Wedding Insurance

Besides hiring a wedding planner, the biggest decision you can make to ensure you're going to have a perfect wedding day is to take out Wedding Insurance. We all know about the local wedding photo/video/DJ company that recently closed up shop and disappeared, leaving dozens of brides with no vendors for their wedding and no sign of the return of any of their money. This is a tragic situation for any bride, but with Wedding Insurance you could be covered for this kind of thing. Or what about a horrific story I heard from one of my photographer friends who was working a wedding last year where someone stole the gift envelopes from the reception, taking all of the money and gifts that were intended to go to the bride and groom. You may think this kind of thing would never happen but it does, and Wedding Insurance can help cover you for this loss.

I know that the thought of an added wedding expense does not seem appealing to any couple, but I happen to know a very knowledgeable and handsome insurance professional (my brother!) who can write a policy for couples for as little as $170. With the average cost of weddings nearing $30,000 taking out a simple policy for less than $200 seems like a totally worthwhile expense.

Here are some of the things that can be covered in a Wedding Insurance policy:

The cancellation or postponement of your wedding (including change of heart coverage)
Photography and video
Gifts
Rented property
Special attire
Jewelry
Loss of deposits
Professional counseling
Personal liability and medical expense
Liquor liability

Here are some examples of how Wedding Insurance can prove to be invaluable:

Extreme weather rolls in on your wedding day making it impossible to hold your event
Hired vendors go out of business before your big day and you are out your deposits and payments
Unforseen medical issues cause the wedding to be postponed
No-show vendors
Theft
Wedding dress ruined at the reception
Damage to the property at a rented venue


In addition to the many benefits of having insurance for loss, many couples rent venues that require you provide your own insurance to cover the liability of your event. The National Museum of Dance, the Canfield Casino, the Pruyn House, and many other such venues require this and a Wedding Insurance policy can include all of the coverage your venue requires.

You have insurance to cover the value of your home, your apartment, your vehincles, and all of your other prized possessions, so why wouldn't you consider insuring your wedding? With the cots of your wedding probably exceeding the cost of your car there is really no reason not to.

Any questions or inquiries on Wedding Insurance can be directed to my brother - Brian Whitney - who is an insurance professional with the Associates of Glens Falls. He can be reached at 518-793-3444. Tell him his big sis says hi! ;)

How Sweet is This??

There is a bride getting married in 2012 who has been in contact with me about assisting her with her planning. She was a guest at one of my weddings this past fall so I was able to meet her then but a few e-mails and a brief conversation at that event are as far as we've gotten. I just found that she has her own wedding planning blog and as I read through some past posts I see she has written about me!! It's good stuff and I just had to share. How sweet is she??? :)

Let It Be Known...

Let it be known that 6 months before I was proposed to, I referred MY WEDDING PLANNER to another bride... and got laughed at by her groom in the process. Let me rewind and tell you how it all came about.

So most of my friends know that I started planning my wedding when I was 20. I'm 32 now so I've had years of planning and I know exactly what I want for most things. I also knew very quickly into our relationship that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Shawn. For me, it was natural to start planning my wedding with him long before he proposed to me. I think it was a very good sign that he knew I was planning our wedding and didn't go into a full panic about it.

So had we been getting married in the Mid-Hudson Valley, I wouldn't need a Wedding Planner. I spent my whole life there and knew the area like the back of my hand. As a new transplant to the Capital District, I need help. Help that a groom cannot provide. You might be asking, but what about your bridesmaids? Well half of them have spent their entire lives in the area and I am working with them for ideas. However, this is my vision and I wanted to put all of my ducks in a row on the vision itself before asking for help. Sometimes your closest friends and family can provide influence away from your own tastes. I needed to make sure I had a clear picture of what I wanted exactly and whether I could facilitate it before reaching out to them.

