Thanks Rob!

On Labor Day weekend Laura and I coordinated a wedding for a LOVELY couple at the Canfield Casino in Saratoga Springs. It was my first time working with their photographer, Rob Spring, and I was super impressed by his demeanor, approach and attitude with the couple and their families. Rob posted some sneak peek photos on his blog and left some kind words for me.

"Shannon Whitney from Wedding Planning Plus also helped to coordinate the day with her play by play keeping everyone on schedule. Unlike many wedding coordinators, Shannon was so relaxed and pleasant, it rubbed off on Ryan and Sarah, from the time I started photographing until I packed up to go home, they were grinning from ear to ear. Well done Shannon!"

Awww! Thanks Rob!! I'll be blogging about this wedding soon! To check out the rest of his post and see the BEAUTIFUL images click on the link below...

http://www.robspringphotography.blogspot.com/

Oh What a Night

I just got home from a very memorable wedding that I have to blog about. I may never get the pictures back to post but the story is too good to not mention. This bride and groom chose their home and backyard gardens for the site of their ceremony and reception. They've been working for months to get the grass, flowers, shrubs, and trees ready for this one day. I've seen them in action, and they definitely put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into the work there. And it paid off! When I was down to the house a month ago the gardens were in full bloom and they were stunning. Perfect backdrop for the perfect wedding.

Fast forward to tonight, or last night, I should say. Fast forward to Hurricane Danny and all of its rain. And where the gardens and the flowers and the lawn become, well, flooded. Under water. Completely soaked. Then add 100 people walking all over it. The result - MUD.

Every bride wishes perfection on her wedding day. Although we always have a backup plan for rain, most don't expect rain and mud and slop and filthiness on their big day. This is the kind of thing that would crush most couples, devastate the bride, cause panic among the guests, and completely ruin their wedding day - assuming they didn't just cancel the whole event all together. We're talking about that much mud. Even up until an hour before the wedding the groom and groomsmen were using giant squeegees to push the mud and water out from under the reception tent. They had a wet vac out and were trying to vacuum the grass around the dance floor. The groom's 70 year old father was working a drainage pump to try and push the water across the driveway and away from the wedding site. This is the amount of mud that would have some brides thinking about calling the whole thing off. It was a lot of mud.

But to this bride and groom it didn't matter. They had the right perspective all along. They didn't get bogged down in details, held back by weather or circumstance, and they weren't going to let anything get in the way of their perfect day. Because the day was perfect because of people not things. It was perfect because their family had come in from all over - including some from Italy - to be there for them. It was perfect because of their friends and neighbors who gathered there for the union. It was perfect because she was marrying the man of her dreams and he was marrying the woman of his. And no hurricane or rain storm or Woodstock-like mud pit could get in their way. The bride picked up her dress, threw on some big rubber boots and walked proudly down that aisle. And she was as gorgeous a bride as I've ever seen.

I have worked with many many brides who stress over things like ribbon colors, hair pins, best man toasts, fussy bridesmaids, invitation font, and every other detail that is painfully tiny. Sure, these are important, but if you step back and remember what you're really there for - you are joining your life with that of another person and pledging to love them and be with them for the rest of your life - and you keep that a focus throughout the planning - then everything will be fine. I promise. I know it. And I believe it even more after tonight...

To tonight's bride and groom, Michele and Eddie - you are beautiful people and you had a beautiful wedding!!! Thanks so much for letting me a part of your special day. I would love for all of my couples to have the same carefree approach to their wedding day that you did. You guys made it great because of the wonderful people you are and I know you are heading into a lifetime of happiness together. Love you guys!! And send me pictures!!! :)

I love what I do

I don’t usually blog when I get home from a wedding, but after tonight’s affair I have so much on my mind that I feel the need to share. Not in a rant or vent kinda way, but in the spirit of a celebratory happy wedding planner type share. Tonight was the wedding of a bride who will truly stand out in my mind as one of the most special. I know I say a lot of my brides are special – and they are! – but each is special to me in a different way. With tonight’s wedding the bride was special because of the deep relationship we formed over the last year and a half. When I say that this bride called/text/e-mailed/Facebook messaged me every day I would not be exaggerating. I talked to her frequently and often. She had a million questions. And needed reassurance. And advice. And I was happy to give it all.

So when you talk to someone almost daily you get to learn a lot about them, maybe even more than their groom ends up knowing. You get to be more than just a wedding planner to them. You get to be a friend.

Tonight’s wedding was absolutely beautiful, and even though the bride was a bit nervous (not that I didn’t see that coming) she was happy and gorgeous and treated her guests to a wonderful event. Her father got up from dinner to find me and tell me how beautiful the reception was and how appreciative he was for everything I had done to put this wedding together. He talked with me for several minutes. And when he told me how much this wedding was to his daughter and his family, he cried.

At the end of tonight, as I do at every wedding, I went through and said goodbye to key people. I said goodbye to the groom who gave me a big hug and thanked me for everything. Then I said goodbye to the father of the bride who again hugged me tight and gave me a healthy dose of praise. The mother of the bride hugged me so tight and so long that I wasn’t sure I was going to be let go. She poured out her appreciation for putting together such a beautiful event, but mostly for dealing and working with her daughter throughout the whole process. And then I said goodbye to the bride. And it was like saying goodbye to a friend I won’t see anymore. She told me I couldn’t go. And I told her I really wasn’t. Because I know I’m won’t be. I’m never really gone. I’ll always be a part of them as they are of me.

I love what I do. I am a wedding planner. But really I get to be so much more than that. I am a friend. A confidant. I am the expert and the one with wisdom and knowledge. I comfort fears and give a gentle nudge forward when needed. I know about what my couples are most excited about. And what they’re most afraid of. I get them. And their vision. And their wishes and hopes. And I love to put it together.

I don’t think I could ever work at one of those reception locations that pumps out 5 events in a weekend. Because it’s not about the process; to me it’s all about the people. I really do feel like a member of their family, and they become an important member in mine. I stay in touch with a lot of my couples, and I get updates when they return from their honeymoon, when buy their first home, and when they have their first child. I get holiday cards and Facebook updates. I mean something to them and they mean a whole lot to me.

I love what I do. I love being a wedding planner. And what I do is much more than just about the wedding… :)

Happy planning,

Shannon