Firefighter Appreciation Weekend in New York

Mark your calenders for Firefighter Appreciation Weekend taking place July 20 and 21 at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City!

I am honored to be a judge for the 5th Annual Battle of the Boroughs Cook-off where members of the FDNY will defend their respective Boroughs by creating mouth watering appetizers and entrees.  I can't wait to try all of the great food and hope you can join the festivities on Saturday, July 20 from 11:00am to 2:30pm.  

Come on to Pier 86 on the Hudson River to support the brave members of the FDNY and enjoy all of he great family activities planned on the Intrepid.

Very Special Wedding in Central Park

Given all of the groundbreaking developments yesterday surrounding gay marriage I wanted to share a wedding I recently designed and produced for 2 very dear friends at the Boathouse in Central Park.  This wedding was unique for me first, because it was for friends who have been together for 18 years and second, because I was also a guest which is very different for me.

When we started planning Alan and John's wedding I was honored in that they selected the Schylar invitation from my stationery line for their invitations.  We decided early on that we would use this design to bridge the entire look and feel incorporating it into the table numbers, escort cards, menus, welcome notes, gift tags and even the thank you notes.

I must say planning a wedding for friends does add a level of stress I hadn't expected.  I wanted this wedding to be spot on perfect and while I do everything in my power to create the perfect event for every client, the personal nature of this party really kept me on my toes.  With the ceremony and after party were being held outdoors, I had more than a little concern when the weather forecast was calling for rain...all day long.  You can imagine my relief when the rain took place while guests were indoors dancing and everything else stayed dry!

Alan and John wanted to keep the ceremony intimate, not filled with formalities and they wanted their family and friends surrounding them while they said their vows. This is something of a growing trend for same sex couples and one I am growing quite fond of!  Before the exchanging of the vows the couple was serenaded by the amazing Wanda Houston, a long time friend.  To say the ceremony was emotional and touching is an understatement.

For the look of the wedding I wanted to keep it simple and masculine to match their taste and I was honored that John took the lead in directing me with decor because it really fit their style and taste.  We used succulents throughout the wedding and added accents of yellow floral.  As guests entered for dinner they were greeted by an escort card table featuring a wall of succulents and accents of yellow roses, calla lilies and orchids.  I actually designed the wall for reuse so Alan and John now have the wall as an accent piece hanging on their patio.

Each of the centerpieces were designed in a firwood bowl that was filled with succulents and yellow floral.

While the decor was great, the food was wonderful and the weather held out, the key to this event was the entertainment.  On the Move Entertainment did a great job with the MC, DJ and live musicians.  It was the special touches Alan and John added that made this event unique. First, the amazing Wanda Houston was incredible as she sang for the ceremony and performed a flawless rendition of "Isn't She Lovely" for the Mother/Son dance.

The really nerve racking part of this wedding for me was what came next.  Alan and John challenged each other to come up with a special surprise for the wedding.  Of course I had to coordinate the execution of each of their surprises without letting the other know what was going to happen.  It was a challenge that worked!  We started with Alan who brought in 2 amazingly talented Broadway entertainers, Michael Marcotte and Josh Prince.  They opened with Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" which which turned into a flash mob surrounding John. You can even catch a glimpse of yours truly in the flash mob.

After a bit more food and dancing it was John's turn to spring his surprise on Alan.  Alan's jaws literally dropped when John introduced the New York City Gay Men's Chorus as they entered the room to sing a special selection of songs.  

The surprises were a huge success and the guests were thrilled. I breathed a huge sigh of relief!

If you want a special treat we have these performances on video.  Just click on the link below to see:

Performance video

This wedding was such fun and so special.  What I also really enjoyed is that the fun did not stop at the Boathouse.  Since this was an afternoon wedding we had an entire night left to celebrate.  All of the guests were then treated to a wonderful outdoor party, again, thankfully the weather cooperated, which lasted well into the night and was the perfect finish to a wonderful day.

I would like to thank Natsumi Restaurant who did a great job with the welcome dinner and with catering for the after party.  We were also fortunate to have great photography and video compliments of 5th Avenue Digital, 

And I would like to thank Alan and John our dear friends for trusting us to make their special day come to life!

Until next time...

Cheers!

Spectacular Gala with an Oscar de la Renta Flair

Recently I had the great privilege to plan a fundraising Gala in honor of the 120th anniversary of the White Plains Hospital.  I had worked on the Hospital Gala years ago, before opening my own company, and was honored when they approached me late last year to take over as the planner for this event.  

I was especially excited to plan this Gala as it was not to be the typical seated dinner with speeches.  For this  anniversary the Hospital had partnered with Oscar de la Renta to put on a fashion show as the centerpiece of the event.  I love a challenge and creating a totally unique event around the show was right up my alley!

