From This Moment Page 5

  Jonathan followed her. “I totally agree. People can tear you down faster than they can praise you.”

  Ivy had disassembled Lauren’s portfolio and had placed the information in two sections. One was for the ceremony and the other was for the reception. In all there were twenty-three pages.

  She picked up a page and glanced at the food choices she requested for her reception. “I think you should take a look,” she suggested to Jonathan, handing him the white sheet of paper.

  Jonathan studied the lengthy list. “I see she wants appletinis as her signature drink.” He continued to scan the list. “This is a lot of food. She has three peppercorn strip loin, braised smoked beef brisket, smoked salmon, grilled salmon, the list goes on and on.”

  “We should suggest doing food stations instead of a sit-down dinner. The guests can choose from all these different entrees.”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

  He handed it back to Ivy. “Can you make a copy of it so that I can go over it with Marc? He can better determine what foods and side dishes compliment each other.”

  “Sure, I can make a copy on my three-in-one printer before you leave.”

  Ivy pushed her plate aside and reached for another stack of paper.

  Jonathan moved his dish in front of him.

  “No, you go ahead and finish your meal. I don’t want to get too full because if I do then I’ll be lazy and not want to work. My bed will be calling my name.”

  “Understood, but you did enjoy it?”

  “Sure, I love crab rangoons and shrimp egg foo young. I just can’t eat a lot of it.”

  Ivy flipped through the papers and scanned the words. “Jonathan?”

  He looked up at her. “Yes, Ivy.”

  “Let me read the list for the ceremony. First of all I think we’re going to have to be careful with those lime green and peach colors. We want to create a romantic atmosphere, and if the colors clash it can be a disaster.”

  A string quartet, DJ, live singers for the ceremony under the gazebo covered with hundreds of hydrangea, calla lilies, and roses. Hand tied bouquets for the attendant’s Biedermeier bouquet with apricot calla lilies, jade roses and cymbidium orchids for her bouquet.”

  “It’s too cold to have the ceremony in the garden outside,” Jonathan said.

  “Let me talk to Rosie about creating something with that same effect. I’m going to go over this with my sisters in the morning. I wanted us to come up with two different wedding day scenarios she could choose from.”

  “Ah, aren’t I special,” Jonathan said, placing his hand against his chest. “See, I told you we worked well together.”

  Try as she might, Ivy couldn’t hold in her laughter watching him be silly.

  The sparkly and expressive look in her eyes when she worked got him all excited right along with her. He moved his chair closer to hers. “I’m listening.”

  Suddenly aware of his nearness, Ivy scooted her chair over a few inches, lowering her head groaning in frustration. It didn’t work, for her body betrayed her. She could still feel the heat that radiated from him. That heat caused her to want to move closer to it. Working with him on many other occasions had never made her feel the way she felt at that moment.

  Maybe because she’d always thrown herself into her work, she never paid attention to how physically close their bodies were in the past. Tonight was different.

  She slowly lifted her head only to meet the twinkle in his rich brown eyes. As if her eyes had a mind of their own, they wandered to his luscious mouth. She couldn’t deny the fact that she was drawn to him. But what would she do about it?

  There was a long moment of silence before Jonathan said, “Go ahead, I’m listening to you.”

  Mesmerized by the husky sound of his smooth, baritone voice, Ivy hadn’t realized that he’d pulled her chair back to him. Uneasiness crept in, and Ivy was alarmed at how prickly she was beginning to feel and how angry her body made her for wanting to be close to him.

  She’d better get back to work and get him out of her condo as fast as she could.

  * * *

  It was close to midnight when Jonathan left Ivy’s place. He enjoyed watching her face light up as they finally came up with solid ideas for the impromptu wedding.

  Pleased and relieved that she was comfortable being so close to him made him want to be around her even more. He wanted to ask her to give him a chance, but he’d have to settle for their date Friday.

  By the time he left, they had two partial proposals; one with a sit-down dinner and the other with buffet stations. He needed Marc to make a recommendation for the food and get a quote for the charger plates, linens, chair covers and special glassware, while Ivy discussed the flowers, cake and dresses with her sisters. It looked like they would meet their deadline.

  Jonathan wondered if Ivy realized that they had been married for a month now.

  Chapter 6

  A satisfied smile grew on Ivy’s face after meeting with the first couple of her show. She had successfully presented her plans for their summer 2011 wedding.

  Chiropractors Adrianne Reynolds and Robert Conway met at a Chicago Cubs baseball game three years ago. After they’d dated for eight months, Robert asked Adrianne to marry him with the help of the jumbotron at Wrigley Field.

  The young professionals were to marry in a Christian ceremony at the Salem Baptist Church’s House of Hope, where the bride was a member. The posh reception, with seven-course meal, would be held at Stanley Hall inside the Field Museum.

  Ivy happily answered all their questions and now that both parties were comfortable with each other, they would begin taping in another week. Ivy gave the couple a brief hug before they departed.

  * * *

  As soon as Ivy entered her office, she shrugged out of her coat and hung it on the brass coat rack in the corner.

