Happy Halloween!

WPP mascot Reilly got all dressed up to share a little Halloween spirit with everyone. Hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween!!

Jennifer and Eric's Wedding is in VOW Magazine!

Jennifer and Eric were married July 23. 2011. Their wedding was photographed by the lovely husband and wife team at Jessica Painter Photography and is now published in the new issue of VOW Magazine. You can read the whole article online and see several pics of their big day by clicking here or just scroll through below and check it out for yourself. Jennifer mentions me a few times - how sweet!

For a couple that grew up in the Capital Region, attended the same college and now have teaching jobs in the same field, Jennifer and Eric Lewicki are the newlyweds who almost weren't.

After growing up and graduating from high school in Burnt Hills, Eric headed off to SUNY Oswego to study technology education. Two years later, Jennifer graduated from South Colonie High School and also moved onto the SUNY Oswego campus for the same studies. The first time they met was in a design class required for their shared major.

"She was one of about four girls in the class, so I noticed her," Eric says. "We had group projects together, and since we were from the same hometown area, we had things to talk about. But we were at two different stages. I'd already done two years of college and I was focused on getting my degree."

"And I loved frat parties," Jennifer says.

Although friendly, Eric and Jennifer's path separated when he graduated and she did her last two years of college. In 2006, however, Jennifer was in Rochester doing a teacher's training, and on a whim, texted Eric to see how he was doing.

Another few months passed as they both busily started teaching and coaching; Eric coaches football, Jennifer coaches cheerleading. Still casual and not officially dating, they talked on the phone occasionally and finally met for lunch, where they realized they had a connection and began dating more seriously.

"We tested the water so many times it was ridiculous," Jennifer says. "But I think it was fate that we eventually got together. We just had graduation and careers on our minds in our 20s."

The two bought a house, and although they talked of marriage, Eric made his own plan for a surprise proposal, and once again, the timing was off.

"We'd put lights up on our house for Christmas, then walked to a friend's house for dinner," Eric says. "I had the ring in my pocket that I picked out with zero input from her, and I planned on asking her right outside our house, admiring our lights so everything was perfect."

But Jennifer, who's very petite, was freezing and made a beeline for the front door when they returned, cutting right across the lawn. Eric had to scrap his plan and improvise. "I fumbled with the house keys at the front door, and had enough time to take the ring out," Eric says.

"There was a huge element of surprise," Jennifer admits.

After the delays in their courtship, the couple set a wedding date just eight months after they became engaged. Since they both teach, a summer wedding was a necessity. They chose a reception hall first, the church second, and everything else pretty much fell into place.

"I'm organized, but with the time constraint, I got a wedding planner," Jennifer says. "She was only hired to coordinate the actual wedding. I'm an only child; I haven't been to many weddings so I knew we'd need help towards the end."

In the meantime, Jennifer and Eric chose a black and white theme, dressing their six groomsmen in black tuxedos and bridal party in black gowns for their afternoon ceremony. Jennifer's dress was a mermaid-style gown, unadorned with beading or lace. "We wanted clean, simple and elegant," Jennifer says.

One of the only trouble spots in their planning was something most couples enjoy: sampling and choosing a wedding cake. "I don't like cake," Eric says. "I just don't have a sweet tooth."

"And I love to bake," Jennifer says. They settled on a half-banana/vanilla cake, with the other half all chocolate.

The wedding planner came in handy during the last days, coordinating all the vendors and keeping everyone on time. The planner also quickly remedied a major catastrophe:

"I got red wine spilled on the front of my wedding dress right where everyone could see it," Jennifer says. "She was right there with club soda and baby powder, I think it was, to get the stain off before anyone noticed it. It wasn't even my wine; I don't even know where it came from."

Jennifer and Eric headed off to Bar Harbor, Maine, where they kept busy enjoying their first days of married life. "We whale watched, biked through Acadia National Park, went on a light house tour," Eric says.

