Amanda and Mike - August 22, 2014

Amanda and Mike are the couple that all wedding planners dream to work with!  Amanda is a super sweetheart and Mike is her rock.  They had been engaged for four years before they came to me and had a series of issues that had come up that kept them from getting married but once we connected and the wheels started turning there was nothing to stop us!

Amanda and Mike are the type of couple that you just know - no matter what - they have what it takes to make it.  They are a yin and yang that not only works today but will serve them well through the test of time.  

I distinctly remember the first time I met these two.  They came for an initial consult at my office and Amanda had her four year old binder, a lot of ideas, and a ton of questions.  Mike sat very still - yet supportive - and when our session was done all he did was look at me and say "I think there are good things ahead for you and for us".  I knew then that not only were we set to embark on a fantastic wedding planning journey together but that these two believed in me and trusted me to build their most perfect wedding day.

Even though Amanda may have given off the vibe that she didn't know what she wanted for some parts of her wedding, this girl has style and class and put together details that created an amazing celebration!  Working off of colors of pinks, blacks, whites, and a silver glitter she designed a wedding decor scheme that screamed glitz and glam.  Amanda is a girly girl and deserved nothing less than having bling and sparkle all around her.  I mean check out their cake!  It was spectacular!

Amanda and Mike entrusted me to build an All-Star vendor team for this wedding.  Along with Joe at Franklin Plaza we had the uber talented Tiffany Wayne of Tiffany Wayne Photography taking all of these amazing photos!  Lauren and Jeremy of LaRose Media rolled video throughout, and DJ Vinny Vin pumped some serious tunes to keep everyone dancing all night.  Kyle Garcia killed it on the girls' hair while Kris Ann Elario stunned us all with the beautiful flowers for girls, guys, and for the reception.  Amanda and Mike's wedding cake was made by Villa Italia and their specialty linens were provided by Tablecloths for Granted.  And finally their church ceremony was at the Immaculate Cathedral in Albany and their vintage car and limo were provided by Advantage Transportation Group.

Amanda and Mike - You guys were so fun and I smiled all night at your reception watching you enjoy every minute of your night.  You are both so awesome and I thank you for including me to be a part of your wedding day!!

xoxo,

Shannon

Kayla and Anthony - Photo Sneak Peek!

Photo by Amy Hedges Photography

I love this photo sneak peek of Kayla and Anthony's wedding day.  It shows the emotion of being in the bridal suite as everyone gets ready for the big day.  I can't wait to see - and share! - the rest of their wedding photos soon!

Shannon

Michelle and Greg - Photo Sneak Peek!

Photo by Bailly Photography

Michelle and Greg celebrated their wedding reception at 90 State Events and when their photographer Leah Bailly took this shot I knew it was destined to be their sneak peek image.  I love the light and the look of happiness on Michelle's face!  Can't wait to see more!

Shannon

Amanda And Mike Left Such A Heartfelt Review!

Photo by Tiffany Wayne Photography

Amanda and Mike were married on August 22, 2014 and I had the pleasure of working with them for over a year, putting each and every detail in place with them.  These two are amazing people and I was so lucky to have a chance to meet them.  Amanda kindly posted this review online - our 60th glowing review!  Thank you so much Amanda for such sweet words!

To read more of our reviews head to our page on Wedding Wire.

"My husband and I had been engaged for four years and every time I would start to plan I would get completely overwhelmed and give up. Granted we had many things life changing events that took place during our long engagement. One day I was at work and one of my co-workers mentioned a wedding planner she knew, Shannon Whitney. I thought to myself-do I really need a wedding planner?? I went home that night and emailed Shannon, within a half hour she responded!! We set up an appointment for the next day and we hit it off from there. After the meeting that day, my husband said he didn't care how much it cost, as long as it helped me and took the stress away So we hired Shannon as our wedding planner & day of coordinator. Throughout the whole entire process she was AMAZING!!! I honestly could not have imagined planning our wedding without her. Our wedding day was a dream come true thanks to her! She did everything & anything you could imagine a wedding planner would do. From changing our wedding date, to countless number of emails and Friday meetings, to bustling my dress, to making sure every little detail was taken care of, Shannon did it all!! She was absolutely amazing!! We did not have to worry about a single thing on our wedding day, she was our lifesaver. If anyone asked me a question I looked at Shannon with this look... She took all the stress off of us, and we did not have to worry about anything!. Considering my husband is in the military, he was gone often (3 weeks before the wedding he was gone AHHH!), she made sure I was not overwhelmed & scheduled our meetings around his schedule so he could be there with me. I could go on and on about Shannon, but the point is she is such a wonderful person & wedding planner! When she was around she made me feel so calm!! Shannon we cannot thank you enough for all that you did! For all the brides out there that are hesitant to hire a wedding planner, do yourself a favor & hire Shannon! It's worth every penny! XOXO"

Jess and Chris - Photo Sneak Peek!

