letter

We don't always need to look to the far ends of the earth to spark our creativity—sometimes,inspiration is right around the corner.What do we mean? While it's certainly a great idea to seek inspiring ideas and trends fromaround the world, sometimes, we need look no further than business lines within our own industry. The leaders and experts in design, photography, catering, and more keep up with what's new and give us ideas that spark our own creativity. Follow them, you'll see what we mean.In this issue of Wedding Planner Magazine, we sought out the expertise of leaders in somebusiness lines within the wedding industry. We wanted to hear their thoughts on what makesa trend, how they identify trends, and what they think the latest and greatest are for 2018.Turn to page 8 to hear more from pros in the linen, floral, décor, and stationery industries.You're also going to find much more to inspire within these pages. The National Associationfor Catering and Events shares ideas on some of the latest food trends on page 26. Movingbeyond trends, we explore best practices with articles on networking, ROI, and presentingdesign ideas for clients. Milena Santoro, CWP™, finishes up her three-part series in SeasonedProfessionals on generational styles with a fabulous piece about the up-and-coming Generation Z on page 24.Plus, Kathryn Hamm, publisher of GayWeddings.com and WeddingWire expert, reveals survey results from the national survey of Americans and American wedding professionals that reveals just how we feel about offering service to same-sex couples (teaser: it's good news!). See page 22 for more.Whether you are reading this issue of Wedding Planner Magazine at the Association of Bridal Consultants Annual Conference or in your own home, we hope you enjoy every page!