Shawn Rabideau Stationery now at Bed Bath and Beyond

I am excited to announce that the Shawn Rabideau Stationery collection is now available in the new stationery department at Bed, Bath and Beyond.  You can see all of the great designs here:

Shawn Rabideau Stationery

Featured Stationery Design - Rina Lyn

Since the last stationery design I featured was named after my niece Rachael I thought it only fair to feature the design named after my other niece, Rina Lyn.  After all, I don't want it to look like I am playing favorites.

My inspiration for this design came from the vintage prints from the 60s and 70s that I always loved.  With that inspiration I created a kaleidoscope of color in this invitation set.

In addition to this pink / yellow / orange combination this design is offered in darker color scheme which includes purple and blue tones.  It is also a stunning, vibrant collection of colors.

As with all of my designs, you can order not only invitations but also menus, escort cards, note cards and all elements needed for your event.  Check it out on line at FineStationery.com or at one of these great stationery stores.  

Retail Locations for Shawn Rabideau Stationery

Also, I have to give a special thanks to Jennifer and Charles from Maring Visuals for their great work photographing my entire collection.  They're the best!

Until next time....

Cheers!

Escort Card Advice

Over the course of the past 15 years I've seen thousands of escort cards.  Today's post is about organizing your list and cards.

I can't tell you how many times I've seen guest lists that are a disorganized mess, which only leads to the escort cards ending up in the same fashion.

The general rule is to first start your guest list in an excel spreadsheet.  Check out my previous blog post for a sample.

Sample guest list

Don't do the list in word or some other format.  Excel allows you to sort and organize when you start your table assignments.  Create a column for the salutation, first name, last name, guest first name, address and so on.  Later on you can then add a column for table, gifts, etc.

Rabidon't - don't put all the information in one cell. For example don't put the husband and wife's name in one cell for first name.  Each should have their own cell.

When creating your escort cards, remember it should read "Mr. and Mrs. John Smith".  If there's more than one John Smith include middle initials.  Also keep in mind that each guest does not get their own escort card.  If they were invited together they get seated together. 

Rabido - Don't include nick names when addressing your envelopes or escort cards.  Your wedding is a formal affair and your all your salutations should be formal as well.

I always like to do an escort card with an envelope rather than a tented card.  The reason; you can remove the card (that has the table assignment) and switch it around should you need to make last minute changes.  If you do a tented card, all the information (name and table assignment) are printed and you would have to reprint the entire card, and no one wants to have to do that hours before the wedding.  And what's worse, if everything is printed and one is hand written, it makes that guest feel less special.

And finally, I can't stress this enough, alphabetize your escort cards before giving them to your venue, caterer or even planner.  No one wants to spend hours alphabetizing because you didn't take the time.

Also it's a good idea to give your venue, caterer and planner an alphabetized list, a list sorted by table number and a complete invite list (in alpha order) so that if someone RSVP'd "no" and they show up you can deal with the situation properly.

I hope this little bit of advice is helpful and until next time…

Cheers!

Featured Stationery Design - Rachael Christine

It has been a while since I featured a design from my stationery line so I thought it would be a good time to present one of my favorite designs, Rachael Christine.  As you may know, all of my designs are named after family members and people close to my heart.  This design is named after my youngest niece.  I love that it is bright, vibrant and fun, just like her.  

As with all of my designs, you have the ability to carry the theme through your entire event, from the invitation to the table number, menus, escort card and even the thank you cards.

I really love the look of the printed back.  It is so vibrant and colorful.

While I love the blue/green look, this design also comes in an orange/red color scheme that is equally wonderful.  So visit one of these local retailers, or shop on line at FineStationery.com to see all of the stunning designs from Shawn Rabideau Stationery.

Happy shopping and ...

Cheers.

Getting Creative with Escort Cards

I was just reviewing some photos for a presentation and was kind of taken aback when looking at the displays of escort cards I have created for different clients over the last several years.  I believe that the escort card display is key in setting the tone for what guests will expect for the event.  In looking at all of the different ideas and how they relate to the event, I can really see how these displays not only set the tone, but were a real reflection on my client's personality and taste.  I thought I would share a few of my favorites for your thoughts and comments.

Of course, there is always the traditional escort card table which is classic and elegant.  The following table was designed for a wedding at a Oak Hill Country Club in upstate New York.  It definitely fit the surroundings and conveyed a classic elegance that was perfect for my client.

The following escort card table is also classic and truly spectacular.  This was not my design but was created by the ever talented David Beahm for a wedding I produced at the Metropolitan Club in New York.  The lush floral and glass were perfect in this setting.

I love the simplicity of displaying escort cards in a bed of wheat grass.  For this particular wedding at the Rainbow Room, I created a very simple display with accents of floral in white and green.  Simple yet very elegant, fitting the client's personality perfectly.

I often like to do something unexpected for the escort card display.  At a wedding for a dear friend in upstate New York I hung the escort cards from large topiaries.  It was a fun, unique presentation that guests had not seen before.

There is also the idea of skipping escort cards all together.  For a garden wedding at Lyndhurst Castle in Tarrytown, New York, our client wanted to keep it simple and we simply listed all of the guests names and table numbers on a chalkboard.  It was clean, simple and environmentally friendly.

The next display was anything but simple.  For a stunning wedding at Tribeca Rooftop I designed and created an 8 foot square flower wall at the entrance to the venue.  The escort cards themselves were printed on round hanging mirrors.  At the end of the night we were able to reuse the wall and hung favors for guests to take as they left.

I love the whimsy of the next escort card display I created for a garden wedding at Caramoor Gardens in Katonah, New York.  Using basic twine I created 4 rows for the escort cards between 2 trees.  Then I used wooden clothespins to hang the escort cards.  It was so unexpected and perfect for this setting.

When you have a client who loves to read, why not use books as escort cards.  In this case the books were journals that also served as favors for the guests.  I brought in an antique desk and chair as the setting for this truly unique display.

Finally, I truly loved this whimsical display I created for a wedding at Bridgewaters in New York.  We used a combination of floral and succulents along with willow branches to create a stunning display as guests entered the room.

There are so many fun, unique ideas for using an escort card display to set the tone for any event.  I would love to see other ideas so feel free to comment and share your favorite escort card display 

Until next time...

Cheers