Choosing bridesmaids should be an easy task, right? WRONG! I have had so many people come to me and say, “My fiancé wants me to have this person in the bridal party, but I don’t really know them.” This is becoming more and more common, especially when there are siblings involved. Typically if either the bride or groom has siblings, or close friends, they are considered shoe-ins for a spot in the bridal party. But why? When choosing who is going to play a part in your special day do you want someone you don’t know that well? No, you want to have someone who means something to you and has played a huge part in your life.

Remember, these are the people that will be around you throughout your whole wedding-planning experience. You want to pick someone that you get along with and can get along with you. There is a lot of responsibility and honor in being a bridesmaid, and you want to have someone who knows this responsibility and who will cherish and honor the role.

It can also be very expensive to be a bridesmaid: the functions that have to be attended, the gifts, the attire - all of these things have to be purchased by each member of the bridal party. Someone who may not have a personal connection with you may not be as willing to do this.

There are so many other roles that individuals who are not as close to you, but may want to still play a part in your big day, can hold. They can share scripture or give readings during the ceremony. They can also be ushers or hostesses. All of these are very important jobs that will allow them to still feel included.

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.

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.