"And we ate lobster every single day," adds Jennifer.

Who, What, When:

BRIDE: Jennifer Lewicki, 30, technology education teacher, South Colonie Central Schools.

GROOM: Eric Lewicki, 32, technology education teacher, Shenendehowa Schools.

THE WEDDING DAY: July 23, 2011 at Our Lady of the Annunciation Roman Catholic Church.

THE HONEYMOON: Six days in Bar Harbor, Maine.

ONE DETAIL: Jennifer adhered to the "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue," tradition. Her shoes were new, her mother lent her a lucky wishbone tied with a blue ribbon that she wore in her own wedding, and Eric's family loaned her their grandmother's ring, which she safety-pinned into the folds of her wedding dress.

The Particulars

CEREMONY: Our Lady of the Annunciation Roman Catholic Church, 448 Aviation Road, Queensbury, 518-793-9677, olaqueensbury.parishesonline.com

RECEPTION: Hiland Park Country Club, 195 Haviland Road, Queensbury, 518-761-4653, hilandparkcc.com

PHOTOGRAPHER: Jessica Painter Photography, 36 Third Avenue, Canajoharie, 518-542-3346, jessicapainter.com

WEDDING PLANNER: Shannon Whitney, Wedding Planning Plus, 518-269-1243, weddingplanningplus.net

WEDDING ATTIRE: Angela's Bridal, 1811 Western Avenue, Albany, 518-869-1848, angelasbridal.net

Waldorf Tuxedo, 204 Lancaster Street, Albany, 518-396-5456, waldorftuxedo.com

HAIR & MAKE-UP: Make Me Fabulous, 102 Milton Avenue, Ballston Spa, 518-885-2929, makemefabulous.com

JEWELER: Mayfair Jeweler, 7 Glenridge Road, Glenville, 518-399-3701, mayfairjewelers.com

Northeastern Fine Jewelry, 1607 Union Street, Schenectady, 518-372-3604, nefj.com

FLOWERS: Price Chopper, 677 Upper Glen Street, Queensbury, 518-792-7456, pricechopper.com

MUSIC: Russ Gentner from Piano Man DJ Productions, 683 New Loudon Road, Latham, 518-489-4000, pianomandj.com

CAKE: Dolce and Biscotti, 1758 Route 9, Clifton Park, 518-371-0216, dolceandbiscotti.com

INVITATIONS: The American Wedding, theamericanwedding.com

TRANSPORTATION: Advantage Transportation Group, 677 Upper Glen Street, Queensbury, 518-792-7456, albanycarservice.com

HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS: Wingate Hotel by Wyndham, 4054 State Route 9l, Lake George, 518-668-4884, wingatehotels.com

REHEARSAL DINNER: The Black Watch Steakhouse, 21 Ridge Street, Glens Falls, 518-792-5225, blackwatchsteakhouse.com

Ceremony Tip

Photo by Heather Bohm-Tallman

I see a lot of wedding ceremonies. And there is one thing during a ceremony that tends to happen and shouldn't so I wanted to share my thoughts on it. The thing I'm talking about occurs how the bride and the groom say their vows. Now you all know the vow portion of a ceremony - it usually goes something like "Bride, repeat after me, I ~Bride~ take you ~Groom~ to be my husband..." You know, the part where the officiant feeds the bride lines that she repeats, then does the same for the groom. This is the serious part, the part where everything counts and the actual marriage is really happening, so this can be a fairly stressful and emotional to both the bride and the groom. Now the tendency for some is to look at the officiant who is feeding them the lines and repeat them right back to them. Fight this urge! You are not marrying your officiant, you are marrying your fiance, so look your fiance in the eye when you say your vows. You will be wrapped up in the moment at that point so practice the eye contact part during your rehearsal. Trust me if you practice it then you will do it naturally on wedding day and by doing so you will make your wedding planner very happy. :)

Lewicki Wedding - July 23, 2011

Jennifer and Eric were married July 23, 2011 in Queensbury, NY. Their ceremony was at Our Lady of the Annunciation Church and their reception was at Hiland Park Country Club. Jennifer brought me on a few months before and I had the pleasure of coordinating their special day.