  The spacious and sophisticatedly decorated office had an old antique desk and two white Regency cane-back chairs. She also had dark cherry wood floor-to-ceiling book cases that were filled with reference books on any subject regarding wedding planning and décor. Across the room she had a seating area with a burgundy chenille-covered sofa and two more armchairs.

  She kicked off her black high-heeled pumps, lay back against the fluffy pillow on the couch and rested her eyes. It was only ten o’clock, but she wanted to take this small window of down time to relax. She had a long day ahead of her.

  Ivy had been up since five o’clock working on both the TV couple and Lauren Kabins’s wedding plans. She was confident that all the plans for Adrianne and Robert would be fine, but there were still some pieces missing in Lauren’s proposal due today.

  She had thirty minutes before she had to meet with her sisters concerning those missing pieces.

  After her power nap, Ivy got up, walked over to the gold mirror and freshened up her hair and makeup. She walked over to her desk, picked up the folder and headed to the conference room.

  * * *

  Everyone had already arrived when she walked into the room. She wondered if they’d had the opportunity to be creative since she had given them such short notice, phoning them only last night after Jonathan left.

  “Let’s get this party started,” she said, placing her pen and paper on the table before taking her seat.

  “Rosie, you first,” Ivy said.

  Rose pulled up the laptop computer that was hooked up to a big-screen plasma television on the wall. She opened the file folder where she saved the sketches.

  “Because the wedding and reception is in one place, we’ll have to set the scene from the beginning.”

  She turned to Ivy. “Vee, I know you said she really likes tall centerpieces. I do, too, but they can restrict the guests from being able to see the ceremony depending on where they are seated at the table.”

  Ivy agreed. “That’s true. Can you come up with something spectacular that you think she would love?”

  Rose opened the first sketch file. “Here i
s an example of a tall, trumpet-style vase with peach and green hydrangeas, peach and white French tulips.”

  She then opened the second one, moving the image beside the first one for comparison. “Here is the smaller centerpiece using a round container with the same flowers arranged differently.”

  Ivy bit the end of her pen as she studied the images. “What about the ceremony? Did you get a chance to come up with something for it?”

  Rose went to another file folder and opened a different image. “Do you guys remember what we were going to do for the Hawkins wedding at the mayor’s mansion?”

  The others all looked up at the screen and nodded. “Well, I think we should do something similar, on a smaller scale, of course. We’ll need a focal point, a place similar to an altar. Arches are kind of out of style, but we could create something dramatic with the flowers, fabric and some columns.”

  “We only have three weeks, Rosie,” Ivy warned.

  “I know, I know. Don’t worry,” Rose replied.

  “How soon can you have a sample of both centerpieces ready?”

  “I already started on the tall one this morning, so I’d say this afternoon or tomorrow morning.”

  “Good.” She then turned to Violet. “Have all the bridesmaids been contacted?”

  “I contacted all the girls from the information you gave to me. They came in and I’ve measured and ordered all three of the dresses. They’re scheduled to arrive next week.”

  Ivy made a notation by the bulleted item for dresses in her notebook. “Is that going to push you for alterations?”

  “Only if the young ladies gain or lose too much weight. Otherwise we should be fine. From the three dresses Lauren chose, they really liked the peach lamour satin Bill Levkoff dress, and they run true to size. I shouldn’t have to do anything more than a bottom hem.”

  “What about the bride? Did you get her dress ordered as well?”

  “Yes.” Violet’s eyes lit up. “I must say I was happy to work with her.”

  “Lauren is a delightful young woman who knows what she wants,” Ivy commented.

  Rose handed Violet the wireless mouse, and she quickly pulled up the folder with pictures of the dresses. “She chose this beautiful champagne-colored Monique Lhuillier gown from the ready-to-wear collection. It’s due to arrive next week as well.”

  Ivy beamed. “What a lovely dress. She’s tiny, so she’ll look fabulous in this flowing chiffon gown.”

  “I thought so, too,” Violet added.

  The last-minute wedding was coming together better than Ivy ever expected it to.

  She removed two magazine pages from Lauren’s folder and handed them to Lili. “Ms. Lili, here is the picture of the cake I was trying to describe to you last night.”

  When Ivy called Lili the night before to get a head start on the sketches for the wedding cake, she didn’t have a description of the cake in the magazine, so she described it the best way she could.

  “Were you okay with the description I gave you last night of the cake?”

  Lili picked up the magazine page and studied it. “It’s a little different from this photo, but I came up with two ideas for the groom’s cake and two for the wedding cake from what you told me.”

  Lili gave her presentation. “Since Lauren said that her fiancé loved to golf, I thought I’d make a groom’s cake that looked like a golf bag. The other would be a full sheet cake covered in fondant decorated like a tennis court since you said they like to play tennis. I’ll have two figurines; one would look like her and one to look like him.”

  “Ah, how cute,” Violet said.

  “I think she’ll love the idea.” Ivy scribbled some notes.

  Lili changed the images. “Now, here are the two images for the wedding cake. The first one would be a three-layered almond torte cake filled with raspberry cream and tri-berry compote covered with fondant. I’ll use unrefined sugar crystals to embellish it.”

  “Sounds fancy,” Rose commented.

