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With opening The Boutique back in April 2023, we wanted to add another level of service to our wheelhouse, offering in-person events that would provide the experience of engaging with others in our community who share similar passions and interests, creating an opportunity to meet new people. We are still buzzing with excitement from the incredible success of our most recent event - Sip, Snack & Stack: Galentine's Girls Night Out 💃✨ Take a look at a few of the night's highlights, the laughter and the love that filled the air during this memorable evening. We want to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who attended and contributed to the success of our Galentine's Girls Night Out Event. Your energy, enthusiasm and love made this event truly exceptional. Thank you for being part of our community and for making events like these a true success. An extra special thank you to local businesses Vernon Brown Photography and Kellye Christian Floral + Event and Design. The night would not have been a success without you. Stay tuned for announcements about upcoming events, workshops and celebrations as we continue to create moments that matter. Here's to friendship, laughter and many more celebrations ahead!

At Open Invitation Stationery, we pride ourselves in being more than just an "invitation or paper store". We are a full service stationery and gift boutique serving the Mississippi area and beyond. Our goal is to assist you with making all your special occasions memorable and unique, offering guidance and support every step of the way. We creatively craft and design intentional stationery and gifts you and your guests will love, cherish and remember for years to come. With opening The Boutique back in April of this year, we wanted to add another level of service to our wheelhouse, offering in-person events that would provide the experience of engaging with others in our community who share similar passions and interests, creating an opportunity to meet new people. This past week, that vision became reality as we hosted our first in-person event: The Dog Days of Summer Craft Cocktail Class. This interactive class offered a fun evening, crafting two curated cocktails, delectable refreshments, cocktail and food recipes, professional barware and personalized cocktail accessories. Participation exceeded our expectation! Locals from the metro area gathered and had an opportunity to network as well as learn to make some delicious cocktails. Because of the space we'd planned for the class, unfortunately we weren't able to allow everyone interested to come. We're working to spruce up the back half of The Boutique to allow for larger classes and socials in the future! Thank you to all of our participants, we enjoyed each of you! We also had a few "distance learners' who were able to have an in-home experience. Special thanks to our sponsors, staff and vendors who made the evening extra special. Sponsors: Chair Appeal Kellye Christian Floral + Event Design KBRS Show Calvin Hill, Jr. Staff: Cameron Hill Skylar Hill Honorary Staff: Carrie Wade Food Vendor: Grub2gotakerybyshun Until our next event...

With Father's Day right around the corner, step this way for the best gifts for those men in your life that mean so much to you. Browse our gift guide to find the perfect present for your favorite guy(s) for Father's Day, birthday or any day-no matter your budget. And the best part??? Most of these gifts can be personalized and shipped in two days or less. Just remember to allow more time for the items you want customized. Most importantly, remember to celebrate the fathers, father figures and male mentors in your life who have supported, encouraged, protected and cared for you. Celebrating life's most memorable and special occasions! If we're not already friends, let's fix that right away! Stop by The Boutique and follow us on Facebook + Instagram

One of my favorite elements to discuss with and design for my clients are wedding motifs. On the rise for "stealing the show", is the right motif; the perfect way to brand your wedding and provide a cohesive look and feel from engagement to the day of your event. What exactly is a motif? In works of art, a motif is an important and noticeable element or feature that typically appears throughout the work. It can relate to the theme, or it can be the dominant or central idea itself. Motif is commonly applied in design, where it typically refers to a single or repeated pattern or color. -Merriam-Webster What is the difference between a "motif" and a "theme"? The words theme and motif are often confused. To clarify, a motif is a design or pattern which becomes a recurrent thematic element throughout the wedding. A theme, on the other hand, is the overall style of your wedding, for instance vintage chic, winter wonderland, boho chic, etc. How to use a motif and where can it be used? Using a recurring element throughout your event ties your wedding together from start to finish. Most couples display their motif on the items below, however you can include it wherever you like. of course ---wedding invitations! save-the-dates place cards dance floor table numbers thank you notes wedding cake or topper wedding programs bar reception favors such as cups, koozies, drink stirrers wedding signage menus light display (gobo) An artfully designed motif can elevate your already beautiful wedding design to a bespoke masterpiece your guest will never forget. Details from the wedding featured in this blog: Wedding Motif and Stationery Suite: Open Invitation Stationery | Venue: The Cadre Building | Decor and Florals: Olivia Ward Events | Day of Coordinator: Dee Alex Agency | Draping: Curtain Call Midsouth + Lori Jackson Evans Photography: Jao Photography | Videography: Teisto Visuals | Saxophonist: Anthony Hobson | DJ/ Cold Sparklers/Dancing On Cloud: DJ Swagg | Catering: Draper’s Catering | Cake: Frost Bake Shop | Groom’s cake: The Frosted Oven | Ceremonial Broom: Davis Stan | 360Video Booth and Glam Print Booth: Selfie Memphis Photo Booth | Bride’s MUA: Marnelia Roy | Bride’s Hair installed by: Brittany Albritton | Bride’s Hair styled by: Rayshaun Styles Stanford Bride’s Accessories: Sureina Bridal | Bridesmaids Dresses: Ballew Bridal Groom and Groomsmen Tuxedos: Mens Wearhouse #weddinginvitations #memphiswedding #aka1908 #aphia1906 #ibrandweddings #mississippilove #weddingtrend