Jennifer and Eric met in college and are both technology teachers at separate schools in the area. Their wedding was simple and modern with black bridesmaids dresses, pops of pink, and a crazy cool wedding cake. Her bridesmaids, all friends of hers for years and years, donned some of the coolest funky shoes I've seen. Not to be upstaged, Jennifer rocked a pair of soft blush colored Badgley Mischka heels. There was a lot of shoe loving going on that day.

Joining me at this event were some super fun vendors. Special thanks and kudos goes out to Jessica Painter and her husband Ed for taking these lovely pictures of Jennifer and Eric's big day. You were a joy to work with and I thank you for sharing these images with me! Also on this event was Russ Gentner from Piano Man DJs, the florists from the Queensbury Price Chopper, Dolce and Biscotti bakery, and Advantage Transportation Group who provided the couple with that fabulous old Rolls Royce to be chauffeured in.

This was a great wedding and I had a ball working it. Thank you Jennifer and Eric for letting me be a part of your special day!

What Not to Skip - Engagement Photos

A definite trend going is engagement photos, or e-shoots. This is where you and your fiance meet with your photographer before your wedding and get fun sweet photos of the two of you in any location of your choosing. Some photographers offer this as a part of their packages and some offer it as an add-on but however they offer it I say take it and do it!

The benefits of doing an engagement shoot are many:

• First you know you are going to get amazing photos on your wedding day that will be keepsakes forever, but wouldn't it be nice to have professional photos of yourselves where you're wearing something other than a black tux and a white dress? During an engagement shoot you can do multiple wardrobe changes, stand in the middle of Time Square or a serene field of wildflowers, and if you wanted to do something crazy like lay down or jump into water you can do that, too. Options are basically unlimited and you can have a ton of fun getting creative with locations, attire, props - whatever you and your photographer can dream up.
  
• Secondly you know those cute save the dates that have the bride and groom's face on them? Or the signature frame that couples use at their receptions in lieu of a traditional guest book? If you want one of these don't use some fuzzy dark point and shoot image on there. You want a clear bright professional photograph of the two of you that is gorgeous and stunning and shows you both in your best light. Getting an engagement shoot done early enough will allow you the chance to use some of those images for your save the dates and/or your photo signature "guest book" frame.
• And lastly, wouldn't it be nice to get a test run with your wedding photographer before your big day? Let's face it, this person is literally going to be in your face for a lot of your wedding day and you want to make sure you are super comfortable with their personality and their style. Having an engagement shoot with them is the perfect way to get to know your photographer while they're behind the lens - a super valuable experience to make everything on your wedding day go that much smoother.
  

So why not do an engagement shoot? Even if it costs a little extra to add it on to your package I am telling you it is a totally worthwhile thing to do. Talk to your photographer about getting it done and have a super fun time with it. You will not regret it!!

Photos above are some of the lovely past WPP clients:
Photo 1 - Danielle and Nick - Tracey Buyce Photography
Photo 2 - Lauren and Joel - Out of the Ordinary Photography
Photo 3 - Brittany and Schyler - Niki Rossi Photography
Photo 4 - Karen and Jim - Dan Cooper Photography
Photo 5 - Wendy and Tony - Clark + Walker Studios

Stoffel Wedding - August 20, 2011

Ali and Brian were married at Crystal Cove in Averill Park on August 20, 2011. They are a super fun and independent couple who was looking for something very different than your traditional American wedding. Instead of a having a stuffy dinner party they opted instead to host a fun summer gathering for their family and friends. Guests arrived early and enjoyed lawn games like volleyball and bean bag toss, and they also had the water and the beach there to swim, kayak, and just sun bathe and relax. After a few hours of play guests changed into casual attire and the ceremony began. The couple tossed aside the notion of matching bridesmaids and groomsmen and instead had their siblings stand beside them all in summer garb as they exchanged their vows. One of the coolest aspects of the ceremony was the toast the bride and groom shared with their guests right after taking their vows. Ali and Brian celebrate a tradition of sharing a toast from a special cup at home and they brought the cup and the concept with them to share in a celebratory toast with their family and friends on their wedding day. I thought this was a very special and very heartfelt thing to do.