Photo by Kretschmann Studio

Jessica and Chris had a beautiful wedding day at the New York State Museum and we are all in awe of this sneak peek image shot by Kretschmann Photography.  Erin McKee was the coordinator on this event, and we all can't wait to get our hands on the rest of their wedding photos!

Jessica and Chris Leave Erin McKee a Great Review!

Jessica and Chris were married at the NYS Museum on June 21, 2014.  They hired WPP Junior Planner Erin McKee one year before their big day to coordinate their event, and from their review it was the best decision they made!

To read more of our review on Wedding Wire CLICK HERE.

"My wife (Jess) and I got married recently at the NYS Museum in Albany and our photographers (Kretschmann Studios) strongly urged us to consider a day-of wedding planner. Because the absolute most important part of our wedding was to have a blast and not have to worry about the small details, this was one of the best pieces of advice we got in the process. We were referred to Wedding Planning Plus and after a few short introductions, the owner (Shannon) pointed us to Erin McKee. Simply put, Erin was amazing throughout the whole process. 

To be clear, we didn’t really need a “Wedding Planner” but instead someone to oversee the day of our wedding and handle all the potentially distracting details, big and small. For example, I didn’t want to be bothered signing for packages, tracking down vendors, or anything other than simply enjoying my wonderful day. Erin did all this and more. She interfaced with all our vendors in the weeks leading up to the wedding and took care of anything that wasn’t completely hammered down the day of. She developed a rapport with vendors and guests to ensure everyone was where they needed to be. She helped coordinate our rehearsal and all the ushering involved. She had a hand in lots of minor setup factors, such as our tables and “sugar rush” station. At the end of the night, she packed everything up that needed to go to our room and hand-delivered it (along with a bottle of wine and a thoughtful card)! In fact, no request was ever too small or too large. 

On top of all of this, Erin is a super-sweet person and a genuine pleasure to work with. She met with us several times and kept a smile on, even when we got frustrated. She was only contracted to put in eight or nine hours to coordinate our wedding day, but I would estimate she put in closer to 30. I can assure anyone who goes with Erin, they will NOT regret it!"

Mary and Ross Review Erin McKee!

Maria and Ross live in Florida but work in the horse training world and decided to get married in track season in Saratoga Springs on August 9, 2014.  How perfect!  They hired WPP Junior Planner Erin McKee to coordinate their wedding day at the Gideon Putnam and they just left this beautiful review of Erin online today!  And I love Maria's little piece of advice at this end!  :) 

Thank you Maria and Ross for choosing Erin and WPP for your most special day!!

To read more of our reviews CLICK HERE.

"My husband and I just got hitched & Erin McKee from Wedding Planning Plus was our day-of coordinator. This was the best money I spent on anything, other than videography. Having Erin there to help coordinate photo shoots, organize our personal items, herd the large groups of the wedding party & pull off the last minute details made a WORLD of difference. Possibly more than I even realize. She was everywhere. And getting important stuff sorted out at every turn of the day. She was an absolute pleasure and very easy to work with. I would imagine the rest of the staff is as well, from my talks with Shannon. This is an absolute must for any bride. Skimp on the favors - nobody cares about that - and give yourself some peace of mind! XO Mrs. Maria Gallo"

Jenny and Nathan Left Us A Great Review!

Jenny and Nathan just left a great review of me on Wedding Wire.  They were married at The Canfield Casino in June and were so fun to work with.  Thanks so much you guys!!

To read all of our reviews on Wedding Wire CLICK HERE

We worked with Shannon as our day-of coordinator for our June wedding. She was responsive from the day we were first in contact, and was able to help us in the months before the wedding with our etiquette and planning questions. The wedding day schedule she put together a few weeks out really helped us think through all of the details down to the smallest ones, so that we could feel confident that everything was being taken care of. On our wedding day, we were able to just enjoy ourselves, having Shannon there to guide us through the schedule and formalities, and as the point of contact for all of our vendors. Shannon has such an upbeat and positive personality, and is extremely organized. We are so glad that we chose to work with Shannon, and I would completely recommend WPP.

Corey and Jamie Posted An Amazing Review!

