• What is the Wedding Planning Institute?
• What does this course offer prospective students?
• What is the tuition?
• Is there a payment plan?
• Where is the course offered?
• When can students enroll?
• How does a student get started?
• Once a student enrolls what happens next?
• When a student finishes the course is there an internship, externship or job placement assistance?
• How do LWPI’s internship and externship programs work?
• What should I consider before doing an internship or externship?
• For someone who is already a wedding and event planner but not certified, how will this course help their career?

What is the Wedding Planning Institute?

• LWPI is the industry leader in certification and training for wedding and event professionals. It has established an academic network approaching 2,000 colleges and universities in the United States, as well as a network of international colleges offering its Wedding and Event Planning Certification. The curriculum is updated frequently throughout the year to stay abreast of industry changes and technology advances. This also ensures our students are up to date on the latest trends and best practices reported from the field as well as the best technology to support their business and operational efficiency. LWPI’s e-learning server is scalable to service an unlimited number of students and provides the tracking and reporting capabilities to meet our academic certification standards and obligations. This system also utilizes the latest technology to deliver interactive curricula in a self-paced learning environment.


• In addition to the online environment, students can attend classes at a local college or university and learn from an established Wedding/Event Planner who has been in business in the local market for at least five years. Students receive hands-on training, assist at real weddings, meet with guest speakers such as local vendors, and attend site/venue tours. All instructors must meet specific requirements and complete certification instructor training. Upon graduation, LWPI students are positioned to join an existing business, participate in non-paid internships, receive job-placement assistance, or start their own business.

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What does this course offer prospective students?

Mentors. Each student is assigned a mentor. LWPI mentors are professional wedding planners actively working in the industry and available to give you advice, guidance, and feedback to help you complete the certification course. Your mentor will:

• Walk you through student orientation and getting started in the course.


• Help you with each assignment and requirement to make sure you have what you need before you submit it to LWPI.


• Provide you with hands-on experience through an externship or internship opportunity.


• Prepare you for the exam by letting you know exactly what to study.


• Once you complete the requirements for the course, your mentor will also confirm processing of your certification, and help you to get your career and/or business started.

Our students also have a high rate of success:

• Many of our graduates/students get hired for events and event planning positions with venues and industry companies even while taking their course.


• Many of our graduates have even appeared on popular television shows like Platinum Weddings and Whose Wedding Is it Anyway.

You are also provided with the tools you need to build your business and career. You do not have to discover or build them yourself:

• The student library has hundreds of resources you can use for your business and for your clients. Not just contracts and pricing schedules, but also hand-outs and tools for your bride that you can just add your name and logo on to use as your own.


• You get everything you need to run and operate your business. There is even a free copy of professional wedding & event planning software included in the course.

There is a textbook to reference even after your course is over:

• This full sized approximately 600 page textbook becomes a great resource and reference even after the course is over.

Quality:

• LWPI’s Certification program has been reviewed and accepted by thousands of accredited Colleges and Universities around the United States as the standard curriculum and business training for wedding professionals. No other program meets the stringent standards of academics, workforce development and vocational training.


• LWPI’s curriculum is a culmination of hundreds of actively working professionals sharing the latest trends, technology, and best practices from the field. LWPI’s CWEP course is not written from one person or organization’s experience or point of view. It is written and reviewed by the professionals that directly make up the industry itself.


• LWPI’s curriculum is updated 2 – 3 times a year both online and in the 600 page textbook. This insures that our students and graduates are receiving the most up to date, real-time information coming right from the field.


• The CWEP student library alone would help any wedding planner to compile all the tools she needs for her/his business and for her/his bridal clients. It is a tremendous resource of information that insures students have a strong business foundation of tools to conduct and operate their wedding business.


• LWPI’s curriculum is real-world training. We give you the “how to’s” of starting a business and the step-by-step, …hit the ground running tools to get started right away. Building a career or business is not easy, but LWPI’s CWEP has taken the “trial and error” out of the process that most people learn the hard way.


