Destination Wedding Spotlight - NYC

NYC is the greatest city in the world, so why not celebrate your most special day there? With so much architecture, history, culture, and urban and natural scenery you could choose just about any style wedding and fit in somewhere in this city. Get cool pics of the two of you in a big yellow cab. Or climb to the top of the Empire State Building to do your first sighting photos. Or visit any of the world class restaurants and get your first meal together prepared by a celebrity chef. Big and grand or small and chic this city has everything you've been looking for and so much more that you didn't even know you needed.

I have been to NYC MANY times, and these are just a few photos I took on my trip there this past weekend.
Want to know more about my experiences in NYC? E-mail me at Shannon@WeddingPlanningPlus.net.

Whitney Wedding - August 16, 2009

Mr. and Mrs. Whitney were married on August 16, 2009. Back in the summer I put up a few sneak peak pics of their wedding, but as I'm sitting here at home watching even more snow fall I felt this was the perfect time to post the full recap of their sunny, hot beach side wedding. This was a very special wedding for me because not only was it the wedding of one of my planners, Katie, but she was marrying a very special guy in my life - my brother Jon. Jon and Katie have been together for years and no one in the Whitney clan needed to welcome Katie into our family because we all know she's been a part of our family since the moment we all met.

Their wedding was a destination event on the New England coast and their ceremony overlooked the harbor in Kennebunkport, ME. The bride and bridesmaids came into the processional on a sailboat after enjoying an hour long cruise on the ocean. The sun was bright and the air was warm, but you couldn't expect anything else for such a sunny and cheery couple. The reception moved indoors and Jon, who has been a drummer since we were kids, was able to play a few songs with the band. Special thanks to Becky Sapp for taking such amazing pictures!

It was a beautiful event and the perfect day for such a perfect couple. Love you two!!

Wedding Insurance

I'll be the first to admit that wedding insurance is one of those things I was skeptical of at first. I thought of it like the travel insurance you can add on to your purchase on those travel websites - you know the extra $40 that will cover you only if you cancel your trip for specific reasons A, B, or C. Wedding insurance to me was like that 'too good to be true kind of coverage' that in the end would be too specific and have too much fine print to actually benefit you. Well, I post this blog today because I am now a believer and if I was on the wrong page about it I figure many of you could be, too.

How much is the value of your car? $10,000? And you insure it in case anything goes wrong, right? Well how much is your total wedding costing you? The average in this area is almost $30,000, and what protection do you have for this event should things not happen as planned? What if your photographer goes out of business? In this economy we are seeing more and more of this happen. What if your perfect winter wedding falls on a day of a major ice storm and none of your guests can attend? What would you do if your gifts are stolen during your reception? Or - God forbid - one of you gets cold feet at the last minute and the wedding is called off? You think your vendors are going to give you your money back? Think again.

This is where wedding insurance comes in. A simple policy can cover you for a multitude of issues that have the potential to come up and, well, put a major damper on your big day. And the beauty of such an insurance policy? Policies start around $200. You will invest thousands of dollars on your wedding, so why wouldn't you want to spend just a few hundred dollars to give yourself valuable coverage?

I so strongly believe in wedding insurance that I am happy to be an advocate and put you in touch with a company who can provide you with it. There is an insurance office called Associates of Glens Falls and they specialize in this kind of coverage. Ask for Brian, and he can answer any questions you have and can quote you for a policy if you choose to do so.

My role as a wedding planner is not only to plan the wedding of your dreams but to make sure you realize it, too...

Happy Planning,

Shannon

WPP Photo of the Week!

Photo by Tracey Buyce

This is Lady, as she waited patiently while her mommy got prettied up on wedding day. If you have seen the pictures from the Estes wedding further down in the blog then you know that Lady plays a big role in the big day. Hey, dogs are family members, too!

We have been chosen!

Wedding Planning Plus has been chosen to win the 2010 Bride's Choice Awards from WeddingWire! This award recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and surveys of over 500,000 newlyweds.

Thank you to all of our past brides and grooms who gave us the glowing reviews which earned us this great honor!

WPP Featured in WellWed

Hot off the press and hitting news stands now is the Spring/Summer 2010 edition of WellWed Magazine. Brides know that WellWed is the premiere publication for local wedding resources, creative tips and ideas, and the most galmorous photo spreads.

In this latest edition the editors chose to feature one of our weddings and we couldn't be more proud to be selected to be in the pages of this stunning magazine.

As a planner there is no better reward than putting together an event that exceeds the bride and groom's expectations, as I did back in July for Beth and Lawson.

But getting to share our work through the pages of a magazine aint half bad, either. :)

Photos from this event were taken by the lovely and talented Tracey Buyce.

Great new invitation album just arrived!

In addition to wedding planning services we also offer custom stationery and personalized wedding favor and gifts. Tons of couples have placed their orders through us because we make the process fast and simple and take care of everything for you from start to finish. Instead of placing an order online or through a massive retailer, you can work through us to get personalized service and the peace of mind that you are getting expert advice in etiquette, wording, and all other aspects of stationery and gift buying. And in case you're wondering, you don't have to hire as your planner in order to get your stationery and gift orders through us!(although you're willing to add on our planning services if you wish!)

We have tons of different invitations to choose from, as well as save the date cards, ceremony programs, place cards, table numbers, personalized napkins -- you name it I probably have it. Some of the most popular styles are the emsemble sets that are colorful and fun and all the pieces match (invitation matches the place card which matches the table number and the favor tag - brides go crazy for these sets!). Also popluar are the pocket styles where your guest opens one envelope and neatly layered inside are the invitation and all the insert cards they need (response card, reception card, map and directions, etc).

To add to the already wide selection we have I now have a great value-minded album for brides looking for high quality stationery that doesn't break the bank. This album just came in this week and I am super impressed with how reasonable the prices are for such stylish invitations. I wanted to throw a few pictures up here to give you an idea of what is offered in this album. To see the full selection of all of our products just give me a call and make your appointment. I'll take care of the rest!