Oh What a Night

I just got home from a very memorable wedding that I have to blog about. I may never get the pictures back to post but the story is too good to not mention. This bride and groom chose their home and backyard gardens for the site of their ceremony and reception. They've been working for months to get the grass, flowers, shrubs, and trees ready for this one day. I've seen them in action, and they definitely put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into the work there. And it paid off! When I was down to the house a month ago the gardens were in full bloom and they were stunning. Perfect backdrop for the perfect wedding.

Fast forward to tonight, or last night, I should say. Fast forward to Hurricane Danny and all of its rain. And where the gardens and the flowers and the lawn become, well, flooded. Under water. Completely soaked. Then add 100 people walking all over it. The result - MUD.

Every bride wishes perfection on her wedding day. Although we always have a backup plan for rain, most don't expect rain and mud and slop and filthiness on their big day. This is the kind of thing that would crush most couples, devastate the bride, cause panic among the guests, and completely ruin their wedding day - assuming they didn't just cancel the whole event all together. We're talking about that much mud. Even up until an hour before the wedding the groom and groomsmen were using giant squeegees to push the mud and water out from under the reception tent. They had a wet vac out and were trying to vacuum the grass around the dance floor. The groom's 70 year old father was working a drainage pump to try and push the water across the driveway and away from the wedding site. This is the amount of mud that would have some brides thinking about calling the whole thing off. It was a lot of mud.

But to this bride and groom it didn't matter. They had the right perspective all along. They didn't get bogged down in details, held back by weather or circumstance, and they weren't going to let anything get in the way of their perfect day. Because the day was perfect because of people not things. It was perfect because their family had come in from all over - including some from Italy - to be there for them. It was perfect because of their friends and neighbors who gathered there for the union. It was perfect because she was marrying the man of her dreams and he was marrying the woman of his. And no hurricane or rain storm or Woodstock-like mud pit could get in their way. The bride picked up her dress, threw on some big rubber boots and walked proudly down that aisle. And she was as gorgeous a bride as I've ever seen.

I have worked with many many brides who stress over things like ribbon colors, hair pins, best man toasts, fussy bridesmaids, invitation font, and every other detail that is painfully tiny. Sure, these are important, but if you step back and remember what you're really there for - you are joining your life with that of another person and pledging to love them and be with them for the rest of your life - and you keep that a focus throughout the planning - then everything will be fine. I promise. I know it. And I believe it even more after tonight...

To tonight's bride and groom, Michele and Eddie - you are beautiful people and you had a beautiful wedding!!! Thanks so much for letting me a part of your special day. I would love for all of my couples to have the same carefree approach to their wedding day that you did. You guys made it great because of the wonderful people you are and I know you are heading into a lifetime of happiness together. Love you guys!! And send me pictures!!! :)

WPP Photo of the Week!

Who doesn't love a great cake?? This was made by Angelina Tallman (Cakes by Angelina) for a wedding we did last fall on the Sacandaga Lake. This adorable seasonal cake had at least one layer that was a rich chocolate flavor (does that give away the fact that I had a piece??), was covered in a simple white buttercream frosting, and decorated with cute little fondant leaves in shades of browns and oranges. It was just as delicious as it looked! Angelina is a wonderful baker and I recommend her to a lot of my brides - and with cakes that look this cute that taste that good there's no reason not to! :)

(Photo by Hillary Harvey.)

Martensson Wedding - June 26, 2009

Mr. and Mrs. Martensson were married on June 26th of this year at Saratoga National Golf Club. They came to me almost a year before their wedding and hired me on to help them with their wedding planning. Little did I - or they! - know that a few months later the groom would be offered a job in Washington DC and they would be moving out of the area. Never fear, their wedding planner is here! I decided to go into hyper speed to use the most of their time and book as many of their vendors as we could while they were still local. We got a lot done in those short months! From there it was a piece of cake to do all the rest of the planning long distance. (How did we all function before e-mail?) These two were such a fun couple and I had a blast working with them on their wedding.

They went with a purple and silver theme and kept the emphasis on casual elegance and making sure they were throwing a party that everyone would enjoy. The focus was on fun!

Special thanks to Sarah Chilson at Saratoga National for being a great onsite coordinator and partner to me and these two. These photos are from Shannon DeCelle and, as always, she did a great job capturing their moments through her lens. http://www.shannondecellephotography.com/. These guys had a fun time and a fun crew with them. Check out these great pics!

How pretty is she???

Why do guys always look so relaxed before ceremonies? Love the black and white shoes!

The Martensson's used the always fabulous David Michael Schmidt at Renaissance Floral Design to do their flowers and centerpieces. There was so much bright beautiful color!

Who doesn't love a martini luge ice sculpture?? I told you these guys were fun!

