Celebrating 50 Years!

Many of our Certified Wedding Specialists have chosen our program because of our long history.  As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we thought we’d share a little bit about how we’ve changed over the years.

In 1968, Gary Wright launched Weddings Beautiful, a company for independent wedding coordinators in Richmond Virginia.   It was updated in 1974 when Doris Nixon became the Director of Educational Services for National Bridal Service.  Chapters were added to include diverse cultural traditions and instructions for directing weddings. The title of Certified Weddings Specialist was awarded to graduates of the new and improved course.

As the certification program grew, Doris made sure that Weddings Beautiful grew right along with it.  In 1996 she added five new chapters. With students and graduates in 35 countries, the name was changed to Weddings Beautiful Worldwide.  

In 2000 The course was translated into Japanese and our first Licensee opened in Japan.  

Throughout the past 20 years, the CWS course has been updated to utilize new technology and reflect the needs of the newest generations of wedding planners.

Doris retired in 2004 but recommended Nancy Tucker, who was one of her top CWS graduates and wedding planners, to take over her role as Director of Educational Services.  Both ladies are admired and loved by their students and have mentored many graduates to become successful planners. 

Weddings Beautiful now has licensees in ten countries and our CWS course has been translated into Japanese, Chinese, Spanish and French.

Through the years, over 9,000 people have graduated with a Certified Wedding Specialist designation from Weddings Beautiful Worldwide.  We have been thrilled to launch new careers and amazed by the incredible work of our graduates.