So, I started looking for wedding planners and came across several. However, I always go with my gut. My gut told me to go with Wedding Planning Plus. So I sent an email and got an immediate reply back from Shannon Whitney. She is super helpful and her willingness to answer my questions, even though I wasn't even engaged yet was helpful, and thoughtful of her. I went through some trouble figuring out a potential venue (due to my Celiac, I have to be very careful of who is selected for food preparation). I had sent out a series of emails and gotten no replies.

I happened to mention this to Shannon, that I felt like I was being ignored because I wasn't engaged yet. She reached out to her friend Erin at Birch Hill and to my surprise, it was technical issues with their contact form which caused the lack of response and Erin was more than willing to work with me in advance of Shawn's proposing. Shannon showed she was worth her weight in gold and I didn't even have a ring on my finger yet.

Shannon and I continued to email and low and behold, my friend ran into trouble with her venue with weeks left to spare before her wedding. She was so stressed she was ill and the venue had been so cruel to her that a single email had her dissolving into tears. I didn't hesitate for a second to recommend Shannon to her.

They went in to meet with Shannon and she told them "So, you were referred to me by one of my brides?" and the groom's comment was something along the lines of "but Shawn hasn't even proposed to her!" Anyway...

Shannon saved the day! She worked with her and helped her get through the final weeks leading up to her fabulous wedding to make them pain-free for the bride. On the day of the wedding, Shannon coordinated the whole thing flawlessly. She was even so helpful as to assist an old friend of the bride's in staging a gift basket in the Bridal Suite.

I have a lot of worries about my wedding (mostly around food), but knowing that Shannon is behind me, with her endless knowledge, caring and attention to details, I can breathe a sigh of relief that everything is going to be allright.

Wedding Planners in Action!

Here's another post of some pics of me from past weddings. This wedding was photographed by the lovely Tracey Buyce at Glen Sanders Mansion back in October 2009. Tracey happened to catch me in the photo of getting the bride in her dress and also of me helping keep her train clean as she walked outside for her first sighting photos. The bottom two pics have my 2009 intern Laura in them, and were taken in the back of Glen Sanders right on the shores of the Mohawk River. This was such a great event, and these pics still bring a smile to my face!

Toasts

Photo by Niki Rossi

Toasts are standard at every wedding. Typically the best man raises a glass, says some kind words about the happy couple, and everyone says cheers and takes a sip in their honor. Some toasts are memorable for the right reasons, some are memorable for very different reasons. Have you ever been to a wedding where something inappropriate is said during a toast? Or what about toasts that go on for what seems like forever plus a day? Or those terribly awkward toasts where the person at the mic clearly thought they could wing it without writing anything down just to find out that they became a sweating stammering mutterer as soon as they stood in front of all those guests. Oh boy.


Photo by Tracey Buyce


I get asked by couples what is standard when it comes to toasts and here is what I tell them:

• Traditionally the best man gives a toast at the wedding reception and says something nice about the couple, maybe tells a funny story about something stupid the groom did as he was pursuing his bride, and then finishes by wishing them the best that life has to offer them. The maid or matron of honor can also speak, and it is almost commonplace now for both of these two to give toasts during the reception. The maid of honor's speech is usually something more emotional, and if she is a childhood friend of the bride her toast usually has some sort of silly story about what the bride was like growing up. She then wishes the couple all the best and finishing by asking everyone to raise a glass in the couple's honor. It doesn't really matter who goes first, but if you know one is going to be more emotional you may want to leave that one for last.

Photo by Elario Photography

• Because parents of the bride and groom often host the wedding (aka pay for all or most of the event) they often want an opportunity to say something to the guests, as well. I usually put this directly before the best man and maid of honor's toasts and suggest that the parent(s) use that time to welcome guests to their child's wedding and thank everyone for coming. They can go off from there in whatever direction they would like but the welcome and the thank you are pretty much the foundation of what they should be delivering.

