Today’s Instructor Spotlight highlights Kim Brown, who will be teaching a certified wedding and event coordinator course at Delaware Technical and Community College, starting March 28, 2011. For more information or to register for the class, visit the class calendar.

Kim Brown created the concept for Xclusively Your Events in 2008. XYE is a premiere wedding and event company based in Salem, New Jersey. Kim has coordinated and designed numerous weddings, bridal and baby showers utilizing a variety of creative ideas, current trends, and styles while adding traditional and cultural forms unique to her client’s lineage.

Kim is originally from Delaware and has lived in Salem, New Jersey, for more than 25 years. She attended the University of Delaware, where she majored in chemistry. She has been employed in the field of customer service for more than 20 years. She began her event-planning experience while working for the corporations in which she was employed. She decided to open her own wedding- and event-planning business after planning weddings for her son, daughter and niece. With the encouragement of her family, and her belief that her customers would benefit from a trained and certified planner, Kim received the Professional Wedding Planner (PWP) designation at Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute’s certified wedding planning class held at Delaware Technical and Community College in 2009.

Kim has also been a contributor to The Women of Salem County magazine, providing articles that pertain to successful event planning. When not planning events, Kim enjoys reading and spending time with her family. She is also researching and planning to start a wedding-planning magazine for Salem County brides. You can learn more about Xclusively Your Events on the company website and Facebook page.

Wedding trends come and go, but there is one current trend that’s hard to ignore because it’s popping up everywhere: the vintage look. Whether you’re a bride or a certified wedding planner there is tons of inspiration out there for incorporating vintage details into your event. Here are a few of our favorite ways to put a vintage spin on your weddings.

Photo Courtesy of Posh Girl Vintage

It goes without saying that vintage weddings are also green weddings, even if the bride or wedding planner isn’t purposefully going in an environmentally conscious direction. For the serious green bride, however, a vintage wedding gown is a must. Most big cities have clothing stores that collect and sell vintage clothing, and a bride who starts early and checks often may find the vintage gown of her dreams at such a store. Online clothiers are also a good place to look, and a certified wedding and event coordinator is a great person to turn to for advice on which sites are the best to work with. A bride choosing a vintage gown should remember, however, that tailoring will almost definitely be required so going vintage isn’t always the least expensive option. And of course vintage wedding gowns aren’t the only kind available - bridesmaids can also wear vintage pieces! This may give off a more eclectic vibe, however, because it can be difficult to find several vintage gowns in the same style. Going with a specific hue, or choosing gowns of many different colors - which is very popular right now - is a great idea for many brides. Check out these beautiful vintage gowns featured on Style Me Pretty.

What are some other ways to incorporate vintage details into your wedding?
* Choose an era then just let your creativity flow! Feathers, brooches, antique liquor bottles, and Art Deco decor all hearken back to the 1920s. Soda fountains, tea-length gowns, muted colors, and birdcage veils recall the 1950s.
* Choose music that corresponds with the vintage era you were inspired by. Classic jazz? Elvis and Sinatra? Motown? Just go with it!
* Black and white photos of family members or famous celebrity couples are sure to give off a vintage vibe.
* And don’t forget the makeup and hair! Every era has had very distinct fashion when it comes to makeup and hair design. Short and tightly curled? Beehives? Bright red lipstick? Look it up and make your beauty ideas fall right into step with your fashion plans.

Here are some sites we’ve gathered to get your creativity flowing:
* Six Easy, Vintage Wedding Style Ideas
* Photos of vintage ideas from The Knot
* Vintage Glam Inspiration at Style Me Pretty

Have you ever planned a vintage-inspired wedding? What details did you incorporate?

With last night’s Oscars ceremony award season has come to a close. Anyone interested or involved in the wedding-planning business pays close attention to such shows because brides and likewise, bridal-gown designers, are watching Hollywood’s finest stars to see what trends are up and coming, such as color, cut and length.

Photo Courtesy of Small Screen Scoop.

Photo Courtesy of The Guardian

The Oscars proved that one way to go with color this year is soft and feminine. Two of our favorite gowns were worn by Mila Kunis (in Elie Saab) and Cate Blanchett (in Givenchy). While the purple hues aren’t exactly the same they’re in the same color family. Soft, sweet and feminine are what we’d call this color. It would be beautiful for spring weddings, and it’s an easy color for matching flowers as it’s so abundant in nature.

