It's hard to define what makes a leader. Yet, when we're in the presence of one, we know it. Leaders are visionaries. They influence others. They work for the common good. These six, peer-nominated leaders are our picks for today's Wedding Industry Leaders.What individuals and companies in the industry rise above the competition when it comes to advancing the industry, reinvention, having a clear and distinct brand, and more? We asked readers, and the nominations poured into our inboxes. We then asked the Wedding Planner Magazine team and advisory board to review these nominations and choose the top industry leaders. It was a difficult process as there were many fabulous candidates, but we did narrow the field and are pleased to announce the 2016 selections for Top Wedding Industry Leaders right here. INDUSTRY LEADER- WEDDING PLANNING/DESIGN Frank J. Andonoplas, MWP™Owner, Frank Event Design, Chicago www.FrankEventDesign.comAbout Frank: For the past 23 years, Frank has owned Frank Event Design, a full-service event design and planning firm. Since 2010, he has been an adjunct professor at DePaul University, where he teachers business etiquette and wedding and event planning management. Active in the industry, Frank served as Illinois state coordinator for the Association of Bridal Consultants, and was awarded its coveted Penner Award for passion and excellence to the industry. He has won more than 20 Chicago Excellence Awards for best wedding and the prestigious Gala Award for Best Wedding from Special Events Magazine. He was named Event Planner of the Year at the Catersource/Events Solutions Conference and Chicago’s Favorite Wedding Planner by Today’s Chicago Woman. He is a member of the advisory Boards of Special Events Magazine and Wedding Planner Magazine*. His expertise is consistently shown in all major local and national bridal magazines as well as local Chicago television stations, CBS’s The Early Show, and ABC’s 20/20 nationally. Most recently, he was inducted into the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame. Frank’s Goals: “I would like to be teaching more than I am now. I feel that my vast knowledge and experience can benefit those starting out in the industry.”Testimonial: “Frank is an expert in knowing every aspect of what is involved in planning weddings. He understands his clients so well that he makes our process for floral and décor much easier. Frank educates his clients on floral décor in advance—budget and style. Frank allows the client to choose what they like but guides them to make the most aesthetically pleasing and practical decisions. He is very professional and loyal. I have worked with Frank for 15 years, and he remains passionate with each new client.”- Stephanie Gowder, Anthony Gowder Designs, Inc., Chicago* Note: As a member of the Wedding Planner Magazine Advisory Board, Frank recused himself from voting for individuals in this category. INDUSTRY LEADER - WEDDING PLANNING/DESIGN Lynda Barness, MWP™Owner, I DO Wedding Consulting,Philadelphiawww.IDoPlan.comAbout Lynda: After completing the certificate program in Wedding Planning and Consulting at Temple University in Philadelphia, Lynda launched I DO Wedding Consulting in 2005 as an encore career.
Throughout the years, she has been a participant and leader in a variety of civic, philanthropic, and political activities, serving on a number of boards. She has been a frequent wedding industry speaker, judge for industry awards, author of published articles and blogs, has been quoted widely in the press. She is now teaching “The Business of Wedding Planning and Consulting” in the Temple University program in which she got her start.
Although Lynda contributes to the outside world, she has always been involved in the daily tasks of running a demanding business.
