Unless you live under a rock, you'll probably know that Greg Norman and Chris Evert were married at the One & Only Beach Club on Paradise Island in the Bahamas over the weekend in an event widely reported to have cost $2million.  Can you imagine some of the logistics that wedding planner, Mary Fanizzi Krystoff had to manage?

About 140 family and friends - some of them quite famous and rumoured to include 2 ex-presidents which means some serious secret service type security on top of what was already required to keep things so private.  Not a single photo or quote, other than the one issue by Fanizzi Krystoff is to be found this morning.  So, the women's magazine that the couple are reported to have sold the photos to, are definitely getting their scoop at this stage.

Commercial and private flights - imagine the scheduling that went into getting everyone onto  small island in such privacy that no-one really knows who was at the wedding and all the media articles are currently quoted who was "report to have been included" in the guest list.  And contending with a no fly zone over the island reported to have been issued for the 29 hours around the wedding.  I wonder if that included wedding guests arriving in private charters or not?

And reportedly, a last minute change of the ceremony venue, from the beach to a golf club 40 minutes drive away on another island.  Although, some reports speculate that this was planned to throw media and paparazzi off track and the wedding was held as scheduled in the tropical gardens of the resort which had been fully booked for the wedding guests.

It is lovely to note that, no matter the cost, and in line with current wedding trends, very personally meaningful details are what the couple chose to include.  From the highly appropriate golf and tennis tournament held on the Friday, to involving their children in the ceremony.

While the media reports around today indicate that the security execution may have been a little over zealous, credit must go to Fanizzi Krystoff and her team for executing the wedding with the required amount of privacy and secrecy that their clients demanded.  Can't wait to see the photos!

Well we made it out alive and relatively unscathed.

As I sure many of your are aware, working at an expo is probably more exhausting than running two back to back events. The Austalian Academy of Wedding and Event Planning made their debut at the Herald Sun Careers Expo at the weekend, which is why this weeks blog is a little late in going up.

The expo itself was an interesting choice for us as we had only ever advertised our courses through good old Google Adwords prior to this, and I have to say it was an outstanding success. Apart from the fact that some incompetent person spelt the word 'Academy' as 'Adademy' on the fasica for our stand, we had an absolute ball.

It was very pleasing to note the interest in both our courses from not only the younger generation, but the more mature generation too. It has provided us with a great platform on which to build from and has certainly given us some food for thought. Up until now we had only ever offered our course by distance learning/correspondence, so this was our first foray into the world of face to face and training. Our conclusion is that it is definately needed and will help us to provide an even higher standard of training by using industry experts and site visits as part of our course.

The expo itself was not as well attended as in previous years, according to other exhibitors, but for us it was the quality of the enquiries that we received that made it a success. That and my delightful few minutes spent with the wonderfully charasmatic Molly Meldrum, who was attending as a guest speaker to enthuse young hopefuls looking to enter the world of entertainment. This picture was my daughter's pride and joy as she took it to school on the Monday morning for show and tell.

In summing up, I would like to assure you all that our industry is very much alive and kicking and will be for many years to come. The need for our courses and the demand for planners in the events industry was well and truly established this weekend, and some important steps were taken.

Think each couple is a one time client?  Think again!

Image from Conde Nast Bridal Media

Everyone who has been in the wedding industry for more than three blinks tells us that this is a strongly referral based business.  This is demonstrated every day through the businesses we talk to, the message boards, blogs and forums that we check out, and the research we read and analyse.   In these times of instant online information, we are seeing businesses in the USA made or broken by prominent bride's reviews and comments online.  Naturally, most of the effect is not so dramatic, but it is important that you understand what's happening and learn how to harness it to your advantage.  These influential people are known as ?brand ambassadors', and you have the potential to turn every client into a brand ambassador.  Why would you want to do this? Word of mouth referrals are one of the strongest influences your clients are relying on to make decisions about which suppliers to use.  You want your services to be spoken about and recommended positively.

The image above is a fantastic illustration of how these brand ambassadors affect your business whether you are a wedding planner, stationer, photographer, hotel, celebrant, cake designer, gown maker etc.  If a bride has 5 bridesmaids, and of those 3 are engaged at the time of the wedding, or within 12 months after, and when it comes time for their wedding, three of their five bridesmaids are engaged and so on, you can see how the flow of information from one bride, can lead to a significant number of new clients over a period of time.  This works equally well in other businesses too.  We know of a financial adviser who specialises in giving advice to teachers.  Through one teacher who the adviser met in his first year on the job, the adviser can trace more than 100 current clients who have been referred through that first teacher over the course of several years.  Do you have clients that you can trace this way?

You can see how this can become an important part of your marketing strategy and what an incredible opportunity it has for both positive and negative impact.  So, what do you do with this information?  Choose your clients wisely (more on that at a later date), treat them well at all times, treat the rest of the bridal party, the parents and the guests well - you never know which one of them will be the next to get engaged, or recommend your services to an engaged friend,  and develop some personal touches that keep you top of their mind not only to recommend to their engaged friends, but also so that they want to come back to you to plan their other life celebrations (more on that at a later date too).

Remember, every time you talk to someone, client or supplier, you're building a brand ambassador.  Use this power wisely and it will pay you back in kind. 

Has this article got you thinking ... let us know what about.