Photo Courtesy of OK Magazine.

Photo Courtesy of Just Jared.

Another color trend we noticed on the Oscars red carpet was bold and sassy. Two stars who took their fashion this way were Jennifer Hudson (in Versace) and Sandra Bullock (in Vera Wang). Hudson went with a tangerine color, and Bullock chose a gorgeous bright red. Such colors as red and orange are great for weddings with a fun and funky edge. While they can be overwhelming if overused, they’re perfect accent colors and can be beautiful on bridesmaids - if the right bridesmaid gown is chosen.

Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images

Another wedding trend already in our sights is the vintage style. Reese Witherspoon (in Armani) just screamed vintage to us with her high, full ponytail and classic black and white gown. This gown choice made us wonder if Reese is leaning toward a vintage theme for her own upcoming wedding.

Which gowns did you like best? Did you see any trends that are bound to make their way onto the wedding aisle this year?

Finding the perfect wedding venue isn’t difficult when you’re working with a bridal couple who has chosen their home church, or a church in their community, for their ceremony. But what happens when you have a couple who wants their certified wedding and event coordinator to think outside the box? That’s when it’s time to get creative, which means it’s a good idea for you to have a few ideas in mind at all times. As you gather information about the area you’re working in consider putting together a list of venues that not every bride would automatically think of. This can come in handy in several ways.

Historical venues often need little decor.

First, unexpected venues are often architecturally or naturally amazing, which means they need little decor to spruce them up. Such venues as botanical gardens, aquariums and art museums are great choices for brides on a budget who want to save money on flowers, and for eco-conscious brides who want to use fewer resources.

Other inexpensive yet unexpected wedding venues may include restaurants, especially ones that are considered local landmarks or serve cuisines that are directly related to the bridal couple. We also love the idea of weddings in theaters, performance halls and movie theaters with a vintage feel. Just think of the details you could pull together for a movie-themed wedding! If you live in a college town you’re very likely to encounter couples who want to incorporate their alma mater into their big day. Chapels, libraries and gardens are often special places to former students and may easily lend themselves to wedding ceremonies.

Some other eco-friendly wedding venues may include barns and working farms, which often put an emphasis on green farming techniques and organic foods. Bed and breakfasts and historic homes are often brimming with vintage charm, which means a green bride’s choice of antique linens and vintage gowns are a sure fit. And if you have a modern, yet green bride, photo galleries and art museums give off that perfect, minimalist feel.

Do you have a couple who wants to marry by the water? While the beach is an obvious option there are other choices. Weddings on a lakeside dock at sunset are unbelievably gorgeous. Or how about a wedding aboard a boat? Sailboats are great venues for intimate weddings, and they can be budget-friendly if the boat belongs to a friend or family member of the couple.

If your couple decides to go with an unexpected venue there are things to consider:
* First, work out the budget. Unexpected expenses are likely to pop up.
* Will you need extra bathrooms?
* If the wedding isn’t going to be short and sweet you may need to provide the seating.
* Does the venue allow engagement photos taken without extra costs?
* If the bride or groom are members of, say, a museum are there discounts available? Sometimes just being a local resident is enough reason to get a discount. Always ask!

The key to planning a wedding at an unexpected venue is to work with an open-minded, flexible couple. The music may have to be creative, depending on the space and whether electricity is available. But overall it’s important to simply have fun with the planning, and get the couple involved.

What are the most interesting wedding venues you’ve worked with?

This month’s Real Wedding is another beautiful affair from Nicole Brennan of LovelyGirls Weddings in Wilmington, Del. Nicole definitely took her training and business to a whole new level by becoming a certified wedding and event coordinator. Are you interested in designing events or owning your own business? Check out the course calendar today, and sign up for a class in your area!

Nicole says: Working with Liza was so much fun! She was so DIY and absolutely had a fabulous taste for great vendors and photography. When Liza and I had first spoke, she wanted to host her wedding at the Central Library branch of Philadelphia Free Library on Vine. Beautiful facility. Downside, it was not going to be big enough to host Liza and Tom’s 200-plus guest list. So, onto searching for a new facility.