Photo by Tracey Buyce

• So if you have parents speaking, a best man giving and toast, and a maid or matron of honor toasting, you really don't want many more captive microphone moments than that. I was at a wedding once where virtually everyone in the bridal party got up to say something and I lost interest after minute 2 1/2. It's lovely for your attendants to want to wish you well but the bridal shower or the rehearsal dinner makes for a much better suited place for these kinds of moments.
• If you are giving a toast or a speech have a clear idea of what you want to say before you go up there. I can't count the number of times I hear a best man say that he totally forgot to mention all the good stuff because he got up there and got nervous and thrown off. It's ok to write things down - in fact I encourage it! Just jot a few basic notes to give yourself a reminder of the topics you want to cover. Trust me when I tell you that this will make for a much more relaxed and well received delivery and sounds a lot better than "Uhhh", "Ummm", and "Soooo".
  
• And lastly, don't forget that whoever is giving a toast will be a point if interest for the photographer and videographer. Make sure the guys have their jackets on! And ladies keep those heels on until after this Kodak moment. And please for the love of all things holy please remember to have a glass of champagne or sparkling water with you so that when you ask guests to raise their glass you can raise yours, too. And lastly, and probably most importantly, everyone is nervous when they give a toast. Don't use the cocktail hour as your personal effort to get as much liquid courage in you as you can. A sober nervous speech wins over a slurred sloppy one every single time.

Above all anyone who is asked to give a toast should feel incredibly honored to have been given such an important role. Keep your toast succinct and interject your personality into it. Stay calm and have fun. At least you get to finish with a swig of some bubbly!



Photo by Out of the Ordinary Photography

Happy Mother's Day!

I am what I am and am able to do what I do because of this woman right here. Happy Mother's Day to the greatest woman I've ever known. I love you mom!

Altamont Manor Open House - June 5th

Mark your calendars! There is a free open house at the Altamont Manor where you can meet wedding vendors, sample food from Elegant Touch and Nicole's Catering, and tour through the facility and the beautiful rose gardens. I will be there so if you want to come just to meet me that's fine, too! :)

You're invited to
The Altamont Manor
Open House
Sunday, June 5th
Noon to 4:00 pm.

A gracious 1894 restored Victorian home, the Altamont Manor is one of the area's most unique and
elegant settings for enchanted wedding receptions.
We offer a secluded setting, formal gardens, spacious landscaped surroundings and a 30 mile view.

Come meet many of the areas finest wedding professionals, stroll the gardens, relax on the veranda and enter the drawings for valuable prizes that will enhance your wedding.

Make your reservation soon for this limited event.

Call 518-861-8176 to register

See you tonight?

Come spend a little Cinco de Mayo action with your favorite wedding friends! I will be at the New York Wedding Boutique's 1st Anniversary Party tonight at Pat's Barn in Troy. Vendors, brides and grooms, and guests are all invited to attend and share in the celebration. This is a great chance for couples to mingle with some of the area's hottest wedding vendors, sample food from Nicole's Catering, and to see what a party looks like a great wedding venue. I will be there early so stop by and say hello!

Pat's Barn - Defreest Rd in Troy, NY
6:00-9:00

Parent Dance Songs

I posted a blog a few months ago listing some of the most popular first dance songs at my past weddings, and I thought it would be fun to also list some of the top parent dance songs. These always tend to be tough choices for most couples because you want to make your moms and dads happy but you don't want to be stuck swaying along to some horrible 5 minute tune. Maybe you and your 'rents have a song already lined up, but if not maybe you could consider one of these little ditties:




Photo by Heather Bohm-Tallman


Father/Daughter dance songs:

Forever Young - Bob Dylan
I loved her First - Heartland
Butterfly Kisses - Bob Carlisle
My Girl - Temptations
Wonderful World - Louie Armstrong
Father and Daughter - Paul Simon
Cinderella - Steven Curtis Chapman
The Way You Look Tonight - Frank Sinatra
Isn't She Lovely - Stevie Wonder
In My Daughter's Eyes - Martina McBride
Because You Loved Me - Celine Dion
Unforgettable - Nat King Cole



Photo by Tracey Buyce


Mother/Son dance songs:

