Seriously someone needs to pinch me

I can't even believe this, but yet another wedding magazine has just called to say that they are featuring one of my 2010 weddings in their next issue. 'For The Bride' magazine will be showing off the Scahill's and their amazingly beautiful Sagamore wedding from this past September and I couldn't be any more thrilled for this couple and all of the wonderful vendors involved. All of this positive praise and national publicity of my weddings is really blowing me away! Of course please stay tuned to get more info about when and where you can find this!

Here it is!

Just announced - We've won another award!!

Hot off the presses, I just got word that Wedding Planning Plus has won the Bride's Choice Award 2011 from WeddingWire! This means that we are ranked in the top 5% of all wedding professionals nationwide. We were selected for the 2010 award and we are honored to once again be chosen! Thank you!!

O'Connor Wedding - October 9, 2010

Mr. and Mrs. O'Connor were married on October 9, 2010. They had a beautiful ceremony at the Blessed Sacrament Church in Albany followed by a reception at 11 North Pearl. These guys were so much fun to work with, and their friends and family really made me feel a part of the gang for the day. Katie and Neil chose some really great touches for their big day - including transportation for the bridal party in the Albany Trolley, a bag piper and a bubble send off as their recessed out of the church, a fun groom's cake in the shape of a jersey from the groom's alma mater, and a photo booth that became extra fun for guests as the night and the drinks go on. The flower girl added to the mix by playing with her bride and groom Barbis as the girls got ready. She was too cute! There were a lot of memorable moments from that night including the bride and groom updating their Facebook status to married as they took the trolley from their ceremony to the reception. Hey it's not real until it's Facebook real! I also definitely had a first from this group - an "icing" from one of the bridesmaids to the groomsman escorting her into the reception. She whipped out a Smirnoff Ice and made him drink the whole thing right there in front of everyone. It was a riot, and definitely a first for me!

But back to the wedding details... Katie chose purple as her main color with accents of golds and ivories. Their centerpieces, which were tall shoots of the large calla lillies, were the perfect touch to give weight and interest to the venue (which is a renovated bank with very tall ceilings). The dance floor was packed all night which is no surprise seeing that the music was provided by Vinny Liotta of Cool Cat DJs. These guys brought fun props and led some group dances which kept everyone going strong throughout the night.

But before I give my list of all the vendors at this event I have to give it up for Matt and Leah Bailly of Bailly Photography who did a ridiculous job photographing Katie and Neil's wedding. The Baillys are fantastic, and took literally a gillion pics that day! There were so many good ones for me to choose from that it was nearly impossible for me to narrow them down for this post. Also working this event with me was Dave Bigler, the videographer and owner of Bigler Productions. I have seen the highlight video from this wedding and it was amazing! Pesha King of Flowers by Pesha, made the centerpieces and bouquets, the cakes were from J&S Watkins, and the photobooth was from Saratoga Photobooth Company.

This was such a rocking wedding and it couldn't have been any better for these two. The day was filled with emotion and you could really feel the love that Katie and Neil have for each other (check out those ceremony pics - it doesn't get any better than that!) Thank you guys for allowing me to be a part of your most special day!

According to The Knot I'm a winner!

There has been so many great announcements coming through our office about awards and features and accolades of all kinds that lately I just feel like I need to stop and pinch myself! Well I just got word of another achievement that I am so totally excited to share with you all. Drum roll please...

Wedding Planning Plus has been rated by local brides and voted The Knot Best of Weddings 2011 Pick!

Thank you to all of the brides who voted and have so far given us perfect 5 out of 5 ratings in all categories. You guys are the best and are truly the reason I do what I do. I hold myself and my team to the highest standards and it's so very nice to see that it is appreciated. So this I share with all of you! Muah!! <3

Vote for WPP's new logo!

We are getting a new logo! To help us choose the best one click on the link below and cast your vote for WPP's new logo!

Click here!

Meet our newest intern Kelsi!

Hello everyone! I am so excited to introduce you all to my newest intern, Kelsi Metzger. Kelsi is a senior at Siena College studying marketing and information systems. She is going to be working with me through the spring semester assisting in bridal communications, e-mail and web based marketing, as well as other fun projects along the way. Kelsi is enthusiastic when she talks about the things she has learned in school and how she plans to apply some of those principles for WPP. I am so glad I found her and am psyched to have her on the team! Welcome Kelsi!

Don't be bamboozled

By now I think everyone has heard about the wedding business that has gone MIA and have left their recent and upcoming clients high and dry. The business I am referring to is Wedding Combo and they offered affordable packages in wedding photography, videography, and DJ services. I learned of this problem a few days ago, when a bride who was to be married today called them to confirm arrangements with them. When she realized their website was down, the office was closed, and calls to their contact number went straight to voicemail she knew she was in trouble. So here was a bride three days before her wedding missing the most important vendors for her day - as well as the money she spent to pay them. There are others, too, who used Wedding Combo for photo or video on their fall and winter weddings who got a vendor to show up on wedding day but now realize they many never actually receive their photos or their video of their special day. Imagine being the bride sitting there thinking you will never have a picture of your first kiss, your first dance, or of you in a wedding dress? The whole thing is devastating.