No stuffy fancy-pants cake for these guys. This three layer square cake was covered in silver circles that picked up and reflected the purple uplights located behind it. The lush purple hydrangea blooms on each tier softened it a bit and added an element of purple to the silver accents. Yum!

DJ Greg Frasier rocked it out and these guys were loving every minute of it. This is exactly how every couple should do it - place your faith in your vendors, don't sweat the details, and stay present and in the moment the whole day. Your wedding day goes by too fast so take a lesson from these guys and enjoy it!

I had so much fun working with you guys and I'm so glad to see you enjoyed your special day!!

Destination Wedding Spotlight - Charlotte

Have you ever been to Charlotte? What? Why not?? Charlotte is one of those great "new" cities, with young buildings, clean streets, exciting retail, a mainly transported population, and some great professional sports teams. Charlotte is full of life and a great place to find beautiful backdrops as well as beautiful people. A little southern charm mixed with a lot of young banking professionals gives you a totally comfortable city that is fresh and new and a great place to celebrate your very biggest day. So you haven't been to Charlotte? What are you waiting for??

Want to know more about my time in Charlotte? E-mail me at Shannon@WeddingPlanningPlus.net.

WPP Photo of the Week

This is one of my favorite photos of all time. This is the bride and groom from a wedding in July 2008 in Saratoga. The photographer was Shannon DeCelle and she really captured the special closeness this couple shared. They were really this cute and loving the whole day, and it was really wonderful to see the care and love to have for each other. Kudos, Shannon! Wonderful shot!!

Whitney Wedding!!

On Sunday August 16th two very special people in my life got married - my brother, Jon, and my good friend and wedding planner, Katie. Now Katie is officially a Whitney and my sister-in-law. But I think I'll just call her "sis".

These pics are from my digital camera and were taken by my favorite photographer - my boyfriend Chris! :)

Their wedding was at the Nonantum Resort in Kennebunkport, ME. We were right on the water and the weather was outstanding the whole weekend. (Katie even planned that part perfectly! See, ladies, she really is that good!)

Katie had a very cool vision for the processional for the bridesmaids and herself. We all took a beautiful one hour sailboat cruise along the ocean and arrived to the ceremony site by boat. She even had the ceremony musician play "The Love Boat" music as the guests caught a first glimpse of us sailing up to the shore. I can't wait to see the photographer's pics of our sail and our entrance. All reports from shore said it looked amazing - I can only speak by experience on the boat which was very cool!

Beautiful ceremony by the water! I cried my eyes out!

I got to be a bridesmaid at this wedding, not a coordinator! :)

Well, almost... :)

Jon, who's been playing drums since we were kids, got to go up and play with the band for 3 songs. He rocked it out! The whole place went crazy for him. What a rock star!

I saved the best picture for last. Not that the wedding was upstaged by this event, but this was pretty big. See, Jon and the guys went golfing the morning of the wedding and they ran into someone pretty famous on the course. Yup, that's George W. Bush in the middle there, and the groom to the left of him. How many people can say they golfed with a United State President on their wedding day???

What a fun weekend! Jon and Katie - Congrats and I love you both!!

Check back in the near future because I plan to post the professional pics when they come in!

Happy planning! ~ Shannon

Destination Spotlight - Kennebunkport

Kennebunkport is a quintessential coastal New England town. With ocean views, cute candy and souvenir shops, and a quiet understated elegance it is an area that if you don't ever consider getting married in you should at least plan a little weekend trip to. Famous for the presidential Bush family compound that sits on an inlet a few miles north of town, this is a village that loves its US royalty as much as it loves its Red Sox and local wild blueberries. If you are considering a destination wedding to this area there are several lovely venues to choose from. And as long as you include a little chowdaah and fresh Maine lobstaaahs you should do just fine here.

Want to know more about my experience in Kennebunkport? E-mail me at Shannon@WeddingPlanningPlus.net.

WPP Photo of the Week!!

Here is a new addition to the Wedding Planning Plus blog - a WPP Photo of the Week!

Check back here often to see what super cool new image I post... This one's for you Laura...

Everyone - Meet Murphy! Anyone who knows me knows I'm a HUGE dog lover! My baby girl is named Reilly, and she is a 3 year old whippet mix and the absolute love of my life. Laura, my fabulous summer intern, is also a dog lover and because the 'WPP Photo of the Week' idea is hers I had to honor her (and Reilly-boo!) with the first installment of my favorite wedding pictures. :) So... back to Murphy... This dog was the "son" of the bride and groom but because they were married in a church he couldn't be a part of their ceremony. Well, we let Murphy have his fun at the reception as the bride and groom walked him out with them for their introductions and first dance. Doesn't Murphy look sharp in that tux?? I love having animals (aka furry family members) in weddings - and I have more weddings this year who are including their pets in the festivities! So much fun!!