On another note, we'll be at the Herald Sun Careers Expo in Melbourne this weekend.  If you're reading this blog because you're thinking about becoming a wedding planner, call in and see us at stand 151.

Men are taking a back seat as more women than ever take control of the wedding planning process, according research.

New data shows that brides wear the trousers when it comes to planning the big day, with men being increasingly left on the sidelines.

In 2007, 62.9 per cent of women made the key arrangements compared to just 37.1 per cent of men. The figures confirm 2006's trend, where 61.8 percent of weddings were organised by the bride.

The data shows that women take far more control than men when it comes to making decisions to tie the knot. This example of girl power is set to continue into 2008 with weddings having risen across key age groups in the last two years. Marriages amongst 18 - 29 year olds were up from 41.8 per cent in 2006 to 46.7 per cent in 2007 and from 34.5 per cent in 2006 to 36 per cent in 2007 amongst 30 - 39 year olds.     

Over a 3rd of couples who get married are tying the knot for the second time - but the total number of weddings is falling. Statistics show that in 2006 39 per cent of all weddings were remarriages.

The study also shows that nationally marriage rates have fallen by 4 per cent since 2005. Also, an increasing number of couples are choosing to tie the knot in a civil ceremony representing a move away from the traditional religious ceremony.

In 2006, civil ceremonies accounted for 66 per cent of all weddings, an increase of 59 per cent in 1996. And at the same time, the study also shows that if current divorce rates continue, around 45 per cent of all marriages will end in divorce, but 10% of all married couples will celebrate their 60th or diamond anniversary.

Welcome to the AAWPC Blog!  This is where you'll  get your regular dose of information that's specifically targeted at the people who plan weddings and run wedding planning businesses.  The wedding industry in Australia is booming, however most businesses are small ones.  This makes them passionate and personal, just what today's couples what, but it also makes it hard to find the time to keep up with trends, stay on top of current research, spend enough time marketing your business, and keeping up with the administration ... not to mention just getting through the work you have to do each day to deliver your client's expectations!  Well, AAWPC is here to help.  We love weddings, and we love the business behind the weddings.  We spend lots of time keeping up to date with the latest trends locally, nationally and internationally, continually researching and analysing the results, keeping up to date with how you can communicate with, market and sell to today's couples, and what the latest tools are to help you run your business.  There are many ways to access the support that is available through AAWPC so check out our website for more details.  The blog will deliver information which will support you and your business no matter if you've been around for 20 years, are just starting out, need a recharge of your passion or any stage in between.   All with a bit of humour and personality brought by the AAWPC founders.  Bookmark the blog, or subscribe to the RSS feed now!

We'll aim to keep our blog posts short and sharp, but this being our first one it's a little longer so that we can not only introduce the blog to you, but also give you a taste of what you can expect.

In this edition, a quick report on the RSVP trade show.  Have you heard of it?  Did you attend the Melbourne show?  If not, then you should make a note to check it out in Sydney 2 and 3 July.  RSVP isn't just a dating website.  In fact, the RSVP trade show has nothing to do with online dating.  The RSVP trade show is specifically targeted at corporate and special event party planners, and it's a great place to find ideas and a good way to meet new suppliers - and entry is FREE!

Last month, we went along to Melbourne's RSVP trade show.  Some well known wedding industry suppliers were there, like Disposable Camera Company and Peter Rowland Catering, but there was also a fantastic range of suppliers and new ideas that would work as wonderfully in weddings as they do in special events ... after all, what more special event is there than a wedding!

Our top 5 picks:

Melbourne Photo Booths - a vintage 50's style photo booth with a high tech heart, that could provide hours of fun at a pre-wedding celebration or the wedding itself.  A great new twist on guests taking their own photos.

Tabletop Theatre - the incredible team create exquisite designs using the finest local and imported linens and create everything from the cloths to the centrepieces, and even the gifts.  Truly ahead of the pack in their take on style and design.  Visit their showroom at L1, 15-17 Lincoln Square South, Carlton South.

Order-In Catering Services - with bases in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth & Adelaide, these guys have Australia's major cities covered.  Currently focused on the corporate market, we think Order-In has some great applications in the wedding industry as well.  Provide your couples with a nice surprise on their wedding day and order in some snacks to make sure they don't go hungry either before or after the wedding, or cater a pre-wedding event at a private home.

I.C.E. Events - I.C.E. do provide a full event management service, but what caught our eye was there reality tv show based games.  These would make a fun addition to a hens or bucks event and can be done over the course of a couple of hours, or a whole day.  Imagine Hens Day Idol, Amazing Bucks Day Race, or Bridal Party So You Think You Can Dance or The Apprentices!  Contact info@iceevents.net.au for more information as it's not yet on their website.

SMA Productions - Want a high impact, highly professional, high fun wow  factor for your wedding entertainment, then take a look at SMA Productions.  They've been doing corporate entertainment from their bases in Sydney and London since 2002, and have 5 shows to choose from, or can custom design a show.  Choose from The Rat Packs' Back (classic Frank, Dean & Sammy form the golden age of Hollywood), String Divas (beautiful girls, stunning musicians, mixing iconic Australian songs and beguiling classical music), Ooh James (bringing Bond to audiences in a cheeky new way), their newest production Rhythm Untapped (a brilliant fusion of jazz, swing and cabaret), or their classic Opera by Disguise.

Check out the full list of RSVP Melbourne and Sydney exhibitors at http://www.rsvpevent.com.au/.