Where flowers bloom, so does hope. Lady Bird Johnson

“Our goal is to never let this happen again.”

This is one of our proudest moments yet! Eclatante Event Design announces its new initiative, Kindness Blooms, a flower project that facilitates the rearranging, pickup and delivery of flowers from its many weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs and other celebrations to hospitals, charitable organizations and elder care facilities in the Philadelphia area. Our clients now have the opportunity to extend the life and joy of their flowers by giving them to people who could really use some unexpected pleasure in their lives — while at the same time, add an element of environmental responsibility to their events.

Our May 18th wedding became the launch of Kindness Blooms. Nancy Bachman was gracious enough to be our first client to donate the flowers she lovingly chose to celebrate her son, Jay’s marriage to Emelia at Appleford to two very worthy organizations The Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia and to the Broomall Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.

Kelly Hays of the Ronald McDonald House was thrilled!

The impact of having fresh flowers donated to our House for families is immeasurable; little touches like that bring a bit of cheer and comfort to families who have spent a long day at the hospital and can brighten the entire mood of the House. We truly appreciate Eclatante’s commitment to making the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House even more like home to the families we serve.

Eclatante takes care of all of the logistics once the client has agreed to donate the flowers from their event. We will suggest a recipient from the list of organizations with whom Eclatante has teamed up, then recruit and coordinate the volunteers and oversee the rearranging and delivery of the flowers to their new home. If there are any costs associated with the delivery, Eclatante will split those costs with the client. Also, clients may be eligible for a tax deduction for their gift of flowers.

We are always looking for new partner-organizations and volunteers. To be part of this extraordinary project, please email KindnessBlooms@eclatantedesign.com or call 610.565.9977.

We’re really excited that The Bride and Bloom Magazine asked us to design this photo shoot for their Spring/Summer 2008 issue. We had a great time with Donna and the gang at Beautiful Blooms and with Marie Labbancz — photographer extraordinaire! And the dolls of Two Paper Dolls did their usual amazing job of providing just the right touches with their printed material.  Such creative dolls they are!

Take a close look at those great little boxes of flowers that were our “seating cards/favors” for each guest — little mini flower arrangements to take home. And another one of my favorites — tea cups! I’m really hoping this takes off — they finish tables off beautifully and it’s another way to present a stunning, unusual table.

You really should take a good look at this great bridal magazine. It consistently provides brides with interesting and creative ideas and is full of drop dead gorgeous stuff. I get completely lost in it every time I pick one up. This issue is on the newsstands now. Grab one and tell us what you think!

For a while now, people have been daring to send blank response cards in their invitations.

Just like fill-in response cards, blank response cards are coordinated beautifully with the invitation. They, too, say something like kindly respond by such -&-such-a-date across the top or the bottom. They’re even tucked in nicely under the flap of the self-addressed, stamped return envelope. Nothing could be easier.

But here’s where it all gets a little crazy. There’s nothing else — no______________ , no menu choices, no box to check whether you accept with pleasure or regretfully decline. Nothing. Just a blank card.

Now What?

Response cards by Two Paper Dolls

Card by The Papery of Philadelphia

Do you remember the first time you got one of these? I do.

I consider myself to be a pretty well educated woman, but for a short time after receiving my first blank response card, I was completely stymied. I turned the card over and over and searched the invitation for another card. After discussing it with friends, I finally came to the inevitable conclusion that there really is only one option. I was supposed to actually respond in my own words to the invitation. In other words “be clever”

So, here’s the important question:
What happens in reality?
I asked stationery professionals and couples who have used the blank cards and here’s what I found out.

Are couples happy about their decision to use a blank response card?
Absolutely! So fun to get them!! Personal messages were so much better (I thought) than the fill-in. Karen

the blank cards were wonderful. I got wonderful “letters” written to us that I will cherish forever! I have them all in a scrapbook on black paper – makes them pop and looks fantastic. Tara

We’ve got poems and drawings and all kinds of silliness. Ah. Yes. I can’t recommend blank RSVP cards highly enough. The entertainment value alone is worth any possible mix-ups. Anon Blogger

They wrote about how they’d known us since we were little, or about how they were related…just to give some context for the wedding. We’ve got them all saved in a scrap book, Lauren & Josh

I think it really revealed a cool level of creativity from some folks, but confused others, If I had it to do over again, i’d probably put something on them to make sure that we got all the information we needed (name, number of attendees, steak/veggie, etc.)….It’s a Mixed bag. Dustin

What do the Professionals think?

Its the most old fashioned way to send an rsvp card. It’s also so much fun to read the great notes and messages people will send back in regard to their excitement about your upcoming event. my personal feeling is, unless you have to have check boxes, leaving a blank space for people to respond and be creative is exciting! Vanessa, Owner Two Paper Dolls

The notes couples receive on blank response cards create a great keepsake. I have brides who are reluctant at first, but love the outcome. It’s such a way to combine the old and the new. People can respond with traditional responses or they respond with fun greetings. Years and years later, the couple can look at those cards and really remember the people at their wedding. Carolyn, Owner Papery of Philadelphia

Some of our favorites

Here’s one from Laura Novak’s blog.

Very touching
The wedding will be a beautiful and wonderful day! Our wishes for you both are for love, oy and friendship always. Be kind to one another — that will see you through any trying time. Remember how you felt the day of your wedding…. It is an honor to be part of such a wonderful event, for two very special people. Tara & Scott

Great Story
My sister had a friend from college with whom she had a running joke about pizza delivery. On his response, he wrote that he wanted “Dominoes”. So she had a pizza delivered to his table during dinner. Karen

I’m so confused!

Problem: the not-helpful response card:
One guest replied very simply with (not another word) — the bride had to track him down to identify him. Other guests may not think to sign their names!

Solution: itsy bitsy numbers on the back of the card in a bottom corner. Each corresponds to the number of the line on the excel spreadsheet where the guests information resides. Voila!

Problem: Friends call:
Some people will contact the couple and will ask questions about how to respond:
A few people (mostly my friends) called to say, “Umm….we’re not sure how to respond to the wedding. What do we put on this card? “ Josh

Solution: When the phone rings, say hello to your friends and answer their questions. It’s fun to communicate with people about the wedding!

Tell us what you think of blank response cards!