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.

Green Wedding Planning Certification - Online Only. Register here.

Wagner College: Preston Bailey Signature Wedding and Event Design Course. Online only. Register here.

Preston Bailey Internship Program Accepting Applications Soon!

Preston Bailey will accept applications from January 1st, 2011, through March 1, 2011, from PBSWED Graduates only. International students are also encouraged to apply. Preston Bailey Designs will announce who the interns are. They will start out by choosing one intern, then will move to two every quarter. There will be a total of eight interns a year.

The non-paid internship will begin April 2011 and run for 3 months. (Moving forward there will be about eight interns a year). The intern will get to work directly with Preston Bailey and his team in whatever project they are working on at that time. (Greeting clients, production, designing, etc). If Preston travels, the intern will be invited to go with him (on the intern’s expense).

The intern will receive a certificate of completion of the internship and a picture with Preston Bailey. If a graduate is not accepted the first time around, they can always reapply.

Sign up for a Preston Bailey Signature Course today!

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.”

Wedding vendors are, according to eWedNews, excited about their fall bookings. That means that the wedding industry is improving and things are looking up, even though the recovery seems to be moving along at a snail’s pace. (We’ll take any good news we can get, right?) In fact, an eWedNews poll found that “market leaders in their areas says fall bookings are a pleasant surprise compared to 2009, same-time numbers. Many feel business is improving.” They say spending is improving and budgets are growing, albeitly by a small margin, which is a positive sign as the wedding industry heads into the holiday season. For example, some photographers have been unable to participate in certain marketing events because they’re too busy right now. And a busy photographer is an excellent sign of better health in the wedding industry.

How are vendors responding to this good news? They’re using their money sparingly and in areas they see direct growth, eWedNews finds, such as aligning their services with customer demand, and they’re working harder to increase organization and efficiency. A good example of this is the tuxedo market. Such leaders as Jos A Bank are following the 10-year lead of Men’s Wearhouse by scooping up smaller retailers who have been unable to make it in this market.

What does this mean for Lovegevity’s certified wedding and event coordinators? It means that more work is coming, and it’s time to get ready for it. Consider this quote from Mike Fitzgerald of Advance Technology Services Inc.: “If you are like many in business today, during the past year it has been a challenge to just survive the ‘Great Recession.’ Many companies have had to focus solely on survival, cutting work force and other expenses just to survive to fight another day. Now that companies are starting to see some signs of rebounding demand, the question is, ‘Are you and your assets properly prepared to capitalize on this increased business when the demand arrives?’”

How does this break down for you? Go through your offerings. Do they match up with what the market is demanding? Do you offer more than full-day services? Is your website up and running? Are you networking to find brides in your area? Showing up contributes a lot to success, but preparation is key. You know the old sayings: The early bird gets the worm! And be prepared!

Be organized and efficient in how you tackle your market. Know what a fair price is for the services you offer. Put together materials that tout your value. Spend your money wisely. The holidays will bring a wealth of new brides to the wedding industry, and they’re all itching to make their wedding dreams come true. Good preparation on your part will ensure that you’re there to meet their needs.

In 2009, President Obama challenged Americans to take charge of their future by creating opportunity through higher education. This was a clear directive to Americans to better themselves and see what opportunities their local schools offer. Education doesn’t have to end once we find a full-time job. Our passion may not lie in what we do on an everyday basis. Perhaps some of us dream of becoming wedding and event planners.

A few weeks ago in the 2010 State of the Union Address the president again mentioned a few programs that can help those people who are interested in pursuing a new career. As Forrest Junior College has noted, “The American Graduation Incentive will help 5 million Americans earn certificates and degrees in the next decade.” If you’re looking for a new career and you need help financing it today may be the best time ever to pursue your goals.

This program is part of the fiscal-year 2010 budget and may be passed soon. It is designed to provide financing to community colleges for increasing their graduation rate but also for expanding workforce partnerships (for growing industries or careers in their area) and making more financing available for students to take courses including certification programs. The financing for this program is $10 billion.

Another potential benefit may be the new American Opportunity Tax Credit, which is credit for tuition and supplies). Officials have expanded what the tuition credit covers, and it’s worth asking your local community college if it covers the materials for Lovegevity’s certified wedding planner course.

Every year, the wedding industry continues to grow as more and more people are getting married and more couples are seeking professional help to plan their perfect wedding day while maintaining a reasonable wedding budget. Certified Wedding and Event Planners are trained to do exactly that and are strongly positioned to succeed in the economy of today and tomorrow.

If you have dreamed of planning weddings for a living or are just curious to see if you have what it takes to succeed in this rewarding field, take a tour of our online and classroom course curriculum at www.cwptour.com. Your future as a Certified Wedding and Event Planner awaits!