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

Shawn Rabideau Stationery Design of the Week - Bernadette

With Mothers' Day coming up this weekend I thought it would be appropriate to feature the stationery design I named after my own mother, Bernadette.

Growing up I always loved the maidenhair fern that was around my parents property.  When I see it I am always reminded of the flowers and garden that my mother put so much care into. I used this as the inspiration for the Bernadette design which has a beautiful, natural look.  It is perfect for weddings, engagements and bridal showers.

As with all designs, you can coordinate the entire look of your event with table numbers, menus and escort cards.  

So happy Mothers' Day to all the moms out there and...

Cheers!

Featured Stationery design Je t'aime

Many of you know that I am from Rochester, New York, but most do not know that my background is French Canadian.  Given that, the French language was commonly spoken around my home.  Unfortunately, my parents used it mainly as a way to communicate between themselves in a way that my sister and I would not understand, so we never really learned French.

Despite this, there are some words we did learn ie: Je t'aime.  In French this means "I love you" and is the way my parents always sign their cards to each other.  This always touched me and I thought Je t'aime would be a great name for one of the designs in my invitation line.  And, with Valentine's Day right around the corner, I thought this would be the perfect time to feature this design.

You can see from the images that the invitation features 2 lines converging.  I used this to symbolize 2 becoming 1, giving it special meaning for an engagement or wedding invitation.  Given the translation of Je t'aime this design really holds a special place in my heart.

As in all of my designs, I offer a variety of colors along with coordinating collateral pieces such as menus, escort cards, table numbers and more.

Check out my collection on line at FineStationery.com or at one of these amazing stationery stores.

Have a great Valentine's Day and ...

Cheers,

Shawn Rabideau Stationery featured in Munaluchi Bride

I just received the new issue of Munaluchi Bride and was excited to see a full page feature on Shawn Rabideau Stationery.  

Munaluchi Bride is the leading authority of bridal inspiration for women of color.  Jackie Nwobu has done an amazing job creating a leading magazine for Brides and I am so honored to be featured.  So, visit your local Target or Barnes and Noble to pick up a copy!

Enjoy and Cheers!

How to handle late RSVP's

I was just reading a post from a great Bridal Blog, Always a Blogsmaid, and want to share it with you.  Mayra and Xochitl offer a lot of great advice and I think this post is spot on.  Check out the link below.

What to do when the RSVP date has passed!

I can safely say that there has not been one event that I have planned where the host has not had to make calls to guests who have not replied by the response date.  I do think this is incredibly inconsiderate on the part of invited guests but the fact is that it is not only ok, but necessary to call guests if they do not respond on time. Also, there are likely to be a few last minute changes so as the host you should always plan accordingly.

Again, some great advice.  Thanks Always a Blogsmaid.

Featured Invitation - Ruth

A lot has been written recently about a return to formal elegance being a trend in the Wedding industry.  I have to agree that many of my Brides want a wedding that has a classic, elegant feel.  When I think of this look it reminds me of one of my favorite shows, Downton Abbey. The look  that is portrayed by all of the characters captures the style and grace of a bygone era.  I do find many of my clients want that feel and look for their own celebrations.

In going through my stationery designs there is one I feel perfectly captures this classic, elegant look.  The design is named Ruth, after my Grandmother, as it reminds me of the lace that was always around her home.

As with all of my designs, the back of the invitation carries through the design from the front.

Additionally, I offer coordinating pieces for every design so your table numbers, escort cards, menus and even your thank you cards can all be matched to ensure a consistent theme throughout your event.

The Ruth invitation is really perfect for anyone trying to capture a classic, vintage look.  I encourage you to go to www.shawnrabideaustationery.com to check out my collection that can be purchased on-line at www.finestationery.com and that is coming soon to a stationery store near you.

Until next time...

Cheers.

Sending invitations - plan ahead!

I have to share a recent experience I have had in sending out wedding invitations to help others avoid a lot of anxiety and frustration when sending out their own invitations.

It used to be the case that when invitations were properly mailed using first class postage they would start to appear in guests mail boxes within 2 to 3 days.  Please know, that is no longer true!

A couple of weeks ago I mailed the invitations for a client's wedding and the result was frustrating to say the least.  Everything was done properly from having the envelopes checked and weighed 3 times to make sure we had the correct postage to delivering them directly to the post office and having them hand cancelled to avoid any possible problem.

It wound up taking 12 days for the invitations to begin arriving in guests' mailboxes. I have to tell you this created a lot of anxiety not knowing why the invitations were delayed. 

I felt the need to share this story in order to give you a heads up when sending invitations.  I recommend that you add an extra 2 weeks to the process to ensure that your guests receive them in time and to help avoid the anxiety that we experienced.

It was definitely a lesson learned, thank you USPS!

Until next time...

Cheers

The importance of a detailed guest and address list

Every great wedding starts with a list of who (and maybe who not) to invite.  And this is one area I often find overwhelms many a newly engaged couple and their families.  Gathering addresses, how you properly spell someone's name and more can seem tedious and a chore.

However, a detailed and organized guest list will become the center of your wedding planning universe and, by the time you're done, you will have memorized every name, address and zip code from around the world!

I thought I'd give you a few of my Rabido's and Rabidon'ts when it comes to pulling your guest list together.

Rabido - Create a spreadsheet that one person or couple will manage throughout the entire planning process.  (Rabidon't have multiple spreadsheets!)  The spreadsheet should include columns for salutations, first name, last name, guests first name, guests last name, street, state and zip. (Country code if needed) Also, create columns for Welcome Dinner / Brunch / Bachelor or Bachelorette party and for the Bridal Shower.  By putting everything into different fields in a spreadsheet it allows you the opportunity to later organize who and how many are coming to what party.  You can also use this list to note who you've sent thank you notes to and for what.

Rabido - Take your time pulling the list together.  Often couples and their families rush to put the information into a document only to find out the information is wrong or incomplete.  Or worse yet, they forgot to invite their favorite uncle.  By taking your time in gathering the information you will find you will have less work to do when the planning really gets crazy.

Rabido - Alphabetize your list.  There is nothing worse than looking all over for someone's name when it is not in alphabetic order.

Rabidon't - Don't abbreviate or use nicknames on your address list.  You want your wedding to be a class act and the addresses on your invitation should be too.  Remember, this is the first thing your guests will see when it comes to your wedding.  Take the time to fully spell out names and everything related to addresses.  

Rabidon't - You may want to save on postage but it's not okay to hand deliver invitations.  If you're unsure of someone's address, ask and be sure they receive their invitation like everyone else - in the mail.

Rabidon't - You may want to save time and money but clear labels, or sloppy hand writing, doesn't leave a good impression on an invitation.  Spend a few extra dollars to have your envelopes printed in a coordinating font which is often less expensive than if hand calligraphed.  Again, think of first impressions.

Many of my clients have taken my advice and have thanked me for it in the end.  I know these tips will help you and, until next time,

Cheers!