The Big Day: A Vintage Black & White Soiree

The Bride, Jenn Grabenstetter, poses in the doors of the William Aiken House in Charleston, SC. Gown by Amy Kuschel, from the Gown Boutique of Charleston. Hair by Juliet Jones. Photo by Visio Photography.

As we mentioned in Wednesday’s post, we are positively swooning for the classic Black & White palate that many brides have been choosing for their big day. It’s dramatic, simple, sophisticated, and it lends itself easily to both modern,graphic motifs, and traditional, old-fashioned glamour.   

Ivy planned one such Black & White wedding in June of 2008 for Joe and Jenn Grabenstetter.  Their wedding theme was inspired by the historic William Aiken House in downtown Charleston. The building itself is bright yellow with black shutters and white trim, making black and white a natural choice (and one that wouldn’t fight with the bright color of surroundings).  For a pop of color, Joe and Jenn choose a bright, fresh shade of green that was delicately worked into the decor of the day.

They wanted their wedding day to feel vintage, timeless, and romantic in a Gatsby-meets-Grace Kelly kind of way, and Ivy helped them achieve that at every turn.  Want to see how she did it?   You can watch a slideshow of their wedding, as shown through the lens of Visio Photography’s James and Jenny Tarpley, on their newly-redesigned website!   To go straight to the photos of Joe and Jenn’s Black and White Big Day,  click here.

Best wishes to the (still sort of ) newlyweds who are celebrating their 2-year “Engage-aversary” today! Joe proposed to Jenn the day before her birthday two years ago today.

Hot Trend: Black and White with a POP of color

Black and white has been popping up all over the place for months: in the windows at Pottery Barn, on the runways at fashion week, and, of course, in weddings!  We love the canvas that a black and white color palate provides… leaving you free to play around with color in a practically risk-free way:  hot pink flowers, poppy orange bridesmaid dresses, lime green linens, bowls of lemons  as a centerpiece - you can’t go wrong when you pair it with the chic simplicity of black and white! 

Want to see a Black and White themed wedding designed by Ivy?  Tune in later this week for a photo slideshow featuring a fabulous vintage-esque gala that features this dramatic color scheme!

Can’t Miss Event: Dress and The Queen City

That’s right ladies! THE dress from the Sex and the City Movie is coming to Hayden Olivia Bridal right here in Charlotte, and you are invited to the BIG PARTY (designed and coordinated by Ivy) celebrating it’s arrival! There will be raffle prizes to die for, and proceeds will benefit Dress for Success, a non-profit organization that provides interview suits, confidence boosts, and career development to low-income women in over 75 cities worldwide. Great dress, great party, great cause!  Carrie would be so proud. 

Log on to Hayden Olivia’s website to find out more and purchase your tickets today!   Whew! I couldn’t keep that a secret a SECOND longer! I’ll see you at the runway. 

XOXO, 

A very excited Zoe!

Shhh… can you keep a secret?

It’s okay, neither can I!  That is why I am going to let you in on a few very juicy details about a VERY BIG event that Ivy has coming up in just a few weeks.  Full details of the event will post later today or tomorrow at the latest, but I just couldn’t resist spilling a few hints about what lies in store…. 

Here is what I can tell you for now: 

There will be cupcakes. In fact, there will be 1,000 of them. 

There will be boas. That’s right. Boas.

There will be chances to win fabulous prizes including massages, beauty products, decadent dinners, jewelry and dance lessons. 

Are you intrigued?  Good. You should be!  Check back later for more details on this unmissable event!

The Big Day: Pretty in Pink

Clockwise from top left: Embroidered linens add texture to the table; sweet krispee treats rest alongside strawberries in a grassy centerpiece waiting to be dipped in decadent chocolate; a frothy pink drink sits on a custom printed napkin; classy pink votive lights up the table; monograms pack a punch with pink blooms; guests gain entrance to the afterparty with glowing pink wrist bands; the happy couple makes a neon pink exit thanks to funky glow sticks; gorgeous pink heels and sassy zebra print; the whole tent was lit with pink lighting!

Happy Valentine’s Day Ivy readers! We don’t know about you, but we are thinking PINK today, so we thought we’d share a few precious pics from a wedding Ivy designed last June for super sweet couple Whitney and Benjamin.  You gotta really love this perky hue to plan a whole wedding around it (which our darling bride, Whitney, really really did), but done cleverly, pink can be used to punch up other color schemes as well. Hot pink looks even hotter against black and white - as evidenced by the zebra and pink shoe pick above - and we love pale ballet pink as an alternative to your basic neutrals like ivory and champagne.  So have a happy V-day and play around with pink in your wedding or party scheme! Photography by Amanda Caldwell Photography www.acaldwellphoto.com

Ivy on the Radio

Want to get even more dish straight from the diva of divinely designed weddings herself? Then tune into I Do Radio on www.blogtalkradio.com/I-Do-Radio this Saturday at 8am Pacific Time (yes that is 5 am Eastern, if any of you out there are those “Up at the crack of dawn so I can run a 5K before breakfast!”  types that I despise).  She’ll be talking all about the how-to’s of planning an unforgettable wedding and sharing secrets of how to do it with minimal stress and maximum style.

