President Barack Obama, interrupted by three dozen standing ovations in his first official address before Congress, challenged Americans to better compete in the global economy by creating opportunity through higher education.  

“And so tonight, I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training,” Obama said to a joint session of Congress. “This can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training or an apprenticeship. But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma.”

For the Certified Wedding Planner and those who aspire to become a wedding planner, this call to action, backed by billions of dollars for education stimulus in recently approved economic legislation, from a president who committed over a decade of his life to teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School, is timely and reassuring.

In an economy in crisis, opportunity awaits those who seek betterment through self improvement and career training. Whether it is through a certification program or continuing education, each of us owes it to ourselves and our society to step forward and take charge of our future.

Professor Obama, The Education President

Sacramento, CA – January 14, 2009 – Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute (LWPI) provides a free wedding planning service that employs its graduates, saves brides and grooms money, and increases local wedding vendor business. Certified Wedding Planners are paid through partnerships with professional wedding vendors and offer their event planning services at no cost to engaged couples.

The program is designed to help aspiring and existing wedding planners start or grow their career while boosting local wedding businesses and reducing costs for brides and grooms. LWPI graduates work with bridal clients to select the best vendors to create their dream weddings. The Certified Wedding Planner is then paid by the vendor, allowing marriage-bound couples to stretch their wedding budgets further.

The Wedding Planning Institute’s Certification is internationally recognized by The Association for Wedding Professionals International and is offered through hundreds of accredited colleges as a classroom and online course. Students are trained by professional wedding planners and given the opportunity to assist at real weddings, tour venues, and network with wedding vendors.

“With the economy in crisis, it is imperative that companies such as ours innovate to help our clients and business partners. This program will save engaged couples an average of $1500 in wedding planning costs, insure that their wedding is planned professionally, and give our graduates a successful start to their career,” says Cho Phillips, founder and CEO of LWPI.

Wedding vendors and couples who are interested in working with the Free Certified Wedding Planner Program should visit www.Lovegevity.com. Individuals interested in becoming a certified wedding planner can enroll at www.WeddingPlanningInstitute.com.

The Wedding Planning Institute is a division of Lovegevity, Inc®, a national event planning agency. Founded in Omaha, NE in 1997 by Cho Phillips, Lovegevity has administrative offices located in Roseville, CA. The company helps thousands of couples each year plan for their wedding through a national network of Professional Certified Wedding Planners in an estimated 600 markets. Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute exists to improve the skills of wedding and event planners with education and certification and provides opportunities to those seeking a career in the wedding planning industry.

For more information, contact Jerry Madson, at (877) 597-8166, ext. 912 or pr@lovegevity.com.

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Certified Wedding Planner (CWP) Career Track

Wedding day memories are in the details. The ability of the Certified Wedding Planner to create signature events that match the dreams and desires of the client determines whether those memories are joyous and lasting or mundane and fleeting.

A couple’s wedding signature incorporates their personal interests and culture into the ceremony and other pre- and post-wedding events. By learning how to create a wedding day that is specifically personal and unique, you position your business to stand out.

The Wedding Planning Institute’s new Wedding Styles, Signatures, & Themes online course will teach you the art and science of developing signature weddings utilizing industry tools, techniques, and formulas. Throughout the course, you will develop a signature wedding portfolio to draw from and add to as you help couples realize their wedding day dreams.

Your online instructor, Marci Bridgeford, is a twenty-year veteran of the design and service industry. “This course will teach you how to weave your client’s personalities, likes, and desires throughout your event to create a customized, one-of-a-kind feel that leaves everyone talking for years to come,” says Marci.

WPI Online Instructor Marci Bridgeford

As the founder and owner of A Joyous Occasion, a Sacramento, California event planning company, Marci has combined her expertise in color, form, and function with her experience with event planning, design, and execution to create a unique and valuable course addition for wedding planning students.

Improve your career or business today by enrolling in this course for professional wedding and event planners.

To register, visit http://signatureweddingdesign.scribestudio.com/custom/7115/register.jsp.

For more course information, call 1-888-221-9988 ext. 9000 or visit:

 http://www.weddingplanninginstitute.com/wedding_styles_signatures_and_themes.html