Raise Me Up - Westlife
Wind Beneath My Wings - Bette Midler
The Rose - Bette Midler, Highland Heartbeat
Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
All to You - DJ Keo
Stand by Me - Ben E. King
I Hope You Dance - Lee Ann Womack
Your Song - Garth Brooks
Just the Way You Are - Billy Joel
Have I Told You Lately - Rod Stewart
In My Life - The Beatles
Child of Mine - Carole King

How to Assemble Your Invitations

Summer wedding invitations are going out, fall wedding couples are ordering and assembling as we speak. No matter who you order your invitations through and regardless of how many enclosures and fancy elements there are to your invitations, there is a specific way that they need to be assembled to fit with tradition and etiquette.

Before we get started here is a list of possible items in your invitation. If you don't have some of these pieces just skip that part in the process listed below:

• Main invitation card (single card or folded card)
• Inner and outer envelopes
• Response card and response card envelope
• Reception card (listing the site and address of your reception if your reception is in a separate location from your ceremony)
• Directions card/map card
  
• Accommodations card
• Tissue paper (not seen as often in modern times)
  

Before you do anything you should deal with all of your envelopes. This way you won't make any marks or indentations on the inner cards and you won't forget that important response card envelope stamp. The outer envelope is what gets the full formal address with words like "street" and "road" being spelled out formally. For guests' names it's customary to list John and Jill Jones and their children as "Mr. and Mrs. John Jones and family", although if that feels too formal for you and your event you have the choice to list your names more casually. You have an inner envelope that can be addressed as well, and if you are sticking with a formal feel then it is customary to address this envelope. To do so you would list the specific people being invited, so in the example of the Jones family the inner envelope would say Mr. and Mrs. John Jones, and the list of children would be written below that in age order. If you are having an adults only wedding then this would be the place that specific invitees would be listed. For example just Mr. and Mrs. John Jones and no children named below. If you are going with a more casual feel then the inner envelope doesn't need to be addressed at all. Now for the stamping of these envelopes, the inner envelope will never be processed by the postal service so that requires no stamp. The response card envelope will be what guests send their response cards back to you in and it is polite to affix a standard stamp to that envelope for the ease of your guests. It should also have your return address printed on it so that guests can just pop it as is into the mail to send back to you. Now for the outer envelope, that is what your entire invitation and enclosures are being mailed in so it needs not only to be stamped but to have the proper postage for the size and weight of the entire piece. Because of all of the enclosures wedding invitations almost always are heavier than a standard piece of mail, and if your invitation is square or oversized then you also have the added charge of mailing a larger sized item. The best thing you can do is bring your invitation fully assembled (so that is has all of the enclosures, envelopes, etc) and have the post office weigh it for you. They can tell you how much each one will cost to mail, and offer you options for pretty specialty stamps that cover that fee.

Ok now for the assembly! First is your main invitation card. That goes in to your inner envelope with the text facing the flap. If your invitation is a single card then everything else I'm going to talk about goes in front of it; If your card is folded then everything else goes inside of it. Next, your response card gets tucked under the flap of the response card envelope facing out (tucked under the flap but not placed inside the envelope). This response card/envelope duo get placed inside the inner envelope in front of the invitation so that the card and the flap are facing out. If you have a reception card that goes in between the response card/response card envelope and the main invitation. Any other enclosures like directions cards, accommodations cards, etc go in front of the response card/response card envelope. And if you are using tissue paper then the paper goes directly on the main invitation to protect it from all of the enclosure cards sitting on top of it. Now all of these cards should be in your inner envelope which you leave untucked and unsealed. The inner envelope goes into the outer envelope with the guests' names facing out (so that the outer and inner envelopes essentially are facing opposite directions. Then you seal the outer envelope, make sure you have the proper postage, and away they go!

Assembling wedding invitations can be a tedious process so I always recommend couples order their invitations with plenty of time to put them all together. As far as when to mail them, the standard is 8-10 weeks before the event date, with your RSVP date being 4 weeks from the event. So this means you should be ordering your invitations at least 3 to 4 months before your wedding date to get them out on time, and earlier than that if possible so you can have time for revisions, printing, shipping, and of course the assembly!

