April’s WIPA meeting in Atlanta was “How to Make the Most of Pinterest for your Wedding Business” presented by Brit Bertino, CSEP of Brit Bertino Event Excellence, Las Vegas NV.

Among the many users on Pinterest, magazine publishers boast some of the most vibrant boards and engaged users. “Pinterest, whose primary audience at the moment appears to be younger women with interests in fashion, lifestyle, home, design, health and food, is a perfect platform for caterers, wedding professionals, and designers whose focus is to capture their target audience with photos. Let’s face it, most of us are visuals and are immediately attracted to photos and colors.

While not all businesses are as inherently visual as others, many publishers are going beyond simply posting images to engage their fellow “pinners.” In this session the audience learned how to make the most from their Pinterest account and Brit discussed her three top strategies for using Pinterest and how everyone can do the same.

Venue and Catering
The Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation
Robin Kreitner
www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/ReynoldsPlantation

Linens and Rentals
Classic Party Rentals
www.classicpartyrentals.com

Florals
Kent Duffey
Designs by Kent
(706) 473-1546

Photography
Callie Beale
www.calliebealephotography.com

Event Stationery
Paper Daisies
www.paperdaisiesstationery.com

I am so honored to be the president of this organization. Allow us to introduce you to the best in nuptial knowledge… the Wedding Industry Professionals Association – WIPA – launched in July 2008. It’s hard to be an innovative wedding connoisseur, to know what’s hot and when to end a trend. WIPA is delighted to connect with you as your aficionado and trusted source, giving you the edge to stay on top of all things weddings.

We don’t just talk about weddings… we create them! WIPA is a non-profit association that is run by its esteemed members. We understand what it takes to produce a wedding since we represent the multitude of wedding disciplines: cake designers, caterers, DJ’s, florists, entertainment companies, hoteliers, invitation companies, musicians, officiants, photographers, rental companies, wedding planners, venues, videographers and many more!

So, whether you are a wedding industry professional seeking a premiere association to join, a savvy engaged couple seeking stellar service providers for your celebration, or a journalist seeking a quote from a superlative expert, we invite you to take a vow of excellence with WIPA. WIPA is the most respected national community for wedding professionals who want to be recognized as masters and innovators.

Our Mission Statement

WIPA will advance the wedding profession, enhance the professional growth of members, uphold the highest ethics, and educate the public about WIPA-qualified specialists.

Members champion four core values

- knowledge, integrity, quality, & education -

thereby delivering the best business practices to our clients and each other.

Join WIPA online today!

I would like to invite you all to attend the 2013 Beauty Drive for The Beauty Bus Foundation on Sunday, May 5th, 2013 11:30am-2:30pm in the Annenberg Building at the California Science Center. The Beauty Bus Foundation delivers dignity, hope and respite to chronically or terminally ill men, women and children and their caregivers through beauty and grooming services and pampering products.

Enjoy Interactive Brunch, Complimentary Beauty Stations, Men’s Lounge, Kids Korner, Silent Auction and Semi-private access to Space Shuttle Endeavor!

• NYX Cosmetics offering Lips & Lips makeup application
• Bosley Professional Strength offering Scalp Analysis
• Instyler Professional offering Hairstyling
• Beauty Bus Volunteers offering Braiding and Tinsel
• ORLY offering Manicures
• Men’s Lounge – Haircuts and Nail buffs
• Kid’s Korner – Glimmer, Tinsel and Feather application plus Face Painting! Kids will get the opportunity to positively impact other children who are dealing with illness at our volunteer creative table!

Presented by:

I have personally attended these in-home services and worked at their pop-up salons. It is such a pleasure to be able to bring some joy and beauty to these Beauty Bus clients. I strongly encourage you to attend this event and support such a worthwhile cause.

The Beauty Bus Foundation was founded in loving memory of Melissa Marantz Nealy who passed away the age of 28 from a degenerative neuromuscular disease. Melissa loved a good day at the spa. When her ability to leave the home became compromised, Co-Founder Alicia Marantz Liotta, Melissa’s cousin, was able to schedule in-home beauty services through her connections within the beauty industry. Witnessing the hope, happiness and respite these services brought to Melissa, Alicia and Co-Founder Wend y Marantz Levine, Melissa’s sister, were inspired to launch Beauty Bus Foundation.

