The show focuses on the preparations for the 2011 wedding of actress Shannen Doherty and photographer Kurt Iswarienko, with help from celebrity-wedding planner David Tutera.

The series was released on the iTunes Store and Amazon Video under the title Shannen Says, Season 1, but it was not made available on DVD or Blu-ray.

It was Doherty's third wedding; she previously married actor Ashley Hamilton and poker player Rick Salomon, these marriages ended in 1994 and 2003, respectively.

[6] WE TV senior vice president John Miller identified the series as part of the network's strategy to "present stories that showcase the wild ride of modern-day life from a woman's perspective".

[10] Miller approved the show's pitch because he believed Doherty was "unfiltered, honest and vulnerable" and said: "I would watch her go to a supermarket ... She's insanely compelling.

[10][12] To prepare for filming, Doherty watched Keeping Up with the Kardashians and former Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Tori Spelling's reality show about her relationship with husband Dean McDermott.

[21] The series also featured Doherty's friends, Roxana Zal, Tim Bitici, and Roger Castillo and her mother, Rosa.

[15] A preview was released before the show's debut, and Doherty promoted it through a Television Critics Association panel presentation at Pasadena, California.

[33] AMC and Sundance Channel Global also acquired rights for Shannen Says, along with The Slap, Hell on Wheels, and Breaking Bad, in October 2011.

[38] In HitFix, Geoff Berkshire wrote that it "looks great and moves swiftly from one drama to the next", and believed the episodes would satisfy fans of reality television.

[16] On the other hand, Kevin McDonough, writing for SouthCoastToday.com, criticized Shannen Says for attempting to "compensate for the lack of drama in Doherty's life with the manic production of a reality TV-sized wedding".

[31] Geoff Berkshire found Doherty to be "equal doses crazy and amusing", but thought her attitude, like requesting wedding guests to wear black or be kicked out, could alienate some viewers.

Criticizing Doherty's choice of television network, Fernandez believed it was unlikely a casual viewer would find the series while channel surfing.