Today LWPI talks with Carol Crist, who will be teaching an upcoming corporate event-planning class at the University of New Mexico. Crist is on staff at Madeleine’s Place Event Center in Corrales, NM, where she does wedding and event planning. For more information and to register, visit the LWPI website today.

How did you get involved in wedding and event planning? I believe they are decidedly different so…. I started in the event business by accepting a job as a catering secretary at a small Holiday Inn in Alexandria, Va., many years ago. (1973) When my boss became very ill I was asked to take over and run the catering department. I was very shy at that point in my life, and I was suddenly thrust into a very different setting by having to deal with clients and staff to create successful events. It really had a very positive impact on my personality.

What is your work/education/experience background? I have worked as a secretary in a variety of positions, and eventually landed an executive-secretarial position for Yokohama Tires Corporate in US (California), working for the Marketing Director. I was promoted to marketing coordinator and planned all the national and local sales meetings and trade shows; directed the national sales program with an inventory of $500K of goods; and managed their national signage program for new dealers and the co-op advertising program. I left Yokohama to work for a new Hilton hotel in Whittier, Calif., as the executive secretary to the owner and manager. This provided me experience in a start-up operation, which has proved invaluable. I left the hotel business in 1988 to work for Southern California Edison. Again, my secretarial background and hotel background led to my being the event coordinator to the CIO in our department of 1600 personnel. Additionally, I learned project management and headed up a very large two-year IT project involving the entire 13,000 employees. I retired from SCE in 2005 and moved to New Mexico.

Do you own your own business? No, I do not own Madeleine’s Place Event Center. I was asked by the owner to come out of retirement and help her start this business about three years ago. It works quite well because I can see the fruits of my labor in our recognition across the city.

What is your favorite part of being a planner? Working with the client to create their vision and keep it within their budget.

What is the toughest part? Dealing with dissatisfaction after you’ve done the best that you can.

What do you think is the most important lesson for your students? To always have a backup plan for your clients.

What trends do you see growing popular in 2011? Head tables are out; sweetheart tables are in; colors are brighter; and smaller, boutique-style weddings and receptions are growing more popular.

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.

Do you love weddings? Are you interested in working for yourself? Would you love to plan weddings and other events? If so - and you live in one of these communities - classes through Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute are starting this week! Register today. Or tomorrow. Or the day after. Want more information? Contact us or take a tour of the course to learn more.

Starting today, Sept. 20:
Miami Dade College-Kendall in Miami, Florida

Starting Tuesday, Sept. 21
Austin Community College in Austin, Texas
University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Starting Wednesday, Sept. 22
Elgin Community College in Elgin, Illinois
Northern Essex Community College in North Andover, Maine

It’s not too late to sign up. Check it out today!

Do you love weddings? Are you interested in working for yourself? Would you love to plan weddings and other events? If so - and you live in one of these communities - classes through Lovegevity’s Wedding Planning Institute are starting this week! Register today. Or tomorrow. Or the day after. Want more information? Contact us or take a tour of the course to learn more.

Fort Valley State University in Warner Robins, Georgia. Classes start tomorrow!
University of Mississippi in University, Mississippi. Classes start tomorrow!
Carteret Community College in Morehead City, North Carolina. Classes start Thursday!

It’s not too late to sign up. Check it out today!

Photo courtesy of weddingwire.com

* There is so much to love about this article! Yahoo put together a list of 10 Unbelievable Wedding and Marriage Records, which include the longest marriage (86 years!) and the biggest wedding cake (17 feet high!) We don’t know about you, but we can only imagine the stress of planning a wedding with a cake that can feed 59,000 people. It might take a whole crew of certified wedding and event planners for that kind of party!

* Several prospective brides and grooms were unsure where they’d say their vows when the Clio wedding chapel burnt to the ground in Michigan. But thanks to an insurance company and a lot of style the chapel is up and running again - and making a lot of couples happy! They all agree the chapel is more beautiful than ever.

* Tim Tebow, a former Heisman Trophy winner, recently helped two fellow alumni from the University of Florida get engaged. Ian Lis wanted to make the proposal memorable, and what better way than to involve a famous quarterback! We’re sure that bride-to-be Sarah Springer (who obviously said “Yes!”) was thrilled! Check out a video of the proposal.

* This couple has the budget in the can - literally! Andrea Parrish and Pete Geyer got engaged in 2009 and decided to pay for their entire wedding with money they made off recycling 400,000 alumnium cans. As of April they were only about 60,000 cans short of their goal! The wedding, which is planned for July, has a budget of only $3,800. The couple has had a lot of donated cans, and they’ve been interviewed by hundreds of media outlets. Their wedding is sure to be a green, unique one that they’ll never forget!

