WIPA - Northwest Florida Panhandle

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Northwest Florida Panhandle Board Of Directors

We are excited to welcome our WIPA Northwest Florida Panhandle Chapter Board of Directors. These Directors are esteemed professionals whose passion for our industry is evident in the work they produce. Their presence will allow the growth of WIPA so we can continue to bring new standards, education and sense of community to all wedding professionals.

PRESIDENT
2022-2023

Avis Glenister
Peach and Pearl Events

VICE PRESIDENT
2023

Aislinn Rehwinkel
Aislinn Kate Weddings

TREASURER
2022-2023

Pevee Cobia
PS Cobia

SECRETARY
2022-2023

Emma Graf
Em Paper Co.

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

N/A

DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP
2023

Sara Hoomes
Love Sara Lynn Photography

DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP RETENTION

Hillary Gamble
Je Vois Photography

DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
2023

Marcus Anderson
DJ Fire Entertainment

DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
2023-2024

Brian Buonassissi
DJ Brian B

DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS
2023-2024

Shelby Peaden
Shelby Peaden Events

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATION
2023

Erika Smith
Erika Dame Photography

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY SERVICE
2023

Ashley Darby
Ash Simmons Photography

Upcoming Northwest Florida Panhandle Events

Join us on June 6th as we celebrate Pride Month at the beautiful
Oyster Bay Boutique Hotel in Pensacola, FL.

Beyond the rainbow: How to be authentically LGBTQ+ inclusive

Kirsten Palladino of Equally Wed will be talking to us about how to avoid rainbow washing during Pride month, gender-neutral terminology, setting standards with staff and preferred vendors, and being a 24/7 ally.

Event Details:

Main Event:
11am-1pm at Oyster Bay in Downtown Pensacola. Open to members and non members, join us for lunch and networking as we hear from Kirsten Palladino.

Pricing:
Through May 22
Members $75 // Non members $100

May 23 – May 26
Members $85 // Non Members $125

Registration closes on May 26th.

Members Only Add On Event:
From 1:30-2:30pm. Members, join us as we walk the streets of Downtown Pensacola to a surprise location for an additional hour of drinks, desserts, and festive celebration. Details to come soon!

Price: $25 Through May 22, $35 May 23-26

** A portion of each ticket price will go toward Sunday’s Child, a non profit organization in Pensacola whose mission is to promote equality and inspire inclusion for LGBTQ+ across the community by awarding grants for significant charitable and economic initiatives.

Here’s a little about Kirsten:

Kirsten Palladino (she/they) is a multi-award-winning entrepreneurial educator, writer, editor, sought-after international speaker, published author and a queer nonbinary femme with more than 20 years in the media industry and 13 in the wedding space. Kirsten and her spouse, Maria (Mo), disrupted the wedding industry more than a decade ago when they cofounded Equally Wed, the world’s leading LGBTQ+ wedding website, in 2010. Kirsten is the creator of Equally Wed Pro, the digital LGBTQ+ inclusive certification course and educational platform for wedding and event professionals to learn how to be more LGBTQ+ inclusive and affirming. She is the author of Equally Wed: The Ultimate Guide to Planning Your LGBTQ+ Wedding, the first and only gender-neutral wedding planning book for LGBTQ+ couples, which was published by Seal Press, part of Hachette Book Group, which is one of the top five publishing houses in the United States, and is available wherever books are sold.

As one of the foremost experts in LGBTQ+ weddings and wedding equality, Kirsten has written for, been interviewed by and featured in myriad luminary publications including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Forbes, New York magazine, Time magazine, Go magazine, Glamour magazine, The Knot magazine, Martha Stewart Weddings, Brides, Them, AARP, Entrepreneur magazine, INC. magazine and more. She is a recurring in-studio guest on major news networks, such as CNN, NPR and CBS, and multiple podcasts, webinars and stages of wedding and event conferences around the globe, including Engage! Luxury Wedding Summits, WIPA, NACE, The Rising Tide Society’s Tuesdays Together, COR and WeddingPro events by The Knot and WeddingWire, WeddingMBA, LGBTQ+ Wedding Congress, White Dress Society Retreat and the Bridal Masterclass Experience. She serves The Knot Worldwide’s WeddingPro prestigious program as one of their select educators, the DEI director of WIPA’s Atlanta chapter, and as an advisor to The Knot Worldwide’s Fellowship for Change program.