WPIC

WPIC Planners of the Month:

 Kelly Spinelli & Laura Atendido

By: Kim Choy

Fast Talk with Laura Kelly Wedding Design:

Favourite Celebrity Planner: Preston Bailey

Celebrity Wedding They’d Love to Plan: That's easy! Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphris

Mentors in the Industry: Danielle & Tracey from WPIC & the entire WPIC Association

Other Jobs: Kelly – Sales & Advertising, Laura – elementary school teacher

Best Part of Being a Planner: Giving couples an amazing wedding planning experience and wedding day

Favourite Part of the Wedding Planning Process: Seeing all the details, planning, hard work, ups and downs all come together in completely perfect vision

Worst Part of Being on a Taped Reality Show: People always asking us how “real” the show is… its reality TV!

Future Goals for Laura Kelly Wedding Design: Continue to grow the company while still keeping an intimate and personable feel to who we are and what we do

 Photo by: Memories by Marie

Laura Atendido and Kelly Spinelli have been friends for many years, after meeting each other through their husbands, who are good friends.   They developed a strong friendship and then decided that they would take the WPIC Course together.  They were already helping friends and family members coordinate and plan major events and weddings and they wanted the guidance and support of a credible Wedding Planning Course/Association.  Laura and Kelly decided to take the course in 2005 and entered into the Wedding Planning Business.

In 2007 Laura and Kelly joined in a partnership and formally created “Laura Kelly Wedding Design”.  They decided to go against the odds of creating a partnership in the wedding industry.  Having the support from each other gave them both the confidence to move forward. 

Photo by: Studio 2000

They named their company “Laura Kelly Wedding Design” because they liked the sound of “Grace Kelly” name and it incorporated both of their names into their business. They also wanted to establish their company as not only a logistical event coordination company, but a design company that would help couples with the overall vision of their day. 

“Spending the time and investments on professional and custom print material and a very detailed website were very important to us.  We wanted to create a visual brand that didn’t make us seem homemade.”
                            - Laura Atendido and Kelly Spinelli

Although Laura and Kelly remain part-time in the wedding industry, they have come a long way since starting out in 2007. 

When they first began they used word of mouth advertising to create interest and generate potential clients.  To this day, much of their business still stems from referrals and word of mouth advertising. 

Photo by: John Bauld Photography

In 2008, Laura and Kelly participated in the Breakfast Television Live Wedding of Mandy and Harry. 

“There is such a personal connection when you are a part of a couple’s wedding.  We feel honoured to share in the journey and success of the day”
                               - Laura Atendido and Kelly Spinelli

Laura and Kelly were submitted to Rich Bride, Poor Bride by friends, without knowing.  They were casting for Season 5 of the show, which airs on Slice Network.  They later received emails and phone calls from the show.  Being big fans of the show, they decided not to turn down the opportunity.  After their audition, they were added to the cast of Rich Bride, Poor Bride for Season 5 & 6. 

The Cast of Rich Bride, Poor Bride

Laura and Kelly offered some advice to new WPIC Alumni entering into the industry: Invest time, money and energy into a really good website and gain experience in the industry to give you the confidence and knowledge to be your own company. 

One of the most memorable weddings Laura Kelly Wedding Design spoke about was the first wedding of this season (2011) in Muskoka, Ontario.  The bride rented a vintage boat and arrived at her ceremony on the dock by boat.  The last bridesmaid made her way to her spot on the dock, the entire bridal party pivoted towards the water and on cue, the bride and her father, sitting in the back seat of the boat, veil blowing in the wind, came out from around the bend and drove onto the dock!  “Kelly and I were literally in tears and the guests were out of their seats in awe!” says Laura. 

WPIC 2010 Year in Review

A Message from the founders of The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada, Danielle Andrews Sunkel and Tracey Manailescu:

To borrow a line from Master Wordsmith, Charles Dickens: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." 

What a busy year we have had!  We've had disappointments, surprises, accomplishments and many proud moments.  We've been imitated, (but never duplicated) time and again.

2010 solidified our International reputation and focus of The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada. Students travelled from Germany, Belgium, Mexico, Hong Kong, St. Lucia, Barbados, Jamaica and many other places to join our classes and association.  There are now over 2900 WPIC certified Wedding Coordinators worldwide.

In February, we were invited to visit the County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland where we stayed in a different castle every night! We also attended a Wedding Show in Dublin. Read about our Irish Wedding Adventures here, where we profile the various castles (such as Crom Castle, Belle Isle, Lough Erne Golf Resort, the National Trust Properties, etc) and what they offer to couples who wish to wed or honeymoon in Fermanagh.

