A Lot to be Thankful For

This is a great time to reflect on the good things in life! I wrap myself up in weddings most of the time, but outside of weddings I have a great family and a lot of really wonderful friends. If it wasn't for all of their love and support then I wouldn't be able to do what I do. Starting up and running your own business is not easy but they encourage me and motivate me to do my best, and because of them I am so very thankful.

Here are a few pics of some of the people I am thankful for, personally and professionally...

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

My mom and my brothers... My mom is my best friend...

My baby!!

Katie, my sister-in-law and one of my WPP Wedding Planners...

Sarah, my "sis" and my other WPP Wedding Planner...

Laura, WPP Intern for 2009...

Now, some of my closest friends... Your encouragement means so much!

I love my wedding vendor friends... I don't have pics of you all, and if i did there would be far too many of you to list...

Above is David Michael Schmidt from Renaissance Floral Design.

This is the fabulous photographer Tracey Buyce...

And, of course, my brides and grooms... I am so very thankful for all of my wonderful clients. You are all so special to me!!

Photos 6, 11, 12, 14, and 16 - Tracey Buyce Photography

Photo 13 - Bob Donlon Photography

Photo 15 - Rob Spring Photography

Photo 17 - Heather Bohm-Tallman Photography

WPP Photo of the Week!

Photo by Bob Donlon Photography

Holy fun green cake! This was from one of my weddings back in July. The bride loves the color green (lime green to be exact!) and she wanted a cake that was fun and had some personality to it. Angelina Tallman took the bride's ideas and ran with it - she did a phenomenal job! The bride loved this cake so much that during the reception she refused to cut it. Seriously, I had to hand out some tough love to get her to go through with it. I'm glad she made it through, because it was just as good to eat as it was to look at. Yum!

This photo was from one of my weddings back in July. Look for the full wedding recap blog to be posted soon!

Economy's Impact on the Decision to Get Married

I just read an article that stated some pretty startling facts. We all know that the economy affects us all, and if you ask any wedding professional out there they will tell you that the recession has impacted our business everywhere from slight to significant ways. Personally, I have seen a steady shift in the approach that couples are taking with their weddings, from extending their engagement to drastically cutting the guest list. But here are some of the statistics that were listed in the article that I was a bit surprised by --

According to the latest Pew survey and census data:

• 18 million Americans between the age of 18 to 34 live at home with their parents. That's roughly 30% of that age group. This number is up by 2 million - or 3% - from just 4 years ago.
• Among Americans between the ages of 16 and 24 less than half - just 46% - are employed. This is the smallest share since the government starting collecting this data in 1948.
• A record high of 11.5 million Americans between 18 and 24 - nearly 40% - attended college in October 2008.
• 15% of Americans aged 18 to 34 said they postponed getting married due to the downturn in the economy. That number increases to 21% for those aged 25 to 34, the age range when people tend to get married.

Those are huge numbers, not only affecting the state of the wedding industry but impacting the course of our society as a whole. Many young Americans are staying home and living with their parents in order to go to school and further their education. Students in college tend to wait to make major life decisions like marriage and family until they have completed their studies, gotten a solid job, and are financially able to settle down. And so the work force changes, social behaviors like marriage and child bearing changes, and the effects of these shifts ripple on and on.

So my real question is - How is the economy affecting you? As a bride or groom? As a wedding professional? Are you feeling it, making adjustments to adapt? Or is it not a big deal? I'd love to hear your thoughts....

To read the full survey... http://pewsocialtrends.org/pubs/748/recession-brings-many-young-adults-back-to-the-nest

My lovely intern Laura

Photo by Tracey Buyce

November 7th marked the last wedding of my 2009 calendar as well as the final wedding for my intern, Laura. She started with me back in June and has put in 500 hours of work with Wedding Planning Plus. That's a lot of wedding work!! Laura has been such a joy to have on the team, and has been instrumental in pulling off so many details at each event she worked on. Often tasked with some of the less glamorous duties - lighting hundreds of votive candles, alphabetizing place cards, and squeegee-ing off a muddy dance floor (true story!) - she was the perfect professional for the bride and groom and a wonderful side kick and sounding board for me. I'm going to miss her exuberance for weddings, her recounts of all the wedding shows she watches, and her pint sized love of the industry.