Photo by Patrick Rogers Photography - photobooth

Corey and Jamie were married at Jiminy Peak on May 25, 2014.  They came to me four months before their wedding date with wedding plans that were literally falling apart around them.  I happily jumped in to lend a hand and found them a new venue and rerouted all of their wedding details to make it happen for them.  They are two amazing people and were kind enough to post this amazing review of my work.  

Thank you so much Corey and Jamie for bringing me into your lives!  I will love you forever!

To see more of our reviews on Wedding Wire CLICK HERE.

~ Shannon

"I would recommend Shannon Whitney and Wedding Planning Plus 200%!!! When our wedding venue fell through four months before our wedding, Shannon came to our rescue. She took a chaotic, devastating, and extremely stressful situation and helped us pull off a wedding when we didn’t think it was possible. I only wished we had hired her from the beginning! Shannon wore many hats in her role as our wedding planner and excelled in each of these diverse roles. Let me tell you about them: For instance, she became my go to person to calm my nerves, ease my stress, and be my confidant. In this role, Shannon was soothing, supportive, and always got a laugh out of me. She celebrated each small victory along the way with us and helped us see the light at the end of the tunnel. In addition, her ability to serve as a team leader was remarkable. She collaborated with and managed our families and all of our vendors (most of whom she had never worked with before) so that we all functioned as a unified team. I saw that Shannon was able to play hardball when necessary, remain quiet when needed, get decisions made when the time came, and held people accountable so they followed through on what was promised. We had some of our vendors go out of their way to tell us how much they loved working with Shannon – that says A LOT. Also, we needed to hire a couple vendors at the last minute and Shannon’s network (which all WPP planners benefit from) was so expansive that we were able to find people easily because they all loved working with her and were therefore happy to do so again – we were happy to benefit from Shannon’s connections. Also, in her role as a project manager, Shannon is one of the most organized and responsible people I have EVER met (and I’m pretty Type A myself!). There is not one thing that fell through the cracks. Shannon responds to emails in record speed and if she is ever going to be offline for a while she communicates this in advance (e.g., when she is attending your wedding, all of her attention is on you so she lets her other clients know this). I trusted Shannon completely to guide us through this process and it allowed us to relax completely during our wedding and be in the moment. By the end of four short months, it felt like Shannon was part of our family. I can only imagine how amazing it would have been if we had hired Shannon from the beginning. Therefore, I encourage you to hire her as soon as you can! I feel confident that any planner at WPP is as remarkable as Shannon since she trains them and manages them. If any couples have further questions about Shannon or WPP, I’d be happy to answer them. I owe my wedding to Shannon and can’t recommend her enough. PS. For those hesitant about hiring a wedding planner at all: we were people who never thought we’d spend money on this but investing in a wedding planner can allow you to save money elsewhere (e.g., we got upgrades from a vendor because they loved working with Shannon so much!) and it allows you to experience your wedding to it’s fullest which is what’s most important."

Rebecca and Fergus - June 14, 2014

Rebecca and Fergus were married in Skaneateles, NY on June 14, 2014.  They live in the Pacific Northwest but traveled to the Finger Lakes region to say their I Do's.  They rented a farmhouse just outside of town and invited their close friends and families to be a part of their day.  With the assistance of Fergus' two daughters, this bride and groom transformed that day from two single people into a beautiful family of four. 

Rebecca has an amazing sense of style and you can see her creativity and her attention to detail in all of the gorgeous design and decor elements.  Working with a palette of corals and pinks Rebecca delicately built a wedding design that was so fitting for a summer farmhouse wedding.  They had a welcome table with copper mugs for each guest, fun striped straws and cocktail napkins at the bar, and a custom painted corn hole set with both the American and the British flag on each to tie in the international aspect of their relationship.  Instead of a wedding cake they had key lime and chocolate peanut butter pies on pink pie stands and with the cutest little flag sticks decorating them.  And for the reception tent they chose to do all long farm tables with gorgeous lush floral garlands down the center.  Each place setting had vintage china plates and silverware wrapped in a napkin. Tied to the napkin was a wooden dessert fork with phrases on them such as "Yum and Done" and "At First Bite".  No detail was missed!

Weddings don't always bring me as far west as the Finger Lakes so joining me on this one was a group of vendors I had the pleasure of working with for the first time.  Caly Doran of Calypso Rae Photography took all of these amazing photos and was able to capture all of Rebecca and Fergus' wedding details so sweetly.  Food was provided by the Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse and the rentals were from Hank Parker Rentals.  The gorgeous flowers came from Fleur de Lis, hair and makeup was done by Andrea Ashby, and the guests rode shuttle buses from S&S Limousines.

