Sandra has always had a passion for event planning and coordination. Born and raised in New York City, she spent many years at the Jacob Javit’s Convention Center installing local and international trade shows, coordinating small and large corporate events, from logistics, menus, decor, entertainment and more. Although loving the excitement and challenge of the job, Sandra relocated to the Hudson Valley, returning to school and earning a B. A. in International Public Relations and Cultural Diversity. After a few years of “traditional office jobs” Sandra decided to return to her true passion and joined Hudson Valley Ceremonies as a Wedding Planner/Coordinator. Sandra is often described as having a calm and dedicated nature to her coordination.
“I work hard to make the ideas, day dreams and visions come to life for my clients. I am here to be their friend, adviser and sounding board. Each couple is unique, and each event just as unique. It is my job, and my pleasure, to help find that perfect formula.”
When the party is over, Sandra is not only a Wedding Coordinator, she is also our Honeymoon Travel Specialist. When the event is done and it is time to explore an exciting new destination, or just lounge on a tropical beach, as a complimentary service from Hudson Valley Ceremonies, Sandra will help you coordinate your perfect honeymoon. From start to finish, she will be with you every step of the way.
Here are some of Sandra’s Real weddings:
Manisha and Sridharan, Montgomery Place
Claire and Ryan, Sedgewood Club
Meimay and Ryan, Montgomery Place
Erin and Alicia, Spruce Lake Farm
Teresa and Jose, Bluefield Farm
Kasey and Eremal, Arrow Park Lodge
Rebecca and Robert, View on the Hudson
Neeta and Jason, Glen Island Harbour Club
Reviews:
I would like to highly recommend Sandra O’Connel as an event planner. She did the planning for our son’s recent wedding and handled all the services, with a staff which she directed, during the ceremony and the party which followed – cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, dinner, dancing, slide show and a bagpiper to send off the happy couple at the end. She did a superb job with the planning, arranging for all the vendors (caterers, tents, tables, utensils, glasses and napkins, photographer, cellist, DJ and more), and running the actual event. It came off seamlessly, and a number of guests told us it was the best party they’d ever attended. My family and I certainly felt that way. Moreover, Sandra was unfailingly helpful, cheerful, upbeat and encouraging, even when we were feeling overwhelmed with the details – we found that we could really rely on her to take care of them all. I can’t express how pleased we were with the day and with everything Sandra did to optimize it for us. Choosing her as our wedding planner was the best choice my wife and I made in connection with the wedding. ~ Tom
We are so lucky to have found Hudson Valley Ceremonies to help us put together our dream wedding. The amazing and talented wedding planner — Sandra O’Connell — was a fantastic partner-in-crime. She found our beautiful wedding venue at Arrow Park (Monroe, NY) and helped us stay sane and coordinated throughout the wedding planning process and during our special day. She made everything run smoothly and gave us a piece of mind that everything was going to be ok. She was very responsive and resourceful with our laundry list of needs. She is a coordinator/planner/organizer extraordinaire! Thank you, Sandra, for making our wedding day special and stress-free.
∼ Kasey and Max, Arrow Park