A Look Ahead - Meyer/Romeo Wedding

Here is a look ahead at the Romeo wedding... Well, sort of. Actually the Romeos were married on Columbus Day weekend of this past year but when their wedding photographer sent me the images from their big day he also added a bonus disk of their engagement photos. And how can I pass up posting some adorable engagement photos for all of you to see? So please enjoy these super sweet images of Tori and John shot by photographer Jason Breyer on the grounds of The Sagamore and of their eventual wedding venue, Silver Spruce Inn B&B in Schroon Lake.

Um, I'm not done talking these guys up just yet -- I just have to add a little personal note and sentiment to this post because it's way too great to keep out. See, I have known Tori for over two years now because she was actually the sister of my bride Crystal Meyer from back in 2009. (Blog stalkers don't tell me you don't remember her!) Anyway not only was Tori connected to me from back then but on the night John proposed to her, two years from the last time she had last seen me, I happened to be up in Lake George sitting at the very next table to them at the Boathouse Restaurant right before he popped the question. There was way more cosmic connection and serendipity-ness in all of this to keep Tori and I apart. Her wedding, and my addition to their big day, was totally meant to be!

So again please enjoy these shots of their engagement session and wait ever so patiently for their full wedding recap to be posted. It will be up soon!!

Kristin and Andy's Wedding Photo Sneak Peek!

The new year started off quickly for me with a wedding for Kristin and Andy at Glens Sanders Mansion on January 7, 2012. This wedding had so many sweet moments and secret surprises, I cannot wait to post the full wedding recap!! But for now please enjoy a simply beautiful image from their photographer Tracey Buyce. Awww!

WPP Wins the Bride's Choice Award - Three Years in a Row!!

I received this notification from the staff at Wedding Wire today:

We are excited to announce Wedding Planning Plus has won the Bride's Choice Awards™ 2012. This prestigious award is determined by reviews from your past clients and recognizes the top 5 percent of local Wedding Professionals from the WeddingWire Network.

I give a HUGE thank you to all of my past clients who not only took the time to go online and post a review about us but posted some of the most amazing comments I have ever seen. When I am having an off day I log on and read what was written about the work of myself and my team. It's an instant pick-me-up!

Want to see our past reviews? CLICK HERE

Check us out on NYWB!

The New York Wedding Boutique loved our posts on 2012 wedding trends so much that they decided to post the info on their bridal blog. Love it! Check it out!

CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR GUEST ENTRY ON THE NYWB BLOG

Now Hiring: Wedding Planning Intern

Happy New Year everyone! As we head into a new wedding year we are again looking for interns for the upcoming wedding seasons. This is an unpaid position that requires attendance at all weekend weddings and also includes 10-15 hours of work during the week that can be done from home and from our Delmar office. The ideal candidate is someone who has interest in the field of wedding and event planning and comes to us with a unique drive to learn as well as prior experience in planning small and large scale events. For those who are interested in applying please email me at shannon@weddingplanningplus.net and I will give you further details.

Happy New Year and Happy Planning!

~ Shannon

Wendy and Tony's Wedding Video

Back to back posts of spectacular wedding videos! This one is of Wendy and Tony Rudis' big day which was a truly magical event at The Inn at Erlowest. I couldn't have picked better weather for these two and I honestly couldn't have picked a better couple to work for. Kudos to Josh Rask of Clark+Walker Studio for shooting this footage. I had goosebumps watching it all the way through. So grab a tissue and enjoy the happy tears as they flow.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH WENDY AND TONY'S WEDDING VIDEO TRAILER

Kristina and Jason's Wedding Video

Kristina and Jason Truet were married on September 24, 2011 at The Inn at Erlowest. Dave Bigler of Bigler Productions shot their wedding video and here is the trailer documenting the highlights of their big day. Dave and his team do amazing work and this wedding was no exception. Thanks for taking such good care of my bride and groom, Dave!

CLICK HERE TO SEE KRISTINA AND JASON'S WEDDING VIDEO

The photo above is by Tom Wall. Check back soon for a full wedding recap with more images from Kristina and Jason's wedding day.

More Wedding Trends for 2012!

Like I mentioned in the first post of this series, weddings will continue to show a ton of personalization and specialization in 2012 as couples try to wow their guests with style and details that has not been seen before. Here is another trend that can make your wedding stand out and show that you laugh in the face of tradition.