• LWPI’s CWEP course is applicable to both the person looking to start a career as a wedding planner working for a company and the entrepreneur who has discovered a passion for planning weddings and events. CWEP is different than other programs because it doesn’t stop at teaching you about wedding planning as a business, it provides insight and real business planning to move to the next level of operating a company with 10, 20, plus… wedding planners working for you… as you build a company …around your passion for planning weddings.

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What is the tuition?

The full course tuition, including textbook, online curriculum, student community access, and certification exam fee is $1195. There is a pay in full discount of $200, and payment plans are also available. The course is available in English and Spanish. {Back to Top}

Is there a payment plan?

Yes. Payment plans are available. Call us for details: 1-888-221-9988. {Back to Top}

Where is the course offered?

The Certified Wedding and Event Planning course is directly available to all students around the world through an online program hosted by The Wedding Planning Institute. This course is also offered by nearly 2,000 local academic institutions around the country both online and in the classroom. Click here to find a local classroom or seminar near you. {Back to Top}

When can students enroll?

Students can enroll in the CWEP course at anytime for the online courses and can review the college classroom schedule for locations, dates and times of local classes. {Back to Top}

How does a student get started?

Call 1 888-221-9988 and speak to a career counselor or visit www.prestonbailey.com/education. {Back to Top}

Once a student enrolls what happens next?

• Students are contacted by LWPI’s admissions department with a username and password to the online student community and e-learning server. Students will receive an email and get a call to confirm the information has been received.


• Students will be able to login right away to access the student center, library, discussion boards, student blogs, and the online course area. Students can customize thier profile by adding pictures, information, and even connect with other social networking sites, like Facebook. LWPI’s community is very similar to Facebook in how it is set-up and its ease of use. Students can down load LWPI’s APP from the iTunes App store for free to stay connected on the go.


• Students will receive a textbook within about 10 days if in the US and longer depending on which country a student is shipping to.


• An online mentor/instructor will connect with each student once a student completes student orientation and submit the first assignment.


• All assignments have information and templates to help get students started and they are located in the online student center library. This helps to make sure students are on the right track and guides students as each chapter is completed.


• All assignments are tools created for a student’s wedding & event planning career or business. These assignments will be needed once a student is finish with the course. Finished assignments are also imported into professional event planning software that comes with the CWEP tuition.


• When students are finished with assignments they will be asked to take a final exam. It is a timed exam with two parts, an hour for each part. The exam is multiple-choice and is based on the curriculum in the textbook and student center.


• Once a student completes the exam, there is an evaluation LWPI ask from every student to give feedback on the student’s experience. Every student is required to fill this out as it helps to improve processes and education for all students and alumni.


• Once all requirements are submitted graduates will receive a custom made Certificate from LWPI by mail. This can take up to 4 – 6 weeks for processing.


• After graduating from one of our courses students are invited to participate in a customized internship, join LWPI’s Alumni and career center.

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When a student finishes the course is there an internship, externship or job placement assistance?

• LWPI has many opportunities for internships. Most internships are customized to meet the career goals of our students. Student both online and in a classroom have the potential to participate in hands-on activities, local events, and event internships through a local LWPI instructor, mentor, or partnered vendor. As part of the CWEP curriculum and training, students are required to identify local wedding professionals and vendors as potential internship opportunities that meet their needs. This requirement begins the internship process for identifying a student’s career goals and establishing a customized internship within the student’s local area. LWPI provides assistance with both understanding the internship process and establishing an internship to meet your needs.


• Externships are experiential learning opportunities, similar to internships, offered by educational institutions to give students short practical experiences in their field of study. Externships are generally shorter than internships and last for approximately two days to a few weeks. Since they are less extensive, they are not usually given any academic credit. Due to the short duration, externships can be easily completed during a student’s spring and summer breaks or even during a January interim. Externships can be viewed in terms of job shadowing. Externs are closely supervised and are walked through the day-to-day routines at the company or organization. The experience allows students to apply their coursework learning to a real life setting. They can be viewed as external studies, which combine classroom knowledge with real-world experience. This knowledge prepares students for the transition from school to career. Externships can lead to opportunities after students complete their studies. They can help pre-graduates get their foot in the door for possible job opening or even make them better candidates for aggressive internship opportunities. The goal of an extern is to become familiar with new professions and job fields. Externships are also a source of networking contacts once a profession is chosen.


