Making dreams into reality every day.

Our Leadership

President
Santoria Harmon, TWP
president@aacwp.org

lisa-yarbro

Vice President
Lisa Yarbro, CWP
vicepresident@aacwp.org

Secretary
Marsha Ballard French, CMWP
secretary@aacwp.org

Treasurer/Executive Director/Membership
Micki Novak, CMWP
executivedirector@aacwp.org

Education
Sheila Rigelsky, CWP
education@aacwp.org

Sue Kelson

Meetings
Sue Kelson, CWP
meetings@aacwp.org

Training Course Director
Stephanie Evans, TWP
training@aacwp.org

AACWP Code of Ethics

As members of AACWP, our planners commit to the following pledges:

  • Commit to personal conduct, professional behaviors and business practices that are ethical and legal.
  • Be truthful in all advertising.
  • Be honest with prospective clients about previous wedding experiences. Also, be accurate and document the expected services and fees to be rendered in a written agreement.
  • Commit to continuing education and sharing of ideas among AACWP members.
  • Avoid making false statements about other AACWP members or other wedding professionals.
  • Decline income from vendors that would influence vendor recommendations to clients. Instead, all endorsements will be based on the best interest of the client.
  • Work in a respectful manner with other wedding professionals, while providing leadership to the wedding team and advocacy for the client.

AACWP began in 2007, created by wedding professionals who saw the need for an organization dedicated to the education of those seeking to become wedding planners, and to elevate those already in the field through certification and continuing education. These founding members were Marsha Ballard-French, Trudy Baade, Jenny Cline, Laura DeBow, Shari Johns, Micki Novak, and Karen Radford. In creating the American Association of Certified Wedding Planners, they established member statuses that reflect not only a planner’s education but experience level, recognizing them for the hard work they have put in, whether to become a Trained Wedding Planner, Certified Wedding Planner or Certified Master Wedding Planner.

AACWP Founding Members
Founding Members: Karen Radford, Shari Johns, Laura DeBow, Marsha Ballard French, Trudy Baade (not pictured: Micki Novak, Jenny Cline)

They created high standards for each of these titles, and a code of ethics for all members to uphold in their businesses. Through AACWP, they created a network of support for wedding planners, catering managers, event managers and venue managers, each known for their role in planning and executing weddings. This premier group created and produced their first training course in 2007. Since then, they have produced courses each year, updating the curriculum to make sure their students received the best education in the wedding industry to set them up for success as well as polish the skills of those already in their careers.

The board of AACWP is filled with volunteers each year, each dedicated to helping and supporting the membership through their different roles. Our Executive Director sees to the day-to-day needs of the organization, while our Training Course Director sees to the needs of our ever-changing training courses, instructors and students. Our membership volunteers in various committee roles, helping with everything from creating our annual Vendi Awards (the premier industry awards gala in Dallas-Fort Worth) to developing our curriculum and continuing education events.

The mission of the AACWP is to educate wedding planners and to promote wedding planning practices of the highest quality to ensure that client expectations are surpassed.