Institute of Wedding & Event Design

What Institute of Wedding & Event Design does

The Institute of Wedding & Event Design (IWED) is a privately-held educational training company founded in 2010 by luxury event designer James Lester and headquartered at 98 SE 7th St., Deerfield Beach, Florida. The company delivers in-person and online certification programs for aspiring and working wedding and event design professionals, with flagship offerings including the AED (Accredited Event Designer) and PEF (Professional Event Florist) credentials, the LUXE Master Class, Advanced Luxury Draping, Professional Balloon Decorator, and Dance Floor Wrap workshops. The platform targets a long-tail of individual SMBs and aspiring designers across at least three continents, and has reportedly trained more than 25,000 participants, certified 5,000+ AED designers across North America, and supported the launch of 1,000+ event businesses by graduates.

IWED operates its curriculum on a LearnWorlds-based learning management system with a dedicated IWED Pro mobile app and OAuth-based authentication via Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and X. Course delivery spans three channels: the Deerfield Beach training facility, a US touring campus, and a digital campus serving global students, with private/corporate on-site training offered as a customized enterprise service. Revenue mechanics blend one-time course tuition, a $149/year IWED Pro annual subscription granting unlimited mobile access to the catalog, freemium lead-magnet content (three free lessons each in event design and floral design), and bespoke corporate engagements priced by quote. The company is owned and operated by founder James Lester with no disclosed external funding, and trades under DBAs IWED, IWED Global, and IWED Global LLC.

Name

Institute of Wedding & Event Design

Legal name

The Institute of Wedding & Event Design LLC

Website

https://iwedglobal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Deerfield Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Certification Course Tuition: In-person and online certification courses including AED (Accredited Event Designer), PEF (Professional Event Florist), LUXE Master Class, Balloon Decorator, and Dance Floor Wrap courses. Revenue is generated through one-time course fees.
2. IWED Pro Annual Subscription: Annual subscription model providing unlimited access to all IWED courses via mobile app for $149/year. Subscription renewals provide recurring revenue.
3. Private & Corporate Training: On-site customized training programs for corporate teams and private groups, delivered at client locations or IWED headquarters. Pricing tailored based on team size and curriculum requirements.
4. Event Designer Bootcamp: Comprehensive online bootcamp program combining business education with design fundamentals, marketed as a condensed alternative to years of trial-and-error learning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Institute of Wedding & Event Design (IWED) is a professional training school that delivers in-person and online certification courses for aspiring and working wedding and event designers. Flagship offerings include the AED® Accredited Event Designer and PEF® Professional Event Florist multi-day certification programs, complemented by specialized workshops in luxury draping, balloon decoration, dance floor wrap, and a LUXE Master Class, plus an online Event Designer Bootcamp, free introductory lessons, and a $149/year IWED PRO mobile subscription for unlimited course access.

Product overview

The Institute of Wedding & Event Design (IWED) is a training school offering a comprehensive portfolio of both in-person and online certification courses for aspiring and professional event designers. The core offerings include the AED® (Accredited Event Designer) and PEF® (Professional Event Florist) flagship certification programs, along with specialized courses such as The LUXE Master Class, Advanced Luxury Draping, Professional Balloon Decorator, and Dance Floor Wrap Course. IWED PRO™ provides a $149/year subscription for unlimited access to all courses via mobile app. Additional offerings include the Event Designer Bootcamp (an online business launch program), free introductory lessons in event and floral design, the IWED Uncut Podcast, and private/corporate training services. The platform operates through a cloud-based learning management system (LearnWorlds) with mobile app accessibility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IWED PRO: A 12-month subscription plan offering unlimited access to all IWED courses via mobile app for $149/year, including certifications like AED and PEF.
• IWED Uncut Podcast

