Meet Shannon Whitney Anson, founder, and principal planner at Wedding Planning Plus. Growing up on the shores of Lake George and a lifelong resident, Shannon has always appreciated the beauty of Upstate New York. She knows every nook and cranny of the region from the hills of the Hudson Valley to the Adirondack mountains. She has been a wedding planner for over a decade and has cultivated relationships with all of the vendors in the area to build a team specific to every couple and their wedding. Read more about Shannon's philosophy and approach to teamwork!
What inspired you to enter the wedding industry?
An entrepreneurial spirit mixed with a passion for special events!
If you could change one thing about the weddings and special events industry, what would it be?
I wish Pinterest had pricing tied to the pictures to give couples a more realistic vision of what's within their budget.
How does Aisle Planner help you deliver the client experience you want?
I love that AP uses our branding inside of the website and applications. It allows our clients who are in different parts of the country to plan from afar and feel connected to their planning details in an organized and centralized location. It is a modern-day wedding binder.
What is your favorite Aisle Planner feature?
The timeline feature because it allows us to pop in our template and work with our systems while making it easy for clients to view updates along with their full itinerary for their big day. We also love the planning partners feature that allows us to share with other planners and clients!
What would you tell someone about becoming a wedding planner?
It is a lot of work, but it is a lot of fun!
What was your favorite marathon and why?
Paris, France. Running along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, right past the Eiffel Tower, was amazing
How is wedding planning like running a marathon?
Wedding Planning and Marathon Running actually have quite a few similarities! There is a lot of preparation (or training), dedication, and focus that goes into both. The wedding day is like race day–the achievement, satisfaction, and reward that comes from months of training or planning is the best part!
What do you think will change about the weddings and events space over the next five years?
I think it will become more about the unique experiences created by the couples or individuals and less about the material things. Weddings will be more about creating an authentic experience for the guests that reflects who the couple is.
What is your personal philosophy on becoming a great wedding and event planner?
As wedding planners, we are no more important than any of the other vendors. We remove roadblocks for other vendors so that they can do their best job and create amazing experiences for couples and their guests.
What lights your creative fire?
Working with couples that have out-of-the-box ideas and are looking for truly unique experiences for their wedding day or weekend!
How has COVID-19 affected or changed the way that Wedding Planning Plus does business?
It has pushed us to take a closer look at our clients' contracts to ensure that it covers "once in a lifetime emergencies" such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Is there anything you are particularly excited about working on this year?
Planning really cool multi-day weekend weddings with some of the best vendors and venues NYS has to offer!
Want to see more from Shannon? Check out her website weddingplanningplus!
Hero photo courtesy of Matt Ramos Photography
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