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Weddings

About

Welcome to Aligned Events! Based in Northampton, Massachusetts, Aligned Events is a full-service wedding planning, management, and design company serving couples in The Berkshires as well as all of New England and New York. Aligned Events was formed to help couples celebrate joyfully and authentically. Rejecting the notion of a one-size-fits-all-approach, Aligned Events crafts custom and beautiful events by getting to know each couple's dreams, quirks, and vision for their wedding day. Services are tailored to reduce stress and promote fun in the planning process. The end result is a blissful wedding day that is unique and full of life-long memories. Aligned Event's guiding principles are based on sustainability, inclusion, philanthropy, and support for local communities.

Experience

Shannon Cruise is the owner and lead planner of Aligned Events. She is a native of New England and has lived all over the region planning bespoke events. Shannon has been planning events and working in the hospitality industry for over fifteen years. Shannon's lengthy experience has gifted her the opportunity to plan and manage events at a variety of unique locations - farms, islands, fields, private homes, beaches, and countless beautiful venues throughout the region. Her commitment to each wedding stems from a deep appreciation for the couples she works with and the joy of seeing couples experience a stress-free wedding that exceeds their dreams and visions.

Services Offered

Aligned Events offers wedding planning, wedding management, and design and styling services.

Planning services are fully customized and are collaborative in nature. Utilizing lengthy experience, pro vendor relationships and detailed planning systems, Shannon and her team keep planning on track, calm, and organized. Wedding Management is a great fit for the couple that wants to plan the majority of their wedding themselves but needs support tying together all their planning and managing the weeks leading up to the wedding. Planning and management services all include comprehensive day-of management to execute the carefully crafted plans and provide support to couples as they embark on a lifelong journey together.

In the era of COVID-19, Aligned Events is also working with couples who have had to adjust their wedding plans and helping them navigate the logistical challenges related to wedding planning during a crisis. By evaluating each couple's priorities and thinking creatively, Shannon and her team are able to provide guidance and paths forward towards hosting a celebration that allows for the joy of a wedding while keeping loved ones safe.

  • Woman-owned
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Frequently asked questions

Do you offer an hourly rate?

Yes

What is the hourly rate?

$100

What wedding events do you provide services for?

Ceremony
Reception
Rehearsal Dinner

What wedding planning services do you offer?

Full Planning
Partial Planning

What weddings do you have experience planning?

Civil
Cultural
Eco-Friendly
Non-Religious
Religious

Reviews of Aligned Events

This AI-generated summary gives you a snapshot of the overall ratings and feedback from the reviews this vendor has received.

Review summary

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Shannon from Aligned Events stands out as a top-tier wedding planner who received high praise from various reviewers for her organization, warmth, creativity, and professionalism. Reviewers highlighted Shannon's ability to bring their wedding visions to life seamlessly, despite logistical challenges, and appreciated her strong vendor relationships. Shannon's calm demeanor, attention to detail, and dedication were commended, making the planning process stress-free and enjoyable. Her exceptional communication, expertise, and ability to handle unforeseen circumstances with grace and efficiency made her a valuable asset in ensuring smooth wedding celebrations. Hiring Shannon was regarded as a pivotal decision in achieving successful and memorable weddings.

Review summary

Powered by AI
This AI-generated summary gives you a snapshot of the overall ratings and feedback from the reviews this vendor has received.

Shannon from Aligned Events stands out as a top-tier wedding planner who received high praise from various reviewers for her organization, warmth, creativity, and professionalism. Reviewers highlighted Shannon's ability to bring their wedding visions to life seamlessly, despite logistical challenges, and appreciated her strong vendor relationships. Shannon's calm demeanor, attention to detail, and dedication were commended, making the planning process stress-free and enjoyable. Her exceptional communication, expertise, and ability to handle unforeseen circumstances with grace and efficiency made her a valuable asset in ensuring smooth wedding celebrations. Hiring Shannon was regarded as a pivotal decision in achieving successful and memorable weddings.

Rebecca
Rebecca Sent on 08/01/2025
5 out of 5 rating

Most important wedding decision we made - hands down!

