Bailey and Corey - January 1, 2016

 Bailey and Corey were married at the Canfield Casino on January 1, 2016. I had the absolute joy of starting out my New Year with one of the most electric couples I have had the pleasure to work with. Bailey and Corey were so excited to be celebrating their marriage (just wait until you see the dance floor photos! These guys have got some moves!!) 

Their day began with Kyle Ann Garcia at the Saratoga Hilton who made sure Bailey and her ladies were all dolled up and looking gorgeous. Bailey wore a stunning gown with an open back that fit her to a "T". Her maids all wore gorgeous neutral gowns each with a different neckline to reflect their personal style. Neutral colored bridesmaids gowns are on trend for 2016 and I am in love!! Evergreen bouquets created by Price Chopper were the perfect compliment to a winter wedding and the ladies' gorgeous dresses. If you ask Corey what his favorite part about the wedding is I'm sure he would tell you all about his awesome custom made blue suit!! It is so great to see grooms excited about the details, it's your day too gentleman!! 

As soon as the group was ready we headed over to the Canfield Casino for the first look. Linda Conley captured all of the joy and emotion in this moment perfectly. It is always an honor to witness such intimate moments on the wedding day. After Linda caught some great shots of Bailey and Corey their bridal party came outside to brave the cold with smiles! Inside guests began to arrive for the ceremony officiated by Bailey's sister. My favorite ceremonies are those officiated by family members - they make it so memorable. As soon as the "I Do's" were spoken two guests in the crowd jumped up with giant cut out heads of the groom to cheer!! It was such a fun surprise for the groom and the guests!! (later in the evening those giant heads ended up in the photo booth and on the dance floor!! What Fun!!)

Bailey and Corey chose to have a cocktail style reception to maximize their time on the dance floor with the New York Players. You may wonder what that means for the evening's cuisine. Bailey and Corey worked with Kim Klopstock owner of Lily and the Rose Catering to create a unique menu with passed hors d'oeuvres and stations filled with their favorite foods! Guests enjoyed a wide variety of delicious bites created with fresh and local ingredients. As soon as formalities were finished Bailey laced up her sneakers and we pulled out all of those bobby pins (sorry Kyle Ann Garcia!) so she could hit the dance floor and bust a move!

This wedding was such a pleasure to coordinate and I am so blessed to have worked with an amazing crew! Kyle Ann Garcia knocked the ladies hair and make-up out of the park. The New York Players kept everyone on the dance floor all night until they needed a break to enjoy the wonderful stations by Lily and the Rose. Crystal Riley at the Queensbury Price Chopper always wows us with her floral designs. Thank you Upstate Transit for getting all of the guests back to their rooms safely and last but certainly not least, Linda Conley for capturing all of the smiles, laughter and happy tears of the day!! 

Bailey and Corey it was both a pleasure and an absolute blast to coordinate your wedding!! I wish you both all of the happiness in the world!!

xoxo

Aissa

Happy International Women's Day!

Photos by Sawicki Studio

Happy International Women's Day!  Just wanted to give a shout of to these five ladies who are the backbone of WPP.  I couldn't be more proud of them and all the hard work they do!

A New Review For Aissa!

Photo by Linda Conley Photography

We received some love today in the form of a sweet review posted by Bailey and Corey!  They worked with WPP Lead Planner Aissa Terry and said "she could have doubled her fee and still been worth every penny".  

Thanks so much you guys!

To read all of our reviews CLICK HERE

"We used Aissa as our “day of” coordinator for our wedding on Jan 1st at the Canfield Casino. She met with us a number of times in the weeks leading up to the wedding, and her advice with regards to various vendors, saved us a significant amount of money and really streamlined a hectic planning process.

While her help in the planning process was incredibly important, her contribution on the actual wedding day was even more valuable. She took on every task from herding groomsmen and maids, to re-arranging chairs and paying vendors. She was with us from the beginning our day until band played their last song (and even met up with us at a bar after the wedding to bring us our room key!). I can’t imagine how we would have pulled off our wedding without her help. This rating scale does not do justice to how helpful she was to us. She could have doubled her fee and still been worth every penny."

Era and Roger - October 24, 2015

Era and Roger were married on October 24, 2015, with their ceremony at a Sikh temple in Rensselaer and their reception at the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga.  These two contacted me 6 months before their big day to help them stay on track with their planning and to be there with them to coordinate wedding day itself.  Era is a sensitive woman who snacked on carrots in my office and focused on making sure that all of their guests would have a good time, and Roger is a project manager who lived comfortably in the world of spreadsheets, timelines, and RSVP tracking.  Their blended Indian-American wedding was so fun to plan with them - and came together so beautifully!

