Brides come in all shapes and sizes, but it can be hard to find gowns and accessories if you’re a plus-size bride. Shafonne Myers, a graduate of LWPI and now an instructor, saw this need and decided to launch a new blog geared directly toward plus-size brides, called The Pretty Pear Bride. According to Shafonne:

“Pretty Pear Bride was created as an outlet for plus size brides … There are Real Weddings, so brides see that being a plus-size bride is fun and fabulous, as well as inspiration stories, tips, tricks and a soon to be released vendor guide. The vendor guide will have a listing of vendors in major cities that carry specific bridal fashions especially for the plus-size bride.

Plus size clothing is the fastest growing market, with an increase from $26 billion in sales and a 27% market share in 2000 to $42 billion in sales for a 54% market share in 2009. So there is tremendous need for an outlet that caters to plus size brides…. Plus size brides now have a place that reflects their visions and allows them to embrace their inner bridal beauty….”

LWPI wants to equip its certified wedding and event coordinators with every resource to make their brides happy and their weddings gorgeous. That’s why we think what Shafonne is doing is smart and helpful. The plus-size bridal market is a big piece of the bridal-industry pie, and we’re delighted that Shafonne has found a way to bring it to the forefront. We wish her lots of success and partnerships as she begins her new blog!

Last week we introduced you to LWPI instructor Desiree Moore Dent, and we mentioned that she has a new book out. We’re so excited for Desiree and WEDology Notebook: For The Budget-Chic Bride! We wanted to share a bit more about it because we know there are many brides and certified wedding and event planners out there who could benefit from what Desiree has to say. In her words:

“The WEDology Notebook: For The Budget-Chic Bride was created by fusing “Wedding” and “Ology” together. A wedding is a celebration of marriage and the informal word ending “ology” means a branch of learning. As a wedding planner and instructor, it is embedded in me to teach and I find nothing better than instructing bride’s on how to plan a wedding celebration to best suit their style and budget.

Budget-chic does not mean Do-It-Yourself (DIY), but making sure you hire the best vendors to service you on your fabulous wedding day. The vendors should fit within the budget you and your fiancé have set, but you also want to make sure they are able to meet your requests. By using the Notebook, you will be able to ask knowledgeable questions and retain the answers in one location. Next, wedding planning can be stressful and financially overbearing when not done in an organized fashion or with assistance. I understand some brides cannot afford a wedding coordinator or do not understand the importance of hiring someone to direct their wedding day. In wanting to make sure you are equipped with planning tools to host a successful ceremony and reception, the Notebook was developed.

Last, I have witnessed brides visiting my office with their purse and another bag to carry their large wedding binder and contracts. In wanting to relieve some of the tension, I designed the Notebook to not only be user-friendly, but compact so that a bride can carry it in her handbag, tote bag or briefcase without feeling weighed down.

I hope you find the WEDology Notebook: For The Budget-Chic Bride to be a useful tool throughout your wedding planning process.”

To learn more about the book and find out where and when you can buy it, visit Desiree’s website and Facebook page.

This month’s spotlight for Real Weddings from LWPI Graduates comes from Jen Taylor, the owner of Taylor’d Events by Jennifer in Woodinville, Wash. She won a 2010 Wedding Wire Bride Choice Award and was named Best Day of Wedding Coordinator in 2010 by Seattle Bride Magazine. Taylor is also an instructor with LWPI at Everett Community College.

Taylor says, “I started working with this couple in November 2009 for their August 8, 2010, wedding. This couple was fun and I loved working with them, but they were also challenging to me as a planner. Working with them really helped me learn how to help a couple throughout the process of planning their wedding. They were both in jobs that were very analytical and that is how they went about planning their wedding; both of them knew what they did not want in their wedding, but they could not express what they wanted. That is where it helped that I have a great team of vendors to surround my clients and help create their vision.”

