The Lovegevity Wedding Planning Institute is excited to announce the newest venture for Michelle Bromley, an instructor of wedding and event-planning certification through LWPI at Austin Community College.

Click on the photo to see a gallery of amazing photos from Allison's Events.

Bromley, a full-time event planner with 14 years of experience, has worked with such businesses as venues, catering companies and a charter cruise ship in the Austin, Texas, area. She has always believed that her talents were best suited for weddings, and as the new owner of Allison’s Events she will oversee the execution of entire events for many clients. The previous owner of Allison’s Events, Nancy Allison, says she is “thrilled that Michelle is taking the reins. She is an eager and skilled friend, who I am confident will succeed in any endeavor that she undertakes.”

According to the company’s website:

“Allison’s Events is Austin’s premier wedding consultation, coordinating and event planning service. (They) are experienced and dedicated to designing individually styled weddings, gala events and corporate affairs that reflect your personality and style down to the last glorious detail. Allison’s Events was founded after 30 plus years in full service catering, hotels, restaurant and special event planning. Nancy Hoffmann-Allison, (the former) owner of Allison’s Events, was the founder and president of a full service catering firm for 19 years. During her career, she has designed hundreds of weddings and events. Michelle Bromley joined Allison’s Events in 2008 as their wedding specialist. Both have extensive experience, creativity, energy and knowledge, are award winning event planners.”

Bromley has served on the board of directors for the Austin Chapter of International Special Events Society since 2005. She was awarded the chapter’s Spirit of ISES award in 2006 and 2009, and has won scholarships to the organization’s annual educational conference. In addition to being a full-time wedding and event planner, Bromley is an instructor through the Lovegevity Wedding Planning Institute at Austin Community College. She trains students in several fields, including venue owners and catering managers, and also those people who are interested in planning weddings and other events.

To learn more about Bromley’s classes at Austin Community College, contact her at (512) 267-4544 or michelle@allisonsevents.com. Interested students can enroll in her class at http://www.certifiedweddingplannertour.org/austin.html.

Here are some of our favorite wedding-related links, finds and stories from the week:

* Talk about going all out for your one true love. Have you seen this amazing projector ring? It “contains a tiny photographic slide paired with a lens. When illuminated by an equally small light source—Jerram says even a candle will work—the couple will have four adorable images of themselves projected wherever they go,” according to gizmodo.com. Sounds like it’s a one-of-a-kind deal, but we think it would be a great inspiration piece for planning a wedding. Think vintage photos, projector reels, old pieces of film as decor….

There is inspiration galore in Disney's Alice in Wonderland.

* An LWPI student recently posted some ideas for a Cinderella-inspired wedding in the student-blog section for the Preston Bailey Design course. We loved her vintage, Audrey Hepburn ideas so when we ran across this Alice in Wonderland themed wedding we were immediately smitten! The decor - including “eat me” and “drink me” labels on the food and drinks are adorable. Check it all out here, on bridesmaid.com.

* Some brides are hard-pressed to get their grooms to take part in filling out the registry, but that’s probably because a lot of men have a hard time getting excited about china, vacuums and pillow shams! That’s where The Man Registry comes in. (Yes; for real.) It’s a place where guy stuff reigns supreme: sports-related home items and memorabilia; gifts for the griller and outdoorsman; and yes, of course there are tools to be had, too. We know a lot of brides like to grill and user power tools, too, but adding them to The Man Registry is a sneaky way to get the groom involved!

* What are the best honeymoon locations on earth? Denise and Mark Duffield-Thomas have the dream job of discovering just such places. The Irish Times held a contest to find a couple willing to act as honeymoon testers, and among 30,000 applicants those two got the job. You can follow their adventures on thehoneymoontesters.com, nicknamed the ultimate couple’s travel blog. Where have they been so far? Jordan, Malta, Ireland and Mauritius just to name a few spots. Some people have all the luck, don’t they? (If you think YOU have the luck apply here to be next year’s testers!)

Have you ever sat down to think about what makes a business successful? Ebay was able to take online auctions - a new idea at its beginning - and allow people all over the world to take part for little upfront money. Etsy prides itself on promoting crafters and handmade items. Amazon, simply put, is huge, and it brings all types of vendors from all over the world right to its users’ fingertips. Wedding planning doesn’t have to be any different. If every certified wedding and event coordinator sat down to figure out his or her strong points, then marketed them, they’d be likely to find huge success, too.

