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!

Kristin and Andy - January 7, 2012

Kristin and Andy were married at Trinity Church in Lansingburgh and their reception was held at Glen Sanders Mansion in Scotia.  I am just a little behind on posting this since this wedding took place on January 7, 2012 (hey I've been busy!) but with this current heat wave it's kind of nice to look back at a beautiful winter wedding.  The bride and groom hired me for their invitations and for day-of coordination, but I met this lovely lady way before she contacted me about her big day.  I first met Kristin when she was the maid of honor for one of my 2009 couples (remember Kimm and Jerel and their beautiful bright green wedding cake??) and then Kristin interned with WPP for a brief time that year.  So when she got engaged and was planning her wedding I was thrilled to help!  

This wedding featured a bunch of fun details like the vintage suitcase and luggage tags as place cards, fun scarves for the groomsmen and cotton gloves for the bridesmaids, sparklers when the sun went down, and of course a super surprise to all of their guests - a fireworks display at the end of the night.  It was funny, as all of the guests gathered outside to watch the fireworks I heard one guest ask another, "How do you pull something like this off?".  The other guest answered, "You hire a wedding planner".

Joining me on this wedding was a fabulous team of vendors!  A big thank you to Tracey Buyce of Tracey Buyce Photography who took these photos and really wowed the bride and groom that day.  Also thank you to Greg Frasier of Frasier Entertainment for being the ever amazing DJ we have all grown to love, Will Beyer of Nuvue Cinema for capturing all the amazing moments on film, Central Market Florist in Latham, All Occasions Limousine, and my girls Tina Barbato of Flawless by Tina for the girls' beautiful makeup and Kristin and team from Timeless Updos for rocking the girls' hair.  And last a thank you to Alonzo Fireworks for the best surprise that wedding guests could ever get (and earning me a compliment I will never forget).

My last thank you is of course to Kristin and Andy who allowed me to be a part of their most special day.  You two are a beautiful couple and I see nothing but happiness in your future.  Stay in touch, and congrats!!!

Joelene and Bob review WPP

Joelene and Bob called me in the middle of May posting an interesting challenge for me - to plan an elopement for them in Saratoga two weeks for that day.  I rounded up my most trusted vendor crew and made the impossible possible.  The bride and groom had a beautiful ceremony and a fun filled weekend checking out all the local hot spots.  Joelene and Bob were kind enough to post a review of my services on asaratogawedding.com.  

To read more of my reviews on this site CLICK HERE

"What can we say about our Wedding? It was amazing, just perfect !!! Our original plan was to elope in Las Vegas. As we tried to manage the arrangements from our home in Connecticut, we found it overwhelming to choose the venue and were left wondering what we were going to find when we arrived!! Instead we found “Wedding Planning Plus” and Shannon Whitney to be the perfect answer to our problem. After our initial on-line inquiry and a telephone conversation with Shannon she was able to find us the perfect Bed & Breakfast in Saratoga Springs (where we were married), an officiant, photographer, dinner arrangements, flowers and even my hair appointment! And she was able to do all this in 2 weeks!! Our wedding day was perfect and one that we will always remember. Thank you Shannon!!"

A Look Ahead - Allison and Ed

Allison and Ed are getting married this October in Saratoga.  I have had the distinct pleasure of working with these two as their wedding planner since last summer and can't wait for their big day to get here.  They are such a fun couple, as you can see in these photos!  Allison and Ed are working with the fabulous Heather Bohm-Tallman for wedding photography and the couple met up with Miss HBT in Saratoga last month to shoot their engagement photos.  Thanks for sharing these, Heather, can't wait to work with you at their main event this fall!

WPP is Wedding Wire Rated!

We are Wedding Wire Rated for 2012!  Thank you to our married couples who have posted reviews of our services which earned us this award.  To read all of our reviews CLICK HERE.  

Anna and Andy Review WPP

Anna and Andy were married on April 28th of this year at the Canfield Casino.  Just last night I received a notification that they posted a review of me and my services on Wedding Wire.  Their kind words make me a very proud wedding planner!

To read all of the reviews posted from our past clients CLICK HERE.

"Shannon and her team did an amazing job helping us plan our wedding. Not sure how we could have done it without her help! First off, she has been in the business and in the area for a while and knows all the right vendors to help you choose the ones that are just the right fit for you. It's so important to know which vendors meet your needs not only for budget, but style and personality and Shannon did a great job in guiding us! It was so great having someone there the day of to make sure everything is organized and planned out for you. Everything went so smoothly on the big day and we couldn't have asked for anything more. Shannon guided us through the whole process and made sure everything was taken care of and timed perfectly. So many people came up to me after the wedding saying they had an amazing time and it was the best and most fun wedding they've been to and we have Shannon to thank for helping us make that happen! I think the greatest compliment though was everyone felt taken care of, not only the guests but my family and my mom couldn't get over how well planned and organized everything was. We were so thankful to have someone reliable like Shannon and her team handling everything so everything went off without hitch!"