For example, Taylor explains, “The florist wanted to give the couple several ideas, but I wanted to compare apples with apples so I tried to keep the options about the same. When the bride received quotes for the flowers she was very concerned that the quote did not include how many of each flower would be in the arrangements. It was my job as the planner to let the couple know that the florist would make the arrangements match what they had in mind. At one point the bride created a Powerpoint presentation of flowers that she liked and did not like, which was helpful. It was also helpful that the florist agreed to do a mock-up arrangement, which helped give the bride pretty good idea of what the bouquet and centerpiece would look like.”

We absolutely love the color scheme that this bride chose and Taylor executed. Purple can be a hard color to work with if it’s overused, but in this case we think Taylor did a great job of incorporating different hues and even heading in the blue direction, as the cake shows. We see some great lighting in the background, which continued the theme. We also see some great, personal touches, such as the pats of butter shaped into flowers, and the napkins standing on end at each plate. The napkins especially were a great way to add visual interest to the tables and reception overall. And by the smile on the bride’s face we’d say she agreed!

Are you interested in becoming a certified wedding and event planner trained by Taylor? Be sure to register for her class, which begins February 1. And to learn even more about Jennifer check her out on Facebook and Twitter or visit her website. (And by the way: A Preston Bailey Signature Wedding Design course is also available at Everett, with a different instructor. Check out more about the class, which starts Feb. 3, and register today.)

Here is some more information on the vendors Taylor worked with to create this gorgeous wedding:
* Columbia Tower Club
* Elements in Bloom
* Sean Hoyt Photography
* Crème de la Crème
* Wavelink Music
* L & M Chair Covers
* AA Party Rentals

It’s easy to get carried away when planning a holiday wedding. Tons of expensive decor and flowers are easy ways to kill your budget. But holiday weddings can also be budget- and environmentally friendly. Here are a couple of ideas to “go green” from Kate Harrison, the author of The Green Bride Guide and LWPI’s partner for Lovegevity’s Green Weddings Course.

1) Choose a winter-themed invitation on recycled paper. (This cute invitation was found on etsy.)

2) Save money and decrease the footprint of your event by choosing a location that decks the halls with holiday splendor. Most hotels and historic buildings create elaborate settings for the holidays, which can provide a beautiful backdrop to your event.

3) Create your own winter wonderland using Christmas lights, ice sculptures, potted evergreens, flowering branches, pine cones, and bowls of nuts and cranberries. If you choose seasonal decorations for your wedding that can be reused you can let guests or the bridal party take them home as gifts. For example, wreaths make beautiful centerpieces when interspersed with soy or beeswax candles.

4) Hang recycled paper snowflakes from the ceiling or windowsills.

5) Serve seasonal dishes - like hot pumpkin soup, sweet potatoes and grass-fed organic steak. (Soup recipe available on epicurious.com.)

6) Give a winter- or holiday-themed favor. Organic cookies in the the shapes of snowflakes or trees, personalized ornaments, and small jars of locally made jam can all double as seating cards.

7) Use (or have your baker use) snowflake stencils and powdered sugar to create winter cupcakes. (Check out these amazing cupcake ideas - including stenciled cupcakes - at the food blog Kuidadore.)

Do you have more ideas for creating a holiday-themed green wedding? We’d love to hear them! Interested in signing up for Lovegevity’s Green Weddings Course? Find out more about the course here. You can register today! And if you need another push to sign up, how about a $100 back-to-school tuition discount? Just enter the code GBGWPI100 when you enroll.

Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute is excited to bring you another Real Wedding this month, this time from LWPI graduate Shafonne Myers! Shafonne founded and is president of Making Your Event Special, a top wedding and event consulting firm in Richmond, Va., and now Indianapolis, Ind. 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. Shafonne is also an instructor with LWPI, and she has tons of experience and advice to offer students.

According to Shafonne: “This was a wedding that I did in Virginia last year. The bride and groom, Rachel and Geoff, were amazing. They were actually referrals that I had gotten from previous clients. The venue was beautiful. It was at the end of April and everything was in bloom.”