Laura - you were an amazing addition to my team! Thank you so much for your efforts and all of your hard work. Best of luck to you in wherever life takes you. And if you ever want to make weddings your career you know you will always be welcome here. You will truly be missed!!! :):):)

WPP Photo of the Week!

I love the last minutes before the ceremony where the bride is in her final steps of prep. Surrounded by her mom and her best friends, she gets into her wedding dress and puts the finishing touches to her look. In this moment the energy in the room feels electric and emotions are reaching their highest peak. Michael Grace-Martin, the photographer who shot the photo above, captured the pure beauty of the moment with this photo. Lovely!

Gilchrist Wedding - more pics!

I posted a full blog about this wedding back in the spring (see "Gilchrist Wedding - May 16, 2009" under the Wedding Recap heading on the right sidebar). The photographers for this wedding were the amazing father and son team that makes up Joe Elario Photography ( http://www.joeelariophotography.com/ ). JP hooked me up with a few more photos from their wedding and I had to get them right up on here. This was an incredible wedding of 350 guests and my team - Katie, Sarah, and Gail - knocked it out of the park on the coordination. Black and white flooring, a hot pair of Jimmy Choos, a cigar roller, and beautiful floral arrangements from Fleurtacious Designs. This wedding had it all! Super cool event, hope you enjoy the extra pics! :)

WPP Photo of the Week!

Photo by Dean Forsyth

Yum - Sliders! For the Stowes, they went with a cocktail reception and served all kinds of fun foods like the mini sliders and fries you see in this pic. They were delish and a ton of fun for the guests. Who says wedding food has to be uptight and stuffy?

Destination Wedding Spotlight - Miami

Welcome to Miami! This part of Florida is hot, sunny, and full of spice. If you want a wedding with zip this is the place for you! I have been to Miami and South Beach a few different times and I am always blown away by the beauty of the area and its people. With significant Central and South American influence and some of the best Cuban food in the continental US, Miami is an ideal location for events with a little Spanish flair. There are certainly plenty of demur grandeur and old world history, but the real draw to Miami is it's outdoor splendor and its wild nightlife. Why not blend all this fun into one great destination wedding?

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

WPP Photo of the Week - Our brush with fame!

Photos by Tracey Buyce

If you're a fan of the NBC morning television or a resident of the North Country you remember that the crew came up and the Today Show filmed on location at the Sagamore this past July. It just so happened that the weekend they were up there was the weekend that one of my couples was getting married there at the resort. The place was a buzz with activity and anticipation! Although the images from their wedding never made it on to the show, we still felt a brush with fame during our time there. The bride and groom used Ann Curry's suite to get pictures taken, and they even got the chance to meet her! As if their weekend wasn't impressive enough... :)

To see the super gorgeous and impressive photos from their wedding scan down the page or use the menu on the right to find the "Parker Wedding". Super gorgeous and impressive!

Estes Wedding - September 12, 2009

Mr. and Mrs. Estes were married at the Union Gables B&B on September 12th of this year. Their focus was on family, friends, and fun, and by the end of the night they successfully enjoyed all three. The bride chose a bright color palette with an emphasis on orange, and we built a chocolate brown and ivory base to balance the orange 'punch'. I worked with this couple from day one and helped put every detail of this event together with them. Working along side Laura and I that day were some great vendors - Tracey Buyce Photography, Jordan from Heaven Scent Florals, and Thomas and his team at the Gables. This was another wedding that included the couple's dog (Lady - check out her orange booties!!). It was a great day for a great couple, and another wedding I am proud to have been a part of. Enjoy!