Well… we are coming to the end of a very wild 2020 to say the very least. So what better way to wrap up the year than with a run down on what the team at Ivy & Bleu got up to.
Some would think that we couldn’t achieve much….I mean with the uncertainty and ups and downs of Covid-19 the events industry certainly came to a very sudden and shocking halt.
We had social distancing, rescheduling, cancelling, no standing at bars and worst of all definitely no dancing allowed! So many rules! While we are happy and thankful that these restrictions were put in place for our safety, we can openly say it put a bit of a dampener on what was to be an exciting and very big year of weddings and events.
We are not going to say it was easy. There were tears, a “few” alcoholic beverages, accompanied by more tears and an unknowing that caused our stomachs to twist and turn. It was unprecedented and felt like a big kick in the guts.
But .. in true Ivy & Bleu style we couldn’t sit by and wallow in misery. We decided that the downtime would be used to begin ticking off a few jobs that to be honest… had been needing to be done for a long time but we were always just too busy to get around to. Not only that but we squeezed in some extra accomplishments too. As a result we are overly excited to report that Ivy and Bleu actually achieved amazing things!
What things? Well here we go….(deep breath)
Firstly, we set about updating a slightly out-dated website. We re-photographed all of our inventory, updated our stock and re-invented the website to better suit our brand.
Here you can learn a little about us, meet the team, check out our styling, blooms, blogs and not to mention see all of our DIY and Subhire Hire inventory. Our new “Hire” section includes pricing for all of our linens, cutlery, crockery, floral vessels and much, much more. Stay tuned in mid January 2021 for even more fun stock to be landing in the Ivy & Bleu Inventory.
You can jump online here – https://ivyandbleu.com.au/hire/ to check out what we offer for DIY Hire and Sub-Hire for a little touch of Ivy & Bleu for your next event.
Next, we set up and filmed our Online Academy course. Whilst we had already set up The Academy face-to-face education program, we wanted to bring this to life for our interstate and international followers. Here we cover everything from our original program from theoretical components such as floral prep & sourcing, business & social media management, how to run a consultation, wedding planning and more.
It allows access to our education portal packed full of video tutorials, behind the scenes clips & time lapses. You receive reference materials such as sample running timelines, wedding planning budgets & floral order templates just to name a few. In addition it allows you access to our ever growing Facebook Community with further behind the scenes tutorials, industry tips & tricks and knowledge not only from us but everyone in the academy family.
If you are interested in learning the in and outs of Ivy & Bleu and become apart of our online group you can find out more here – https://ivyandbleu.com.au/category/academy/
We also branched out into the retail and wholesale world by unveiling and launching “Bleu Home”. Bleu Home is all of our signature pieces that have been carefully curated just for you to enjoy at home or for your own special event. This Christmas in particular we were so excited to see so many Bleu.home styled festive settings.
From dried botanical blooms to luxurious French linen napkins. Bleu Home is here to bring you a boutique homewares offering for your everyday living or our industry friends.
For all your homewares and styling needs, or for wholesale enquiries check out- https://www.bleuhome.com.au
In between adding another business to our belt… Mandi was also busy setting up yet another side hustle with her ma for their family. “The Granary & Grove” – A very unique Air Bnb in Biddaddaba, set amongst the foothills of Tamborine Mountain; Oliva Di Tabragalba is a working Olive Grove and now quaint getaway destination.
Not only did Mandi’s family design and build a beautiful old world granary but of course it needed styling, photography, website and marketing. A lot went into the completion of this little gem and we must say it is a slice of heaven where you can take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. God knows we need it!
If you are in need of a well deserved break you can check out and book accomodation here – https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/45942252?_set_bev_on_new_domain=1609206052_YTUwODI1YzFiNWVi&source_impression_id=p3_1609206054_OpSyxLeTLUB34GvQ A little birdie told us if you mention Ivy & Bleu on booking you might find a cheeky little discount applied to say thanks!
As if all of this wasn’t enough we still haven’t finished!
The Ivy & Bleu team styled and co-ordinated countless shoots and an actual real life wedding during our hands on Academy training program! We created magic that ordinarily we wouldn’t have time for and definitely pushed the boundaries in our creativeness and style. We worked with some of our favourite venues; Ancora, Osteria, The Acre, Hampton Event Hire and made new friends at Deux Belettes, The Refinery and Fins Plantation House. It was a breath of fresh air to just “create” with no specific brief.
But wait there’s more!
We welcomed three baby girls to the Ivy & Bleu team! Congratulations to Ella, Kelsi and Alicia on their little bundles of joy. We are so pleased to have future Ivy & Bleu babes to run the empire! And we have also expanded our team further to accomodate for an extremely jam packed new year. Who runs the world….girls!
We couldn’t finish of 2020 without mentioning our amazing couples who pushed through with their wedding plans through the stress, utter devastation & fear that covid brought. From weddings that were almost cancelled, reduced to elopements or had guests lists slashed – it’s these couples that really got us through & kept us pushing! To you guys – we THANK YOU! More than you will ever know!
Last but not least to end the year on an even bigger high we officially purchased and started renovating our warehouse! This has always been a dream for us and something we didn’t think was going to happen for many years to come. We are so proud to create a much bigger space for our growing brand, something that reflects us, and something that can be enjoyed by our industry friends. You all know we love a photoshoot and this space will be totally photoshoot worthy! Think brass staircases, arch walk ways, blue Smeg fridges, full length flowing curtains and one hell of a flower studio. We are just a little (ALOT) excited to share this space next year so keep a look out on our socials for the piece of resistance!
So if you have managed to have read this far.. all in all 2020 has been one of the most challenging and most accomplished years too date! We are super excited for 2021 and cant wait to get back into the swing of things!
Lets all cheers our expressos martinis to a brand new year! Bring it on 2021!