We love so many of the details from this amazing wedding. And all of the beautiful blooms are exactly why so many women want to be spring brides! It’s hard to create a better venue than nature provides, don’t you agree? The blue and pink accents are a perfect match for the understated beachy theme that the couple chose for their reception. (Read below for links to the fabulous vendors that Shafonne worked with in Virginia.)

Wedding Planner: Making Your Event Special
Venue: The Manor House
Flowers: Flowers Make Scents
Dress: Jingles
Cake: Batter Up Cake Company
DJ: Bill Holliday
Videographer: Drop to Design
Photography: David Abel Photography

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LWPI is excited to announce that it has joined forces with world-renowned design icon Preston Bailey. Together, they will create and launch the first event-design course of its kind, based on Bailey’s 30 years of experience with such celebrities as Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey, Uma Thurman, Joan Rivers, Donna Karan, Liza Minnelli, Matt Lauer, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Ivanka Trump and others.

Preston Bailey’s Signature Wedding and Event Design course will allow students to experience the step-by-step processes and techniques utilized by one of the globe’s leading wedding and event experts, industry pioneer Bailey. This new course is a comprehensive “how-to” for the industry, providing real behind-the-scenes footage, photographs and documentation, including insights into the wizardry that can make a wedding a one-of-a-kind, magical event for a couple and their guests.

Starting this summer, Preston Bailey’s Signature Wedding and Event Design course will roll out to nearly 2,000 academic institutions around the United States . Dependent upon each school’s administration, the course will be available to both full-time college students in regular classroom environments and adults in continuing-education programs. It will also be made directly available to students through an online program hosted by LWPI.

“Event design has been a life changing experience for me,” said Bailey, the founder of Preston Bailey Designs. “I am excited to share my passion for design by working with the experienced team at The Wedding Planning Institute.  It’s a privilege to help others harness their talents to create weddings and other events that are truly unforgettable occasions.”

Are you interested in enrolling? Good news! You can enroll today! (The class will be available in both English and Spanish.) Want more information on this exciting opportunity? Check out the following links:

* More about the partnership and the course.
* Enroll for the class today.
* Take a tour of the course (English).
* Take a tour of the course (Spanish).
* Visit Preston Bailey’s website.

You already know that the Lovegevity Wedding Planning Institute is the No. 1 place to turn when you want to begin a career as an event and wedding coordinator. But did you know that Lovegevity also offers a Green Wedding Planning Course? Going green is all the rage these days, and it’s with good reason: Doing so can be an affordable option for many weddings - especially for DIY brides - and it can leave everyone involved with a feeling of environmental responsibility. Environmentally friendly wedding ideas are exploding all over the U.S., and the Internet has a wealth of information on “going green.” As Lovegevity says, “A green wedding is a celebration of awareness. At a green wedding, a couple is not just affirming their commitment to one another, they are also affirming their commitment to a sustainable life together - one that takes the needs to the environment and future generations into account.”

Lovegevity’s Green Wedding Certification Course comes from a class designed by Kate Harrison and her book, The Green Bride. Harrison graduated from Vassar with a major in Environmental Conservation and Sustainable Development. She wrote The Green Bride after she and her husband, Barry, planned their own green wedding in 2007.

What are some ways you can turn a wedding “green?” Have you had any brides offer suggestions to make their weddings more environmentally sustainable?

Links you may be interested in:
*Take a tour of Lovegevity’s Green Wedding Planning Course.
* Enroll in Lovegevity’s Green Wedding Planning Course.
* Check out a blog by Lovegevity’s CEO, Cho Phillips, about Going Green.
* Read an excerpt from Kate Harrison’s The Green Bride or buy your own copy.

Wedding and event planner Nadia Digilov is back with Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute to share more of her excellent planning tips. Want to read more? See her first guest post: Top 10 Wedding Trends for 2010.