In other words you need to find your niche and make it work for you. This will set you apart from your competition, and it will let certain brides know that if they’re looking for a specific kind of wedding it’s your company that they must immediately turn to. What do we mean? Consider these specialties, or niches:

* Second-time (or more) brides.
* Ethnic, multi-ethnic or international events.
* Bisexual, lesbian, gay or transgender weddings and ceremonies.
* Extra-large weddings. (Those with 500 guests or more.)
* Non-traditional services. (Those without a religious aspect and not held in a church)
* Beach weddings.
* Quirky weddings and events. (Think scuba enthusiasts, for example!)
* Bed and breakfast-type events. (Where you own the venue and do the planning.)

Finding your niche and sticking with it doesn’t mean that you turn away brides who are looking for your expertise. If you’ve done a good job in the past you’ve probably built up good word-of-mouth advertising, and new couples will search you out to make their event special, too. Finding your niche does mean that you’ll be known for a certain type of event and that you’re the expert at planning them.

Have any of you found your niche? Are you trying to incorporate your niche into your business?

A big baseball diamond, that is!

Imagine planning a wedding - with hundreds of guests - at the last minute. OK. So maybe this wasn’t your typical wedding: the bride wore a veiled baseball cap and instead of a bouquet she carried, what else? A baseball bat! It was a special day nonetheless, meant to bring two people together before the groom headed out on another deployment. It’s great to see the community come together to help make a dream come true - even if it is on a baseball diamond. It’s something this couple will never forget!

So there you have it. Just a feel-good story to get the week started. It’s stories like this that help to remind us that wedding and event planning might be our life, but there is always a lot of love behind what we do! Have you seen any last-minute weddings at unexpected places?

Graphic courtesy of Marry Me Productions, which has done some legwork finding a few (free) wedding websites. Check out their list!

Much like the decline of the newspaper industry, the bridal-magazine industry is feeling the effects of a change in advertsing, with advertisers choosing monthly plans for less money, and the pressure to adapt to a changing world that includes some pretty powerful social media. Blogs and online magazines come immediately to mind, but Facebook and Twitter are also playing a big role in how brides and certified wedding and event coordinators are planning weddings.

Says eWednews: “According to the study findings, 47% of businesses five years old or less are finding business better compared to 32% of businesses over 20 years old. The discussions rage on, as organizations like Conde Nast finally announce changes thanking past business models that served them welll but now look forward to the future. “Conde’s desire to follow a new business model focused around digital connectivity, technology development and consumer insight clearly speaks to the fact the time to change is long over due,” according to competitors and sources familiar with the intentions and storyline.”

EWed also finds that older, established businesses are having a harder time giving up The Way They’ve Always Done Things and adapting to a rapidly changing business climate, as compared with businesses that are only 5 years old or younger. All of this is direct proof that LWPI’s graduates have an immediate need to incorporate social media and technology into their business plans and marketing proposals. Facebook and Twitter are great ways to gather new business and show off the work you’ve already done, but it’s important that you keep your online life professional. Making connections on Facebook and Twitter is great, but you want to be sure that you follow up immediately with any complaints - preferably privately.

It’s hard to imagine a day when every bride you know doesn’t have a pile of dog-eared bridal magazines in her back seat or piled on her coffee table, and there is of course a chance that it will all turn around. But with an Internet full of easily searchable files, and blog writers who have made their name by identifying the top wedding trends each year, it’s possible that future brides will be more plugged in than ever. And that all means that, in turn, wedding and event coordinators have to be plugged in, too! LWPI believe that magazines still have a role to play, but our company is also ahead of the curve when it comes to incorporating the Internet into business and wedding planning, and our instructors pass on that information to our students, too.

We’d like to know: What are your favorite Internet tools for wedding and event planning?

There is no question that these days in wedding fashion - anything goes. Brides everywhere are trying to be “different”, whether it’s through their venue choice, musical selections or bridal fashion - especially bridal fashion. We’ve talked before about the growing popularity of colorful wedding gowns, pink and red come to mind, but what about the length of the gown? More and more brides are going short and showing off their legs - and fabulous shoes, of course.