Last year: Floral corsages

Photo by Tracey Buyce

This year: Jeweled brooches

Has anyone really paid attention to the corsage the mother of the bride is wearing? Well that's because every mother of the bride wears the same ivory floral piece attached to the strap of her dress that gets crushed when she hugs people and slops around when she dances. Who needs it?! Instead of the traditional floral corsage why not choose a beautiful jeweled brooch that all of your important VIPs can wear. They can be of any size and shape and can be selected in a color to match the colors of the wedding. You can even get smaller versions to be pinned down the stem of your bridesmaids bouquets so they can match as well. This is a fun a beautiful way to show that your parents, grandparents, readers and VIPs are important and is something they can have for a keepsake forever. Please if I am in your wedding trust me I'd rather have one of these!

More Wedding Trends for 2012!

We discussed the trends for wedding dresses but let's not forget to talk about the trends in 2012 for guy's wedding apparel. The Royal Wedding didn't miss this area, as we are seeing a return to the classic formal look for guys this coming year. Keep your eye out for black formal tuxedos, bow ties, and the standard shiny shoe. I love this look because classic is my personal favorite way to go and because couples will look back at their wedding photos and never feel that they are so out of style because they decided on something trendy at the time. Way to keep it classy and classic!

Photo by Gallery 9 North

More Wedding Trends for 2012!

What is event in 2011 has had the most influence on 2012's wedding scene? The Royal Wedding. William and Kate made their mark on weddings with their lush and grand event and brides are snatching up their ideas and their style all over this coming wedding year. One area that has seen a major influence from the Royal Wedding is the wedding dress industry. Look for lace, sleeves, and full skirts in the year to come (as seen below in the Reem Acra and Monique Lhullier dresses). Classic royal beauty never goes out of style.

Wedding Trends for 2012!

With every passing year things change in the weddings and what was in last year may not be what's in for this coming year. In a series of posts I want to share with you some of the top weddings trends for 2012 that I am most excited about.

Last year: Candy bars

This year: Bangle bars

For 2012 the secret to successful weddings will continue to be the personalization and specialization of the event from start to finish. What we will see more of this coming year is catering to the genders by offering guys a man lounge and the women a chic area to congregate and have fun. What female guest wouldn't love to sip a martini while sifting through bangle bracelets and funky rings to match her cocktail dress? And she can take those items home with her and remember your amazing wedding every time she puts them on. Letting guests dive in to a Bangle Bar is a fun way to make your wedding stand out from the others and also give your guests a fun useful gift instead of some boring wedding favor. Bling it on!

Wendy and Tony are on the NYWB blog!

If you have been reading my posts for long enough you will know that I describe a lot of my couples as "my favorites" but I can't help repeating it when it's true! Here is another uber fab pair who were married at The Inn at Erlowest this past Columbus Day weekend. Check out their real wedding post on the New York Wedding Boutique blog!

Click Here

Desmond Bridal Show DISCOUNT

Hey now brides! Interested in receiving a discount off my services?

Schedule a consultation with me at The Desmond Bridal Show for a date before December 15th, mention the offer code DESMOND, and you will receive 10% off any future services you book with me. The consultation is free and there is no obligation to book, just a great opportunity to save a little money. The discount is for new clients only and can be applied to any package of full or partial wedding planning, day-of wedding coordination, or to our Platinum Planning Package which is full wedding planning, ceremony rehearsal coordination, and day-of wedding coordination. Discount is also good towards wedding invitations, save the dates, and for any of our stationery and personalized wedding accessories!

Don't miss the chance to come meet lots of great vendors, hear my presentation on all the hot trends to make your wedding stand out, and if you schedule a consultation with me and mention offer code DESMOND I will give you 10% off any future services you book with me!

Desmond Bridal Show
Sunday November 20, 2011
12:00-4:00
Admission: $10 for bride, $5 for guests

Tips and Tricks to Make Your Wedding Stand Out
Seminar by Shannon Whitney
2:45 - 3:15

For more information about this bridal show please go to the event website - www.eventswithstylealbany.com

Bachey Wedding - August 6, 2011

Kate and Jeff Bachey were married in Vermont on August 6, 2011. The couple lives outside Boston and met while in college. They decided to have a wedding in Kate's home turf of Southern Vermont starting with their ceremony at Kate's family home in Middletown Springs and their reception at the Battenkill Inn in Manchester, VT.

This wedding included everything there is to love about Vermont in the summer - clean country air, fields of wildflowers, an old rustic barn, and good genuine family love. They stayed true to a color palette of dark blue, creams, and pops of a celery green that so beautifully tied everything together from ceremony to cocktail hour to reception. I should also mention that the reception site had two separate spaces - an old barn and a tent that was set up along side of it. When guests arrived they were greeted with signature cocktails in the barn and then brought down to the tent in time for dinner. When dinner was over they were invited back to the barn to dance the night away. It was the perfect solution to maximize the spaces to fit their guest count while utilizing all of the beautiful space the Battenkill Inn property afforded.