In 2015, she shared her favorite anecdotes of magic and mishaps, collected through years of working in the wedding industry, when she published the book I DO: A Wedding Planner Tells Tales. Lynda’s Goals: “Our tag line is, ‘Your Day, Your Way,’ and we serve as trusted guides through the process of wedding planning. We specialize in creative, fun, sophisticated, and very personal weddings, and our goal is to continue to educate while we share our experience and expertise.”Testimonial: “With Lynda, no detail is overlooked—from concept to wedding day. Working with Lynda throughout the past 12 years has allowed me to see how exceptional she is. She has the ability to deliver on her clients’ highest expectations while supporting her vendors and making sure they have the tools needed to achieve their best.”- Sarah DiCicco, international wedding photographer, Wayne, Pa. INDUSTRY LEADER - VENDORKate Patay, CPCE Creative Coveringswww.creativecoverings.comAbout Creative Coverings: Creative Coverings is a nationwide specialty linen rental and sales company that offers high-end tablecloths, runners, chair covers, chair accessories, napkins, and couture pillows. The company prides itself on providing the highest quality linens with fabulous customer service at price-points customers appreciate. Its extensive line of colors and fabrics suit any occasion. New styles, colors, and sizes are continually being added to the linen rental collection. Custom-made items for both rental and purchase are also available. Creative Coverings is the only national linen company with the coveted Emerald Green certification.Goals: The design team at Creative Coverings aims to continue staying ahead of fashion and décor trends and translating those trends into chic tabletop fashions. The company passionately appreciates the opportunity to educate clients on forecasting these trends and incorporating them into lavish or budget-conscious events. Kate Patay, CPCE, and current vice president of the Board for the National Association of Catering Executives, will continue to speak at various national conferences, industry association meetings, and trade shows on how to stay ahead of the competition with tips on how to forecast the future of catering, wedding, and event trends. Testimonial: “Our Utah brides are becoming more and more sophisticated with their eyes set on creating all the trendy weddings they see on Pinterest! With our limited selections in Salt Lake City, we needed to find a good linen partner that had fabulous linens at the best price. Our first choice for the finest linens is Creative Coverings. Each linen arrives impeccably packaged; plus their customer service is over the top!- Mary Crafts-Homer, Culinary Crafts, Salt Lake City, Utah INDUSTRY LEADER - VENDORAmy Green & Melanie MarconiWhere Will They Stay?www.WhereWillTheyStay.comAbout Where Will They Stay?: This company is the first to offer room-block procurement for the social event planning community in North America. After more than a decade of setting up room blocks for conferences and conventions around the country, Amy and Melanie founded Where Will They Stay? to help relieve a pain-point for both the event community, as well as couples and families hosting events. Their official motto is: “The Most Important Weekends Begin at Check-In,” and they believe that welcoming guests to a special event starts from the moment of their arrival to the host city.Company Goals: “We are continuing to push the envelope in terms of our unique combination of highly customized service and innovative use of technology. We are always striving to provide the best guest experience, while saving time for our clients.”Testimonial: “Since their launch in 2014, Where Will They Stay? has grown exponentially and has enjoyed a number of national press mentions, including SpecialEvents.com, Book More Brides, Sage Wedding Pros, and The Wedding & Event Institute Blog. Where Will They Stay? engages clients with an interactive ‘request-ionnaire’ to pull pertinent information, keeping guest experience in the forefront of event planning. This, among other aspects, led to Where Will They Stay? being selected as an Event Solutions Spotlight Award finalist.”- Meghan Ely, OFD Consulting, Richmond, Va. INDUSTRY LEADER - SOCIAL MEDIA/CONSCIOUSNESS Kathryn HammFounder, GayWeddings Owner, Made By Kathryn, Washington, D.C.www.GayWeddings.comwww.MadeByKathryn.comAbout Kathryn: Kathryn Hamm is the publisher of GayWeddings, the pioneering resource dedicated to serving same-sex couples since 1999, and an education expert for WeddingWire. She is also co-author, with Thea Dodds, of the groundbreaking book, The New Art of Capturing Love: The Essential Guide to Lesbian & Gay Wedding Photography. A natural educator, Kathryn writes, speaks, and consults with wedding professionals about same-sex wedding trends, best practices when serving today’s couples, and how to think “outside the box” when considering the modern market. She has also provided expert analysis for a wide range of national on air, digital, and print media, including MSNBC, National Public Radio, The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Associated Press, and CNN.Kathryn’s Goals: “Through education and product development, I will continue to be an agent of change and a champion of multicultural inclusivity in the wedding market. Simply put: #BridalRebrand or bust.”Testimonial: “A natural educator, entrepreneur, and public speaker, Kathryn Hamm, publisher of GayWeddings, is a true leader in the advancement of same-sex equality in the wedding and events industry. Every bit of the work Kathryn has done, from professional speaking to site marketing to building relationships, has had an impact on the larger mainstream wedding and events market. The group that’s been a big part of that change is wedding professionals. Kathryn has worked tirelessly to educate wedding professionals about same-sex couples, therefore helping to shift their perceptions and readiness and willingness to work with all couples.”