When we say short you may immediately think of the 1980s, when supermodel Stephanie Seymore went short for “November Rain.” Pamela Anderson’s short, tight wedding gown may also come to mind. But what about the 1950s, when short gowns were in fashion and the silhouette of choice for many brides? Back then it was a full, ballgown skirt and a tiny waist, which guaranteed a sweet flare. With the popularity of vintage and retro touches on modern weddings it’s really no surprise that shorter wedding gowns are in vogue again.

It’s not uncommon to see second-time brides sporting shorter gowns because they’re often trying to achieve a less formal look. But this fun, flirty, shorter style is catching on with brides of all ages. The benefits are obvious. Shorter gowns lengthen legs, cinch waists, and keep spring and summer brides cool. They’re easier to dance in, and until the trend really catches on - they’re still a little “different” - which is something many brides crave. Retro fashion is all over the runways right now so it’s not unexpected to see it influencing bridal gowns.

What do you think? As certified wedding and event coordinators, have you seen many short gowns, or are they still unexpected where you live?

DRESS SOURCES: 1) BCBG Floral-Applique Taffeta Dress ($398.00); 2) David’s Bridal Tea-Length Satin Gown with 3D Floral Details ($449); 3) Melissa Sweet “Maddie” at Priscilla of Boston ($3500 to $4000); 4) Vera Wang “Edie” (Contact stores for prices)

There are obvious places to save money when you’re planning a wedding with a tight budget: fewer flowers; fewer guests; a sit-down dinner instead of buffet; fewer attendants; a D.J. instead of a band; and the list goes on. But have you ever suggested that your couple focus on their venue as a cost-cutting measure? A venue that acts as a gorgeous backdrop is a venue that needs little decor to make it fabulous.

Courtesy of Serendip Vacations in St. John, V.I. (A fabulous place for a destination wedding!)

We love beach and lake-side weddings, especially if the ceremony takes place as the sun sets. You can’t get much more beautiful than that, and the colorful sky will look glorious in the couple’s photos. And while church weddings aren’t every couple’s first choice they’re often a good venue because for one, they’re often free or come with a low fee, and two, they’re often filled with gorgeous lighting and architecture. Those last two are things that bridal couples can pay a fortune for if they’re not careful.

When it comes to decorating these venues go with the mantra that Less Is More. Focus on the parts of the ceremony where guests will focus their attention: the altar. Extraneous decor down the aisle and on benches and chairs is pretty, but it’s often bought with money that is better used elsewhere. And make the flowers work double-duty! A certified wedding and event planner is always thinking ahead and knows that those arrangements can be moved to the reception. All it takes is staying a step ahead of the guests, and most of them will never know that the arrangements are “recycled.” You can also use the bridesmaids’ bouquets at the reception. They make adorable table arrangements when popped into crystal vases, and they’re a nice addition to the cake table, too, when laid around the cake in a circle.

Saving a couple’s money is something that they’ll thank you for forever. Everybody wants to have a beautiful wedding no matter what their budget is. A wedding coordinator can only do so much - even when he or she is super-creative - but having a fabulous venue in their back pocket is a guaranteed way to pack a lot of punch into any wedding.

Photo courtesy of mongabay.com. (Destination wedding, anyone?!)

* We love Green weddings. Weddings are an easy way, some say, to waste resources, but it’s not hard to turn them around and make them much more eco-friendly. In honor of World Sea Turtle Day, which is June 16, “the 237-suite Marquis Los Cabos resort introduces a new Green Wedding Package that includes eco-friendly décor, organic food, local Baja wine selections, Green Turn Down service, and, most excitingly, the opportunity to assist in the release of baby sea turtles.” We know many people who plan to some day help release baby sea turtles, but we’ve never thought of it as a wedding event. It does sound memorable, however, and watching those little babies waddle toward the ocean to begin their new life is a great metaphor for marriage!

* It was a super wedding. Literally. You see, Batman recently married Wonder Woman. The PowerPuff girls stood as the bride’s maids. The best man? Robin, of course. And none other than the Joker served as the officiant. Who needs tradition? Even the guests got in on this theme wedding! (Iron Man was there!) Extra! Extra! Read all about it! (Sorry; we couldn’t help ourselves.)

* We all know that planning a wedding consumes every bit of free time a bride has. (But that’s why brides need you guys - certified wedding and event coordinators - right?!) But did you know that 90 percent of brides to be plan their weddings at work? That’s right, one survey recently found that 9 out of 10 women use company time to plan their big day, but only a third of them think it negatively affects their work performance. Vendors report that lunchtime and Mondays are when they see the most traffic on their websites. Well, we guess that planning your wedding is one way to get over that Monday hump.