Where to even begin?! Shannon is simply the best there is -- organized, talented, warm, understanding, detail-oriented, calm, fun...we could go on forever! Every single step of the way, Shannon empowered us to create a wedding that truly felt like us, and she did everything in her power to help make it happen. She thought of things we literally never would have thought of, and approached wedding planning with the perfect balance of collaboration and decisiveness. Planning a wedding is hard, and Shannon just brought this sense of light, joy, and warmth that reminded us of our "why" and helped us stay true to ourselves. We're so grateful to have found Shannon. As a plus, she's just an amazingly cool person and we're honored to be her friend
Claire
Claire Sent on 12/31/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Shannon is the BEST!

Working with Shannon was without a doubt the most important decision we made when it came to planning our wedding - everything went off without a hitch, and there's no way it would've all happened so seamlessly without her!

During most of the lead up to our wedding we were living in Texas / our wedding took place in the Berkshires, so it wasn't as easy to visit our venue, meet vendors etc. But it gave us such peace of mind throughout the whole process knowing that we had Shannon's help. Her kind demeanor, organization, and level-headedness were unparalleled, especially when unexpected challenges popped up. Our wedding was logistically a bit tricky at our venue, but she was able to help make our vision come to life on what might have been the most humid August day ever.

Our other vendors told us unprompted how much they appreciated working with Shannon as well. There are obviously a lot of decisions that go into wedding planning, but for any future couples out there, hiring Shannon should be your easiest one!
R
Rachel Sent on 12/15/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Hire Shannon to plan your wedding!!!

Want your wedding day to run beautifully? Want to not feel super stressed planning? Want to feel secure knowing everything has been thought of? The hire Shannon!! In all seriousness, working with Shannon for our wedding was such a blessing. She was so on top of every detail, was so easy to coordinate with, and was so immensely helpful at helping our vision come to life. Her knowledge of the industry and of vendors in the Berkshires made her invaluable. Beyond the logistics, she was also such a lovely person to get to work with and get to know for over a year. We couldn't have pulled off the wedding we had without her and we truly cannot recommend Aligned Events enough.
Nell
Nell Sent on 09/18/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Hire Shannon Immediately!

There is a simple solution to ensure your wedding goes smoothly and includes fantastic vendors: Hire Shannon! Are you looking for a wedding planner who will answer a thousand questions, keep you cool, calm, and collected throughout your entire wedding process, who is truly one of the kindest, most thoughtful people my husband and I have been lucky enough to meet (let alone to work with) for such an important event? Then hire Shannon. You will not regret it.

Shannon so clearly loves planning and executing weddings. She was responsible for connecting us to nearly 100% of the vendors we ultimately worked with across our wedding weekend, and seemed to intuitively understand our style and preferred approach without ever having to explicitly ask. We knew we wanted to get married in my parents’ backyard–an at-home wedding, which comes with its own challenges–and Shannon talked us through every iteration of potential plan (rain, heat, tent floor or no tent floor, among so many others) with patience, understanding, and a clear objective to support us in whatever decision we ultimately made. We have no notes for Shannon. She is an excellent wedding planner, and we’re so jealous of any future couple who makes the smart (and correct) decision to work with her.
Y
4099928F67E6E753Cdf040Aa020C0354Cf4F605C Sent on 08/24/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Best planning decision

Working with Shannon was, undoubtedly, the best decision we made in our wedding planning process. We initially started planning our wedding on our own, as we were fairly confident in our vision and hesitant to invest in a planner. As we got closer and closer to the date, we realized that we were in dire need of an expert to bring our vision to life and make sure everything went smoothly. From the moment we brought her on in January—only four months before our May wedding—she became our superwoman.

Shannon is everything you could hope for in a planner. She possesses that rare combination of calm, warmth, patience, competence, and expertise that instantly puts you at ease. She is an incredible ideation partner—no concept was too “out there” for her to engage with, and she helped us distill all of our rambling thoughts into something cohesive and deeply personal. She helped us make sound decisions about everything from florals to transportation to timelines—decisions that we would have agonized over for weeks, were it not for her wise and honest counsel. And, at all times, Shannon listened closely to what mattered most to us, particularly around our desire to honor our cultures, and made sure that those details were thoughtfully woven into the plans.