  Ivy nodded. “Okay, very simple and elegant.”

  “Right.” Lili pointed to the next picture. “And this one is seven-tiered tiramisu cake covered with fondant, hand-formed sugar roses and hydrangea florets accented with sugar diamonds.”

  “This is probably the one she’s going to choose. It’s very close to that photo,” Ivy said, and pointed to the torn magazine page.

  “I’m going to set up a taste testing as soon as she decides.”

  “I’ve just pulled four from the oven before the meeting; banana, vanilla, lemon and chocolate. They’re cooling now. I’m going to use them for the brides that are coming in this afternoon.”

  “It probably won’t be until next Monday. I’ll check the schedule after we’ve gotten an answer.”

  “This is the fastest wedding we’ve ever done,” Rose commented.

  “Ladies, thank you for moving so quickly. I still need to talk to Jonathan about the menu and table linens and such, but I think we’re good here.”

  Ivy adjourned the meeting and went back to her office. She pulled up her e-mail and saw that Jonathan had sent two.

  Ivy loved modern technology. Since their office went green a couple of years ago, they’ve been able to save time by using the computer for their proposals, sketches and wedding project management. Being able to communicate with brides as well as vendors in a split second via e-mail or text had been a blessing to their business.

  Now that the proposals were complete, she got them ready to e-mail to Lauren. Ivy then printed a hard copy of all the documents and added them to the rest of her folder. All she had left to do was send them to Lauren and wait.

  * * *

  Lauren called thirty minutes later. Ivy had to hold the phone from her ear so that Lauren’s scream of excitement wouldn’t burst her eardrum.

  She wanted to come in right away with her fiancée to sign the contract; they had decided on one of the two proposals Ivy had sent to her. Ivy gave her an afternoon appointment and now was waiting for them to show up.

  Ivy heard the buzz of the intercom. She pressed the button on the phone. “Yes, Gwen.”

  “Ms. Kabins is here.”

  “I’ll be right down,” Ivy said as she stood. She hung up the phone and walked down the hall to the front of the building, where she spotted Lauren chit-chatting with Gwen.

  “Good afternoon, Lauren. You look radiant,” Ivy commented.

  Lauren threw herself in Ivy’s arms, surprising her to say the least. “Thank you so much. I’m so excited about my wedding.”

  Ivy patted Lauren on the back as she hugged her. “You are so welcome, sweetheart.”

  Releasing her, Ivy stepped back and watched the tears form in the young woman’s eyes. “I didn’t think I had enough time to have a wedding like this, but you are going to make my dreams come true.” Lauren’s voice trailed off.

  Ivy patted her back and smiled. Lauren’s reaction was one of the reasons she loved her job. Once she let go they walked side by side from the front of the building to the back to her office.

  “Violet showed me your dress this morning. I love Monique Lhuillier’s gowns. They are so classy, elegant and . . .”

  “Expensive,” Lauren chimed in. “But I don’t mind paying when I get what I want.”

  “That’s a good attitude to have, because there are some folks that wouldn’t pay $3,500 for a gown that they will only be in for five hours at the most,” Ivy said as they arrived in front of her office.

  Ivy looked back down the hallway.“I thought your fiancée came with you.”

  “He’s in the parking lot taking a business call. He should be in shortly.”

  Ivy extended her hand so that Lauren could enter the office first. “Come on in and have a seat. I just need to call Gwen.” She offered Lauren one of the empty seats in front of her desk before picking up the phone to call the receptionist.

  “Gwen, send Lauren’s fiancé down when he comes in. We’re going to get started.”

  “
I sure will,” Gwen said.

  Ivy placed the receiver on the cradle, sat down and opened Lauren’s folder.

  “Ms. Hart, I don’t know how to thank you for helping me.”

  “No need to thank me, my dear. I love making wedding dreams come true. I think it’s why I breathe.”

  Lauren was talking a mile a minute. Ivy didn’t mind, though, because she loved to see people happy and seriously in love . . . something she hadn’t thought about in a long time.

  The last man she gave her heart to didn’t know what to do with it. She promised herself not to risk that kind of love ever again.

  Ivy glanced at her watch, and Lauren’s fiancée had yet to show up.

  “Lauren, what did you say your fiancé’s name was?”

  “Randall.”

  “Maybe we should get going; it doesn’t look like Randall is coming in anytime soon.”

  The first document she picked up was the proposal that Lauren had chosen about floral arrangements for the wedding and reception.

  “We can walk over to the floral shop and see the sample bouquets. Rose said that they would be done by this afternoon,” Ivy suggested before flipping the page.

  “Can we wait for Randall?” Lauren asked.

  “Sure, we can wait for him.”

  As Lauren read the notes under the photographs on the page, she said, “I love both options for the reception, but I want to go with the buffet stations. Having more than three entrée selections is important to me.”

  “We can set it up nicely.” Ivy was pleased Lauren had chosen the buffet, for it gave her more variety and she could get most of the items on her list. She still saved money, even though it was pricier than the family style served meal because she had three kinds of fish, filet mignon and seafood, but Lauren didn’t seem to mind the cost.