Wholly Matrimony! AfWPi & Healthy Marriages Coalition Join Forces

Aug. 31, 2010 - PRLog -- “Planning a marriage and new life together is as important as planning the wedding,” according to Julia Costanza, president of the Association for Wedding Professionals, International.  “Just as we and our members are dedicated to making the bride’s wedding day wonderful, we are also dedicated to providing a way for the bride and groom to make their new life wonderful.”
In an effort to make that vision a reality, AfWPi has joined with the Healthy Marriages Coalition to educate brides and grooms on the importance of really getting to know each other before they get married.  The Healthy Marriages Coalition provides marriage education and relationship skills classes.  AfWPi provides an avenue to the brides and grooms for the CHMC through all of its products.  AfWPi produces Bridal Expo and Party & Wedding Faire, publishes Sacramento Weddings Magazine, has regional wedding websites LodiBrides.com, StocktonWeddings.com, ModestoBrides.com and SacBridalShow.com, and the international website AfWPi.com.  
“Our hope is that the thousands of brides who visit our websites and attend our shows will become more aware of the classes and services that are available to them,” Constanza said.  “This is also a statement to the fact that AfWPi is truly concerned about the well-being of the couples beyond their weddings.”
The Association for Wedding Professionals, International was founded in 1995 by Bridal Expo producers Richard and Julia Markel.  Its mission is to provide benefits, quality marketing avenues, and resources to wedding professionals and a central place for brides to find the products and services they need.  It is a member-driven organization that is able to provide a free referral service to brides and grooms.  This year, AfWPi merged with The Trade Secrets, growing the product line to include (in addition to Bridal Expo and AfWPi.com) a magazine, four regional wedding websites and additional bridal shows.  AfWPi also recently joined forces with San Jose Fashion Week as its only bridal industry partner.  
The California Healthy Marriages Coalition (CHMC) is a pioneering non-profit organization that works throughout California to improve the well-being of children by strengthening the relationship of parents through Marriage Education and Relationship Skills classes.  Through funding provided by a $11.9 million grant from Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, CHMC partners with a network of 23 faith- and community-based organizations (FBCOs) throughout California. In the first two years of the grant, over 14,000 Californians participated in 252,000 hours of Marriage Education through CHMC-sponsored activities.  Their goal is to see a decline in the divorce/marriage ratio, a reduction in child abuse, domestic violence, poverty, criminal behavior, and an improvement in physical, emotional, and mental health.

# # #

The Association for Wedding Professionals, International (AfWPi) offers networking, business resources, education, and discounted advertising opportunities for wedding service providers, while promoting our code of ethics.