Wedding Planners In Action! Anna and Andy 4.28.12.

As you saw from yesterday's post Anna and Andy were married at the Canfield Casino in Saratoga Springs, NY on April 28, 2012.  A lot went into the planning of this event (even though there is no photo documentation to prove it, lol) but there are lots of photos from the wedding itself and of me running around coordinating various aspects of the day.  You can see what things look like during bridal prep time - me and my team checking in with the bride, making sure her dress is hung and ready, checking out her bouquet, and steaming any of the bridesmaids' dresses that need a little de-wrinkling.  Then we check in with the guys, make they are happy and ready when the limo comes for them, and then we were off to the Casino to assist with Anna and Andy's first look.  I pin a lot of boutonnieres (as you can see) to make sure the guys look their best, and there is even a shot of Ginny lint rolling Andy's tux right before the ceremony.  My favorite sets of pics are the ones that follow that, as I brought Anna into the ballroom to do a grand reveal with her.  Watching her series of expressions as she saw her reception space for the first time is priceless, especially the thumbs up she shot over to her floral designer, David of Renaissance Floral Design.  And of course I would never let anyone try to figure out how to cut a wedding cake on their own so you see a quick image of me walking the bride and groom through that, as well.  See, we are there to help our brides and grooms through every part of their big day!

Thank you to Matt and Leah Bailly of Bailly Photography for sharing these images with me!  

Anna and Andy - April 28, 2012

Anna and Andy were married at The Canfield Casino on April 28, 2012.  The couple came to me a year prior looking for my help in planning their event.  I worked with them on every detail from the venue and vendor selection down to deciding on their table linens and the color of the stationery text.  But my journey with this couple didn't just start in 2011, I actually went to high school with Anna and we ran track and cross country together.  So needless to say this was a very special wedding for me and I couldn't have been happier by the way everything came together.

This wedding was all about glamour and fun.  There were a ton of fun details, like Anna's custom made wedding dress which was actually two different dresses (a top from one dress and a skirt from another dress) that she had specially made for her.  She also wore fabulous Badgley Mischka teal shoes for that something blue (check them out below, they are gorgeous!).  They did a first look outside the Casino with their bridal party peeping through the windows from inside.  They had a Jewish ceremony and instead of a typical chuppah that stands on the ground they used a hand help chuppah that the groomsmen and two of the bridesmaids held during the ceremony.  To start off the reception Anna and Andy danced their first dance to a fast song that they had specially choreographed.  It was s show stopper!  Because of her family's heritage guests were invited to sample vodka during the reception and celebrate in true Russian style.  And at the end of the evening a retro late night nosh station came out with sliders and onion rings and shakes - it looked and smelled incredible!

Anna and Andy live in NYC so almost all of their planning was done long distance.  They wanted a very classy and timeless event, something the was elegant and fit with the old Hollywood glam feel of the Casino.  I brought them to David Michael Schmidt at Renaissance Floral Design and with David's guidance we created a color palette of creams and ivories with pops of golds and soft blush tones.  The girls wore dark blue and carried shades of purple flowers which added an additional punch of color.  The pictures below can certainly attest to the beauty of this event.

Speaking of photos, my good friends Matt and Leah Bailly of Bailly Photography were the photographers extraordinaire on this event.  Anna and Andy have a unique sense of humor and Matt and Leah pulled so many fun moments out of them that day.  Great job as always you two!  Also on this vendor team were the New York Players who rocked the dance floor all night.  Seriously there was not a single dull moment in this party!  Mansion Catering provided the most delicious food I've had in a long time, along with the beautiful wedding cake and their always stellar service.  My man Will Beyer from NuVue Cinema rocked the videography, Time Capsule Photobooths provided a super fun attraction (and take home favor!) for guests during the reception, Alayne and her team from Make Me Fabulous made the girls soooo incredibly beautiful, and Premiere Transportation provided the limo and shuttle service.  

This is a super sized blog post because I just couldn't whittle down the photos and wanted to show you all of this event's awesomeness.  Thanks again Anna and Andy for trusting me with your most special day.  Congrats and best wishes for much success in all that you do!  Xoxoxo!

Rebecca and Dave review WPP

Rebecca and Dave were married at Colgate University last month and I had the pleasure of working with them as their rehearsal and day-of wedding coordinator.  They had the most beautiful wedding and were kind enough to recently post this review for me online.  I am blown away by the level of detail Rebecca gave to her post, and of course to the amount of praise she gave to me and my assistant.  Thank you so much for sharing your experience with future brides and grooms!

To read this and all of my other client reviews on Wedding Wire CLICK HERE.

"We hired Shannon for day of wedding coordination and rehearsal coordination, and as my husband recently said, it was the best money we ever spent. In the year before our wedding Shannon was responsive to our questions and referred us to great vendors who helped to make our day special. About three months before our wedding we met and reviewed a 12 page itinerary starting with set up a few days before our wedding and ending with our departure for our honeymoon, there was no detail overlooked. 