Have you scrolled through social media or opened emails in your inbox and seen cute, stylish collegiate offerings for every college and university-but yours? Well, me too! I NEVER see jewelry that is representative of my alma mater. With the nudge from a sweet friend, Open Invitation Stationery has a new jewelry collection that will remedy the lack of HBCU representation in game day fashions. I'm so excited to share our new collection, GAME DAY. Each piece is handmade AND made with love. We hope you'll love them all as much as we do. Check back often as more schools are added. Leading off the collection is Jackson State University. Which college or university should be added to the shop next? Let me know! As always, thank you for supporting my small businesses, either with your purchases, referrals or by sharing my emails or social media content. It truly means the world to me! If we're not already friends on social media, let's fix that right away! Open Invitation Stationery | Facebook + Instagram

Scheduling a consultation with your stationery designer is a great opportunity to meet and discuss your vision for your custom invitation. Though the stationery designer is a professional, unless they moonlight as a psychic, they can't read your mind. So though they are quite confident they can design what you want, you must first have an idea of what you want. While waiting for your appointment or before scheduling the consultation, do a little research. Find no more than 3 or 4 invitations that catch your eye, that you think are beautiful. Professional stationery designers are true creatives, and should never copy other's work. But selecting a few invitations, gives the designer a starting point and an idea about your personal style. Jot down a few notes/adjectives that explain/describe why you like those invitations. You don't have to like every detail about the individual invitations you find. For instance if you pick three (3) for inspiration, you may like different elements from each one to combine to make the perfect invitation for your day. Share those details during the consultation with the stationery designer. Communication is key. When you’re at your consultation, communicate those adjectives to help with the design of your custom invitation. Be specific and descriptive as you possibly can. It will definitely decrease the time it takes in designing which means a quicker turnaround time and quicker mailing of your invitations. Visit our portfolio on the website, browse through our feed on instagram and schedule your consultation. I’d love to meet you and chat! I hope you find this information helpful. As always, I am so grateful for your support and love having this opportunity to serve you. Join the celebration and never miss the party over on the website to receive other features, tips and helpful information. Celebrating life's most memorable and special occasions!

I’m gonna make this short and sweet, friend. I’ve been SO excited about this collaboration - and today’s the day, it’s finally here! Open Invitation Stationery and Kiersten's Cookies have partnered as a mother and daughter duo to curate a thoughtful, intentional gift box to celebrate mothers, just in time for Mother's Day! Want to see what we've been working on? Here’s what I need you to do: Click the button below to hop to the shop. That’s it, that’s all you have to do - no fine print here and you're the first to be in the know. This is a Limited Edition, limited availability item and when they're gone, they're gone. Trust me, do not wait on this friend! Whether you need a gift for your mother, grandmother, aunt, sister or friend, this gift box is the perfect way to share a little sweetness, “wine” down and celebrate being a mother. A perfect reason to sneak into that favorite hideaway to indulge so you won't have to share! As always, thank you for supporting our small businesses, either with your purchases, referrals or by sharing our emails or social media content. It truly means the world to us! If we're not already friends on social media, let's fix that right away! Kiersten's Cookies | Facebook + Instagram Open Invitation Stationery | Facebook + Instagram

March is WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH Continuing to salute Mississippi women making HERstory, this week Open Invitation Stationery is recognizing women making their mark in the wedding and event industry. These creative, talented women are developing style and design trends of their own in Mississippi and beyond. I hope you enjoyed this week's feature. As always, I am so grateful for your support and love having this opportunity to serve you. Join the celebration and never miss the party over on the website to receive other features, tips and helpful information. Celebrating life's most memorable and special occasions!

