News Archive
Director sought to take association forward
By Mary Ferguson
THE International Wedding Professionals Association (IWPA) is searching for a new director to take the business forward and explore its full potential.
Current directors Teresa and Colin Steventon say they no longer have the time to do the association justice, and are appealing for someone to take over the business and drive it in the right direction.
The IWPA has been around since 2002, when it was formed in response to the need for a UK-based independent professional wedding training and membership association.
The organisation has been run on a part-time basis for many months with both volunteer and freelance personnel providing some of the services the organisation offers – including training and professional membership.
There are still clients completing their training programmes, regular membership enquiries and many – as yet underdeveloped – further training programmes that the IWPA holds a license to operate.
Teresa said: “What we need is someone with vision and the ability to commit to this business full-time when the need arises, although it may still be run part-time to begin with.
‘Unfortunately, with most freelance trainers and other personnel now finding their calling elsewhere within the wedding sector – coupled with the increasing demand of potential service users – we have to admit that the time has come to change how things are run.”
The IWPA has just signed contracts for IWPA-Japan, together with a contract for UK distance learning, marketed by the National Consortium of Colleges. The business can be run from anywhere within the UK.
Teresa and Colin are willing to hand over the full title of the business, website links, stationery, logo, current records and all active contracts together with the full database, and will operate a redirection service of emails, post and phonecalls for 18 months following the takeover.
In return, they ask a fee of £3,000 to recoup 20 per cent of the initial £15,000 invested over the last four years.
Teresa added: “We know that in the right hands the IWPA has vast potential. What started out as a hobby has grown beyond our present capabilities and we feel that we can no longer do the organisation any justice – it really is time it goes to a good home.”
By Mary Ferguson
THE International Wedding Professionals Association (IWPA) is searching for a new director to take the business forward and explore its full potential.
Current directors Teresa and Colin Steventon say they no longer have the time to do the association justice, and are appealing for someone to take over the business and drive it in the right direction.
The IWPA has been around since 2002, when it was formed in response to the need for a UK-based independent professional wedding training and membership association.
The organisation has been run on a part-time basis for many months with both volunteer and freelance personnel providing some of the services the organisation offers – including training and professional membership.
There are still clients completing their training programmes, regular membership enquiries and many – as yet underdeveloped – further training programmes that the IWPA holds a license to operate.
Teresa said: “What we need is someone with vision and the ability to commit to this business full-time when the need arises, although it may still be run part-time to begin with.
‘Unfortunately, with most freelance trainers and other personnel now finding their calling elsewhere within the wedding sector – coupled with the increasing demand of potential service users – we have to admit that the time has come to change how things are run.”
The IWPA has just signed contracts for IWPA-Japan, together with a contract for UK distance learning, marketed by the National Consortium of Colleges. The business can be run from anywhere within the UK.
Teresa and Colin are willing to hand over the full title of the business, website links, stationery, logo, current records and all active contracts together with the full database, and will operate a redirection service of emails, post and phonecalls for 18 months following the takeover.
In return, they ask a fee of £3,000 to recoup 20 per cent of the initial £15,000 invested over the last four years.
Teresa added: “We know that in the right hands the IWPA has vast potential. What started out as a hobby has grown beyond our present capabilities and we feel that we can no longer do the organisation any justice – it really is time it goes to a good home.”
Do you take this cave man?
AN adventurous couple from Wales have tied the knot 500ft below ground, in a bid to ‘do something different’ for their wedding day.
Kerry Bevan and Wayne Davies said their vows down Llechwedd mine in North Wales, accompanied by 15 guests who travelled with them on an underground tram.
Kerry used an umbrella to keep the drips off her gown, and to retain an element of tradition, the wedding party wore formal dress and morning suits.
Wayne said: “We were looking for an alternative to the traditional church or registry office wedding, and when we found out we could get married down the mine we thought it was perfect. We really wanted to do something different.”
It cost the couple £560 to hire the cavern, which was closed to the public from 1.30pm until 4pm. The wedding party had to wear hard hats for certain parts, but were permitted to take them off during the ceremony.
Wayne added: “We were planning on wearing wellingtons, but in the end didn’t have to. Both our families liked the idea of us getting married down a cave, it was just a shame we couldn’t have invited everyone we would have liked.”
The newlyweds held their reception in a hotel and later honeymooned in Corfu.
AN adventurous couple from Wales have tied the knot 500ft below ground, in a bid to ‘do something different’ for their wedding day.
Kerry Bevan and Wayne Davies said their vows down Llechwedd mine in North Wales, accompanied by 15 guests who travelled with them on an underground tram.
Kerry used an umbrella to keep the drips off her gown, and to retain an element of tradition, the wedding party wore formal dress and morning suits.
Wayne said: “We were looking for an alternative to the traditional church or registry office wedding, and when we found out we could get married down the mine we thought it was perfect. We really wanted to do something different.”
It cost the couple £560 to hire the cavern, which was closed to the public from 1.30pm until 4pm. The wedding party had to wear hard hats for certain parts, but were permitted to take them off during the ceremony.
Wayne added: “We were planning on wearing wellingtons, but in the end didn’t have to. Both our families liked the idea of us getting married down a cave, it was just a shame we couldn’t have invited everyone we would have liked.”
The newlyweds held their reception in a hotel and later honeymooned in Corfu.
Stressed out – and that's just the guests!
WEDDING guests are increasing their financial stress and spending money they don’t have – to attend ceremonies they often don’t want to go to.
A survey has revealed Brits fork out an average of £386 each time they attend a wedding, whether they want to be there or not.
£130 is often spent before the wedding day itself, on hen and stag parties, and the rest goes on gifts, clothes, accommodation, travel and reception drinks.
45 per cent of guests have felt pressured by family or friends to attend a wedding and despite the trend for overseas nuptials, over 44 per cent of guests will be there under duress, claiming they resent having to attend.
Six per cent of Brits have gone into debt so they could attend a wedding, and in London, this figure rises to nine per cent.
WEDDING guests are increasing their financial stress and spending money they don’t have – to attend ceremonies they often don’t want to go to.
A survey has revealed Brits fork out an average of £386 each time they attend a wedding, whether they want to be there or not.
£130 is often spent before the wedding day itself, on hen and stag parties, and the rest goes on gifts, clothes, accommodation, travel and reception drinks.
45 per cent of guests have felt pressured by family or friends to attend a wedding and despite the trend for overseas nuptials, over 44 per cent of guests will be there under duress, claiming they resent having to attend.
Six per cent of Brits have gone into debt so they could attend a wedding, and in London, this figure rises to nine per cent.