• An intern is someone who works in a temporary position with an emphasis on "hands-on" job training rather than merely employment (SIH-199), making it similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career. Student internships provide opportunities for students to gain experience in their field, determine if they have an interest in a particular career, create a network of contacts, or gain school credit. An internship may be paid, unpaid or partially paid (in the form of a stipend). Internships may be part-time or full-time; typically they are part-time during the university year and full-time in the summer, and they typically last 6–12 weeks, but can be shorter or longer. The act of job shadowing may also constitute an internship.

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How do LWPI’s internship and externship programs work?

An internship or externship is an opportunity for you to get hands-on experience in wedding and event planning and to further develop your skills. Doing an intern or externship enables you to connect the knowledge and skills you have gained from your academics and apply them in a work setting. Doing an intern or externship enables you to draw from your work experiences to inform what you have learned in the classroom. In addition, an intern or externship helps you:

• Determine if you enjoy working in a specific area of interest within the floral design or wedding & event planning industry.


• Get an insider's look at different employers.


• Make those important professional networking connections with people who may hire you in the future or be able to refer you to people who are able to hire you.


• Begin to develop the skills you'll need for a successful transition from certified graduate to professional.

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What should I consider before doing an internship or externship?

What you will get out of your intern or externship is a learning experience - one where you will polish your existing skills and develop new skills. You'll also get an edge on the competition when it comes to securing employment. Other questions to consider:

• What you hope to get out of the experience?


• What skills and knowledge you bring to the intern or externship?


• What expectations will your faculty advisor have if you are doing the intern or externship for job placement?


• What expectations will your intern or externship site supervisor have?


• What type of organization will you be doing your intern or externship?


• How many hours a week will you spend at your intern or externship?

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For someone who is already a wedding and event planner but not certified, how will this course help their career?

Great question and there are many…

• The industry takes certification very seriously. If you want to be respected by your peers and professional vendors, certification and training are required. Too many novice/hobbyist come and go in this field and vendors are aware of the problems they cause because they are not properly trained. It’s actually a joke told by many vendors about the post bride-wedding planner, who thinks she knows the business just because she planned her own wedding. This is why training and certification are the foundation of starting a career as a professional planner.


• It’s a planner’s reputation that will continue to build and grow her business … if you get off on the wrong foot with the professional vendors in the area, word travels fast and …vendors talk …and recommend who …and who not to hire. It’s best to start off on the right foot and build your career with a strong foundation through education and training …to get the respect and the referrals from a network of vendors in your area.


• Existing Wedding Planners learn how to take their business to the next level. LWPI’s CWEP course is applicable to both the person looking to start a career as a wedding planner working for a company and the entrepreneur who has discovered a passion for planning weddings and events.


• CWEP is different than other programs because it doesn’t stop at teaching you about wedding planning as a business, it provides insight and real business planning to move to the next level of operating a company with 10, 20, plus… wedding planners working for you… as you build a company …around your passion for planning weddings.


• LWPI’s curriculum is real-world training. We give you the “how to’s” of starting a business and the step-by-step, …hit the ground running tools to get started right away.


• Building a career or business is not easy, but LWPI’s CWEP has taken the “trial and error” out of the process that most people learn the hard way.  Story: If you watch the video on our “about us” page, Tracy Thompson was a wedding planner for 20 years before she took the CWEP and she was only taking it in her mind to get a piece of paper to prove to her brides that she was officially a wedding planner and not just doing a hobby on the side. In her testimonial she states that even after 20 years, she never realized how much there was to know about the business side of being a professional Full-Time Wedding Planner and she stated that she was “More excited about her business than ever before” after taking the course.

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