Diana and Owen - August 24, 2013

Diana and Owen were married August 24, 2013 on the beautiful grounds of Owen's family estate in Dorset, Vermont.  They celebrated on a warm summer day with close friends and family, and brought in some of the most lovely details I have ever seen.  I was asked to provide day-of wedding coordination services for them and I truly had such a wonderful time working with these two.

It will be immediately clear through these photos that Diana and Owen had an abundance of special details at their wedding.  Diana's gown was handmade in the Philippines to the specifications Diana gave to her designers.  All of the stationery for their wedding was not only designed by Diana but she physically hand pressed all of the pieces.  The property and the houses there have been in Owen's family for generations and provided a deep sense of family and history (check out the photo of Owen and his brothers standing in front of a wall of portraits of their ancestors).  Owen's family spent a full year before the wedding planting wild flowers and clearing space for the ceremony space by the edge of the woods and reception tent down by the main house.  And Diana, an architect, built the platform that she and Owen stood on to say their vows, as well as each of the benches that the guests sat on to witness their I Do's.  

Some of my favorite details from this wedding were the little decor touches that their florist executed so  incredibly well.  All their bouquets and centerpieces were constructed in a work space on property the day of the wedding - an organic process I rarely get to see happen before my eyes.  I loved the lush garden feel of all of the flowers, and the greenery that was added so delicately and so well.  I also loved the tiny baby vegetables that were placed on the menu card at each guests' plate.  Add all of that with southern Vermont air, beautiful farm tables and wood chairs, and cakes made by close friends and you have the simply refined wedding of your dreams.

A talented cast of vendors made this wedding possible.  I got the chance to work with Jen Huang of Jen Huang Photography for the first time.  She and her team are fun and fresh and, as you can see in these images, wildly talented!  The florals were done by the NYC based Poppies and Posies who blew everyone away with their creatively designed bouquets and arrangements.  Catering was provided by Michael Stuart Catering out of NYC, and the sail cloth tent was provided by Sperry Tent Rentals.  Peak Entertainment DJ'd the night away, and Portal Films shot video of the event.  Lastly we had Maxine Neuman and her string group play during the ceremony and cocktail hour and Kerry Armstrong did all of the girls' pretty hair dos.

I so appreciate Diana and Owen finding me online and inviting me to be a small part of their day.  Congrats you two!

xoxo,

Shannon

Jessica and Gabe - October 19, 2013

Jessica and Gabe were married on October 19, 2013.  Their ceremony was held at St Mary's Church in East Greenbush and their reception was at River Stone Manor.  They hired me for day-of wedding coordination and also to give them a little help with decor planning in the months leading up to their wedding.  While working with them I learned that Jess and Gabe are big runners and Jess even met me at The Crossings for a run one night over the summer.  She can run fast, and I nearly died trying to keep up with her!  

Jess and Gabe are both such sweet people, very thoughtful and caring towards the one's they love.  Throughout my time working with them they surprised me with gifts of Ommegang beer (yum!) and they even designed a shirt for me that read "Plan, Run, Repeat".  It was honestly the most thoughtful gift I have ever received!  And on the day of their wedding they continued with the outpouring of love to their family and friends, and kept the details of their event simple, personal, and super fun.

One thing I definitely remember from Jessica and Gabe's wedding was hearing that "What Does the Fox Say" song for the first time.  The maid of honor and best man were singing it with them when they were doing photos outside of River Stone Manor and I had no idea what they were talking about.  They filled me in on the lyrics and the ridiculousness of the song, and when the DJ played it later that night they all made a circle and danced around like little foxes.  That definitely made my night!

I got to work with a great group of vendors on this wedding!  It was my first time getting to work with Jessie and Pat from Casey Connell Photography, as well as Jessie's sister who brought a ton of energy to manning their photo booth.  These ladies are great!  Skip and his team at River Stone Manor did an amazing job taking care of everyone all night.  It was my first time working with DJ Chris Johnston and I had a blast with him!  Kris Ann Elario from Fleurtacious Designs did her usual magic with flowers and decor, and Tablecloths For Granted supplied the burlap table overlays and the burlap chair ties, turning the venue into a fall wonderland.  Lisa Ferreira from Gourmet Confections made a stunning naked cake and homemade dessert bar, and the ladies of Make Me Fabulous did an awesome job with all of the girls' hair and makeup.  Last but not least was transportation, with Today's Limousine providing the limos and town car and Wade Tours doing the guest shuttles.  

I loved working with Jess and Gabe and getting to meet their family and friends!  I know I'll be seeing them at local races - that is if they wait around long enough for me to cross the finish line!  

xoxo,

Shannon

McKenzie and Kyle are Featured on Carats and Cake!

Photo by Heather Bohm-Tallman

We are so excited to see that McKenzie and Kyle's stunning September nuptials are featured on the blog Carats and Cake!  This wedding had every detail that all of us here just drool about - gorgeous bride (and dress!), handsome groom, unique details, personal touches, and of course stunning photos!  Congrats to McKenzie and Kyle for being chosen for this great site!

To see their feature CLICK HERE.

A Sweet Note from the Mother of the Bride

I received such a sweet note after posting the recap of Jess and Tommy's wedding.  The note came from the Mother of the Bride, someone I worked closely with on the details for this event.  Thank you so much for your kind words Sonja!  

Shannon, the very BEST wedding planner. We knew it the day we met her, she had a personality/ passion to create the best atmosphere for the perfect wedding for our daughter. Jess and Tommy still talk about how picture perfect their wedding was. So thank you Shannon for all your help on this destination wedding at the Sagamore for Jess. 

Thank you again, 

The Moscato's 

Jessica and Tommy - August 3, 2013

Jessica and Tommy were married on August 3, 2013 at The Sagamore Resort in Bolton Landing.  They had a beautiful summer day with warm weather and great lake breezes.  The couple lives in Florida but chose The Sagamore as a destination location for their big day.  They brought me on to provide day-of wedding coordination services so that everyone could relax and enjoy.

Jess is blessed with having a mom who who was very involved in the wedding planning process.  The two of them made beautiful choices on all of the small details, including the dresses, flowers, and linens.  With a palette of gray, ivory, blush, and soft pink they created a clean and modern look for the ceremony and reception.  This was a great choice of colors to complement the beautiful view of the water and the Adirondack Mountains.

Jess and Tommy put a lot of personal touches to their wedding to truly make the day special for them and for their guests.  Tommy's father performed the ceremony, and Jessica's father gave a touching welcome speech to start of the reception.  They ended the night with a sparkler send off that took guests from the wedding tent to a bonfire where they enjoyed smores and more celebrating.  And, as August 3rd is my birthday, the father of the bride grabbed the mic at the end of the night to wish me a happy birthday and thank me for my help that day.  That meant so much to me!

Joining me on this wedding was a great group of vendors.  Of course working with Dawn and Jerid at The Sagamore is always a pleasure, and Jerid really goes out of his way to make sure the guests and the vendors have everything they need.  The photographer was Lauren Ann Hughes and she graciously sent me these photos to share with all of you.  Jess and Tommy also had Paper Moon Productions shooting video, Salon Capri from Rochester did all of the girls' hair, Changes Salon was on hand for makeup, and All Season Trio played live for the ceremony.  And last but certainly not least, are two of my favorite guys in the business - Patrick Bergeron of Metro Music kept everyone dancing up until the very last song, and David Michael Schmidt of Renaissance Floral Design created all of the beautiful floral and decorative items for the ceremony and reception.

Thank you to Jess, Tommy, and both of your families for including me in your big day!