10 Secrets to Feeding Guests without Eating Your Budget!
By Nadia Diglov

One of the biggest checks that you will cut on your wedding date will be on the cost of catering. Food and alcohol can really eat up your budget and typically accounts for roughly 40-50% of the overall wedding cost.

Hard to believe, isn’t it?

To put this into perspective, think about going out for dinner: the cost of a medium size dinner for one at a major city such as New York is about $30 per person with tax & tip and not including much alcohol (perhaps 1 glass of wine). If you take this number and multiply it by 200 people the total comes out 6,000. Not that scary yet? Well, take into account that most guests will have more than 1 glass of wine (more like 2 or 3), a cocktail hour and a full Viennese table for desert. This number now doubles!

Want to cut a few corners and still keep your guests full and fed? Below are the 10 ways to feed your guests without breaking your budget. Using just the right fusion of psychology, imagination and practicality, you will be able to impress your guests without spending a fortune.

Here are 10 secrets of a luxury wedding dining experience without spending a fortune:

1.) Know your guests: the first step to designing an quality and budget friendly budget is to know your people! What are their priorities? Are they more drinkers or eaters, or both? What is more important, a bar that will have a variety of top shelf alcohol or 5 entrée options during main course? Your answer to this question will drive the rest of the decisions that you will make.

2.) Make a great first impression: One of my mentors once told me “you have only one time to make a first impression.” With experience I also realized that a first impression is really hard to break. A lesson in psychology for you: make a great first impression on your guests as soon as they arrive to your wedding! Set the tone with an immaculately dressed server greeting guests as they arrive to your wedding serving Champagne Bellini’s at the door! This will set an environment where your guests will feel welcomed and comfortable at your wedding, or in other words, at this time you will need to begin breaking a first impression of comfort and joy which most of the time will be hard to do.

3.) Cocktail hour: If you are having a cocktail hour, consider having the servers hand pass the pricier items such as shrimps and scallops. This will typically save an average of 30% of your catering budget.

4.) Not all seafood is priced equally: Calamari are about half the price of shrimp, make your choices for cocktail hour and reception keeping this in mind. Ask your caterer a lot of questions!

5.) Know your seasonal foods: Some dining options are perfectly affordable during a summer season and are expensive during the fall and vice versa. Scarcity of a particular food will increase the cost by up to 40%.

6.) Discount options: If you will have children at the reception, choose the caterer that offers 1/2 price for children up to the age of 16. This will save tons of cash especially if you have a huge family.

7.) Mix it up: Depending on the evaluation of your guests, consider a tasting menu that will offer up to 8 mini courses for your guests.

8.) Mix up the alcohol brands: Certain brands of vodka for example are pricier than others. Mix up expensive brands for guests that will inquire on brand and have your bar tender use the less expensive brands for guests that do not have a preference. This little trick will save you about 30% of the cost of alcohol.

9.) Close the open bar an hour earlier: Begin serving coffee and tea approximately 1 hour before you party will end. This will have tons of benefits by default. First, your guests will have a chance to sober up before leaving your party and second, it will save you up to 35%!

10.) Fore-go the full Viennese table: Go for a 5 tier over the top cake, with a chocolate fondue station and bite sized desserts that will be passed around. This will save you about $15 per person and that’s about $3,000, a nice chunk of change that you can use towards your honeymoon or (depending on your area of residence) a few months rent on your new apartment!

ABOUT NADIA DIGILOV & CELEBRATING IN STYLE:

Nadia Digilov is Manhattan’s premier luxury wedding expert and the founder and CEO of NYC event production firm Celebrating in Style. After seven years on the trading floors of the largest investment banks on Wall Street, her passion for production led her to begin creating luxury events that leave a lasting impression. Since 2002 Nadia has created weddings, corporate events, concerts, trade shows, and marketing events in major cities around the world including New York, Miami, Moscow, Tel Aviv and St. Petersburg.