Products and services

• AED® | Accredited Event Designer IWED's flagship 3-day in-person certification that trains wedding and event designers in draping, hardware, terminology, advanced techniques, ceiling draping, design fundamentals, and pricing for profitability; targeted at aspiring and working event designers seeking the industry's recognized AED credential.
• PEF® | Professional Event Florist 3-day in-person workshop certification teaching professional event floral care, boutonniere and corsage design, bridal bouquet design, and how to set up an event floral business; designed for aspiring and working florists.
• The LUXE Master Class Hands-on immersive workshop in which students design a 6-figure luxury wedding or event and build their portfolio, covering luxury table designs, inspiration boards, luxury ceremonies, advanced florals, advanced draping, and luxury pricing strategy; targeted at professional designers seeking premium credentials.
• Professional Balloon Decorator 2-day in-person hands-on workshop covering professional balloon installation techniques, design theory, tools and materials, pricing/recipe creation, and terminology; for event designers and decorators adding balloon services to their offerings.
• Advanced Luxury Draping Course 2-day in-person advanced course covering professional installation techniques, draping dynamics, and luxury fabric mastery, including terminology; intended for designers seeking to offer luxury draping services at premium price points.
• Dance Floor Wrap Course 1-day intensive workshop covering coordinating wraps, installation techniques, visually stunning dance floor designs, and revenue maximization; aimed at event designers adding dance floor wrap services.
• IWED PRO™ Annual Subscription Annual subscription at $149/year providing unlimited access to IWED's full online course catalog via mobile app, including AED and PEF certification content, business strategy modules, and digital textbooks; for both aspiring designers and working professionals.
• Event Designer Bootcamp 100% online bootcamp that walks users through launching and running a successful event decorating business in 4-6 weeks, combining three design modules with business building, social media, and profit-maximization bonus courses; targets aspiring entrepreneurs.
• 3 Free Lessons in Event Design Free online introductory module with three lessons covering theme selection, color palettes, venue decor, floral arrangements, table settings, lighting, and budget-friendly DIY decor, plus a certificate of completion; used as a lead magnet for paid IWED programs.
• 3 Free Lessons in Floral Design Free online introductory module covering flower selection, color harmony, vase choices, cascading bouquets, arches, centerpieces, and sustainable design strategies; used as a lead magnet for the PEF certification and paid floral design programs.
• Private & Corporate Event Design Training Customized in-person training program delivered at the client site or IWED's Florida headquarters for corporate and private groups, with curriculum tailored to team goals and certificates awarded to staff; for organizations with in-house event teams.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,000+ event businesses launched by IWED graduates
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• LearnWorldscoreTechnology or IntegrationLearnWorlds is IWED's proprietary e-learning platform provider. The platform handles course delivery, student accounts, payment processing, video hosting, and mobile app functionality. IWED integrates with LearnWorlds for their entire online course infrastructure including IWED Pro subscription, free lessons, and certification programs.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Bridal Society: The Bridal Society is a membership and training organization for wedding planners and designers, offering certification programs and curated vendor networks. It is comparable to IWED's certification-led, community-supported model for wedding professionals.
• Lovegevity's Wedding Planning Institute: Lovegevity's Wedding Planning Institute offers certified wedding and event planning training programs online. It is a direct competitor to IWED's wedding and event design certification portfolio, targeting similar aspiring planners with industry-recognized credentials.
• QC Event School (QC Design School): QC Event School offers online certification and training programs for event planners, wedding planners, and corporate event designers. It directly competes with IWED in providing self-paced, accredited-style event and wedding training to aspiring professionals.

Others

• LearnWorlds: LearnWorlds is IWED's underlying e-learning platform provider. While not a direct competitor, it is the infrastructure enabling IWED's digital campus and is comparable as an adjacent enabling technology partner in the online education stack.
• Society of Wedding & Event Professionals: A professional association for wedding and event industry professionals offering networking, resources, and continuing education. It is an industry ecosystem peer to IWED's IWED Uncut Podcast and Spring Summit, overlapping on community and education for working designers.

Broad incumbents

• MasterClass: MasterClass is a premium online education platform offering expert-led video courses across creative and professional domains. It is comparable to IWED PRO as a high-end subscription learning experience, though it spans many verticals rather than specializing in wedding design.
• Skillshare: Skillshare is a subscription-based online learning platform with creative and design courses. It is comparable to IWED PRO's $149/year unlimited subscription model and provides a potential substitute for IWED's online creative training.
• CreativeLive: CreativeLive is an online education platform offering classes across creative categories including design, photography, and business. It is comparable to IWED's digital campus as a multi-category creative learning destination, though IWED specializes in wedding/event design.

Emerging players

• Aisle Planner Academy: Aisle Planner is a wedding business management software platform that also offers education and training resources for wedding planners. It overlaps with IWED on training content for working wedding professionals, though its core product is software.
• Nouveau Riche University: Nouveau Riche University offers online education in entrepreneurship and creative business, including real estate investing and design-adjacent fields. It is comparable to IWED's Event Designer Bootcamp in targeting aspiring entrepreneurs with online business education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLY8VVfcp1uWnLt8oRIUwvsDnCJNRIpzwK
• Instagraminstagram.com/iwed_global
• Xx.com/iWedGlobal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institute of Wedding & Event Design