I hope this information has been helpful! As a reminder, we sell tons of different styles of invitations so if you want personal guidance through all of this feel free to contact us for a complimentary invitation consultation.
Shannon@WeddingPlanningPlus.net.

We're LIVE!

The new Wedding Planning Plus website is up and it's amaaaazing!

Click here to check it out all the WPP website goodness!!

Oh the times, they are a changing...

New and exciting changes are happening on the WPP front and I am excited to share them all with you! By now you have seen the new fancy logo, hopefully you've received the newsletter (if not just e-mail me and I'll add you to the list), and you are in tune with all the improvements going on here at headquarters. Well the final piece of the puzzle is just about complete, and that is the unveiling of our new and super gorgeous website which will go live in the next few days. I have built this whole thing myself and the time and energy it has taken I hope will prove to be well worth it. Keep an eye on this blog and our WPP Facebook page for news of the actual go live moment, but if by chance you try and log onto www.weddingplanningplus.net and you get an error message that just means we are making the big switch so stay patient and check back soon!

Big thanks to all of you for your love, patience, and unending support! You truly make it possible for us to do what we love to do.

Green Weddings

Photo by Heather Bohm-Tallman

Earth Day is Friday and although I live a fairly green lifestyle everyday this is the perfect time to talk about ways you can make your wedding as green as it can be. If you think about what kind of environmental impact your big day can have it is actually mindblowing. From the travel of your guests to the waste of packaging from all of your favors it really makes sense to try and cut back on excess waste and lower the carbon footprint you're making with this one event.

I have planned several green weddings and although each bride takes it to their own level, here are some great ways you can be more earth conscious when planning your big day:

• Instead of giving your guests a disposal wedding favor why not make a donation to your favorite charity? And if you have a charity that does waste cleanup, forest preservation, or other green actions this can be even that much more environmentally impactful.

This is a photo from one of my weddings where instead of a traditional wedding favor the couple made a donation to the World Wildlife Fund to support their conservation of wildlife and wild habitats.

Photo by Bob Donlon

Consider giving your guests a favor that will impact the environment in a positive way. Here is a tree sapling that each guest was able to take home and plant in their yard. The couple even cut down on paper waste by adding their guests' names onto the favor to save them from having to use (and at the end of the night, throw out) traditional place cards.

Photo by Niki Rossi

• Get your wedding flowers from a local nursery instead of looking for exotic flowers that need to be shipped from the other side of the world. You will not only be supporting the local farmer and incorporating home grown items into your day, but you will be lowering the amount of pollution caused by the planes and automobiles that are needed to transport flowers from other countries.

• While we're talking about flowers, consider the impact of the vases used for centerpieces. By using recycled glass containers, and then arranging for the reuse of these vases after the wedding is over, you will contribute to a positive use of the glass and not add to the waste sent to the landfill.

Here is a photo from a wedding where they used peonies from a family garden to make their own ceremony baskets and centerpieces.

Photo by Niki Rossi

• Serve your guests organic food, wine and beer! Organic food may seem like an obvious choice but a lot of people aren't aware that there are good organic wines and beers out there that can compliment an organic meal quite well. So you can save the environmental impact of pesticides not only on your plate but also in your glass.

• Consider using linens that aren't dyed in harsh chemicals. There are linens out there that aren't put through a chemical dying process and therefor aren't adding to the amount of chemicals that need to be disposed of from fabric factories.

• Think eco-friendly with all of your invitation and stationery products. Having a formal way to invite your guests to your wedding is essential, but you have the option of choosing invitations made of recycled paper, going with a more compact design to decrease waste, or even choosing to go the route of electronic invitations to completely cut out not only the paper, printing, and processing waste, but also the transportation pollution that comes with the mailing of both the invitation and the guests' response cards that are sent back to you.