In March, we travelled to Bahamas to train and certify 46 people from the Bahamas Bridal Association, which included members from the outer islands, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, the Wedding Coordinators at the Atlantis, Sheraton Nassau, Wyndham Cable Beach and British Colonial Hilton Resorts to name but a few.

Photo courtesy of: Dominic Duncombe Photography

In June, we were invited to train and certify all of the on-site Wedding Coordinators from Palace Resorts in Mexico.  We brought 10 WPIC Alumni with us to tour the resorts in the Mayan Riviera to see what they offer our clients.

All thoughout the year, our alumni were offered opportunities to visit Jamaica, Bahamas, Antigua, St. Lucia, and Mexico on various FAM trips arranged through our travel partners; Sandals Resorts, SuperClubs Breezes, Palace Resorts and Air Canada Vacations.

WPIC was sought out by the Media on numerous occasions to share our expertise and opinion for newspapers, bridal magazines and television shows.  We were also able to extend several Media opportunities to our members at WPICAlumni.

All throughout the year we ran full-page, national ads in Today's Bride and Weddingbells magazine, encouraging couples to seek WPIC certified Wedding Professionals.  To further publicize the accomplishments of our Alumni, we instituted The Wedding Planner of the Month, which publicly showcases and profiles a successful WPIC Wedding Coordinator at the beginning of each month.

During the summer we aquired and renovated new offices with more space to accommodate our growing number of support staff and to better & more efficiently support the members of WPICAlumni.  When we were finished the renovations in September, we of course had a party to warm the offices. 

During the year we spoke about Wedding and Destination Wedding Planning at the Wedding MBA Convention in Las Vegas, and several Wedding Shows.

We practised what we preach about Continued Learning and we attended wedding and event seminars and conferences in Grand Cayman, Ireland, Mexico, Bahamas, Canada and all over the USA (Las Vegas, New York, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach).

November 1-5, 2010 we held our 6th annual Wedding Professionals Conference in The Bahamas to much Media Acclaim.  Our keynote speaker was none other then Colin Cowie.

The other fine speakers included: Mary Dann-McNamee, duo Jung Lee & Josh Brooks, Tom Haibeck, Peter Merry, Andy Ebon, Richard Emanuelle and Megan Cole-Karagory. 

Esteemed sponsors included Destination Weddings & Honeymoons magazine, WedLock Magazine and The Bahamas Tourism Board to name a few.

In order to get ready for 2011, we refreshed and rebranded the look of WPIC with our new logo, added a Facebook fan page and dedicated time each day to uphold our Twitter presence.  We will continue to update this Blog at least every Monday and Thursday, and more often if we have interesting news that just can't wait ;)  Just as we are rebranding and energizing the look of WPIC, we will be putting our energies into refreshing the inner workings of WPIC and helping our Alumni be the best they can be.

2011 is going to be an amazing year for WPIC!

Thanks for reading!

Danielle and Tracey

 

Todays Bride Holiday Party

By: Tracey Manailescu

'Tis the Season to be Jolly...and that we are!

Danielle Andrews Sunkel and myself were invited to the annual "Today's Bride" Holiday Party last week.

We have been proudly featured in Today's Bride year after year, with articles and photos of our clients.  We advertise in the magazine because of it's expertise and stellar reputation.

Here are some of the photos from the evening:

 The ever-graceful Editor-in-Chief of Today's Bride, Bettie Bradley

Today's Bride magazineNon-stop passed hors d'oeuvresGreat bandThe chocolate fountain that I dropped my biscotti in :(Love this hallway!Martini barMe, enjoying my martini :)This is what was in our gift bags! What a nice surprise.

Thank you, Today's Bride!

Bride Marries Herself?

By Tracey Manailescu

You do not want to miss this blog posting, LOL!

Photo by: Sin Wang

Thirty year old Chen Wei-yih, from Taipei, Taiwan has decided that she is tired of waiting for Mr. Right, and is taking matters into her own hands.

On November 6th, 2010 she is going to marry herself in a lavish ceremony and reception with thirty of her closest friends and family members. She has bought her wedding gown, rented a reception venue and yes, hired a Wedding Coordinator.

"Age 30 is a prime period for me. My work and experience are in good shape, but I haven't found a partner, so what can I do?" Chen said.