Liza had a modern flair. Loves Philadelphia. Even a flair for the dramatics. So, what did Liza and Tom find as their best option? The Adventure Aquarium located just across the Delaware River in Camden, N.J. With its modern decor, panoramic view of the Philadelphia skyline, and the ever dramatic shark tanks in the Currents Ballroom, it was almost like Cinderella putting on her glass slipper at the ball.
Well, at least you would have thought with the amazing shoe selection worn by the bridal party!

The best part about the wedding was having such a great team to work with such as Pat Furey Photography and Synergetic Sounds + Lighting. Their ceremony was held at St. Augustines R.C. Church (or better known as the church featured in The Sixth Sense). Also … Liza loved wedding planning so much that she joined the LovelyGirls team shortly thereafter!

What a beautiful wedding! We love that the colors came straight from the venu - aquarium waters and rockin’ bridal shoes! This wedding is also a great example of letting the venue work for you when it comes to decor. Great job, Nicole and company!

Interested in having one of your weddings featured? Contact our managing editor for more information. And for more on the vendors used in Tom and Liza’s wedding see the following links.

Ceremony: Saint Augustine Roman Catholic Church
Reception: Currents Ballroom at Adventure Aquarium
Dress: Enzoani Couture, “Desiree”
Hair & Make-up: Sapphire Salon & Spa
Shoes: “Something Blue” shoes by MIX No6 from DSW
Groomsmen Tux: Chaps by Ralph Lauren
Bridesmaids: Davids Bridal
Floral: All done by the bride
DJ: Chris of Synergetic Sounds and Lighting
Trolley: Philadelphia Trolley Works
Cake: Brendenbeck’s in Chestnut Hill
Photography: Pat Furey Photography
Invitations: Whimsical Prints
Seating Chart: Sealed with a Kiss in Haddonfield, NJ
Accommodations: Crowne Plaza Hotel

Themed weddings often fall into two categories: well done and tacky. Many certified wedding and event coordinators would probably be less than thrilled to plan a wedding with a Valentine’s Day theme for fear of landing in tacky land. We understand! Plastic hearts, pink balloons and scarlet-red wedding gowns are a few choices that are hard to pull off and make classy. But there are many, many ways to create a classy affair, all the while fulfilling a bride’s fantasy of getting married on (or near) Valentine’s Day. We all know that today, being Valentine’s Day, is a day that many men will be down on one knee with a rose in one hand and a ring in the other. Be prepared for next year when these future clients come knocking on your door with dreams of a red, pink and white wedding. Here are some of our favorite ideas for Valentine’s Day themed weddings.

Valentine's Day Gown Ideas

From left: Candy Anthony London, Candy Anthony London, LOIC Photography of San Francisco (Amazing photos - be sure to check them out if you live in the California area!)

Valentine's Day Decor Ideas

From left: LMG Events/Chudleigh Weddings of Utah (So gorgeous!), Bridalwave/Hotel Bingham, Lund Photo of New York

Valentine's Day Cake Ideas

From left: Pink Cake Box, Martha Stewart Weddings, Maisie Fantasy Cakes

Valentine's Day Cookie Favor Ideas

From left: Eleni’s Custom Cookies of New York, Macarons by Food Blogger Tartelette, Williams-Sonoma cookie cutters

Valentine's Day Bouquet Ideas

From left: The Flower Magician, Vintage Paper Bouquet by Melisa Simo, Wedding Flowers

See? Valentine’s Day themed weddings can be classy, adorable and unique! What are your favorite Valentine’s Day wedding ideas?

Many brides are looking for fun and easy ways to make their weddings more eco-friendly. But it can be hard to figure out the perfect details to create a fabulous Green Wedding. Kate Harrison, the author of The Green Bride Guide, shares with us today the first of a two-part series on easy, eco-friendly wedding ideas. You can find more great ideas at Kate’s website, and if you’re interested in becoming a Green Wedding Planner sign up for her class through LWPI. It’s a great way to add a special niche to your wedding- and event-planning business!

Eco Friendly Wedding Favors from Do It Yourself Weddings

Many of today’s brides are thinking about having a green wedding, but it’s hard to know where to start. The good news is that even small green choices can make a difference in decreasing your wedding’s impact on the environment. Adding eco-details is easier than you might think, and as an added bonus, going green is usually a money-saver as well! You have to make so many choices for your wedding day, so why not make some of those choices with the environment in mind? Get started with these ten easy ways to add eco-details to your wedding.