• You can even incorporate your green theme into your honeymoon by choosing a vacation that has low carbon impact and can include activities where you give back to the land by volunteering with environmental activities like garbage cleanup, reforestation, or other such projects. Rent bikes and ride around town, choose to not have your hotel wash your towels and linens everyday, and keep the disposable souvenir purchases to a minimum. In this way you are not only doing your part on your wedding day but also carrying the concept through to your married life.

Live the principles of Earth Day everyday, including on your wedding day. If you are interested in planning a Green Wedding or are looking for more information on the topics above feel free to e-mail me at shannon@weddingplanningplus.net.

Check me out on the NYWB blog!

My friends at the New York Wedding Boutique just conducted an interview with yours truly and the blog post is now up for the world to see! Check it out!!

Click here to check out my exclusive interview!

Hot Wedding Trend - Uplighting!

Photo by Tracey Buyce

There are so many ways to wow up your reception room, but none might be as great a bang for your buck as uplighting. You can take a simple (or even drab - eek!) room, throw some strategically placed uplights around, and you just made the room feel like a completely new space. If you want to add color, depth, texture, or interest to your walls then uplighting is a great way to go. There is always the option of pipe and draping walls in full length fabrics, or creating camouflages to ugly sections with plants and other barriers, but if you want to stay simple and stay reasonably affordable uplighting is a great way to go.

Popular lights used now are LEDs that can be set or rotated to any color on the spectrum. So you want to start with a cool blue during cocktail hour, a calm amber during dinner, and then fire up a hot magenta pink when you're on the dance floor - you can do that!


Photos by Tracey Buyce


And you can also use uplights to add beautiful dimension to outdoor spaces by shining them up under trees or natural elements around the property.

Check out some of the photos from my past events where uplighting was used simply and beautifully. On fabric draped walls the color almost dyes the white material a completely different color and transforms the whole rooms to a bright glow. Even white light in the black and white picture below can add a warmth and brightness to a dark outdoor reception. The great thing is you can have fun with uplighting, and build a color, look, and feel all your own.

Photo 5 - Gallery 9 North
Photo 6 - Belathee Photography
Photo 7 - Shannon DeCelle Photography

Vegas here I come!

I just signed up for the Wedding MBA seminar in September of this year. I am super excited about this conference because there will be three days of intense morning to night sessions from topics spanning the whole realm of wedding planning and wedding business ownership. There will be professionals from all over the country there, and trade shows to see all the new cool products on the market. And did I mention this was taking place in Vegas?? Very exciting stuff!

This isn't just a conference for wedding planners, so if there are any wedding vendors out there who would like to join me please let me know!

Reminder - Our Invitation Sale Ends Soon!!

This is just a reminder to everyone that our invitation sale is still on but it is ending very soon! We are offering 10% off your entire invitation and wedding stationery order but you must place the order by April 20th! With a full selection of traditional, classic, colorful, and funky items there is something to fit ever couple's style and taste. Appointments are super easy - I take care of all of the wording and ordering for you, so there is really no reason not to check us out. E-mail me today to set up your free consultation - shannon@weddingplanningplus.net.

To see the original post with more information on the sale please click HERE.

Place Cards, Escort Cards, Seating Assignments - Unique Options

Photo by Michael Grace-Martin

Unique Place Cards

For some people traditional is not enough and they want to look for unique or different ways to tell their guests where their seat is at the reception. There is honestly an endless number of ways you can do this, and really the only limit is your own imagination. Above is a picture of one wedding where they combined two wedding elements to make one very special presentation. For anyone who is familiar with the concept of "The Warming of the Rocks" you will know this is where each guest holds a rock, makes a quiet wish to the new bride and groom, and then places that rock into a container with the rocks from all the other wedding guests. Then after the wedding the bride and groom take that container and all of the warmed rocks and they place it in a special place in their home like a fireplace mantel or feature shelf. Then the container and the rocks give off all the positive energy of the wedding guests and fill the home with all the wishes from the people they love. In the photo above the couple put rocks on top of each place card so that each guest would get their seating assignment and a rock to warm at the same time.