"I'm not anti-marriage. I just hope that I can express a different idea within the bounds of a tradition."

View her facebook page to see photos and hear more details.

Chen will be embarking on a honeymoon to Australia to celebrate, yes, you got it, solo!

*Just a note that the marriage will not stand up in a court of law

 

Tips for Working with a Wedding Planner

by Danielle Andrews Sunkel

This article appeared in an issue of Today's Bride, when I was working with TV personality, Liza Fromer, to plan her wedding.

Decide if you really want to work with a Wedding Coordinator

Can you handle someone else making your appointments, negotiating contracts for you, saving you time and money, making suggestions and helping to make all the major decisions in your wedding?  If this doesn’t sound like a dream, you probably do not want to work with a Coordinator.

Check them out!

Your Wedding Coordinator should be certified in Wedding Coordination, be part of an Association and/or have a great network to fall back upon.  If your Coordinator is not part of a network, who will be there for you if they get sick?

Hire a Wedding Coordinator that you get along with.  

Planning a wedding should be exciting and fun!  They could be the best Coordinator in the world, but if your personalities do not mesh well, your Coordinator will not be excited about your wedding and your wedding will not be all that it could.

Help them help you

Let your Wedding Coordinator know about your common interests, how you met, how you got engaged, special things that have happened, your future hopes and dreams.  A good Wedding Coordinator will help to make your wedding a reflection of you, not them.

Trust your Coordinator

Once you have decided on a Wedding Coordinator, trust them to do their job.   You and your Wedding Coordinator have a common goal; to create the best wedding you can have.  Let them find the best vendors for you, after all, that is what you hired them for. 

Sit back and relax

There is always some kind of problem on the wedding day.  With a Wedding Coordinator there, you won’t even have to think about, it will be taken care of almost before it happens.  Just enjoy your day!

Find a great, certified Wedding Planner at www.wpic.ca

Cake Pops 4 Cancer

Two of our WPIC members were recently featured on Global news and in the Toronto Star, selling cake pops to raise money to send 4-year-old Leukemia patient-Kaitlyn on a vacation of a life time.  Currently 4-year-old Kaitlyn is undergoing treatment at Sick Kids Hospital.

All photos courtest of Engaging Images

Toronto Local and Destination Wedding Planners-Jennifer Borgh and Robin Wight were inspired to help when they heard how sick Jennifer past co-worker's daughter was.  They got together and planned their event to try and give the family something positive to look forward to, and help lift their spirits during these difficult times. They immediately started organizing Cake Pops 4 Cancer, which took place in Toronto last week.   

 Coated in purple, yellow, brown, orange, red, pink, green and blue chocolate, the cake pops are a fresh twist on traditional lollipops and make for a great novelty item at parties or a special occasion at home. Earlier this year our WPIC Blog featured Cake Pops as one of the latest trends to hit weddings.  Cake pops are delicious balls of chocolate cake dipped in colourful chocolate on a stick, making them fun for children and adults alike.  Cake pops are a hybrid cupcake/ lollipop and taste like a brownie dipped in chocolate.  Thanks to Bakerella who shares her baking secrets and baking ideas on her website anyone can attempt this or other unique recipes.

The Cake Pops 4 Cancer fundraiser is going on until August 31, 2010, if you would like to place an order for a dozen Cake Pops for $25, please contact Jennifer Borgh at [email protected] to place your order.

"Unveiled" Teaser: New Show on TVTropolis features WPIC Wedding Planners

by Danielle Andrews Sunkel

In January 2011, a new Wedding show will hit the airwaves.  The first of its kind, this show will actually be a behind the scenes look at the Wedding Planners, rather than focussing on the Weddings themselves.

As fate would have it, each of these Wedding Planners are WPIC Certified.  This is not by design, but we sure are proud of Lisa Lewis, Carol Bodenstein and Jennifer Maxwell!  Each of their assistants are also WPIC Certified.

Have a look at the sneak peak and enjoy!

Celebrating "Celebrations" with Preston Bailey

(photos provided by Preston Bailey)

In January, WPIC Alumni wedding planners, Jennifer Borgh and Lindsay Mogford (WPIC Instructor) were invited to attend a star-studded New York party thrown by celebrity Event Designer, Preston Bailey, as he celebrated the launch of his new book Celebrations.  See more photos and details at www.prestonbailey.com

by Jennifer Borgh

The party unfolded at the Armoury, which was completely transformed from a huge empty warehouse to an intimate room filled with purple, blue and pink touches. Lindsay and I were greeted at the front doors and escorted into the party.  A large illuminated runway with images of Preston's book cover and past events split the room. Joan Rivers and Nate Berkus, were among the celebrity guests in attendance. 