There were so many elements that had to be put together to make this evening a success.  To tell the story let me start with the basics, the venue.  Formerly the headquarters for General Foods, the site at 800 Westchester Avenue in Rye Brook, New York resembles a giant spaceship as you approach.  The owners of the building donated use of their massive atrium to become the setting for our event.

With the venue and date in place it was time to send out Save the Date cards and start designing the collateral materials.  For this task I turned to the team at Alpine Creative Group to pull together the look for all of the printed materials.  The result was a sharp, classic design that everyone loved.

Given that we had the space confirmed, and knew that the fashion show would be the focus of the event, our next task was to find the right staging company to create the environment and handle all sound and lighting.  To accomplish this task I contacted Richard Tatum and L & M Lighting and Sound.  Having work with Richard for many years I was confident he could pull together all of the elements to make the event a success and I was right.  To help L & M the services of Dynamic Drape and Decor were enlisted to create the set and the backstage areas along with helping us create some great posters of historic photos of the hospital.

To round out the vendors behind the event I brought is Vali Entertainment who supplied, Martin, an amazing DJ and the electric violists we used to set the stage as guests were entering the atrium for the Gala.

Of course every Gala needs amazing food.  For the White Plains Hospital Gala we chose the in house caterer at 800 Westchester Avenue, The Gourmet Taste, to handle all of the food and beverage for the event.  As this was not a sit down dinner the guests were treated to numerous themed food stations and a variety of passed hors d'oeuvres.  The guests raved about the food.  I have to say that Robin and her staff outdid themselves to make the guests happy.

Of course, I was there to design the room and provide floral and decor.  For this event it was all about the fashion.  Also,the room and staging were modern and sleek so I did not want anything over the top.  All of the tables were drapes with sleek silver, crinkle taffeta linens.  I used simple blue and white floral in stainless steel containers to tie into the Hospital's logo colors. It was simple and beautiful.

But, of course, the real star of the night were the amazing fashions from Oscar de la Renta.  I would be remiss if I did not give you a taste of the fashions that guests were treated to at the Gala.  I hope you enjoy.

It was a very special evening a a successful fundraiser for a great cause.  I a proud and grateful for the opportunity to work with the amazing staff and volunteers at White Plains Hospital.  I also want to thank Sniffen Pictures for production of the wonderful video shown at the event, Red Oak Transportation for safely transporting all of our models, Advanced Parking Concepts for handling the rush of guests needing valet service and Fifth Avenue Digital for providing the great photographers who captured all of the great images shown on this blog.

Here's to the next great Gala!

Cheers!

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

A Grand wedding at the Station

Recently I was presented with a wedding challenge that was most unexpected but that I also saw as an opportunity to do something that had not been done before.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy there were numerous challenges as many event venues were damaged or not able to open as a result of the Hurricane.  I was fortunate in that most of my clients handled the challenge gracefully and went on to have tremendous events, despite any adversity.

My most recent Hurricane Sandy challenge was to turn Michael Jordan's Steakhouse inside Grand Central Station into a venue for a wonderful client's wedding ceremony and reception.  If you have been to Grand Central you know what a stunning setting it is with many Brides and Grooms using it as a backdrop for photos.  However, to hold the actual wedding inside of an active train hub is very different from just using the Station for photos.   I mean, imagine saying your vows as the overhead speaker is calling the 5:15 train to New Haven.

The other challenge was how to turn this vast space into an intimate setting for not only the reception but also for the ceremony.  We accomplished this by sectioning off one area of the restaurant for the ceremony and used large urns on pedestals to frame the ceremony area.  When set against the backdrop of the Station, it was pretty spectacular.

Following the ceremony guests were escorted into the bar area of the restaurant for cocktails while we transformed the main room for the seated reception.  The client wanted a clean, sleek look so I used simple glass containers and floral in her colors of blue and white.  As guests came back into the main room they first saw a long, sleek escort card table with square glass containers in varying heights, each holding a different bouquet of a single flower type and color. A nice touch was that each escort card was actually a frame that the guests could keep as a favor.

For the tables we continued the sleek look with a runner of glass containers in the same color scheme. It was a perfect compliment to the grand space without trying to overpower it.

The clean sleek look was carried through all elements, even the cake which was simply adorned with the same flowers that I used throughout the wedding.

While a wedding in Grand Central Station was not part of the couple's original vision, the end result was a beautiful wedding shared by family and friends.  Everyone had a great time and the couple was very happy which is the most important part.

Here's hoping we do not have a repeat of Sandy and the challenges it created.

Cheers!

8 Keys to the perfect Cocktail Party!

Recently I did an interview with the website Mom.me regarding my top tips for the perfect cocktail party.  Today I happened to be scrawling through AOL News and low and behold there was my article.  I think these are all useful tips for anyone hosting a cocktail party.  Cheers!

Shawn's tips for the perfect cocktail party