I hope you are prepared for this overloaded blog post because Kate put some many amazing details into her wedding that I couldn't control myself in what I prepare to explain to you all. Plus the extraordinary photography talent of the lovely Erica Ferrone and I couldn't control myself on which pictures to choose! This blog has twice as many photos as a normally post and believe me there were twice as many that I held back on adding. If you can't tell already this was one of my favorite weddings of this year and I am way beyond excited to share it with you!

Now about the decor and fine details for this event... Ladies get your note pads out because this is a killer list of personalized items... For the ceremony instead of having the traditional seating setup Kate and Jeff decided to have their wedding in the round. What I mean by this is that they stood with their officiant in the middle and the guest chairs were aligned in half circles around them. Space was left for the bridal party - all decked out in blue cocktail dresses for girls and gray suits for the guys - to be the backdrop on the far side of the aisle. The bridesmaids each carried a bouquet of a single variety of white flowers with a celery colored ribbon around them. Add the fact that this all took place in the gorgeous front lawn of her childhood home made for a scene that was pure magic.

Now for reception details this is where things really got crazy. I already mentioned that guests entered the barn to begin cocktails but drinks weren't the only thing they found in there. Kate and Jeff's theme for their reception was "Lucky in Love" and instead of traditional place cards they had real metal horse shoes for each guest with their names and table assignment attached to them. These horse shoes were hung on nails all along the inside wall of the barn making a super gorgeous piece of art as guests looked through to find their names. Below the horse shoe wall was a table that carried on the luck theme with scratch off lottery tickets and a bowl of lucky pennies for guests to try their luck at winning big. Also in the barn were arrow signs tacked all the way around with the hometown of every guest who was at the wedding. These signs also listed the driving distance from the site of the reception to where each guest came from. It was super fun to watch people try to outmatch each other for the title of farthest traveler. Now I'm not even done with the details in this barn space. On the far side was a bar that served a slew of signature cocktails - all having special meaning to the bride and groom. There were also country lemonade and ice tea stations and stir sticks all fancied up with the wedding colored blue and green ribbons on them. The catering team of Thyme Table Caterers did an absolutely amazing job with the service and in tying in with the theme and style of the event. There were also a million twinkling lights around the barn beams and covered hay bails for guests around for guests to take a seat. It looked awesome in there!

The barn was only half of the space at the reception because there was also a white wedding tent set up with all of the tables and chairs for guests to dine at. Kate and Jeff chose classic white tablecloths with dark blue damask fabric pieces that were set in the center of the table. On top of those were a collection of white flower arrangements, green apples, and lots of candles. There were three different table types - rounds, rectangles, and a large Tuscan head table for the bridal party. Each table was cohesive in their color schemes but had different flower arrangements by table type. There were also big live trees at each of the tent poles to carry the natural green feel throughout the space. The reception tent was airy, cozy, and just lovely.

And I am almost done talking about the details but there are a few other items I can't forget to share! There were a few surprises that I helped orchestrate during the evening that added a ton of fun to the event. First was the reveal of a super fun groom's cake. Jeff loved it! The next surprise was one that Kate's mother and father had planned. After dinner was over I brought out an A Capella singing group from Nantucket that they had all seen while on vacation out on the Cape. This was a challenge to pull off without anyone knowing but it came together flawlessly and was a big hit. And the last surprise, which is actually my favorite of the whole event, was bringing out a Ben and Jerrys ice cream cart for sweet treats after dinner. I may have made a stop or two at the cart before the night was over. How could I resist??

So that covers most of all of the details Kate so flawlessly and fabulously planned out. As you can see from the photos the result was nothing short of perfect!

With so many items to set up and to oversee Kate brought me on to be their day-of wedding coordinator. Kate was super smart in bringing on a planner because with a 30+ minute drive between ceremony and reception and a LOAD of amazing details to set up at the reception site there would be way to much for her to handle that day. Plus who wants to task their family or friends to take care of all of that? Any bride who gets a coordinator will tell you it was the best decision they made, and after the wedding Kate told me the same thing!

Thanks go out to the rest of the vendor team who worked along side of me that day - Dave Cannon from Elite Sounds DJ, Winsome Moran who did the beautiful flowers, Jackie LaBatt who made the wedding cake, Jane Wood who provided the ceremony music, Shear Heaven Salon and VT Backroad Tours who provided transportation for the bridal party. Of course an extra special shout out goes to Erica Ferrone for these amazing photos, and Thyme Tables Catering for an amazing meal and one of the fastest dinner services I have ever seen. Kudos to all of you!

This wedding was a very special one for me and I thank you Kate and Jeff so much for allowing me to be a part of their big day!

Ok enough talk, enjoy the pics!!