You can also combine the idea of a place card in with your wedding favor. In the photos below you can see how couples have used a take home element to the place card and essentially covered the needs of both elements in one. In the top photo pewter frames hold a 'photo' the displays the guest name and table name for everyone at the party. The one below it shows bright blue candy boxes with the guests' names and table printed on the outside. And the third photo shows a tree sapling that has a tag attached that lists the place card information.

Photo 1 - Heather Bohm-Tallman
Photo 2 - Shannon DeCelle Photography
Photo 3 - Niki Rossi Photography

Guest Seating Charts

Lastly there are ways to communicate guests' seating assignments without the use of a card of some other grab and go method. A new trend in seating assignments is using a seating board or a seating chart like the ones shown below. This is a very clean way to relay this information to your guests, and can avoid the hassle of having to write out or print out individual place cards. The downsize to this method is that any last minute adjustments can't be made as easily because once the board is printed no changes can be made. But as long as you have the time and the faith then this is a very classy look for the entrance to your reception room and a great visual to display the colors, design elements, and other fun information for your guests to see. And if you have a high guest count, say 150 or more, consider having two printed so you can avoid having a long line waiting at the door.

Photo 1 - McGarry Photography
Photo 2 - Tracey Buyce Photography

Place Cards, Escort Cards, Seating Assignments - Traditional Options

Photo by Out of the Ordinary Photography

Whether you have 5 guests or 500 you will need to provide some sort of guide to tell everyone where they need to sit at your reception. There are many ways to go about relaying this information - a traditional tented paper card that lists the guests' names and table assignment, an individualized marking at each seat where guests can walk from table to table to find their spot, or a board or poster mounted at the entrance to the reception room listing out each guest and their table. As the bride and groom you can choose to keep your place cards as basic as you want or as elaborate as you can imagine. Here are some examples to show you options for your perfect place cards.

Traditional Place Cards

The most traditional and basic way of doing a place card is by using the tented paper cards where you list the guests' name on one side and the table they are sitting at on the inside or the back of the card. Use a standard table with linen and line up all of these cards on the top with the guests' names facing out. It is important to list these in alphabetical order and not in table order or you will have each guest searching for several minutes trying to find their card. When it comes to adding the information on you can either utilize the help of someone with very neat handwriting, you can find cards that come in sheets that can be run through a home printer, or you can hire a calligrapher who will write out the information in beautiful calligraphy. Please see below (and the picture at the top of this post) for examples of each.

Photo 1 - Tracey Buyce Photography
Photo 2 - Rob Spring Photography
Photo 3 - Jill Kaiser Photography
Photo 4 - Finer Image Photography

You can even fancy your cards up by adding accents that are fun and colorful. The first picture below had a daisy theme so the bride added tiny adhesive daisies to the corner of each card. The picture below that had a strong green theme and the small green ribbons helped bring another aspect of color to their event.

Photo 1 - Ilana Ben Harav
Photo 2 - Bob Donlon Photography

Another fun way to spice up the traditional place card is to find a fun way to display them. The two photos below used boards to hang their cards on. The top photo shows a couple who brought out their wedding colors of chocolate brown and orange by using covering the board in a dark brown fabric and using bright orange cards instead of the traditional white or ecru ones. The photo below it shows several different color ribbons run across the board that the cards were tucked in to. This gave a nice organic look and feel to the card placement.

Photo 1 - Tracey Buyce Photography
Photo 2 - Emma Dodge Hanson


And finally here are some of your standard place cards but instead of being displayed in bulk on a separate table these were addressed to each individual guest and were set up at each individual place setting. This method is the most time consuming and sometimes the most difficult to work through because instead of telling 8 or 10 people to work out their own arrangement at a table you are telling people they need to sit in a specific spot that has been preselected for them. This works best with small weddings of 50 guests or less because there will be less settings for guests to need to search through when they are looking for their own. If you want to do this with a larger group then it is best to have a list at the reception room entrance listing each guest and the table they are seated at, and then when they get to their table they find their personalized card on a specific setting.

