Don’t want to give your guests traditional wedding favors but instead something they can enjoy over time? Tree Beginnings offers eco-friendly favors that will grow for years to come and fit any wedding theme, like blue spruce growing kits and gerber daisy seeds in mini-terracotta pots. All “green” favors are packaged in eco-boxes made entirely from recycled materials. Operating out of an old farmhouse in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, Sheila and Rick Sheffield have been sharing their love of the environment through earth-friendly favors for nearly 20 years.

As a child, Boston-based graphic designer Meagan Gilner could always be found drawing and painting. Her love of design stretches as far back as she can remember. It was in an effort to create a unique and perfect wedding gift for her sister that she found a way to showcase her true design talents. “Combining my love for design with one of the most important events of my sister’s life completely changed and energized me,” says Meagan. After family and friends received the invites that she designed for her sister, word spread and The Brocade Blackbird was born.



The Brocade Blackbird has been providing unique, one-of-a-kind invitation and stationery options to clients since 2007. Inspired by nature and color, Meagan creates custom wedding suites and continues to grow her ready-made design series.

The Ready-Made Collection – These boxed sets of stationery are printed on white or cream cards with beautiful ink colors and coordinating envelopes – perfect for hand-written notes or a special gift. [Launching Late Spring 2010]

Personalized Collections – This special collection allows the client to personalize our ready-made designs to their taste. You may choose from the offered designs and personalize with wording, ink, and envelope color. This collection is great for those needing faster turn-around time. All pieces are custom-printed to order. [Launching Late Spring 2010]

Hand-Crafted Custom Design Collection – Completely tailored to your style, this collection allows you to combine gorgeous design with the finest materials to create one-of-a-kind designs that set the tone for your special event. You get to weigh in on all the details – from the theme and colors, to the custom artwork.

Meagan passionately designs invitations and stationery for people’s most personal and exciting events. On a regular workday, she starts her coffeemaker and hops to it – designing, printing, cutting, gluing, taping, folding, and tying. Once she starts, she rarely takes breaks. She loves her work and can easily get wrapped up in a project. When she’s not working, she can be found perusing bookstores for ideas and inspiration. Not only are Meagan’s designs incredibly fresh and unique, she is truly one of a kind. She is one of those people you just want to be friends with – but don’t challenge her to a game of Yahtzee unless you’re ready to lose.