Photos from the Beauty Drive in 2012. Above is the silent auction. Below are the manicuring stations.

Some relationships are just meant to be! Dr. Sarah and Dr. Glenn found each other at a medical conference. She had been patiently waiting many years to find “Mr. Right” …and he turned out to be “Dr. Right”. It was so much fun watching them, and seeing how “Right” they were together.

Prior to the ceremony we observed many of the Jewish traditions: a “tish” for the men; the female relatives breaking a plate; the greeting of the bride; and the “bedeken”. All of these spoke to the devotion of the couple and their religious commitment.

The Beverly Hills Hotel had been her dream venue for years.  The setting we created in the Rodeo Garden for the ceremony was truly lovely and intimate. The ceremony had all the Jewish traditions and family participation the couple  desired.

Following the ceremony, their reception in the Sunset Room was fun, upbeat, and filled with magical moments. What a delight to work on such a loving event with great clients and vendors who all went the extra mile to make each element perfect for them!

COORDINATION: Party Designs by Carol

GOWN: SAKS FIFTH AVE

CAKE:  SCHWARTZ’S BAKERY

FLORIST: BLOSSOM FLORALS

HAIR: MAKEUP THERAPY

LIGHTING: STAGE LABS

LINENS: LA TAVOLA LINENS

PHOTOGRAPHY: CALLAWAY GABLE

RENTALS/ CHIAVARIS: EMPIRE EVENT RENTALS

VENUE: BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL

VIDEO: BELLA VIDEO

The sponsors showcase their resources and talents, and are of the highest professional level. Just look at the photos! Beautiful stationary, fabulous food and ambiance, delightful entertainment, luxe linens, florals and chocolate. We are always seeing the newest and the best. That’s what makes these groups so important for all of us in the events and wedding industry. These meetings give us the resources we can present to our clients, and make our jobs easier, more fun and that much more rewarding. Gotta love it!

We have the ability to bring fabulous speakers to our meetings (like Peter Shallard, pictured here). We also have outstanding education for our attendees and many member benefits.

We are always seeing the newest and the best. That’s what makes these groups so important for all of us in the events and wedding industry. These meetings give us the resources we can present to our clients, and make our jobs easier, more fun and that much more rewarding.

A Special Thanks to Our Event Sponsors:

Venue/Catering

www.Intercontinentallosangeles.com

Furniture & Décor Empire Event Rentals
Mike Devine
www.empireeventrentals.com

Photography
Marianne Lozano Photography
www.studiolozano.com

Florist
Tic Tock Couture Florals
www.tictock.com

Invitations
Petalos di Pauli
www.petalosdipauli.com

Artisanal Chocolates
Les Beaux Chocolats
www.lesbeauxchocolats.com

Linen
LA TAVOLA
www.latavolalinen.com

Entertainment
Owen Kirschner
Kirschner Creative Artists
www.KCartists.com

Program Chair
Michelle Nowak
Good Gracious! Events
www.goodgraciousevents.com

I sooo enjoyed the experience at The Special Event this year!  TSE was held in Chicago from January 13-18.  When we first heard “Chicago,” many of us said: ‘Oh no … snow, ice, wind, oh dear!’  But we lucked out on the weather and we had a great time with friends and colleagues from across the country, as well as from Europe and Australia.

The Special Event is a wonderful educational opportunity for everyone in the events industry.  I was honored to be invited to speak with Craig and Carol from Craig’s Crew.  We gave a class on “Celebrations of Life”( ie: funerals).  This is an often un-addressed area of event planning, and one that certainly merits consideration.  Our session was well attended, and we had a lively audience with great questions.

TSE always has fun evening events with food and entertainment showcases.  It’s a great opportunity to see different venues around the host city, and it makes you want to broaden your client base to do some wonderful destination events.

In 2014, The Special Event will be in Nashville, Tennessee and I hope to see lots of you there!

So…There we were in Cambodia, outside of Siem Reap, driving through the countryside; and along the way, in one of the villages we passed through, was a house decorated for a wedding.  Wedding ceremonies here are held at home; the reception might be at home, or in a restaurant.

The table set up outside, in front, is on a stage with a special backdrop.  A ceremonial knife is placed on the table.  When the time comes, the priest arrives, and the village elders and the parents of the bride and groom give the couple a ceremonial hair cutting.  The priest oversees this to be sure it is done correctly, and to give the blessings.  (I wish we had seen it… I would have loved that!)