Photo 1 - Belathee Photography
Photo 2 - Tracey Buyce Photography

Now Hiring: Summer and Fall Interns

Shannon with 2009 intern Laura Kennedy

Photo by Tracey Buyce

We are looking for bright, energetic and professional interns to join our team for the summer and fall wedding season. The ideal candidate will be a current student or a recent graduate who is friendly and personable, hard working and driven, and absolutely dedicated to flawless event execution. This is an unpaid position and weekend availability and a valid drivers license are required. Interested candidates should send their resume and a cover letter (explaining your education and work background, the reason for your interest in the position, as well as your long term professional goals) to Shannon at shannon@weddingplanningplus.net.

Resumes will be accepted until April 15th.

Wedding Planners in Action!

Although I plan and coordinate most of Wedding Planning Plus' weddings, I do have a killer team of assistants who coordinate events either with me or on their own. One of these assistants is not only my top side kick but she's also my sister-in-law. Awww! :) Katie Whitney has been on my team as an assistant wedding planner for the past three years and has worked with wonderful couples across Upstate New York. Katie lives in Boston where the Altantic coast is her home turf, but because she is well versed in all parts of the northeast and is flexible and consistent, she has no trouble handling wedding coordinations in any type of venue. The rave reviews her couple gives her are simply overwhelming! Not only is she family but she quite honestly is the best assistant I could ever ask for.

So here are a few photos of Katie in action! The top pic is from a wedding she coordinated at Saratoga National Golf Club back in 2008. It was a windy day but she was right there to make sure the bride looked beautiful in every photo. Below is a pic of Katie coordinating a fall ceremony at Top of the World in Lake George. Schedule in hand and on top of all of the details - this I like to see!

And just because I can't help it, here is a pic of Katie on her wedding day! She was the most beautiful bride!!! And yes, that's me fixing her veil. Once a wedding coordinator always a wedding coordinator! :)

Title photo: Elario Photography
Photo 2: Out of the Ordinary Photography
Photo 3: Becky Sapp Photography

We're having an Invitation Sale!

Our newest invitation album has arrived and we are so excited to share it with you!

Looking for a Save the Date that is better than your
standard magnet?
Or a wedding invitation that shows off your colorful side?
Or how about the perfect stationery for your
destination event in a Vegas, tropical, or
Adirondack theme?

We are so excited about this new album we are offering a 10% discount on all invitation orders!


This 10% discount is offered on all wedding stationery items from the 'Something Different' album or from any of our other invitation albums. There is no cost to meet with us and look through our selections so give us a call and set up your free consultation.


Everyone knows that we plan weddings and coordinate events but some don't realize that you can get high quality invitations, stationery, and personalized wedding gifts through us - whether we are your wedding planner or not. We take the stress out of stationery purchasing and make the process simple and easy for you. And because we carry a wide variety of invitation lines - covering traditional to wild and funky to everything in between - there is something to fit every couple's needs.


Call or e-mail for appointments and further details.


Offer is good on all new orders placed between March 20 and April 20, 2011. 10% discount is good on all orders up to the maximum discount of $100. Please mention offer code 'Something Different' when ordering.


'Something Different' has something for everyone!

Go Colorful!

Go Different!

Go Destination!

Did you know we also have these great albums?

• Pockets Album - Offering selections of the cutest and trendiest container for your invitation and enclosures
• Exclusive Collection II - Featuring coordinating colors and designs to match your invitations to your place cards, table numbers, favor tags, and ceremony programs
• Value With Style - Beautiful invitations and enclosures for the budget-minded bride
  
• Showers - Invitations and fun accessories for bridal and baby showers
• And many more!

Contact us today to schedule your complimentary invitation consultation to take advantage of the 10% discount before it runs out!

Happy planning,

Shannon