The Making of Ivory & Beau: episode 1
I cannot even believe that Ivory & Beau opened its doors 4072 days ago (well according to the day I’m writing this blog on March 6th, 2025) but by the time this goes live 4073 days ago… or the equivalent to 11 years, 1 month and 13 days ago… and that Simply Savannah Events LLC was established 12 years, 3 months and 27 days ago. What a journey it has been!!!!!
It’s so wild to look back and see how far this business has come from those early days of big dreams, big vision and not a clue how to accomplish anything or where to even begin…!!! I mean, truly, so wild that while recording this video… basically talking to myself in a fitting room and not pausing or anything, I started crying. To truly reflect on some of the moments and feelings that I experienced while trying to make this business happen felt really surreal.
So anyway… here it is! The first video talking about the Making of Ivory & Beau and hopefully the start of more frequent YouTube videos of behind the scenes of Ivory & Beau as a whole, not just me!! I’ve been wanting to work on this and focus on it for awhile but it’s just been quite a wild ride these past few months. Honestly, can’t even wrap my head around the fact it’s already March!!! It feels like more has happened this year than I can even comprehend. Rest has been few & far between and as I write this I am a bit concerned I may be getting sick since I have been putting the pedal to the medal and utilizing every free minute when I am kid-free to work as hard as I possibly can to try to accomplish all the things on my to-do list. And yet, it feels like I’ve hardly made a dent.
But I guess, in reality, will I ever actually make a dent? I’d be shocked if I did considering I am truly living what I love every single day. I am so passionate about building this business, creating experiences that evoke joy for people, making a work environment that is fun too… So how would it ever be possible to accomplish all that there is on my to-do list when my to-do list grows all the time because of my pure excitement and vision for what’s next?!
And I guess that reason is why… it’s so crazy to stop and reflect on how far we’ve come. I’ve been head down, focus on work, focus on what’s next, keep on moving and keep on going. It’s rare that I stop to look at the accomplishments and the overcoming of challenges. Instead my focus is always on…
how can we do better?
how can we serve more people?
how can we give back?
how can I serve my employees better?
how can we share our passion for weddings more?
how can I ensure the sustainability of the business long-term?
how can we connect with others in the community?
Gosh, where am I even going with all this….!? Maybe that’s another reason why it takes me a minute to accomplish a lot because I frequently can go off on a tangent and end up in a rabbit hole with no clue where I got here. Oh wait, give me a second…
I know where I was going with this… what is even the point of sharing the behind-the-scenes? Creating these videos? Taking time away from other responsibilities and to-do list tasks to focus on YouTube of all things!?
So at the start of this year I decided that my word for 2025 was going to be… Intention.
I wanted everything that I did, every decision to be guided by Intention. I wanted to have focus and direction behind the steps that I make. Sure, there are times I get distracted and lost and overwhelmed and lose that focus but fortunately, with the help of many hours of crafting a vision board from scraps of old magazines, I am able to re-center frequently on Intention.
So what’s mine?
In a nutshell, I’d say it comes down to 3 main things:
I love being able to create an environment that is a place of joy—both for customers and employees. I believe there is power in laughter and I love more than anything to hear others laugh.
I grew up in a stressful environment and every summer I would spend 2 months with my grandparents in Greenville, South Carolina (probably why I love the South and the heat so much.) Don’t get me wrong, I loved my dad very very very much and he did so much for me but I had a difficult time growing up with a stepmom. But summertime?! I felt free to just… be. And to laugh.
I think behind so much that I do, not just in business, but as a single mom to two toddlers is really because of this desire to create environments full of joy, laughter and love.
My dad used to own a printing company and at his funeral several of his old employees were there. My dad had been retired for at least 15/16 years… and one of his past employees came up to me and said that working for my dad was the best job that he ever had. That no job after that job came even close to working for my dad.
Gosh. Phew. To hear that? That desire for me runs deep in my blood to be able to provide a job for someone else in that way. And I, in no way, am saying I am or have. But, gosh. It is part of what keeps me going everyday. AND to provide an environment for customers too to laugh and have a joyful experience!!I remember telling my dad when I was in the early years of getting started how I wanted to someday be able to give back to non-profits and causes that were near and dear to my heart. Well, my dad was a straight shooter and told me something along the lines of … “you’ve got a long way to go before you can afford to give any money away.”
Well, it breaks my heart he hasn’t been able to see the progress and the new building and all that has been accomplished since his passing and even since he was diagnosed with Dementia… But either way, I see money as a tool. And I also believe it’s a tool from God. I am a steward of the tools that God blesses me with in this life. And how I steward them matters.
I hope and pray to make smart decisions with the gifts that I am blessed with and to be able to give back and help raise money for causes near and dear to my heart and that can help impact the community as well is truly something that is very important to me.There is a chance I will mess up some details of this last point because this is pieced together from memories of what my grandparents and my dad had told me years and years ago as well as a box full of letters I found a year-ish ago that were written to her from her friends…. but either way, hopefully I am able to make my point!?
My mom, Sandy, was diagnosed with breast cancer and was fighting it before she found out she was pregnant with me. While pregnant she had to stop treatments. My dad told me how bittersweet it was the day I was born because here was small little Nicole, a beautiful little baby (although, I think I sure was a funny looking kid but that’s a mute point…) and then my mom was rolled away to quickly began more aggressive treatments.
My mom passed away on May 11th, 1990. I was not yet 1.5 years old.
I never had a mom telling me I was beautiful or helping me feel beautiful in any way growing up. I always felt like that awkward ginger kid and surely I really was just that… !!
There is joy that comes from being a business that is able to help other women feel beautiful!!!!! And I am so grateful to have found wonderful bridal stylists who can help work so hard to help brides find the perfect gown for them.
That was not even what was the reason I was going to write when I started writing this #3 point… but since that was what I felt compelled to write, there you have it. Shrugs.
What I was going to write was that… because I did now have the chance to grow up with my mom, I feel very blessed that now as a mom to 2 beautiful kids that I am able to create a schedule that works with them at the center. I am able to spend time with them when I have them and be a stay at home mom with my focus 100% on what they need and then when they are with my ex I am able to spend time at work focusing on my work. Building a strong business and focusing on finding an amazing team of individuals who work for Ivory & Beau has enabled this reality. And I am so grateful for the opportunity to raise 2 kids and spend time with them while also being able to focus on my dream of a sustainable business that exists even on the day I die so that I am able to pass on to future generations opportunity they may not have had.*Some pictures of Dash, Tommie & I at Lincoln City, Oregon last holiday season where my dad had this tiny tiny tiny beach cottage on the coast. We were able to spend the holiday season staying at my brother’s house in Scappoose and then made the drive down to the coast where it was extremely cold and extremely windy. A trip that would not be possible without the incredible team that I have working at Ivory & Beau and without the support of customers who have chosen to shop at Ivory & Beau. Thank you.
And on that note, I truly need some sleep because I have spent the last 3 nights up until 130am working on marketing, social media, editing videos and more… sneaking in some extra hours of doing what lights my heart on my fire. Thank you to everybody who supports Ivory & Beau. And to those considering Ivory & Beau, thanks for taking the time to check us out! We’re just a small business located in Savannah, Georgia built by a dream and we have got a truly amazing team of employees who I adore so much!!!!!!!
Xoxo, Nicole
Photography Credits: Apt B Photo || Love, Anneliese