Come Listen to My Seminar at The Desmond Bridal Show

I will be representing WPP and the NYWB at the Desmond Bridal Show on Sunday November 20th. Come hear me present a seminar at 2:45 on the latest in Hot Wedding Trends! You won't want to miss this chance to see what's out there in the local wedding market, watch a fabulous bridal runway show, and mix and mingle with the area's top vendors. Make sure to stop by after my seminar to say hello!

This event will be unlike any other bridal event in the area!

• Seminars
• Pampering Areas
• Photo Gallery
• Inspiration and Idea Stations
• Bridal Fashion Show hosted by Angel'a Bridal with gowns for all sizes
  
• Over 75 local professionals and so much more!
• $10/bride, $5/guest - paid at door, cash please

For brides to get free admission you can bring (3) of the items below to be donated to the mohawk/hudson river humane society.

( this applies to bridal admission only)

Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society Wish List
Canned/Wet Cat and or Dog Food
Paper Towels
Kitten Milk Replacement
Cat Litter
Postage Stamps
Copy Paper
Peanut Butter
Flea and Tick Preventative
WeeWee Pads
Dog Toys
Raw Hides
Swiffer Sheets
Toilet Paper
Hand Sanitizer
Towels
Large Spray Bottles
Liquid Hand Soap

Runway Fashion Show Hosted by Angela's Bridal
This is the highlight of the event! This fashion show will feature gowns for all body types and sizes! 3 fashion shows will take place during the event so you will be sure to catch one!

The fashion show will run 3 times during the event at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30

12:45-1:10 The top 5 things to do once you get engaged!
1:45 -2:10 Easy to Miss- the things you might not think about
2:45-3:10 Tips and Trends to make your wedding stand out

Seminars
The New York Wedding Boutique will host seminars tackling current wedding trends, hot wedding topics and the final seminar which will be a question and answer session with professionals in all categories from bridal, dj, band, photography, videography,wedding planning, decor and more! The gloves are off for this seminar so come with your burning questions and ask away!

Inspiration Stations
There will be stations set up at this event to offer Inspirational Wedding Ideas, Tips, Trends and more!

Photo Gallery
All of the participating photographers will have the opportunity to showcase their work in a photo gallery for you to view. This will give you the opportunity to choose a style that fits your wedding, check out some awesome photos from the top area wedding photographers

Bridal Pampering
What would a bridal event be without some pampering! Make-up Application, Massages, have your nails painted and more!

Bridal Gifts!
Lets not forget one of the best parts! A manicure gift certificate to Bellezza Salon will be handed to all of the brides attending this show! A $20 value!

Over 75 local wedding professionals
This event will be huge! Here is a list of attending wedding professionals:

• A and Company Salon
  Acra Manor Resort
  Albany Home Cleaning
  American Laser Skincare
  Angelas Bridal
  Bridal Rose Boutique
  Bumble Beads
  The Century House
  Chef World
  Clifton Park Rental
  CNY Healing Arts
  Corinna Beau Invitations
  The Desmond
  Diet Center Latham
  Dream Day Travel
  Experience and Creative Design
  The Floral Garden
  Foley Photography
  Fotomagic Photo Magnets
  A Gracious Event
  Grand Central Station Band
  The Ice Man
  Images by Candidly Beth
  Kiera Lemonis Photography
  Liberty Travel
  Lily Saratoga
  Lisa Jubert Photography
  Louis Torres Wedding Photography
  The Magnet Man
  Make Me Fabulous
  The Make Up Artists- Erin Marzilli
  Mary Kay Cosmetics
  The Old Daley Inn on Crooked Lake
  The Pampered Chef
  Pat's Barn
  Photographics Solutions
  Planet Beach Clifton Park
  Pure Romance
  Richard Connors - Wedding Insurance
  Royal Limousine
  Saratoga Photobooth Company
  Silerleaf Resorts
  Sound Advice
  Stella and Dot
  Stilletto Salon
  Tablecloths for Granted
  Three Sisters Catering
  Tuxego
  Upstate Harpist
  Windham Mountain
  Zacharys Pastry Shoppe

The Desmond Experience
We will have one ballroom at this event that will give you an idea of what it would be like to have your wedding at The Desmond! This ballroom will feature professionals that you would find at your reception, with some tables that offer decor options, floral arrangements and more!

Win $1000!
There will be a raffle benefiting the Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society for a chance to win (2) $500 vendor dollar certificates. These certificates will be good toward the services of professionals at this event.
Raffle tickets will be sold at the event for $

This is a bridal event not to be missed!

Check me out on Preston Bailey's blog!

I have a cameo role in the uber famous and wildly talented Preston Bailey's wedding business blog.

Check me out!