Need a Wedding Officiant?

Photo by Tara Wiley

Although my primary focus and work is on wedding planning and wedding coordination I recently decided to become an ordained wedding officiant to be able to offer my clients either direct ceremony officiating or the assurance of an emergency back up in the rare chance their hired officiant became unavailable.  Of course I still specialize in all of the full planning and wedding coordinating details but if you are a bride who would like me to officiate your ceremony please reach out to me for details and availability!  I have always been and will continue to be a planner who is interested in helping any bride at any time!

Anna and Andy are on NYWB!

Anna and Andy were married at the end of April at the Canfield Casino in Saratoga Springs.  I had the pleasure of planning their entire event with them, and being there on their big day to see it all come together.  Their photographer Bailly Photography has shared their wedding photos with the New York Wedding Boutique so CLICK HERE to see the recap of their wedding!

Kate and Shawn review WPP

Kate and Shawn were married this Saturday (yes two days ago!) and Kate was kind enough to leave a wonderful review of my services on Wedding Wire.  Thanks Kate for being such a sweet person and such a caring and wonderful bride!!!

To see all of the Wedding Wire reviews posted from our past brides CLICK HERE. 

"Shannon (and her assistant Erin) made my Wedding Day so easy. I am a project manager so I am used to being the one responsible for running the show. I thoroughly researched the Wedding Planners in the area and after speaking with Shannon, I chose her because she is kind, considerate, helpful and she pays attention to detail. Details were very important to me because while I was a pretty laid back bride, I have a food allergy that could have ruined my day. Shannon was alert and aware and made sure that I picked a venue who was familiar with the allergy, and the handling of allergies. In addition to that, she also helped me out when I got stuck. I manage IT projects, not weddings and there were a few areas that I really needed advice (like etiquette). Shannon is a wealth of knowledge and the recommendations she gave me for ideas and for other vendors were spot on. She and her staff are courteous and professional and most importantly, they are there for YOU to make sure that YOUR DAY is PERFECT!! I have already recommended Shannon to two other brides. One got married before me and has been raving about her since. The other gets married this winter, and I guarantee will be saying the same thing, because the other quality that Shannon has is consistency. You always know that she is going to be the best.

For you brides out there thinking that you don't need a Wedding Planner to plan your wedding... I didn't either. I planned my wedding pretty well. However, for the coordination of things like the Rehearsal and then the day-of details, I completely needed the help. As a bride, you want to sit back and enjoy your day. Shannon takes care of the details with the vendors, the timeline (itinerary), she drops off your final payments for you so you don't have to worry about delivering checks on your big day. She makes sure people are standing/sitting where they're supposed to and that vendors are organized. She made sure that my husband and I got some alone time together by re-routing guests, to allow us the privacy that the bride and groom don't normally get. Those little things add up!

We love her and would recommend her to anyone and everyone. Reach out to her and have an initial consultation, or just a quick phone call and you will be as impressed as we have been."

Mikaela and Ryan review WPP

Mikaela and Ryan were married at 11 North Pearl on May 11, 2012.  Mikaela is a super sweetheart and posted this review of my services on Wedding Wire.  Thank you so much for posting this Mikaela!!!

To see more reviews from past clients CLICK HERE. 

"Wedding planning plus was a gift from my older brother who also had her as a wedding planner. It was the best wedding gift that I could ask for. We had Shannon for the last month of planning before our wedding. It was the most stressful time and Shannon took over everything and put me right at ease. She did things that I didn't even think of or she already took care of things before I ask. She always had answers to my questions and if not she would find out the answer. You can tell she really loves what she does. I trully believed that I wouldn't have made it through the last month of planning without her. She wasn't available on the day of the wedding, but she had everything organized in advance and our wedding ran so smoothy. It was absoultely amazing and I owe it all to her."

A Look Ahead - A+B

These two lovely people are getting married this year in Saratoga and I have had the pleasure of working with them to plan their big event.  While we are in the midst of planning photographer Tracey Buyce traveled to their neighborhood last month to shoot their engagement photos.  This couple is quirky and fun and I can't wait for their big day to get here!  Thanks Tracey for these amazing photos! 

Kristina and Jason's Post-Wedding Take on Videography

Photo by Tom Wall Photography

All you WPP blog stalkers should recognize the fabulous Kristina and Jason from their wedding last fall at the Inn at Erlowest.  Their videographer Dave Bigler interviewed the couple and asked them all the tough questions about wedding videography and their decision to choose to go with video for their event.  You can see the entire interview here, as well as another opportunity to view their beautiful wedding video.  Enjoy!  

CLICK HERE