Anna Campbell & a Kangaroo

Anna Campbell. Oh Anna Campbell, how beautiful you are. We could not be more excited to announce that we are an official retailer of this incredible Australian designer and will be receiving our first few samples in the next few weeks. Anna Campbell was one of those designers we both were in love with from the beginning and so it is beyond exciting to now be able to have these stunning gowns in Ivory + Beau. In addition, we are hosting a trunk show to showcase the entire collection Friday September 18th through Saturday September 19th only and we are already booking appointments! Be sure to schedule your appointment sooner rather than later as we are a small boutique and only have limited space for appointments. 

Now to share not only all the loveliness of Anna Campbell and a little bit about the designer herself but also here to talk a little bit about our very own kangaroo, Nicole Stevens, and how much we love her. Because it only made sense to combine a post about our newest Australian designer with our very own Australian trainee from Perth, the western coast of down under.

The first 2 dresses we will be receiving from Anna Campbell are "Isobelle" and "Harper." The first being a chic romantic and girly sheath silhouette gown with a soft lace illusion neckline. This dress is perfect for the bohemian bride who wants to look feminine on her wedding day with a little bit of coverage around her bustline. The second dress is a sexy fitted low-cut lace gown with heavy beading. This dress is perfect for the glam bride who wants to show off her figure and feel sultry on her wedding day while still rocking lace. 

During our Trunk Show we will have dresses from Spirit, the new Anna Campbell Collection, and Forever Entwined, the previous collection. These dresses are carefree, sexy, whimsical, bohemian, soft, romantic and lovely. There is an Anna Campbell dress for every bride, whether you are wanting a simple chiffon gown that flows in the wind, a sexy fitted all-over beaded gown, a lace bohemian gown or a romantic gown, there is something for everyone.

The Melbourne, Australian designer, Anna Campbell, seems to be quite illusive. I had to do some digging on the internet to find some facts about the designer herself. I always find it interesting to know the women behind the designs. And can I first say, gingers (and women) rule the world? At least she definitely looks like a ginger in some of the pictures I found. That being said, Anna Campbell got started in the design world at age 19, first with handmade headpieces than dresses than bridal. She quickly became known for her dresses with luxurious intricate beading and the softest of laces that hugged and accentuated the female figure. She studied Art, Design and Textiles in Victoria and then further went on to study Fashion at RMIT's City Campus, where she did not complete school but rather dived right into creating her label. Her first collections were all Made to Measure and available only in Australia but with the newer introduction of her Ivory (off-the-rack) collection she designed an entire new line of dresses with the similar feel of her more exclusive collection but that were now available overseas, which brings us to here and now. I can't say enough how excited we are to bring these dresses to Savannah, GA, just like how I was so excited to bring our very own kangaroo to Savannah...

Nicole Stevens and I met by what I believe is fate. Or maybe we just met because I am the kind of person who replies to every email even if it's just to say No. Anyway, 2 years ago while still employed at David's Bridal and running Simply Savannah Events on the side, a small wedding planning company, I got an e-mail from Nicole, who we now call "Nic," asking if she could shadow me while visiting the United States. I said sure why not. Then fast forward to a few weeks before and Nic e-mails me to confirm that we are still on. My reply? "That all sounds good; however, for my own personal safety, do you have a Facebook account or some online account where I can sort of "meet" you prior to you coming here." In reality what I was thinking was... this girl has the same initials as me, is supposedly just coming to shadow me but what if she actually has plans to hold me hostage, skin me alive, steal my company and take my identity so she never has to leave the US?

Anyway, we ended up connecting on Facebook and then a few weeks later we met in person. Meeting Nic was so random but I truly believe it was meant to be on so many levels. Nic worked Mary Rose and Ross' wedding with me and also helped me finish the handpainted turkey feather backdrop we made for this Thanksgiving Styled Shoot. Not just that but she helped me with all sorts of other random projects I came up with and it quickly became apparent to me what a hard worker she is. Not everybody is a hard worker; which, took me longer to realize than I had imagined it would. Having been raised by my dad who always taught me the importance of being a hard worker I just thought it was a quality everybody possessed. False. Nic was the kind of worker who busts her ass harder than you will even bust your own. I can still remember how chaotic and crazy the setup for Mary Rose & Ross' wedding was but we got it done. And we would have never gotten it done without Nic hustling and bustling. During her stay in Savannah we didn't just work together but we became extremely close. We worked and played together and she even extended her stay in Savannah because we were having too much fun. 

Fast forward a year and Nic started asking me about the opportunity to come back to Savannah and be sponsored by Ivory + Beau under a trainee visa. Nic put in so much hard work to make it happen and 2 months after submitting the application she was approved. And now here she is, working with and learning from us everyday just as hard as she did those few weeks 2 summers ago. With the help of Nic we have been able to book more weddings than we ever had before. She is the kangaroo of the team who helps us all keep our heads screwed on tightly, gives us hugs when hugs are needed and even when they're not, provides comic relief mostly when speaking Australian, and always works hard even if it means she's dancing while she's working because music is playing and she just can't stop the rhythm in her bones, or should I say pouch? She is the kangaroo who we never want to leave and who we want to keep for forever. 

On the personal side, Nic has changed my life in so many little ways. She is the most considerate person I have ever met in my entire life, always making my lunches or doing other little favors here and there and always so thoughtful of other people's feelings. She gives more hugs than anybody I've ever known, and has it set in her mind she'll someday make me a hugger too. She is a family and people person to the extreme, and while she says she is shy I just have yet to ever see this shy side to her. She loves making new friends and often lets people in that I would never even think about letting in. She has taught me that it's okay to feel like you have enough people in your life to keep up with but that doesn't mean you can't let new people into your life because you might learn something new from them. She also is better at keeping up with people than anybody I've ever met, always snap chatting her friends back home, skyping or facetiming her family, she is always a text or phone call away if you need her. She has taught me that it is not only easy but really delicious to eat healthy with her peach, avocado, corn and turkey slice salads or her smashed avocado on toast; with her around I have ate better than ever before. She lives life to the fullest, never wanting to waste any time because her time in the US is limited and by doing so she's taught me that I too should be doing the same and while some days I feel I am lacking on sleep I do not regret any of our adventures together. She is a best friend that I will have forever whether she is in Australia or some other state in the United States - she forever will be a part of my life no matter the distance or the paths our lives lead us on.

Thank you for reading and we can't wait to help brides find the perfect Anna Campbell gown this September! To shop the collection and try on these dresses you can call (912)200-4794, e-mail us at ivoryandbeau@gmail.com or click here! x, n

{Photo & Research Sources} Images all via Anna Campbell // "Anna Campbell, Designer" via Onya Magazine // "What Would They Know?" via Polka Dot Bride // "Meet the Designer: Anna Campbell" via Style Hunter Bride