So there you have it. These are some of our favorite wedding-industry stories this week! As certified wedding and event planners you never know what you might come across! Any stories to share?

* This baby was ready to make his appearance, and he thought mom and dad’s wedding day was the best day to do it, due date or not! Well, mom can be sure that dad will never forget their anniversary. Plus, what an awesome wedding gift!

* There is a certain segment of the population that has been scrapbooking forever. The industry is booming, with scrapbook shows taking place in every market, and specialized stores popping up in strip malls all over the country. Of course scrapbooking would make its mark on the wedding industry. Crafters who like to personalize their gifts are finding that pre-made scrapbooks are a perfect wedding gift.

* It seems there is always someone out there looking to make a buck. A man was recently accused of scamming insurance companies to collect money on a $70,000 engagement ring that he said was lost but wasn’t. In fact he filed four $100,000 claims on said ring, and police are looking into the possibility of a fifth claim. “After questioning him the ring miraculously reappeared,” officials said. You don’t say…

* The most difficult part of the budget for many brides is The Budget. So the words “Free Wedding” would probably be music to their ears! Brenda Holdsworth, a co-founder of Wedding Saviours, thought of creating Wedding Saviours in September to get local businesses to pool their resources in order to give a lucky Durham couple, in need of financial assistance, a free wedding. Since then, a full cast of people in the wedding business have gotten on board. We never tire of hearing the community come together to help others, and helping bring a bride’s fairytale wedding to life is one of the best stories ever.

Heard any good stories lately about the wedding industry? Do share! As a certified wedding and event planner you’ll be sure to have some soon - if not already! But hey, that’s part of the reason we love this business, right? It definitely keeps us on our toes.

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.

Ah, spring. Everything is green, and there is a feeling of newness in the air. The flowers and trees are loaded with blossoms, and color is everywhere. It’s no wonder that this is the most sought-after time of the year for weddings. Brides have more inspiration than they can handle! The same goes for Lovegevity’s certified wedding and event planners. Everywhere you look there is a new idea to jot down. Here are some of our favorite ways to inject spring into your weddings.

* The most obvious inspiration is color. The cherry trees are in bloom everywhere you look so consider the ways you can create a pink, cherry-blossom motif. Invitations are an obvious choice. Aren’t these beautiful? The invitation sets the tone from the get-go, and from there you can take the cherry-blossom theme into programs, bridesmaid gowns, decor and especially the cake!

* Add green as a color. Green means new and fresh, which is exactly the thing many brides are going for. Consider green hydrangeas or hints of green in the reception flowers. Grasses can be very dramatic in centerpieces, and the bonus is since they’re usually considered “filler” they’re less expensive! Green bridesmaid gowns can even be gorgeous, especially when paired with beautiful pink or blue flowers.

* When it comes to food at a spring wedding think fresh! Think picnic! Think whimsical! Pink and yellow lemonade in big, glass pitchers would be a cute addition to any table. While everyone thinks of eggs in the spring you don’t want the choice to be too obvious. Use them within appetizers, such as deviled eggs with smoke salmon on top, which would be an elegant but spring-like choice. Salads are an obvious choice, but don’t go the usual green or Caesar route. Consider adding springtime berries, such as strawberries and blueberries, to the plate. A good caterer will know what’s fresh and in season for the spring - pick their brain for advice! Consider asparagus wrapped with prosciutto; custard-filled phyllo cups; or mousse with sliced strawberries on top. Fresh is best in the spring!

* As for favors consider candied bird nests filled with jellybeans, colored to match the wedding theme, or Easter egg candies, which won’t be hard to find in the spring! You can also go with tiny flower pots with packets of seeds, tied with gorgeous grosgrain ribbon to match the bridesmaid gowns. Or if your bride is in fact getting married near Easter weekend just go traditional: Chocolate Easter bunnies for everyone!

There is little doubt that as a certified wedding and event planner you’ll be planning a lot of spring weddings. It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year in the wedding business. Follow the trends, and incorporate the most spring-like ideas into your weddings. Keeping things fresh will keep the brides coming. And with everything new springing up around you this won’t be a problem!

One of the key attributes every certified wedding and event coordinator should have is being at ease with conversation. When it comes to working with bridal couples you want to be personable and show your fun side. Here are some great stories we’ve found this week to help you break the ice!

