About the Certified Wedding Planner Society (CWP Society)

ABOUT THE CWP SOCIETY

Laurie Hartwell, Founder & CEO

Laurie Hartwell is a transformational wedding industry educator and inspirational speaker who has dedicated her career to empowering wedding professionals around the globe through CWP Society—the world's leading wedding planner certification program and largest membership of wedding professionals. As a sought-after presenter at premier industry events, she shares her expertise with organizations like The Knot Worldwide, Aisle Academy, Wedding MBA, Book More Weddings Summit, and Timeline Genius, inspiring countless professionals to elevate their craft and grow their businesses.

Drawing from over three decades of hands-on experience since 1993, Laurie has orchestrated weddings and special events for celebrities and thousands of couples across every style and budget imaginable. This extensive real-world experience became the foundation for creating a thriving global community where wedding professionals lift each other up and grow together.

Laurie's dedication to the wedding industry has earned her numerous accolades, including multiple wedding planner awards and The Knot Worldwide's prestigious "Most Helpful Mentor" award—a testament to her unwavering commitment to supporting fellow professionals.

When Laurie Hartwell founded CWP Society in 2007, the wedding industry had a problem: there were no standards. No way for couples to know if they were hiring someone with real expertise or someone winging it. Laurie knew there was another way. She'd seen how standards elevate entire professions. She built CWP Society to do the same thing for wedding planning and coordination.

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OUR TEAM

All of our educators are Master Certified Wedding Planners with real experience. They're not theorists or consultants who've never coordinated a real wedding. They're planners. They've built businesses. They've solved real problems. And they teach from that foundation.

Certified Industry Educators

**KRISY THOMAS** is the Co-Instructor of the Executive Wedding Planner Certification Program & the Instructor for the Styled Shoot Coordinator Certification for the CWP Society, and owner of Southern Sparkle Wedding & Event Planning. She is also a Master Certified Wedding Planner through the Certified Wedding Planner Society. Southern Sparkle Wedding & Event Planning is an award-winning wedding planning team with locations in Nashville, Jackson, and Memphis, Tennessee. Southern Sparkle’s work has been featured in wedding publications and blogs such as: - Better Homes & Gardens - MidSouth Bride - MOD Weddings - Classic Bride - Ruffled Blog - The Wedding Playbook - Southern Bride Blog - and more! Southern Sparkle was also named one of The Nashville Scene’s Best of Nashville Wedding/Event Planners.

Krisy Thomas Southern Sparkle Weddings
Co-Instructor

Since 2017, Matt has served a diverse clientele within the wedding industry by providing high-end personalized weddings, one where you create your own traditions and make it a reflection of your love story. As a member of the LGTBQ+ community, he knows what it feels like to be discriminated against, and his goal is to make sure that every couple he works with (traditional or non-traditional) feels heard, seen, and included. His clients come from many different orientations, religions, gender identities, abilities, and traditions. He has served LGBTQ+, later-in-life, Jewish, Hindu, and multicultural weddings, among others.

Matt Mitchell The Event Ledger
Wedding Pro Financial Expert

Emma is a Master Certified Wedding Planner and Owner of Infinity Events. After beginning her events career in the hospitality industry, she found that her heart lay with weddings and started Infinity Events and her mission is to identify what about each client makes them unique, and create beautiful details for their wedding that makes them stand out from the rest.

Emma Cockerham
Infinity Events
Vendor Relations Educator

Rima Shah is the Owner of Big Guava Events, a Certified Wedding Planner and Certified Educator through and for The Certified Wedding Planner Society. Her team of professionals assist couples in planning every aspect of their wedding journey, from engagements and rehearsals, to the last dance. They strive to reduce the pressure facing to-be-weds by overseeing every design and coordination detail.

Rima Shah Big Guava Events
South Asian Wedding Educator

Brianne is a Master Certified Wedding Planner through the Certified Wedding Planner Society and the owner of Stress-free Weddings, Inc. She loves all things wedding-related. One of the key areas that she felt was important in starting her own wedding planning business was making sure that she had a strong education foundation to ensure she provided the very best service for her clients and their friends/family.

Brianne Ackerland Stress-Free Weddings, Inc.
Planner Emergency Educator

Riley is a Certified Wedding Planner, Certified Wedding Design Consultant, Certified Styled Shoot Coordinator, and Certified Educator through the Certified Wedding Planner Society. She has been in the wedding planning industry for 6+ years, and launched Elegant Affairs by Design in 2018. Riley was also named Wedding Planner On The Rise in 2022. She inspires to cultivate strong relationships with her couples, vendors, and CWP family. As an educator, Riley is passionate about continuing education to provide fresh and valuable planning insight. She vows to always look for ways to continue her education to provide a different perspective that is informative, innovative, and thought provoking. Riley is dedicated to walking with you as your confidant, and to assisting you in reaching the highest morals and standards.

Riley Snider Elegant Affairs By Design
Client Relations Educator

Nikki is the owner, lead planner, and designer at The Serendipity Collective. Together, she and her team work with their client’s to connect and understand their vision, and bring it to life. She began her planning journey in 2003 in South Florida before moving back to her hometown in Illinois. Spending nearly 12 years as a venue coordinator, she now has the experience to assist her clients in wedding planning decisions, as well as assist venue coordinators, but does so in a unique way. Nikki has continued her education through the CWP Society through to become a Master Certified Wedding Planner, Certified Wedding Design Consultant, Certified Styled Shoot Coordinator, as well as coveting a position as one of their Certified Educators. Nikki believes everyone deserves a day as unique and special as their love story.

NIKKI M. RODGERS The Serendipity Collective, LLC
Non-Traditional Venue Educator

LEAD INDUSTRY ADVANCEMENT DIRECTOR

Denitra Barnes

As the creative mind behind Tailored for You, Denitra Barnes believes every love story and life event deserves a one-of-a-kind celebration. Her passion for bringing people together began in childhood and has been the foundation of her work ever since. Denitra specializes in curating unforgettable events by blending creative vision with seamless logistics. Denitra combines her certification as a Certified Wedding Planner with a refined background in Human Resources and Project Management. For Denitra, planning is a continuous journey of learning and teaching. She is committed to staying at the forefront of the industry by attending workshops and adding additional CWP certifications. She understands that staying current is a "secret weapon" for success, ensuring she always provides fresh, valuable, and innovative planning insights.