* We’re all about planning ahead, and you know that when planning a wedding it’s imperative that vendors and venues are booked well in advance of the big day. But this has to be one bride - if you can even call her that - who is taking the whole organized thing to a new level. You see, she has a venue. Her dream venue. And thus, she has a wedding date. But there’s one big kicker: She has no groom. And now she has a project, Project Husband, in which she’s marketing herself on TV and the Internet to find potential grooms. So far, she’s been on 46 dates. Who needs a dating service? It looks like all a single girl actually needs is a wedding date. “I’m really hopeful,” she said. “I will know in my heart who the right person is as I get closer to the date.“

Lauren + JP from Matt Odom on Vimeo.

Our jaw dropped when we first saw this amazing wedding video! It’s more like a music video than a wedding keepsake, which just makes it one of the most awesome things we’ve ever seen. Bridal couples are going all out these days in every step of their wedding planning: save the dates, invitations and now amazing wedding videos like this one are popping up everywhere. We’ll admit that we’ll always have a soft spot for amateur-style movies filled with Uncle Frank getting down on the dance floor and tipsy friends giving maybe-not-so-appropriate advice to the new couple. That doesn’t mean, however, that a couple can’t also have something amazing like this video to remember their special day. It’s easy to see how this video is a very personal representation of the couple. We encourage all of LWPI’s certified wedding and event coordinators to help their couples come up with creative ways to make their day special. With a video like this they’ll be easily reminded of “their style” and, of course, how cute they and their friends looked on the big day!

Photo courtesy of Real Simple.

We previously talked about the first steps to take when choosing a wedding cake, namely doing your research. Once you’ve set a budget, discussed the style, and met with both the bride and the groom you’re ready to move on to the more specific details. So what are the next few things to consider?

For one, you’ll want to begin gathering possible vendors to meet with, with your bride and groom. As a certified wedding and event coordinator we know that you’ve got a list of your favorite bakeries to work with. Keep in mind, however, that a bride may already have another vendor in mind who is new to you. If you find yourself visiting a new bakery prepare to ask a few questions, such as:

Can they supply references?
Do they have a portfolio to flip through?
Do they offer cake tastings?
Are cake stands and toppers included in the price?
Are they able to cater to certain allergies?
How far in advance do they prepare the cake?
Can you see a list of the typical ingredients they use? (Brand name butters, etc.)
Who supplies fresh flowers, if they’re used?
Are there extra charges for delivery and set up?

Covering all the bases will help insure that the product is the best it can be and the bride is as happy as possible with her cake. Don’t be afraid to meet with new vendors; they might end up being a valuable tool in your wedding-planning belt! Some of you might be saying, “I don’t have a list of trusted bakeries yet. How do I build one?” First, don’t get overwhelmed! A quick Google search of your area or a flip through the phone book may lead you to wonder how you’ll ever weed out the bad bakeries.

* It’s possible to narrow bakeries down by specialty. Which ones don’t even offer wedding cakes? They’re quick to mark off your list.
* Price can vary significantly from bakery to bakery. Try organizing them from least to most expensive so you’ll know exactly which ones to match with each bride.
* Make an appointment and meet with them. Letting them know that you’re coming will help them prepare to offer you their best information, including photos, prices and maybe even a tasting of your own. Brides will appreciate your opinion of the product before they consider calling a certain bakery.
* Find out the specifics of each bakeries’ contract. How much do they charge for changes or cancellations? How far will they travel? Do they often any satisfaction guarantees? How much deposit do they require, and how far in advance do they expect orders and payment?
* Find out who does the work. If you’re looking at the portfolio of the owner or head baker make sure they’re the ones making the cakes - not assistants. If assistants are doing the work they should be able to offer you a portfolio, too.
* And finally are they willing to recommend you to their customers since you’re recommending them to yours?

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. Wedding and event coordinators are often only as good as the vendors they work with. You need to have relationships with vendors whom you trust, which means you have to do quite a bit of leg work before you even bring a bride through their doors. If you can answer a bride’s questions about a bakery’s previous work, pricing and contracts you’ve already completed half the battle. The rest - design, flavor and frosting - are, as they say, a piece of cake!