This wedding was a little trickier than most to plan because there were a lot of moving parts.  To celebrate Era's heritage the ceremony followed traditional Indian elements which began early that morning with the the groom's parade (Baraat).  Roger rode in on a white horse and his friends and family followed a dhol player through neighborhood streets to reach the temple.  After they danced and celebrated the families participated in the Milni where they exchanged flower garlands signifying that their acceptance of the marriage.  The guests were treated to lunch before heading inside the temple so the wedding ceremony could begin.  Era and her closest friend remained inside and hidden away through the morning, but once all of the guests made their way inside the ceremony room Era's brother escorted her in.  For Sikh ceremonies the men and women sit on opposite sides of the room and everyone inside the temple has to wear a head covering.  I have experienced several Indian weddings but this was my first Sikh ceremony.  It was wonderful to learn a new set of traditions!

After the ceremony everyone moved outside to a tent for lunch catered by Flavors of India.  Then shuttle buses took guests to Saratoga in anticipation of the reception which was to be held that night.  Era and Roger stopped for a few photos before going to their hotel to change into their reception garb.  Era had a hair and makeup refresh, the two were able to get a few more photos taken, and then it was time for them to party!

The reception was held under a tent in the back courtyard of the Dance Museum.  Roger is an avid curler and member of the Albany Curling Club and it was a perfect fit for them to be introduced into the reception tent to the sounds of bag pipes and Roger's curling friends stomping their brooms to the beat.  Era and Roger gave a heart felt thank you speech to their guests, danced their first dance, and then DJ Adam Conway got their party started!  Guests enjoyed a mix of Indian and traditional American music, as well as a delicious buffet of Indian food made by New World Catering.  It was such a fun wedding for me and so amazing to see Era and Roger enjoying themselves at each stage of the day!

I am happy to give credit to a long list of amazing vendors who all worked so hard to make this wedding special.  First I have to give a shout out to Katie Anello from Clark + Walker who is the talent behind all of these gorgeous photos.  Thanks for your fun energy Katie!  Also a thank you to Steve Powers, associate videographer with Bigler Productions.  For the morning's events I worked with the Sikh Temple of Rensselaer, Loon Farms (Baraat horse), DJs Samrin and Janspreet (DJ and dhol player), Flavors of India (breakfast and lunch buffet), and Brookside Nursery for renting mums to decorate the outside of the temple.  Transportation was provided by Advantage Transportation Group.  And for the reception I worked with Jo Ambrosio from the National Museum of Dance, Mary Jacobs and her team at New World Catering, DJ Adam Conway from Piano Man DJs, Kris Ann Elario at Fleurtacious Designs (who also made the beautiful flower garlands), Kyle Garcia (hair and makeup), and all of the rentals for both venues were provided by Rain or Shine.

Also don't miss Era and Roger's wedding trailer video produced by Steve Powers, associate videographer with Dave Bigler Photo and Video.  It's at the end of this post!

This is an extra long blog entry because it was an extra special day!  Thank you Era and Roger for choosing me as your wedding planner.  It was an absolute pleasure to work with you, meet your wonderful families, and play a small part in your big day.  I hope to continue this friendship with you for years to come!

xoxo,

Shannon

Sharing Some Vendor Love

This is not your average bow tie.  This tie was gifted to me by Anthony Commisso, owner of Tuxego in Latham, to save a groom whose tie went missing the morning of his wedding.  That was in May 2014.  And since then this tie has come to the rescue two more times, to fix a broken bow tie for a groomsman in Boston this fall and to save another groom who got married at The Sagamore last spring.  None of those guys were Anthony's clients but if you know Anthony you know that doesn't matter.  When I called in and asked if he could help a groom who got his tux from somewhere else he said 'Absolutely'.  

Karma is real and good actions do go noticed.

And hey, if you are on the fence about hiring a wedding planner remember this story and see how it makes you feel.  We can sit and tell you all the wonderful things we do for you the day of your wedding, and I suppose I should be adding this tie to my list of values we bring to your table.  I mean wouldn't you want a professional there to make comes with a backup tie?

WPP Coordinated Wedding Featured In Saratoga Bride!

We are so happy to share that Ashley and Tim's National Museum of Dance wedding is featured in the current issue of Saratoga Bride!  This wedding was coordinated by WPP Junior Planner Erin McKee back in September and photographed by Tracey Buyce.  Congrats to Ashley and Tim and the entire vendor team on this great recognition!