- Lauren Hartman, WeddingWire, Arlington, Va.  INDUSTRY LEADER - ASSOCIATIONSGloria BoydenDirector of Education, Association ofBridal Consultantswww.BridalAssn.comOwner, Events by Design, Indianapoliswww.eventsbydesignindy.com About Gloria: A few years after joining the Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC), Gloria took the Professional Development Program. Later, after moving to Carmel, Ind., from northwest Indiana, she became part of the wedding community and then the ABC Indiana state coordinator. During her tenure, with the help of Kay Krober, she established “Art of the Table,” an Indianapolis design event featuring the table designs of Indiana wedding planners. What began with eight tables and 90 people in attendance, morphed into a two-day event with 25 tables and 300 attendees. Proceeds funded educational initiatives and scholarships. In 2009, the Indiana chapter was asked to host the ABC’s annual conference, which it did to rave reviews. As state coordinator, Gloria also wrote and copyrighted a book to train new planners in the basics and she, along with ABC member Elise Enloe, wrote the materials for the World of Wedding Planning seminar that is still being used. In 2014, she was named ABC director of education. She established monthly webinars and rewrote the Professional Wedding Planner™(PWP™) course.Gloria’s Goals: “Step down as director of education so someone newer can fill that role; mentor newer planners; review and rewrite some of the test questions for the PWP™ program and find some updated photos for it to keep the course fresh and relevant."Testimonial: “Throughout her tenure, she has cared deeply about the education given to the membership of the ABC. . . In 2009, she was the chairperson of the Business of Brides conference in Indianapolis. At that conference, she insisted that good education would bring people to the Midwest. It did! Peggy Post, Sylvia Weinstock, and Gene Huddleson were among the dozens of speakers. Art of the Table, a design-based event in memory of a dear friend and ABC member was her brainchild, but she always insisted the money go to education and scholarships. Because of her foresight, Indiana members have been able to attend Business of Brides for over 10 years.”- Monica Richard, MWP™, Mon Amie Events, Indianapolis WPMQ: “What is the most successful add-on service to wedding planning, e.g.: celebrant, stationery, décor, etc.?”- Melina Nicholson, Cinque Terre Weddings, Monterosso al Mare, Italy“Invitations, stationery, all printed material, and wedding accessories. Easy and natural add on—and profitable!” - Frank“For us, it is décor. We have a wonderfully curated selection of unique decorative items that we use a few times and then rotate out. We try to use items no one else has, so that when we merchandise with these things, they make for interesting, one-of-a-kind, beautiful vignettes. It is of great benefit to us, because we can style our events with the things we want to use and create exactly the look we want. This has been a really nice additional source of revenue.”- Merryl“I’m going to play the Socrates' card here and ask, ‘How do you define success?’ In many cases, décor is a great add-on, but only if you have the space, staff, internal structure, and time to effectively manage inventory. In just as many cases, procuring too much or the wrong inventory items puts a wobbly service-oriented business under. I’ve been able to merge two businesses together, bringing both the décor (floral and rentals) and planning under one roof. Throughout that process, I’ve maintained stationery (on a limited basis). I’ve seriously considered becoming a licensed celebrant as an emergency back-up. My concern in adding the celebrant title along with planner as a business choice is that it leaves you very little space to do either at 100 percent. Know what brings you the most joy, what you are best at, and what your market will bear. Focus your efforts there, and if you’re considering new ventures, create a way to test them in small ways without putting your main business in jeopardy.” - Tonia“There are so many add-on services these days. Certainly, the accessory items such as guestbooks, pens, ring bearer and flower girl items, champagne flutes, cake knives and servers, favors, etc.—the list goes on and on.” - Donnie“Association of Bridal Consultants members can easily become a Certified Sandals Specialist and add on travel to Sandals properties as an income stream. Selling invitations and accessories is another income stream. Another popular income stream is linen rentals.”- ShelbyQ: “If you were talking to your younger self about getting into the industry, what would you advise yourself to do about marketing, social media, how to handle customers, mentor, etc.?”- Michelle McCall, CWP™, My Unique Wedding Day, Denver“The first is to take better care of you. Physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually—you are the glue holding your world together, including your clients’ weddings, and without proper care, you can’t show up for others the way you need to. Next, I would highly recommend a mentor and consistent professional development. Lastly, I’d incorporate others into my business sooner, especially when it comes to marketing and social media. Both of those roles are full-time jobs in and of themselves; having the right people on your team who can manage (or direct you into bite-sized, actionable steps) is crucial.”- Tonia“Think big and get big. Think small and get small. If you want to be a serious choice, you need to invest in good branding, marketing, and a website. If you look for the free or cheap option, don’t be surprised when you get leads that want to spend little on your service.”