Then log on to our blog here at ivyrobinson.com and let me know how it was, because Zoe here will definitely still be sleeping. (No offense Ives. Love you.).

Zoe’s Fabulous Advice Corner: Surviving Valentine’s Day

There’s no question that your wedding day should be the most romantic day of your life, but it doesn’t have to be the only one.  Ivy’s sweet honey still insists that she keep one weekend a year free so that he can whisk her away on her birthday, often to a secret destination, to celebrate in style. (I know – how cute!) My darling honey-dew always has a wine glass chilling in the freezer and a bowl of delicious edamame (my favorite pre-dinner snack) waiting for me when he knows I’ve had a long day.  Of course, Ivy and ol’ Zoe here didn’t snag the only two good ones in the bunch – plenty of you ladies out there have wonderful men who treat you sweet 365 days a year (feel free to share your stories about these great guys in the comments), but for some reason it seems that there is one day a year that always trips them up – and it’s coming up this Saturday.  Yes, Valentine’s Day: the day each year when our expectations are high and the resulting gestures never quite live up to them.  Why do we torture ourselves this way with a forced day of affection? I have no idea. But we do, and millions of people end up with stuffed animals under their bed and stale chocolates in the pantry as a result.  That is why we were thrilled to find this little blog entry from Charlotte Shoptalk, which addresses the challenges of picking the perfect Valentine’s gift head on and gives great advice to guys who find themselves stymied by this stalwart holiday.

The one piece of advice that Ivy ‘n crew would like to add is this: please, if you can help it, DO NOT propose on Valentine’s Day. It’s not a good idea.  If you must, do it the day before, or first thing in the morning on V-day and catch her off guard. DON’T build it up with anticipation and fancy dinner plans and don’t incorporate hearts, roses, or teddy bears into your proposal in anyway. Trust us, you are just begging for trouble, and we are begging you, make a different day your special “engageaversary”. You’re gal will thank you for it, I promise. 

 Don’t forget to leave us some comments letting us know about the sweetest thing your guy has done for you lately, or share horror stories about Februrary 14^th’s you’d like to forget!

The Big Day: Winter Wedding in Michigan

Fabulous details from an unforgettable winter wedding for Carolyn Hughes and Derek Lowe in Michigan. Photography by Susan Stipling. Clockwise from top left: Crystal name tags hanging on 10-ft tree; full length shot of crystal tree; name card and menu at table setting, Calligraphy by Elizabeth Jones; cake by Gregory Bingham, Art of Cake; 10 ft custom ice bar; reception room at Ritz Carlton; power room decor; Susan Bingham, Ivy Robinson, Carolyn and Derek Lowe at the late night reception.

 Planning a wedding for the dead of winter in Michigan might seem like some sort of sadistic death wish, but Ivy and a crew of talented professionals (see below), created a wedding reception that was full of warmth by utilizing the sumptuous rich red and sparkling gold color palate the couple chose,  gorgeous lighting, decadent textures in the linens, and even putting pops of blooming color in the bathrooms (You gotta go for the unexpected!). 

Congrats to the newlyweds, Derek and Carolyn, who just passed the one month mark as husband and wife, and best wishes to Derek as he gets ready to head to spring training for the Atlanta Braves!

And now for some much deserved kudos for the brilliant people who helped make this unforgettable Big Day come together for Ivy and the bride and groom:

CEREMONY/RECEPTION

Lovett Hall at The Henry Ford

Christina Dodge and staff

http://www.thehenryford.org/

Alison McMillan at The Ritz Carlton, Dearborn, MI

www.ritzcarlton.com

FLORAL DESIGN
Beth Hohensee and gang from Studio Flora Diva

www.studiofloradivaonline.com/

INVITATIONS

www.chicimpressions.com

RENTALS

Mary Loconti at Special Events Rentals

http://www.specialeventsrental.com/

CEREMONY MUSICIANS

Great Lakes String Quartet

http://www.greatlakesstringquartet.com/

CAKE

The Art of Cake

www.theartofcake.com

RECEPTION ENTERTAINMENT

PRE-CEREMONY, COCKTAIL, RECEPTION:

Brass Jar Music 

John Rutherford

www.brassjarmusic.com

LATE NIGHT DJS

Chris Smith & Scotty Brooks with Done in the Dark Productions

PHOTOGRAPHER

Susan Stripling Photography

www.susanstripling.com

LINENS

Party Tables

www.partytables.com

VIDEOGRAPHY

Dreamlight Films

Matt Francis

www.dreamlightfilms.com

TRANSPORTATION

Tecumseh Trolley & Limousine Service, INC

http://www.michigantrolleys.com/

MINISTER

Reverend Frederick Page

CALLIGRAPHY

Elizabeth Jones