One of the things that stood out to us was how much vendors love working with Shannon. Her strong relationships and professionalism made everything so much smoother and more enjoyable. This, combined with her logistical prowess and attention to detail, made us feel like we could fully let go and be present at our own wedding. Even when unexpected circumstances arose, she was the steady presence that kept everything on track.

What sets Shannon apart, though, is her incredible dedication and kindness. Shannon goes above and beyond in every way, and she does it with such warmth and grace. She pulled our wedding together in record time with a stellar vendor team. She provided creative solutions and addressed every question we had—and we were peppering her with questions daily as we got down to the wire!—with remarkable patience. She kept us grounded with her positivity and good humor, and brought clarity and reassurance to every interaction we had with her. Throughout, she felt more like a trusted friend than a planner.

We are endlessly grateful to have found Shannon!
E
Elianna Sent on 01/27/2024
5 out of 5 rating

Aligned Events will make your Wedding Dreams come true

When we first envisioned our wedding, we had a clear but challenging idea: to create a magical day from scratch on our friend’s vegetable farm and set up a glamp-ground for our guests. The project was a bit overwhelming, that is, until we met Shannon. From our first consultation, it was clear that she was totally game to make our vision into a stunning reality. Shannon’s leadership in transforming the farm into a whimsical venue was nothing short of miraculous.

Every aspect of our wedding, from her expert recommendation of local vendors that fit our tastes to her seamless choreography of the many moving pieces, showcased Shannon’s exceptional talent and dedication. She wove our personal story into the fabric of our day, making our wedding feel and look like a forest fairytale.

Shannon’s ability to anticipate challenges and resolve them swiftly ensured that the day of our wedding was as stress-free as possible. It’s rare to find someone who not only understood our vision but expanded on it.

In choosing Shannon, we didn’t just find a wedding planner; we found a visionary who crafted an experience that was both deeply personal and extravagantly beautiful. Our wedding was more than a celebration; it was a testament to her extraordinary skill and passion. We are eternally grateful and would recommend Aligned Events without hesitation to anyone dreaming of a wedding that’s truly one of a kind.
Micah
Micah Sent on 11/20/2023
5 out of 5 rating

A 10/10 Experience

Shannon does such a thoughtful and diligent job working with you that it makes planning a wedding so much easier. Beyond that, her overall spirit is so warm that you're excited to have your check-ins with her. Lastly, her understanding of our taste was so spot on that each vendor she recommended working with was just what we were looking for and made our wedding authentic to us.
Max
Max R. Sent on 09/30/2023
5 out of 5 rating

We couldn't have imagined a better planner

Shannon's ceaseless enthusiasm and top notch professionalism made our wedding planning experience a total blast. She went above and beyond what was asked of her and was a pleasure to work with throughout the entire two year process. Thanks Shannon!
M
Madeline Sent on 09/17/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Shannon is the best!

Shannon is so fabulous, our day could not have happened without her. We highly recommend her to everyone!
S
Sarah Sent on 09/03/2023
5 out of 5 rating

Absolute perfection

I simply cannot say enough wonderful words about Shannon. She was a dream wedding planner. From the start, Shannon was empathetic, patient and kind. She helped us think through difficult questions, managing wedding prep on a big and complicated family property and abiding by our budget. She was readily available and flexible, willing to hop on a quick call just to drive clarity, or to meet us in person at the venue for live walkthroughs. She coordinated communications with all of our vendors and consistently set our minds at ease. On the day of our wedding, it poured rain. We were panicked about the weather, but Shannon worked tirelessly and vigorously behind the scenes to ensure that things went off without a hitch, in spite of the weather. She is truly a wonder woman and a miracle worker. Through all the craziness, Shannon never once lost her cool, her organizational prowess, or her warm smile.
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Awards

38
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2024 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2023 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2022 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2020 Winner

Professional Network & Endorsements

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