So my heart goes out to all who are affected by this terrible situation. There is so much that a bride and groom think about in the wedding planning process but worrying about your vendors coming through should not be on their radar. I cannot stress enough the important of selecting high quality vendors who have strong and long reputations of impeccable work. Before hiring a vendor you should meet with them, review their references, research them on business bureaus and on weddings websites where past brides review their work, and tap into the expertise of a wedding planner or local expert who can tell you if they recommend them and why. You put a lot of faith, trust, and money into your wedding professionals and it is vital that you think your choices through and select those who you have complete confidence in.

I do have to say that this Wedding Combo situation is extremely rare, and all of the vendors I work with and recommend are up- and outstanding. Please don't let one bad egg spoil the reputation for the wedding community at large. I hate to see that any couples are going through this tragedy and for all of your with weddings coming up I hope you find replacements who will perform above and beyond what you were offered originally. And for any Wedding Combo brides who want my help finding replacements I would be more than happy to give you my recommendations and vendor suggestions free of charge. You have been through enough, I would be thrilled to do a little something to make all of this better for you.

It's your biggest day, and you can't leave things up to chance. Best wishes to all.

News Channel 13 story of Wedding Combo scandal

What great news!

I just got off the phone with Martha Stewart Weddings and they called to tell me that they will be featuring Jolene and Brad's wedding next month! What great news! I'll be sure to post all the info once everything is finalized so check back and stay tuned!

Pascarella Wedding - September 25, 2010

Mr. and Mrs. Pascarella were married at River Stone Manor on September 25, 2010. All of my weddings are special to me but this one was a bit more personal because Oriana and I went to the same high school and I've known her for 15+ years. I had a blast working with her on the planning of this event, and getting a chance to meet Tom and their two beautiful boys. They had a night time ceremony, literally getting married with stars overhead, which had an interesting effect that made the ceremony very intimate and peaceful. Oriana chose a chocolate brown as her main color and used flowers to bring color and accents to the space. Instead of place cards they made large posters directing guests to their assigned tables, and instead of a traditional favor they chose to have a big candy bar where guests could fill their bags with treats to take home.

I worked with some great vendors on this event, including my first time working with Brian McGarry who provided me with these beautiful photos. The rest of my vendor team consisted of Amber Mathias at River Stone Manor, the band Body and Soul, flowers by Kris Ann Elario from Fleurtacious Designs, Clifton Park Rental Company, Experience and Creative Designs, and a cake from Villa Italia.

This was a beautiful wedding and I was honored to be a part of it. Congrats again you two!

Bridal *BLING*

Every girl likes to bling it out sometimes, but there is better day to shine than on wedding day. I have seen all kinds of crazy beautiful engagement and wedding rings, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, and some great hair pieces, broaches, and even some cake bling. Here are some of my favs from my weddings over the past few years. Which gets your top pick?

Photo 1 - Tracey Buyce Photography
Photo 2 - Elario Photography
Photos 3-8 - Tracey Buyce Photography
Photo 9 - Foothills Photography
Photo 10 - Out of the Ordinary Photography

Internship Update

Thank you to all the candidates who submitted their resumes for our E-mail Marketing and Bridal Communications internship. The window for submission is now closed, and in the next few days we will be reviewing all of our candidates and making our final decision. Stay tuned for the announcement of who is the newest member of our team!

Budgeting Basics for all you Brides-to-be!

Photo by Out of the Ordinary Photography

We've only been a member of the New York Wedding Boutique for one week and they have already published one of our articles on their fancy-dancy wedding blog! I gave some tips on how to prepare a budget for your event, and advice on how to stick to it. This is great advice for all of your brides who just got your ring and are excited to start planning. Check it out!

New York Wedding Boutique Blog

We've arrived... and we love the company!

Happy New Year everyone! 2011 is set to be an amazing year for weddings, and we are working with some of the most fantastic couples for weddings over the course of this year. Our business has never been better, and as a result we are happy to announce to you all that Wedding Planning Plus has just joined the New York Wedding Boutique! This is a group of the Capital Region's most prestigious vendors and we've never been surrounded by such impressive company. If you haven't been to the NYWB site yet then let me tell you, this is the site for you. Here you can read blogs, get tips and tricks from vendors and real brides, and find all of the best vendors who have been hand picked as the top in their fields. Forget your average bridal shows and wedding directories, because the NYWB is your one stop for everything that is great about local weddings. Don't miss out!

www.newyorkweddingboutique.com