I had such a great time working with Rebecca and Fergus and meeting all of their family and friends.  Thank you both so much for including me in your day!!

~ Shannon

McKenzie and Kyle are Featured on WellWed!

McKenzie and Kyle's wedding is featured on the WellWed blog!  Lead Planner Ginny Beigel coordinated their at-home wedding last fall and the photos taken by Heather Bohm Tallman are some of my favorite wedding images ever!  Thank you WellWed for giving this wedding some well deserved exposure!

Melissa Received A Great Review From Kristen and Sean!

Photo by Tara Wiley Photography

Melissa coordinated Kristen and Sean's Saratoga National wedding on April 28th of this year, and this happy couple just left the best review of Melissa online!  

I need to begin by saying that I truly don't know what I would have done without the help of Wedding Planning Plus for our wedding. We worked with wedding planner Melissa Jacobsen from WPP as our "day of coordinator" and I can't say enough great things about her, or about how truly grateful I am to have had her help. Not only did Melissa provide great vendor recommendations, but she was there for the most integral parts of planning and nailed down every detail to every minute of the day with each and every vendor. With little help from us Melissa was able to draft a wedding day itinerary, contact every vendor to coordinate their schedules for the day, and then on top of it she was there to make sure everything ran smoothly and on time - and it definitely did! It took such an extraordinary amount of weight off of our shoulders not only on the wedding day, but on the weeks leading up to the wedding where all the small details start to finally come together. As a now "experienced" bride I can't explain how crazy those final days before the wedding can be - particularly when you are planning from out of town - and I don't know what I would have done without the help of WPP and Melissa. Take my advice....I never thought in the beginning that I would need the help of a wedding planner, but trust me, you NEED the help of a wedding planner! Melissa was excellent to work with. She was extremely kind, intelligent, organized, professional, and just overall great to have around! Even all of our family and friends that worked with her that day commented to us on how great she was to work with. 

Overall, I would HIGHLY recommend Melissa and the WPP team to any bride!

Katie and Brendan Left Us Some Love!

Photo by Gallery 9 North

Katie and Brendan left a super sweet review of me online!  Thank you guys so much for these amazingly kind words!!

"I truly don't know where to start with what to say about Shannon. I'm sure that a review won't capture our gratitude and awe of what she did for our entire family. To cut to the chase, hiring Shannon was the single best decision we made during the wedding planning process. I literally cannot imagine going through it without her, she was so instrumental at every turn. From recommending vendors that perfectly suited what we were looking for (and our budget) to just plain keeping us all calm and on schedule... she does it all with grace, kindness, professionalism and expertise. I would say that we were a bit of a non-traditional couple and were looking for something different than what we viewed as "cookie cutter." Between this and my own history of event planning, I didn't think we needed a wedding planner. Boy, was I wrong! And I'm so glad that my family (Shannon has already worked at 2 other family weddings) convinced me otherwise. Shannon doesn't view her couples or their weddings as cookie cutter in any possible way. What was perhaps most impressive about Shannon was her ability to listen to what we really wanted and make suggestions, sometimes when we ourselves weren't even quite sure of our vision or how to get there. Shannon was instrumental in helping me find every one of my vendors as well as our venue. She answered countless random questions and every piece of advice was spot-on. She is committed to helping you realize what you want while also remaining amazingly grounded in what weddings are really all about. And let's just say, it's a lot easier to focus on what weddings are really about when the logistics and details run smoothly, like ours did. We're in awe of how much we enjoyed our own wedding, and that's thanks to Shannon! She helped us coordinate getting 170 people to and from our venue, kept our ceremony and reception perfectly on schedule, and subtly dealt with any issues that arose. We've received an incredible amount of compliments about the wedding. A few guests remarked how well-organized and smooth everything was. Quite a few said it was the best wedding they've ever been to and a couple of particularly enthusiastic guests told us it was the best night of their lives!! I just feel like Shannon set us all up to have the night of our lives. She made sure we were logistically and mentally ready, that our vendors were set and allowed us to get to a place where the details and stress of planning a wedding (which was soo much more complex than I could have possibly imagined) faded into the background and we could focus on what was really important. We can't thank you enough Shannon. Thank you for all the good work you do during this incredibly important yet nerve-wracking time in peoples' lives. It means the world to have a calming, competent and trustworthy person lead you through it!"