A lot of un-expected surprises popped up throughout the night to keep guests excited including models dancing down the runway with very little covering their bodies other than purple flowers.  Then a private performance by Gloria Gaynor who sang to get the party started.

As a wedding planner, I love to meet new wedding/event contacts that are leading the industry.  It's both inspiring and gets me thinking about creating new and exciting ideas to make my clients plan a wedding that isn't like every other wedding.  

The party vendors were the best of the best in New York. The lighting was incredible and provided by lighting expert Ira Levy (Levy Lighting). Olivier Cheng catering thought of every detail and the food was incredible with a huge selection of tasty bite sized hors d'oeuvres and a huge dessert buffet with towers and layers of desserts decorated with tropical flowers. 

Preston hired celebrity events planner Marcy Blum so that he could spend the night socializing and enjoy the party himself (the best thing anyone having a party or wedding can do for themselves and their guests). 

During the party, we met leader in the wedding industry such as Randy Fenoli, fashion director of Kleinfeld and "Say Yes to the Dress" on TLC who was kind enough to invite us on a private tour the following day.The night ended with the runway opening up as a dance floor while the DJ played music.

It was a night to remember.  Preston Bailey's beautiful and inspiring new book "Celebrations" is available in book stores. 

The Origins of our Wedding Traditions

I have seen myself quoted all over the world, on Women's Right sites, Bridesmaids sites, countless Wedding Websites and Wedding Planner Advice sites after this article was first published. 

The quote that keeps coming up and that is causing so much controversy, is one most of you have heard me say before: "There is nothing romantic behind our western wedding traditions," says wedding expert Danielle Andrews Sunkel.  Huh, who knew?

So I thought I would share the article with you, it was written by a writer we have worked with often and first appeared in the Wetaskiwin Times (link to article)

The photo above is of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on their Wedding Day.  The day that started the White Wedding Dress.

Origins of wedding traditions 

By Joanne Richard/Special to QMI Agency 

Plan to wear a veil during the wedding ceremony? Get married in June? Have dear old dad give you away? 

Know why? "There is nothing romantic behind our western wedding traditions," says wedding expert Danielle Andrews Sunkel. "Most traditions date back to the bride capture and allude to the transfer of property - the bride - from one owner to another." 

Sunkel, a wedding planner, says that most couples continue to follow wedding traditions and formulas – "the ceremony may be more personalized and the venue may be different, but the components and foundation of the wedding will still be the same as a wedding 100 years ago." 

Unlike other events or holidays, the same traditions and ceremony have stuck for hundreds of years, says Sunkel, owner of theweddingplanners.ca. "With the sheer volume of weddings, you would think that the basic foundations would change over time, but they really haven't." 

Sunkel attributes it to religion. "Most couples get married in a church, so the minister, priest or rabbi follows the ceremony set out by their religion. Couples being married outside of a church still need to hire a wedding officiant, who also follows the same general pattern." 

According to Sunkel, one tradition evolving is the father walking the bride down the aisle. "More and more I am seeing either both parents walking the bride down the aisle or the bride walking down alone." 

Also vows have evolved to exclude the bride promising to obey her husband and more brides are choosing not to wear veils, adds Sunkel, president of The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada (wpic.ca). 

Sunkel explains where some of the more popular traditions come from: 

Bridesmaid dresses and the groom standing to the right of the bride: These traditions evolved during the time of bridal dowries and bridal capture. A bride with a handsome dowry was sometimes kidnapped on her way to the wedding. 

"She would be forcibly married to her captor, then raped to consummate the marriage and the father would then have to pay the captor the dowry," explains Sunkel. 

"Being a bridesmaid during these times was most definitely not an honour," says Sunkel, explaining that the bridesmaid was dressed in the exact same clothes as the bride so as to confuse any potential captors. 

"Since it became more difficult to steal the bride on the way to the wedding, a band of men would storm the church and use force to capture the bride during the ceremony. The groom stood on the right of the bride so he could wear a sword on his hip - if someone tried to steal the bride, he could draw his sword and not cut off the bride's head in the process," says Sunkel. 

Father giving the bride away: Until very recent history, women were widely considered chattel, says Sunkel, owned by their father or their husband. "Marriage was a business arrangement. The suitor would ask for the bride's hand in marriage knowing he would get a large sum of money or land dowry along with the bride." 

