To provide continuous support to our members, which will enable them to continuously improve their business, and their service to all customers and especially their brides.
About our Training and Certifications . . .
The Registered Bridal Consultant course was first offered in 1951. It was the first professional training and certification program awarded to deserving bridal and wedding consultants working in retail stores. Its’ focus was on jewelry and gift specialty stores with a Gift Registry service.
In 1971, a second Registered Bridal Consultant course was created for individuals working in retail bridal specialty stores that offer superior sales and service.
In 1968, National Bridal Service formed the Weddings Beautiful Worldwide division to provide training and certification to individuals who wanted to specialize in wedding planning and coordination. Weddings Beautiful offers three programs:
- The Certified Wedding Specialist course is for the individual who desires to have his or her own wedding planning business.
- The Associate Wedding Planner course is for the individual who wishes to learn about planning or coordinating a wedding, but not ready to start his or her own business. Email [email protected] for more information.
- The Certified Wedding Planner program is for the established wedding planner that has a high level of experience and would like to simply add certification to their credentials. This certification distinguishes the most professional planners from the rest!
About our Membership Association . . .
National Bridal Service offers membership to bridal, jewelry or gift store owners while Weddings Beautiful offers membership to Wedding Planners. Become part of our association today and join our growing family of members. Over half our members have been with us over 30 years.
About our Expert Staff . . .
In 1973, Gary Wright became CEO of National Bridal Service, which was founded in 1951. NBS is a prestigious membership organization that provides professional services to independently owned bridal stores, jewelry stores and gift stores. He started Weddings Beautiful Worldwide in 1968 and Custom Catalog Service in 1990. Weddings Beautiful is America’s number one certification program for wedding planners and Custom Catalog Service creates high-quality catalogs for upscale jewelry and fine gift stores.
Gary graduated with honors from the University of Richmond, School of Business in 1964 and he served as a Top Secret Courier during the Vietnam War. His experience includes opening, buying, managing or selling bridal businesses at 31 different retail locations in six different states. His honors include Bridal Guide’s Hall of Fame, Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Tabletop Giftware Association, Who’s Who in the Jewelry Industry and served on the Board of Advisors for – BB&T; Bank, Longwood University School of Business and Health South. He appeared as the industry spokesperson on the national television program, “How To Succeed In Business,” and is frequently contacted for comments and opinions on industry issues.
Nancy Tucker, CWS/CWP. After six years as President of Weddings Beautiful, Nancy Tucker has moved into the position of Director of Educational Services for Weddings Beautiful Worldwide. She has decided to change gears with Weddings Beautiful and enjoy a slower pace with family and friends. Nancy will remain the point of contact for all students throughout their studies and will continue to produce the monthly newsletter for Weddings Beautiful members. Nancy’s goal for Weddings Beautiful is to continue its mark of excellence as the authority in the wedding industry. Her review and personal attention of each assignment makes it the ultimate learning experience for the student’s success.
Nancy started her own wedding planning business in 1997 where she created an online community for wedding planners. Later on, she was selected by Doris Nixon (America’s “Number One” Wedding Expert) to administer and grade the assignments for Weddings Beautiful. In 2005, Doris retired and Nancy was named president of Weddings Beautiful. Nancy also serves as an expert on the “Top Wedding Questions” website, where wedding questions are answered on a daily basis. Nancy is often quoted in magazine articles and throughout the wedding industry her peers have recognized her enthusiasm, passion, and knowledge for giving expert advice.
Pat Mahoney, Director of Training for National Bridal Service has over 20 years experience in the wedding industry. Her responsibilities include writing “Wedding Notes”, four newspaper columns offering tips for Brides To Be. She is also the author of Pat’s Pen, a monthly newsletter for bridal professionals; and is a contributing editor to “One Perfect Day”, the popular wedding planning guide. She has conducted over 200 bridal seminars throughout the United States. Previously, Pat was an executive with the Start Tribune in Minneapolis, MN, one of the top newspapers in America.
Michael Nolte, Vice-President. Wearing five hats in the wedding industry for over 33 years, Michael is a retailer, designer, author, speaker and planner.
He is the founder (1980) owner of Nolte’s Bridal in Kansas City, the designer of the Michael Nolte Collection, co-author of “Stylish Weddings,” presents seminars and conferences to both brides and peer professional and has coordinated over 1,000 weddings.
Doris Nixon, RBC/CWS/CWP retired from Weddings Beautiful in 2005. She is the former president of Weddings Beautiful Worldwide and the author of our Certified Wedding Specialist course, and contributing editor to the Registered Bridal Consultant course for National Bridal Service and the “One Perfect Day”, guidebooks for brides and grooms. Doris is passionate about the bridal/wedding business and is unequaled in the industry for her knowledge and experience – making her the “Number One” Wedding Expert. She has traveled the world, having been in 55 – 60 countries, and almost every state.
In addition, Doris is our contributing editor to the Certified Registry Consultant course for associates working in the gift registry store. She has been the featured speaker on bridal registry at every major tabletop market in America and served as monthly contributing editor on the bridal business for Gifts and Decorative Accessories magazine for over 21 years.