Following the haircutting, the bride and groom go upstairs with the priest (and family) and the bride washes the groom’s feet. The priest gives them instructions on marriage and life; and instructs the groom to give all of his money to his wife….(this place is too good to be true!!).

We were invited to come back for the wedding; but it didn’t work into the schedule at all…such a shame.  Anyway, I was able to get a photo with the bride and groom, even though she didn’t have her makeup done yet.  Her nails were lovely, however.  Wish we had seen her dress….I didn’t have the courage to ask.  The groom was Chinese and from Singapore and the bride is Cambodian and works at the airport … that’s where they met.  I did give him one of my cards, and requested a wedding picture.  Who knows?  Maybe I’ll get one?

Traveling is always fun, and you never know what you will run into.  We were overnight in Yangon, Burma, staying at a high-end hotel and lo and behold: a wedding!!  (what more could a wedding planner ask for?)

I lucked out and saw the bride and groom taking photos prior to the reception (I missed the ceremony!)  It was fun to see the gal (in the turquoise dress) who was helping them.  At first I thought she was the wedding planner…but it turned out she was the mistress of ceremonies.

I sort of crashed the reception.  The mistress of ceremonies began on the stage doing a welcome to the guests.  All in Burmese, I might add.  But by now we know the word for “hello” or “welcome”  and she used it a lot!

The entrance to the room had a flowered arch at the doorway and the grand entrance was to a slow, romantic song. The bride and groom entered first, followed by the two sets of parents.

They all went up onto the stage, and the mistress of ceremonies continued with a “history” of the couple. The only reason I know it was a history is because I heard her saying in English: University of California and California Polytechnic Institute.  (the bride and groom were both in western attire, and I’m sure that was the reason). After that, they began the wedding banquet, and I went to re-join my friends.

What a wonderful experience!  Hopefully I will see another wedding on this trip …but, you just never know what you’ll run into when you travel.

I’m proud to announce that I’ll be speaking at The Special Event with Carol Roleder and Craig Tolliver from Craig’s Crew. Our educational session is titled: Celebration of Life Event Planning and will be held on Wednesday, January 16th.

This informative session will introduce attendees to the process of marketing and executing event planning services to families and businesses in the funeral industry. Losing a loved one is overwhelming enough, but making arrangements to host 50 to 500 of your friends and relatives, in a short period of time, requires special handling by even the most seasoned event planner. We will share our experiences over the past several years as it relates to planning full-service events at the drop of a hat; including the knowledge it takes to provide services for a variety of cultures and religious backgrounds.

We are pleased to be presenting this information, as funerals are not an often discussed subject…yet everyone must eventually deal with the events surrounding a death in the family. And, in the event planning industry, we are often called upon to aid with these arrangements.

If you are attending TSE in Chicago in January, please consider attending our session. To register for The Special Event, click here.

September’s WIPA event was held at Seven Degrees in Laguna Beach, California.  Seven Degrees‘ multi-level design allows for a diverse experience in one location with spectacular views of the canyon and hillside, while creating a relaxed atmosphere.

The banquet area is modern, elegant and spacious enough to accommodate over 110 wedding and event industry professionals. The venue features in-house lighting and sound, which is always a wonderful perk for a party. Once again, WIPA presented an outstanding program with a presentation by Jen O’Sullivan.  Jen is a photographer and marketer who shared her insight on business promotion and marketing strategies.

EVENT SPONSORS:

Venue: Seven Degrees

Photography: Samuel Lippke Studios

Videography: Threaded Films

Music: Cocktails (Pianist/Vocalist) LSM Entertainment,
DJ: Elevated Pulse Productions

Paper Details: Copper Willow Paper Studio

Linens: Napa Valley Linens

Dessert Buffet: Scrumptious Baked Goods

Wedding Cake: Great Dane Baking Company

Lounge Furniture: Fusion Décor

Coordination: Kerrie Underhill — Platinum Weddings by Kerrie

A Very Special Thanks to our Co-Chairs:

Chair: Kerrie Underhill — Platinum Weddings by Kerrie

Co Chair: Lindsay Longacre — LVL Weddings & Events

Co Chair: Nahid Farhoud — Wedding Elegance by Nahid