1. Think Vintage: Vintage elements are a hot wedding trend right now, plus they are eco-friendly and will likely save you money, too. Your jewelry can be vintage — heirloom rings make gorgeous green engagement pieces, and your grandmother’s pearls are a special way to honor her on your wedding day — but don’t stop there! Infuse your day with a retro chic look. Scour consignment stores for vintage mason jars, pitchers, tins or vases. You can fill them with flowers for centerpieces, or load them with candy for a colorful and sweet display. Find vintage fabrics to use as your table covers, to wrap your bouquet, or to serve as or backdrop for your photo booth. Buy vintage postage stamps in mint condition on eBay to use on your invitations. For the ultimate in retro-glam, find a vintage gown and have a good tailor fit it for you. The possibilities are endless!

2. Green Your Travel: The impact of wedding-related travel is significant. Consider a small-ish wedding of about a hundred guests; even if four guests pile into a car (which is unlikely; most cars probably only carry two), that’s still twenty-five vehicles driving from one location to the next. One of the easiest ways to cut down on your wedding’s travel footprint is to have your ceremony and reception in the same place, which negates those emissions, and saves your guests the hassle of going from one place to another.

If you must have your ceremony and reception in different places, consider hiring a bus or van to move everyone en masse. If you provide snacks and drinks on board, a wedding bus can be a real highlight for you and your guests. A trolley could also be a fun option, and if you find a company that has electric trolleys, it’s even better.

3. DIY Details: Do-it-yourself projects can be a fun way to add eco-details and a personal touch to your wedding. Utilize your creative talents to decide what kinds of projects you can do, then green your DIY ideas by choosing repurposed, recycled, or vintage materials. Have beautiful penmanship? Create your own place cards from recycled cardstock. Crafty with a sewing machine? Stitch purses using reclaimed fabrics and give them as bridesmaids’ gifts. Have a penchant for paint? Repurpose old picture frames by painting them in fitting colors for your décor. Print or draw table numbers or menus on recycled paper to put inside the frame, or fill them with family or childhood pictures of you and your intended to decorate the ceremony or reception site.

4. Incorporate Natural Elements: There are so many ways to include nods to nature in your wedding décor. Coordinate the use of natural elements with the season of your wedding, and you will have a bounty of options: richly colored leaves in the fall, pinecones in the winter, beach sand and shells in the summer…you get the idea.

Wood pieces can be a great starting point for your natural décor. Fallen branches in the backyard can be collected and repurposed to create rustic ceremony adornments, or cut to become surprisingly elegant name card holders. You could even use a thin slice of wood as a uniquely beautiful ring pillow!

Using natural elements in your floral arrangements adds an unusual beauty, and cuts down on the use of flowers overall. Moss, grass, and driftwood are some options for creating beautiful bouquets and centerpieces.

Rocks and stones offer a variety of colors and textures to suit your wedding’s style. Work them into centerpieces, line them up at the ceremony site to create an aisle (instead of a wasteful disposable aisle runner), or use a water-based paint pen on them to create place cards without paper.

5. Surf for Green: Because most couples choose to set up a wedding website these days, this one may sound like a no-brainer. However, utilizing the internet is a great way to keep the environment in mind when you consider how much paper you can eliminate from your invitations and the wedding itself.

Use your wedding website to house all the important information your guests will need: directions, itineraries, carpooling options, lodging, menus, and more. Make sure your guests can also RSVP directly on the site, and there will be no need for the additional RSVP card in your invitation envelope. If you have relatives or friends who are not Internet savvy (and there are likely only a few), they can RSVP by phone.

Planning a wedding can be the most stressful thing we do. We must choose so many things: reception site, church, dress, music, cake, who is going to be in the wedding party, etc. But the very first thing that you have to do is PLAN A BUDGET. This is going to determine how much you can spend.

So many people come into my office with elaborate designs, but when we sit down and start talking about money they realize they can’t afford that huge reception with an open bar, top-shelf liquor and top-of-the-line food for 300 people. They realize that they have to scale back tremendously.

Everyone has a different idea of a dream wedding. Some want a huge wedding with all the bells and whistles. Some want a small, intimate wedding in a backyard or garden. Whichever wedding is for you be sure to make it a wedding that you want and are happy with so that you can truly enjoy it. When planning your wedding you want to take into consideration what is important to you. Is it your dress, cake, reception, ceremony or food? Most people will spend the most money on what is most important to them.