Image courtesy of weddingwhirlwind.wordpress.com

* You catch more flies with honey: One bride recently went berserk in a bridal-gown salon when her request for alterations was turned down because, the shop owners say, of her bad attitude. Not only did she trash the store, but she also brought in her family members who helped make a huge mess. If you look up “bridezilla” in the dictionary, this is whose picture you’ll find! Yikes.

* An old wive’s tale: Have you ever been told to avoid throwing rice at a wedding couple because, horror of horrors, the rice will expand and burst open the birds that eat it? Scary story, right? Even those of us who aren’t card-carrying members of PETA want to avoid, you know, murdering the birdies. But good news! This tradition can begin again because surprise (or not) - it’s an old wives’ tale. Rice is a grain just like bird seed, experts say, and it won’t hurt our feathered friends. So while birds everywhere have been fattening up on showers of birdseed it may be time for a change of diet!

* We all know that a great way to Go Green at our weddings is to go vintage. But another way is to get in on the action and, perhaps, bid on a celebrity wedding gown! In this case it was Christie Brinkley, who seems eager to rid her house of all signs of her former husband as she moves on to her new life and new loves. Brinkley recently donated her old gown, a white Armani suit, to clothesoffourback.org and offered all the proceeeds to the American Red Cross.

* And finally, in these times of economic difficulty weddings can be an expense for which many people just can’t spare the cash. What to do? Why, try to get the attention of a celebrity, of course. A woman from Michigan was recently found on Twitter by Conan O’Brien when he decided to follow a random, regular person. She instantly became a cyber celebrity, and with the help of Conan she’s now getting custom shoes and a wedding gown, as well as a limo and wine for her reception. “My fiancé wants Conan to be his best man,” she added. “That would be really cool. And hey, if he wants us to come on his show, we’d get married on there. That would be fantastic,” she said.

Have you heard any fun wedding stories this week? A laugh is a great way to ease the tension that bridal couples are bound to have as they work out their budget. Calm their nerves with stories like these, and show them what a fun and personable wedding planner you can be!

Without realizing it at the time, Jessica Moore had been groomed since childhood to become a Wedding Coordinator Instructor. She grew up in the wedding industry as she watched and assisted her parents run their video-production company, which had deep roots in wedding videography. Not only did this experience provide Jessica with powerful background knowledge in event execution, but she also learned intimate lessons in running a small business while watching her parents’ business grow.

Growing up behind the scenes, Jessica learned that it was executing the small details that made a successful and stress-free event. It wasn’t until her friends started asking such questions as “When should we do the toast?” that Jessica realized she had unique knowledge! What was second nature to her was an invaluable resource to many friends who were now brides. Encouraged by friends and family, Jessica launched Something To Celebrate in March 2005 with enormous success.

Under Jessica’s direction, Something To Celebrate’s weddings and events have been published in numerous national and local publications. In The Knot’s inaugural Best Of magazine in 2007, Something to Celebrate scored 100% – the only wedding-coordinating firm in the nation to receive a perfect score from The Knot’s surveyed brides. Although The Knot no longer publishes grades for vendors, Something To Celebrate is proud to be included in the exclusive magazine every year. Jessica is repeatedly quoted in the media on wedding trends and is serving consecutive terms on the board of directors for Austin Wedding and Event Coordinators (AWEC).

Jessica is a graduate of Trinity University, where she studied education, and has 10 years of experience as a teacher. Through her role as Instructor with The Wedding Planning Institute, Jessica is able to marry (pun intended!) her roles as business owner, wedding coordinator and teacher into the perfect combination for her students as they take that important step in their wedding-coordinator career. Jessica recognizes the importance of obtaining your wedding-coordinator certification.

“Pursuing your certification sends a powerful message to your future clients and vendors. You didn’t just wake up and decide you wanted to be J-Lo (God forbid!), you made a well thought-out and researched decision to invest in a career, helping clients execute flawless events. When you register for this course, you’re demonstrating your commitment to excel in this profession,” she says.

The next Wedding Coordinator Certification courses taught by Jessica Moore at Texas State University will be held Feb. 1, 2010, to March 3, 2010, on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7 to 10 p.m. and March 16, 2010, through April 15, 2010, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 to 10 p.m.. Tuition is $855 and includes classroom instruction, textbook, six months online curriculum and support access, and post-graduate job placement assistance. To register, contact the Office of Continuing Education at 512-245-2507 or continuinged@txstate.edu. Register online at http://www.txstate.edu/continuinged/.