bang! The love they share is so sweet and innocent, and they wanted to celebrate in style! Their tropical theme was wonderful, and their acrylic invitations set the tone. It was a great wedding with wonderful vendors in the Atlanta metro area. Their inspiration was: The Second Time Around is With the Perfect Person, My Best Friend!” How cute is that?

Are you an LWPI graduate or instructor? Are you interested in having one of your weddings featured? Contact our managing editor for more information, and for more on the vendors used in Michael and Tomeka’s wedding see the following links.

Wedding Planner: Randi Lawrence Moore
Wedding Gown: RIVINI
Photographer: Sapphire Photography
Drapery: Event Drapery
Wedding Cake: Perfect Wedding Cake
Venue: Ventanas
Ceremony Location: Hilton Garden Inn
Ceremony Decor: A Legendary Event
Videographer: Creative Video Moments
Florist: Fuji Floral Design
Stationary: Sandi Spells Design
Ice Sculpture: Ice Sculptures Unlimited
Catering: Epicurean Drama Events
Linen: BBJ Linen
Singer: Treble Clef Sounds

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.

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!

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.