For their reception they kept with the casual personal theme by naming their guest tables after meaningful places and moments in their life. They also had bright and colorful cupcakes displayed in lieu of a wedding cake and had whacky glasses and fake mustaches on hand for silly photos throughout the night. So fun!

I had the pleasure of working with Ali's mom Linda on some of the planning of Ali and Brian's big day. This was a tag team job between myself and my favorite assistant planner Katie since I helped on aspects of the planning and Katie took the role of coordinator on their wedding day. I wish I was able to be there that day but luckily I had the help of photographer Jeff Foley who captured all of these beautiful photos of their event. They specifically asked for a low key photographer who would stay under the radar and Jeff did that and so much more. Thanks Jeff for doing such a great job with these guys!

I can't end this post without a special thank you to Ali and Brian and to Ali's parents who were all such a pleasure to work with. From the first moment I met all of them I totally understood their unique vision for their day and had a blast working with them to put some of the small details together. Thank you for choosing Katie and I as your wedding planners! We wish you a lifetime of happiness and love! <3

2012 dates are going fast!

2012 is looking hot hot hot!

If you are a 2012 bride and you are considering using WPP as your planner or coordinator I want to encourage you to reach out to us soon. We have seen a huge influx of inquiries for next year and we are booking up 2012 dates at a rapid pace. Good for us, but could be bad for you if you wait too long! Email or call to see if your wedding date is still open.

Happy planning,

Shannon

Rudis Wedding Sneak Peek!

Sunday was wedding day for two amazing people and one of my favorite couples ever - Wendy and Tony. Their ceremony and reception were at The Inn at Erlowest and their photographer, Alisha Clark of Clark+Walker Studio, captured this image of them down by the water just as the sun was setting and the moon was rising high.

I can't WAIT to see the rest of their pics and to share them all with you. Stay tuned for a full wedding recap to be posted soon!

Romeo Wedding Sneak Peek!

Tori and John were married in Schroon Lake on Saturday and I had the distinct pleasure of being their wedding coordinator. This couple was extra special to me because I had met them two years ago when I was the wedding planner for Tori's sister at her wedding in Saratoga. Of course I was honored and thrilled to be able to work with the Meyer family on another wedding and to be a part of Tori and John's special day.

Here are two sneak peek images from their wedding that I am so excited to share! Their photographer Jason Bryer of Jason Bryer Photography did an amazing job working with them. I love the long exposure tent shot. You'd never know that pic was taken in the complete darkness of night. Enjoy these two images and check back to see the full wedding recap soon!

Been a wee bit busy...

I am so sorry readers, I have left you for weeks with no new posts and that is not a very nice thing for me to do. As with any bursts in weddings my time has been taken up with itineraries, final consults, vendor confirmations and of course all of the fun and magic of wedding days. But that's not all - I've also had the joy of moving two weeks ago which has completely turned my world upside down. But I am settling in, weddings are winding down, and I am back to start blogging again. So keep an eye on a lot of posts to come your way including a ton of wedding recaps from all of my events this summer and fall!

Happy planning,

Shannon

Truet Wedding Sneak Peek!

Kristina and Jason were married in Lake George on September 24th. Their ceremony was at Rogers Memorial Park and their reception was at the beautiful castle at The Inn at Erlowest. I worked with these guys on the planning and coordination of their wedding day and they were such a joy to work with! Their photographer Tom Wall took this super cute pic of me and the bride and groom. Stay tuned for more photos of their wedding when I post their full wedding recap!