Shannon was so easy to work with, she was flexible with our schedule and very accommodating. She was willing to meet us over an hour from her office because we live out of town. She is very responsive to all forms of communication. About a month before the wedding she took over the final coordination, confirming all of our vendors, setting up a minute by minute delivery, set up, and getting ready schedule, and supervising all aspects of the wedding. She was a point person for my vendors and made sure we were not bothered with last minute questions or problems in the weeks before our wedding. When our site asked us for insurance from all of our vendors two weeks before the wedding Shannon handled it and I never heard about it again!

The week of the wedding Shannon followed up with us to confirm and finalize every little detail of the preparations, ceremony, and reception, making sure nothing was overlooked and everything we wanted was accomplished. Prior to the rehearsal, she reviewed everything with us and made sure all of our personal touches were in place. At the rehearsal, she was informative and helpful and made sure our wedding party and parents understood everything. She even handed out a short information sheet for all of our wedding party so they'd know when and where to be the day of the wedding.

Our wedding ran flawlessly, thanks to Shannon and her assistant. They worked throughout the day and evening to supervise set up and make sure we stuck to our schedule. Every detail we wanted was taken care of and things were done for us before we could even ask for it. I found out after the fact that there were some glitches with the equipment for the caterer and the bathrooms and Shannon handled them in stride. We didn't even know there were any problems until we came back from our honeymoon! 

Working with Shannon was a joy, I cannot recommend her more highly!"

Shanna and Scott's E-shoot is Featured in WellWed

Shanna and Scott were married two weeks ago at The Sagamore Resort.  Their wedding was over the top and uber gorgeous and I can't wait to show you the photos!  But for now enjoy this Well Wed blog post featuring this couple's engagement shoot, shot by super talented and super nice guy Bryan Yager of Beltrami Studios.  

To read the Well Wed blog post CLICK HERE

A Look Ahead - Betsey and Brian

Betsey and Brian are getting married this December in Albany.  I am so excited to be a part of this wedding for so many reasons!  First I was the coordinator of Betsey's brother's wedding two years ago (who remembers Katie and Neil from 2010??) AND I was the coordinator for their friends' wedding just last month (keep an eye out for Kate and Shawn's post - soon!!).  Wait that's not it!!  I am also excited because I feel like I know these guys after so many years and Betsey's dad is like my own personal WPP cheerleader with all his Facebook comments on all the things I brag about business wise on there.  Thanks Mr. O'Conner!!  Ok that was one long thought but that just shows my enthusiasm for everything surrounding this wedding for me.  :)

Their photographer - Bailly Photography - took these engagement shoot photos this winter in Albany.  This is just a glimpse at this happy couple - and their adorable doggie.   I can't wait to post all the goodness of their big day once it finally gets here!

A Mother of the Bride Posted a Review of WPP

Mrs Pugliano, mother of my recent bride Amy, sent me an email last night to tell me she posted a review of me on Wedding Wire and two other sites.  She was afraid of sounding verbose so she kept her comments brief and to the point.  She could have said two words and I would still have been overwhelmed, and with what she posted I am nothing short of just that.  Thank you Mrs Pugliano for taking the time out of your busy day to post this for me, and for sharing such kind words about my services.  Amy's wedding was AMAZING and I look back at it with nothing but the fondest of memories.  Maybe I'll see you all again at daughter number two's big day???  ;)

"We hired Shannon to coordinate wedding details for our daughter's wedding. She provided services for the two weeks prior to the wedding and day of. As soon as we met with her and she laid out a detailed itinerary, I immediately knew we were in good hands. She's organized, thorough, and totally flexible. On the day of the wedding, Shannon took care of all of us and made sure that everything went exactly the way the bride and groom wanted it. Shannon's the best!"

To read more of the reviews left to me from past clients on Wedding Wire PLEASE CLICK HERE.  

Shanna and Scott Get Married

Photo by ME!  (It's their ridiculous head table, designed by David from Renaissance Floral Design)

Shanna and Scott were married June 30th, 2012... as in yesterday.  Among the AMAZING team of wedding vendors was Mellowtown, a videography team who traveled all the way up here from Nashville TN, and they shot, edited and revealed this video to all of the wedding guests as a surprise at the end of the night.  I couldn't be more shocked with the quality of work they were able to produce in such a short amount of time.  Shanna and Scott were thrilled, and as the planner of this event I think I could watch this reel over and over and over.  Check out the absolute beauty of these two's perfect wedding day.  YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS SEEING THIS!!!!!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW SHANNA AND SCOTT'S WEDDING VIDEO SAME DAY EDIT

Wedding Planners in Action

Tracey Buyce caught a few pics of me during Kristin and Andy's wedding day this past January.  Enjoy!