Are you busy taking care of the kids, your partner, your parents? Are you pursuing your career and managing the day-to-day maintenance of running your home? Do you sometimes feel as if everyone else gets your best? Do you feel when it's time for you, you're stuck with leftovers? Do you feel like you catch the short end of the stick? We as women typically put our basic needs on hold to make sure we've taken care of everyone else. If this resonates with you, you might feel depleted, cranky, frustrated, lonely, unappreciated or even unattractive. Being everything to everyone else leaves you with no strength and no time to care for self. Self care is often mistaken for self improvement but it is different. Self care is about allowing yourself to have a nurturing experience of life right now as opposed to when you work harder in the future. This week, Open Invitation Stationery is recognizing some amazing Mississippi women who are self care advocates and can definitely guide you in the right direction of taking care of self!

What better day to kick off celebrating Women's History Month than on International Women's Day! Each Monday in the month of March, Open Invitation Stationery will feature some of our favorite LOCAL women doing amazing things in the state of Mississippi. This week's feature is women in photography! Celebrating life's most memorable and special occasions!

With so much uncertainty and the increasing concern surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, under the advisement of the CDC it is recommended that for the next 8 weeks, organizers cancel or postpone in-person events that consist of 50 people or more throughout the U.S. Seconds before posting, the White House has since changed and advises the public to avoid groups of more than 10. As a result, anyone with an event planned during this time frame is having to rethink, reschedule and/or cancel their gatherings out of necessity and safety. Though it may be overwhelming and unbelievable to process the fact that all your diligent efforts of planning seem to have been ruined, all may not be lost. To assist you through the "next steps", I've jotted down three suggestions to help you get started and headed in the right direction. Review your contracts and contact your vendors. Although vendors and small businesses are experiencing the same impending health concerns and challenges but from another view point, they should be willing to work with you to reschedule your event. If they haven't already contacted you, call them as soon as possible. Hopefully, the professionals you've chosen to work with will display compassion and will be as accommodating as possible. If a mutual agreement can not be resolved to reschedule, be prepared to discuss, and possibly negotiate, the refund/cancelation policy. Sit down and devise a plan of action to communicate your plans with your guests. Whether by email, text message, phone call or through your wedding website, make diligent efforts to contact each guest about the alternate arrangements you'll make. It is very likely they have already made a decision as to whether they will still attend your event but let them know as soon as possible just in case they are still on the fence. They can then make the necessary changes on their end. This gives them time to cancel any accommodations or travel arrangements in enough time to prevent any additional costs, fees or penalties. Give yourself grace. Now, I will be the first to admit I don't always practice what I preach but give yourself grace. While your instinctive emotional response to this difficult predicament may be to react with frustration, anger or panic, remember, these circumstances are not your fault and are beyond your control. Take a step back, both physically and mentally and allow yourself appropriate time and space to properly assess the circumstances. Stay safe friends. This too shall pass.

Back in July, my oldest had a baseball showcase tourney in Pensacola, Florida. Prior to that, I'd had a creative's conference in the same location and fell in love! So leave it to me to try and plan Thanksgiving at Pensacola Beach in less than three months for our entire family! All the family was on board and I had began planning for a fun-filled week at the beach. What I had not planned for was the death of the matriarch of our family, my grandmother, Bessie Lee Alexander, just barely a week before our trip was scheduled. Planning for the trip had become even more overwhelming mixed with grieving and preparing for the funeral. Since accommodations were already confirmed and because we didn't want to sit around the family home moping, we ventured ahead to Pensacola Beach. A few photos from over the week Our beautiful home for the week Family game night Overall, our family's first ever Destination Thanksgiving was amazing! The opportunity to break away and spend dedicated time together as a family was exactly what we needed! God certainly had worked all the things out. This trip and the timing was all in His plan! Thank you to Paradise Beach Homes for making the process effortless and flawless! Follow along on the blog to see the family photos we took while at the beach and the reveal of our 2019 Holiday card! Not on the mailing list? Sign up here! #pensacola #pensacolabeach #destinationthanksgiving #familyholiday #familyfirst #holidayplanning #destinationholiday #floridavacay #floridaholiday #paradisebeachhomes #acrylicinvitations #dinnerinvitation #vacayinvitation