Stories, guides & honest advice from The Wedding Academy.
A step-by-step wedding planner client onboarding process — contract and deposit, welcome pack, questionnaire, kickoff meeting, boundaries and templates that keep couples confident from day one.
When is the best time to start a wedding planning course? Jac Bowie, Owner & CEO of The Wedding Academy, explains why starting before peak season helps — and why consistent weekly time matters most.
How to work out your destination wedding site visit cost and charge clients for it — what to include, three billing models, contract wording, a site visit checklist and how to report back.
Can you learn floristry online? Yes — here’s what online floristry courses and books teach well, what you must practise with real flowers, and how to get real wedding experience.
A stylist’s guide to wedding ceiling installations — suspended florals, draping, festoons and dried clouds, plus the venue questions, rigging, scale, budgeting and bump-out planning that make them work.
Online certificate vs diploma for wedding planners? Jac Bowie gives her honest answer on which you actually need — and when a diploma makes more sense.
A planner’s micro wedding timeline from first conversation to wedding week, plus an example day-of run sheet — because small guest lists still need a full-scale timeline.
The floral foam alternatives wedding florists actually use — chicken wire, flower frogs, tape grids, water tubes, moss and more — and which foam-free technique suits bouquets, centrepieces, arches and installations.
The wedding moodboard mistakes that mislead florists, caterers, hire companies and photographers — and the stylist fixes (swatches, annotations, a written brief, sign-off) that get you accurate quotes.
Wedding planner time management for every season — time-blocking, batching, boundaries and recovery days for peak season, plus what planners actually do in the quiet months.
Online certificate courses in wedding planning, styling, floral design and business. Self-paced, 100% online — more than 11,000 students since 2004.
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Leading Wedding & Entertaining Expert, David Tutera is hailed as an artistic visionary whose ability, uniquely creative talents and outstanding reputation have made him a tremendous success in the lifestyle arena. Tutera has created a name for himself by taking his passion for designing spectacular events and transforming it into a lifestyle.
He continuously exceeds the expected with an unmatched level of inspiration, imagination and innovation to create the latest trends in entertaining. Tutera’s grandfather, a successful florist, first noticed his grandson’s artistic ability at an early age and encouraged David to pursue his destiny. At age 19, with the sound advice of his grandfather and only one client, David opened his own event planning business.
Today, David Tutera presides over an award winning company built from experience, dedication and Tutera’s natural talent for transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. His name has become synonymous with style, elegance, creativity and vision. David Tutera has a natural talent for transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. His name has become synonymous with style, elegance, creativity and vision.
Honored by Life & Style Magazine as “Best Celebrity Wedding Planner,” David’s impressive client list includes Jewel, Star Jones’ wedding, Real Housewife Taylor Armstrong’s wedding, Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul’s wedding, NY Giants Antonio Pierce’s wedding, Shannen Doherty’s wedding and events for Jennifer Lopez, Matthew McConaughey, Brandy and Ray J, Jenni “JWoww” Farley, Lil’ Kim, the Official Post Grammy Parties in New York City, Elton John, Barbara Walters, the Rolling Stones, Nancy Reagan, Prince Charles, The White House, private events for the Vice President, Kenneth Cole, Tommy Hilfiger, Susan Lucci, The John F. Kennedy Center, as well as countless film premieres and celebrity parties for royalty, politicians and socialites.
Tutera has also designed events for several charities including the Prevent Cancer Foundation, the Alzheimer’s Association, DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids) and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. David has made guest appearances on Today, Extra!, Good Morning America, The View, CNN, The Rachael Ray Show, The Talk, Steve Harvey, Wendy Williams and many more. In addition People, USA Today, In Touch, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, In Style, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Bridal Guide and Town & Country have all featured his work.
Tutera has also made special television appearances in the popular daytime soap, The Young & the Restless and TV Land’s The Exes. David lives in Los Angeles with his husband Joey, daughter Cielo and their rescue dog Lucy.