The father would choose his daughter's husband based on how desirable a match the two families would make, she says. The deal was sealed when the father would literally hand over the daughter to her new owner at the pulpit. 

White dress: Royals originally married in a silver dress, aristocrats in purple and others in blue to symbolize fidelity. But Queen Victoria changed all that when she wore white - she liked that white symbolized purity and chastity. "Unfortunately this trend has stuck… yet the white dress was never intended to judge whether or not the bride was a virgin - that was the role of the veil." 

Veil: A measure of purity, "if the bride covers her face with a veil, she is saying she is a virgin," says Sunkel. A bride with a child or a second-time bride is never to wear a veil past her cheeks. 

June weddings and bridal bouquets: June has been the most popular choice for weddings for centuries. That's because during the 1400 and 1500s, May was the month in which the 'annual bath' occurred, says Sunkel. "Back then people only bathed thoroughly once each year. As such, the over-all population smelled relatively fresh in June, making it a good time to hold a special event like a wedding." Body odour was further masked by brides picking flowers and forming a bouquet on the way to the wedding. 

The wedding shower: The only tradition with a romantic history. "In Holland during the 1500 or 1600s, a wealthy man's daughter fell in love with a poor man. The father refused to allow the couple to get married and said if they eloped he would not give the man the daughter's dowry, in effect disowning her," says Sunkel. "Without the dowry, the couple had no way of setting up a home together and could not marry. The townsfolk loved this couple so much they showered the couple."

A WPIC Media Frenzy!

What an amazing start to 2010 and what promises to be an incredibly successful decade!  

We are so proud of our WPIC Alumni and want to toot their horns!  In just 14 days WPIC has made it to Newspapers, Magazines, Television, Radio and even Celebrity Blogs!  Our Association Board has had a flurry of Announcements about Alumni in the Media.

Here are just some of the ways our Alumni have been featured:

Print

The new Spring/Summer issue of Today's Bride came out this week with "25 trends for 2010" by Danielle Andrews Sunkel and Tracey Manailescu of WPIC Inc.  In the article they give ideas and tips to personalize a wedding and add the Wow Factor.  The story made their front cover!

 

Alumni, Teresa Medeiros and Nelia DaSilva of Ultimate Affairs, and Christine Martin of Pure Potential Weddings were featured in an article about Wedding Planners in The Grand Magazine.  The coordinators were shadowed at weddings and comments from their grateful clients are included as well.  Tracey Manailescu, Vice President of WPIC Inc. was also interviewed for this article.

Lindsay Honeyman, of Sheer Elegance Events, had a wedding featured in Toronto Life's Wedding issue.  The wedding featured was an Indian/Greek/Scottish fusion.  The Indian Groom wore a Kilt, the Scottish/Greek bride wore a Sari.  Food was a combination of Indian and Greek and entertainment featured a Bollywood dancer who taught the guests some new moves.

 Jennifer Borgh was just quoted in The Toronto Star today, in the article "Add Choreographer to list of Wedding Hires" by Vivian Song.  She gave tips for wedding couples wishing to incorporate choreographed dances into there reception or entrance.

Television

Jennifer Maxwell, Carol Bodenstien and Lisa Lewis, all from the Greater Toronto Area and all WPIC Certified, have been named "The Dream Wedding Planners" for the television show of the same name.  It will begin airing on the Slice Network in January 2011.

WPIC Alum, Amanda Daligadu will trade roles and be the bride on an upcoming episode of Rich Bride, Poor Bride.  Her Weding Planner, Jennifer Borgh, also WPIC Alumni, will assist show Wedding Planner, Angelique at the January 23 wedding.  Good luck girls!

Blog Love

Caryn Lim of A Timeless Celebration in Montreal, was awarded a Sassy Site Award from Get Married!  She was also awarded a spot on their Preferred Bloggers list!

 WPIC Alum, Jolyn Saramaga, of Nuance Occasions in Edmonton, was given the compliment every Wedding Planner dreams of.  She received an email from Colin Cowie telling her he enjoys reading her Blog and would she agree to be listed on his Suggested Blog list.  She now holds the Top Spot on said list!

And that is just a sample of what has been going on!

Open a newspaper, magazine, turn on the TV or the Radio, odds are one of our Alum is being featured. Not bad for 14 days into the New Year, just imagine what we are going to do in the next 341!