Friday, October 26, 2012

What a Welcome

A couple of months ago I told you about a wedding I designed and produced in Spain.  It was an amazing weekend and each element was designed in a way to give guests a unique taste of the Rioja Wine Region.

While every aspect of this wedding was special, the welcome dinner that I produced at the Ysios Winery in Laguardia Spain was really spectacular yet touching in that it was the first gathering of a very special circle of family and friends who had made the long journey to celebrate this union.



Designed by Santiago Calatrava, the main building of the Ysios Winery is truly amazing.  It is hard to believe that in this remote region of Spain there are two awe inspiring structures by renown architects within eyeshot of each other.  The other is the Hotel Marques de Riscal designed by Frank Gehry.

Since wedding guests had just traveled a long distance to reach El Ciego, we arranged transportation for everyone to get from the host hotel, the Hotel Marques de Riscal, to Ysios.  This allowed everyone to have a carefree evening and really enjoy the amazing for a scenery.  The winery has a very dramatic entrance pathway through the vineyard that I thought would be great for guests to experience so we took advantage of this and dropped guests off at the end of the path so they could experience the walk to the main building.



When guests reached the winery they were invited for cocktails into the dramatic wine room.  Surrounded by countless barrels of wine in an amazing setting it was a truly wonderful way to begin the dinner.
  

Also upon entering, guests were treated to some tremendous food provided by Marisol Arriaga Catering of Logrono, Spain.  Marisol also has a restaurant in Logrono and, if you ever happen to be in the area, you have to stop for lunch or dinner.  The food is wonderful!


After cocktails guests were escorted upstairs to another beautiful room with massive windows overlooking the winery on one side and the barrel room on the other.  Due to the intimate nature of this gathering, all guests were seated at one long table.  Another benefit of the long table is that none of the guests had their back to the windows so everyone could take advantage of the view.


To decorate the room I wanted something very natural and simple.  I used white glass containers filled with olive branches to create a look that was perfect for the simple beauty of this room.  The best part is that the client had no idea what to expect and they loved it.



Overall it was a wonderful evening with the Grooms and their guests raving about the beautiful setting and amazing food.  It truly was the perfect way to begin this magical weekend.

Of course I have to thank all of the people in Spain who helped me make this happen.  Special thanks to Sylvia and the staff of Ysios Winery, Marisol Arriaga for the catering, everyone at Eventus in Logrono who put together all of the floral and decor and Ana Pedrero from the Hotel Marques de Riscal who was our communication expert in coordinating all elements of the weekend.  And I cannot forget Charles and Jennifer of Maring Visuals out of New York and their brilliant photography.

Until next time....

Cheers

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Looking for some fun cocktail and appetizer recipes for Halloween?

Halloween is such a fun, festive holiday that is perfect for a great party.  Of course every party needs creative, tasty cocktails and fun food.  I have been busy testing some great new recipes that I will be sharing this week Thursday on Better TV and next Monday on VH1's Morning Buzz.  I am sure you will love some of the fun recipes that will give a kick to your Halloween Party.

As a prelude I would like to share a new Fall cocktail that I really love.  It is a Salted Caramel Apple Cocktail and is ghoulishly addictive!




Ingredients:

1/2 ounce Vanilla Vodka
1 ounce Salted Caramel Vodka
5 ounces Apple Cider

Directions:

- Fill a large glass with ice
- Add the Vanilla and Salted Carmel Vodka
- Top with Apple Cider
- Stir
- Enjoy!

This is such a simple and tasty Fall cocktail.  I know it has been a hit with my friends!

Be sure to check your local listings for the airtimes of Better TV and VH1 Morning Buzz for many more great cocktail and food recipes.

Happy Halloween and.......

Cheers

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Shawn Rabideau Stationery - Design of the Week

I am so excited with the great response I have been getting to my new stationery line sold exclusively on FineStationery.com.  Everyone loves the unique designs and bright colors that are really the signature of my line.

Since there are so many different designs that have been released, and seeing there will be more to come in the near future, I thought it would be great for me to present my design of the week along with a little story of how that design came about.

Holiday entertaining is right around the corner and for me it is one of my favorite times of the year!  This weeks featured invitation is from the Holiday collection.  I always come up with a fabulous new martini for my holiday parties and I thought it would be appropriate to feature a bright, colorful martini glass that captures the essence of holiday entertaining.  The Christmas Tree olive pick is accented with a touch of glitter to give it a fun sparkle.  And, like the rest of my collection, there is a design on the back.  The back of this invitation features the same fun glass tipped over letting your guests know a good time will be had by all!

If you received this invitation wouldn't you want to go to the party?


Be sure to check out this invitation and many others from my collection and get your orders in now!  All orders of $100 or more on FineStationery.com receive free shipping.

I am really looking forward to sharing all of my designs with you in the coming weeks.  I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoyed creating them.

Cheers! 

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Introducing Shawn Rabideau Stationery!

After over a year of hard work I am excited to be able to introduce you to my new line of stationery available on FineStationery.com!

Last Monday we launched my line of Holiday invitations and Notables.  Today I am excited to introduce my line of invitations for all parties and entertaining.  The line is distinguished by bold colors and exciting patterns not only on the front of the invitation but also on the back. Each pattern was inspired by a family member who has held a special place in my life. I have created patterns that can be used for everything from Weddings to Birthday Parties, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs and much more.  Another great feature of my stationery is that it allows you to keep a consistent look throughout your entire party.  In addition to invitations you can purchase coordinating menus, table numbers, escort cards and even thank you notes in the same pattern.


In my collection I strive to present unique, colorful designs that offer something for everyone.  I encourage you to take the time to browse through my entire collection, the link is listed below, and let me know your favorite!

Happy Shopping and.....

Cheers,