I've done different things with all three of the puppies I've raised.
Sadie: I started off sleeping on the floor next to her crate in the living room. I'd take her out to potty about four times a night when she'd wake up. Then straight back to the crate. If she whined a little, I'd stick my fingers in the crate, but other than that I'd ignore her. Gradually started to move to the couch when she had fallen asleep, then from the couch upstairs. She always got a treat when we kenneled her and she always had a chewbone. Worked well for her.
Chloe: she did NOT like to be crated. So I had an expen (well, actually a gate across a small opening formed by my bed, bookcases, and wall, but essentially an expen) alongside my bed. She didn't feel like she was closed in as it was open to my bed, so she didn't have a panic attack. I just lined the area with a water proof bed liner encase she had an accident (which she didn't), and we went about our business. Worked well for her.
Abrams: I had his crate at the foot of the bed the first few nights. When I first put him into the crate he threw a FIT. It was a tantrum, and I was going to have none of that. I opened up the door, grabbed him (startled him), and told him he was fine, shut up, lay down, and go to sleep. He did. When he would wake up whining, I'd take him out, then straight back to the crate. When I would take him out I wouldn't talk to him, wouldn't acknowledge his presence besides some mild praise and a pat when he'd pee outside. It was a strictly go-pee-because-you-have-to trip, not a super special awesome trip. All further whining got ignored.
After the first few nights I moved him out to the living room. He still liked to throw a fit first thing when being crated (howling/whining), so we would crate him a bit before we went to sleep to give him time to wind down and go to sleep before we headed to bed. It helped him settle down when he realized we were still there and weren't leaving him. If he would wake up whining in the middle of the night, I'd take him out to pee, then straight back to the crate. If after I put him back in his crate he started to throw a fit, I was not above telling him off again like I did that first night. He'd shut up and lay down.
We were on the trail end of crate training (he would still whine a little bit first thing at night as protest and first thing in the morning when he had to go out, but did fine when we had to leave him) when Mike left end of July...so he would have been...12 weeks? He's 23 weeks now and is perfect. No noise, no fuss, just calm.
I always gave him a super special awesome treat whenever I crated him, even during those night time trips, I NEVER let him out of the crate when he was whining besides strictly-potty-walks, I always made sure he had a chew bone to occupy himself should he desire and I was not above startling him out of a tantrum when he threw one at night. (He is also a very soft dog, and being verbally stern is very meaningful to him.)
Also, during the day, we'd feed him in his crate and work on crate games. We also crated him when we needed puppy free time, and he quickly learned that if he settled and shut up, he'd get released faster. lol
Considering my success...I'd say that approach worked well with him.
So....in sort, do what works best for you and your dog. As long as you aren't reinforcing bad behavior (crying in the crate) and you aren't making her averse to her crate, you're good to go.