Wedding planner loves 'seeing people happy'Published Friday January 14th, 2011
Shadow Lawn's new employee 
hosts two open houses
Mary-Ellen Saunders
KV Style
In his new role as wedding planner for the Shadow Lawn Inn, Normand Hector says he will make every bride's dreams of their big day come true without the usual stress or worry.
Normand Hector is the new wedding planner with the Shadow Lawn Inn.
"I love seeing people happy," says Hector, who has been planning weddings for more than two decades. "There is just something about a wedding that gives you a different sense of fulfillment."
Hector said he is excited and passionate about planning weddings. He loves the high energy that brides give off and thrives on making their day go smoothly. He said the love that illuminates from a wedding makes it different than any other job. By eliminating the financial and organizational stress brides sometimes face he said the appreciation he receives is unlike any other job.
The Shadow Lawn Inn was passed down in the family last year to Jamie and Mary Ann Gallagher, who recently decided to add a wedding planner to their staff. Jamie Gallagher said the inn is just one piece of a wedding and by adding a planner to the staff the business is able to offer brides someone who will help put all of the pieces of their wedding together and walk them through the entire process.
The Shadow Lawn Inn has been hosting weddings and receptions for about 60 years and currently sees 25 to 35 weddings each year.
When a bride decides to hold her big day at Shadow Lawn Inn it will be Hector who walks them through the inn, books their reservation, advises them about everything from tuxedos to wedding cakes and keeps them on budget. The Gallaghers will be there to go over the menu and alcohol list and host the event.
Hector said some brides may have a very traditional view of Shadow Lawn Inn but he said he will be there to create the individual and unique aspects every couple is looking for in their wedding. "We want to change the way people think about Shadow Lawn," he said. "It's a very elegant and traditional inn but we want brides to know if they would like to have a beach-theme wedding, they can have it at Shadow Lawn, because we're not far from the beach. If they want to have a '40s-style wedding they could do that. If they want to have a black-and-white wedding, they could have that at the Inn."
The theme and budget are the first things Hector said he discusses with a bride. Having been in the business for as long as he has he said he is able to tell brides what the best places are for them to get all of the things they need for their wedding and, if possible, he said he will steer them to businesses in the Valley. "Shadow Lawn has been there so many years a lot of girls don't realize what they can get. That's what I want to bring attention to," he said. "Did you know if you wanted to you could walk down that staircase and get married by the fireplace and then have a wonderful cocktail reception all within your budget?"
Hector will be hosting two open houses on Feb. 27 to help women, many of whom had diamonds slipped on their fingers on Christmas or Valentine's Day, begin the process of planning their weddings. The sessions at 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. will feature a tasting of the food available at the inn, flower designs by Sandra Miller and a tour of the grounds and inn.
"They are going to be able to experience and envision it," Hector said. "Wow, this is beautiful, this is just what I'm looking to have and it's not out of my budget."