To finish I’ll offer these key pieces of advice. Make sure that you:

1. PLAN A BUDGET
2. Make your budget realistic.
3. Stick to your budget.
4. Determine what is important to you before spending.

Do you have any ideas on how certified wedding and event planners can help brides create a budget and stick to it?

Be sure to visit Shafonne’s website, follow her on Twitter, and read more about her in this LWPI Instructor Spotlight.

Today’s post comes from Sally Lorensen Conant, who is also known as the Gown Care Lady. You can also check out these previous post, which includes an interview with Sally, to hear more about why it’s important to preserve a wedding gown in an appropriate and timely manner. And be sure to visit her website, the Association of Gown Preservation Specialists, too.

The instructions on the care label inside your wedding gown tell you the best way to clean it. Not true. The label’s directions for wedding gown care may not be the only way—or even the best way—to clean the gown. The care label simply means that if a cleaner follows the instructions, and your wedding gown is damaged by the cleaning process, then the manufacturer is liable for the damage. That’s why you will sometimes see instructions such as “Do not dryclean. Do not wetclean. Spot clean only.” This language absolutely protects the manufacturer from any liability because the manufacturer is essentially telling you that the wedding gown cannot be cleaned. However, if you can find an experienced cleaner who specializes in wedding gowns, a Specialist will know how to clean your gown successfully. Click here to find a Certified Wedding Gown Specialist near you www.WeddingGownSpecialists.com/locator.htm

Blue tissue should be used to package your wedding gown. Not true. There is usually a little truth in an old wives’ tale, and we know, for example, that an apple a day really is good for us. But blue tissue paper is NOT good for wedding gowns, and no one really knows why it was supposed to be good for wrapping wedding gowns. It may have something to do with bluing. There is a written reference to bluing as early as the seventeenth century, and bluing comes from indigo, a naturally alkaline substance that can neutralize any acidic content that might cause yellowing. Bluing also adds a trace of blue dye to fabric, which, again, offsets any yellowish cast in white fabric. In the 1920s and 1930s, wedding gowns were often wrapped in a deep blue paper, but the paper was waxed, and the wax prevented the acidic content of the paper from damaging the gown.

Whatever the history behind this idea, blue tissue is absolutely the wrong thing to use for preserving your wedding gown. Blue tissue is not acid-free and, worse yet, the paper will, if it gets wet, dye your gown blue. Only white, completely acid-free, which means all acidic content was removed and not just neutralized, tissue and completely acid-free wedding chests should be used for your wedding gown preservation .

Your wedding gowns should always be sealed in plastic. Not true. Most textile conservators warn against storing fabrics in plastic or plastic-wrapped containers because plastic traps moisture that can allow mildew to grow. Desiccants are sometimes added to plastic-wrapped containers to absorb the moisture, but they have a very limited capacity and must then be replaced—which, of course, destroys the seal on the package. Then, too, unless the plastic is chemically inert, it can emit fumes that yellow your gown. That’s why your gown should never be stored in a plastic garment bag. Still another problem with plastic: plastic sets up an electrostatic charge that, together with the trapped moisture, can permanently set wrinkles in your wedding gown that no amount of pressing can remove.

Taking your wedding gown out of the wedding chest will damage your gown. Not true. Be very wary of preservation services that void their guarantees if the seal is broken. There is no inherent reason why your gown cannot be taken out of the container for inspection, and the service may just be hiding problems such as leftover stains or damage from the cleaning process. On the other hand, it really is not necessary to take your gown out of the container and refold it on a regular basis. If your gown has been packed properly, the folds of your gown are buffered with tissue that prevents sharp creases, and it is a law that if something can happen it will. In other words, every time you handle a precious object such as your wedding gown, there is the potential for danger, and the day your gown is removed from the container is the day the roof leaks or it rubs against a dirty wall. If you do choose to take your wedding gown out of the chest, be very sure your gown is opened in an area that is safe from such hazards—and safe from pets or small children, too. Also, wear white cotton gloves so the oils in your skin do not transfer to your gown.

All guarantees are the same. Not true. All guarantees are definitely not the same. If you read carefully, you will find most guarantees simply refund the cost of the cleaning and preservation—even if the service damages your gown during the process. Look for a service that stands behind the work regardless of the cost of the gown and ask who is going to stand behind the guarantee–now or twenty-five years from now!

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.