- Alan“Spend as much time as possible doing due diligence, making sure that you understand the industry, jargon, players, pitfalls. Spend one year as an intern to really understand how things work. Join several industry groups, take classes, read everything you can find, and become the best at something. Set yourself apart with something that defines you at your best. Pay attention to your radar about customers, employees, and vendors. One bad apple can derail years of hard work. Find a mentor and look to that person when you are out of your depth. When you hit it big, remember where you came from and remember to pay it forward.”- Merryl“Try the things that you think will work. If it works, great, if not try another way of doing it, sometimes over and over. It’s called growing pains. We all go through it. I’ve learned that nothing worthwhile in life is easy. Be patient. This is a process.” - Frank“I would tell her to spend her marketing dollars wisely and focus on her ideal clients. I would tell my younger self to pick two or three social media platforms, and do those well. I would tell my younger self to always listen to the client, always reside in your truth, and always offer great customer service. I would tell my younger self to find a mentor who has the same values and is doing or has done what I want to do. You do not have to walk this journey alone. There are mentors, coaches, and teachers willing to help you along your journey.”- ShelbyQ: “Many wedding planners start off working for themselves and then expand without ever having worked in a wedding-planning agency, and so, have little experience on how to effectively expand their wedding-planning operations. How are the positions in your agency separated?”- Melina Nicholson, Cinque Terre Weddings, Monterosso al Mare, Italy“It took me several years to figure this out for my company. I handle all sales and marketing and all design for my company’s events. Everyone else on my team is an excellent project manager, and they handle every aspect of their weddings and events except for booking them and designing them.”- Merryl“I am different from other consultants. I only accept one wedding a weekend. This is how I have branded myself. I don’t have, nor do I want to have a staff of multiple consultants or wedding-day directors doing multiple weddings on the same day.” - Frank“It works best if team members work according to our strengths. For example, some people are strong with design while another team member may be excellent with logistics. It just makes for a happier, more cohesive group working together in our areas of strength.” - ShelbyQ: “What should you do when a bride is dishonest about her wedding details to avoid paying a larger deposit, then as you get closer to the wedding date, all of a sudden she’s asking for changes, quotes on certain things she’s inquiring about? How do you deal with that? Since we provide décor items like linens, backdrops, and floral, it directly affects some of the pricing.”- Michelle Moreno, Bella Amour Hawaii, Honolulu“I’d highly recommend adding a ‘change-fee’ clause to your contract. Establish what you think is a reasonable rate and a comfortable timeframe for you to have all decisions final. ‘Any changes made after X date incurs a change fee of $XX.’ Make your change fee high enough to prevent them from throwing you a last-minute curve ball and enough that if they do, you won’t resent them for it. Be careful with thinking that the couple is being dishonest. While it might seem they were being dishonest, odds are high they’ve never done this before and didn’t have their budget lined up with their expectations . . .Unless you have hard evidence to the contrary, give them the benefit of the doubt.”- Tonia“Well, this is a good reason for written contracts, bigger deposits, and keeping detailed notes. If you use a shared online platform, you can have quotes for the things that aren’t in the contract, but that you discuss with them. In the case of this bride, just smile, and tell her how much it will cost for the additional things. It’s okay for people to ask for more, you don’t have to provide it, but keep it friendly and show her that you want to help bring her vision to life, it just isn’t what she originally asked for.”- Alan“You must begin with the end in mind. The way that we handle this is in our contract before we go to work for a client. It states that if the guest count goes up, the fees go up. They have to initial this and agree to it before we get started. We are all aware of how often this happens. By beginning with the end in mind, you know that this will likely be the outcome, so begin with a contract that lays out how things will go once it does.”- Merryl“This should be handled in your contract, which should spell out the depth of what you are doing and providing. A clause needs to be in there to reflect that if things change from the time the contract is signed, you have the right to re-price your services accordingly.” - Frank“If the client is adding to our scope of work, we add an addendum to the contract reflecting the additional work and cost.”- Shelby“I don’t understand why you would have a problem with increasing services that you will be paid for. Why do you think it’s dishonest that everything was not disclosed in the beginning? Changes and additions are part of the planning process. As long as you can still provide quality services with the additions, then take them and be grateful for the added income.”- Carmen“You should have an ethics clause in your contract that includes but is not limited to lying. That clause can come with the ability to cancel and retain the funds, or charge a PITA tax for the headache. Make sure up front that honesty in the process is paramount—and that you rely on the client to give you accurate information for you to effectively do your job.” - Donnie