Pics coming soon

I know I haven't posted pics up yet from the weddding but I haven't forgotten!! I had my graduation from school, we came back from our honeymoon in Miami, and I just started my new job as an Occupational Therapist. Its been crazy busy and on top of that my computer has been acting up...but soon!!! Congrats to BiCoastal Bride on her wedding day!! I hope it was all you dreamed and can't wait to see your pictures as well.

After the fact

Hello all!!!

My wedding on Sat was absolutely crazy but so much fun!! I won't go into extreme details now, I'll wait until after the honeymoon next week. Thank God for my new sister in law who was my day of coordinator at the last minute. Once I stepped foot in the church, I didn't have to worry about anything.

The morning of I was rushing around like a crazy person trying to make sure everything that was necessary was at the church and reception site. I swore up and down that I would not be late to the limo but my bridesmaids made me late...lol...My fiance was also late but we started the ceremony right on time.

The reception was so much fun and it meant so much to see all my relatives and friends and new family there. People were on the dance floor almost to the last second.

I cannot believe that I have been married for five days now, you plan for this day for such a long time and its over before you know it! I still can't believe the countdown is over.

The ironic thing is as soon as I stepped inside the sanctuary I forgot all the little details I was obsessing over. Seriously, don't worry about it.

I will post just a few teaser pics for you guys but stay tuned for after the wedding.

Down to the wire...

Yesterday evening, I went to pick up my wedding dress and it felt so surreal to be there picking up my dress for the last time.

But of course I had to have some drama...I opened up my garment bag to make sure that my veil was fixed because somehow at my last fitting I found it ripped. What the hell? When I took it out again, there was still a rip near the bottom and I was pissed. The girl who was working with me immediately went to fix it but its still really fragile. But at least its fixed...but for all the money I paid for that damn veil it should be impeccable.

Let me tell you how obsessed I was with my dress, I could barely lay it down in the car because I was afraid of it getting wrinked. But we got it home safely and its hanging up just waiting for me to wear it. In honor of my dress, I have found a few pictures of some beautiful wedding dresses that were with me during my journey. I absolutely love Jim Hjelm but he was out of my price range at the time of my dress shopping. I loved the first dress because of its subtle mermaid shape and that was the silhouette that I was going for. But my actual dress turned out to be an A-line but you can't help what the heart loves. The dress with the back view was the first dress I ever saw and I wanted that dress so badly. Unfortunately I wasn't as in love with the front of the dress.

On my to do list

• get programs printed
• buy unity candles and candle holder
• buy my blue garter
• buy flower petals for cake table
• buy bows for the church pew
• buy some gold sandals for my African traditional reception outfit
• buy some perfume with my Sephora gift card
• go to Victoria's Secret

I'm not sure if I will be back to post before Saturday but thank you all for sharing this journey to the alter with me and sharing all your encouragement and ideas. It is greatly appreciated. I hope to see you all on the flip side! Have an amazing day.

Stop and smell the roses

People have been telling during this whole rollercoaster ride that I need to enjoy every lit bit of this stress filled journey to the alter. I've listened and made genuine attempts but I have never handled stress well. But today, it really hit home for me.

I was on my way to my hair appointment and I was riding on the trolley. Like I usually do, when the trolley approached my desired stop, I stood up and moved right behind him so I was facing the front windshield. The light turns green and the trolley driver moves forward so that the only other passenger and myself can get off at the designated stop. As if in slow motion, he moves forward but the car in front of him does not and he slams into the back of the car. With the abrupt motion, my body jolts forward but I automatically hold onto the railing. Thank God we are all alright including the driver in front of us, but her car is messed up. As soon as he opens the doors and I see that the other driver is ok, I rush off to my destination because I do not want to be on that trolley for two hours answering questions. I immediately call my fiance and tell him what happened. He is on my way to work and not five minutes after we hang up, he calls back. While on interstate 95, he sees a car on the other side explode out of nowhere. For the beginning part of my hair appointment, my hair stylist and I talk about how short life is and how our hearts ache for that person and their family.

Obviously this wedding is not the culmination of my entire life; I had a life before the wedding and I will continue to live one as long as the Lord allows it. But today's events definitely made me stop and smell the mystical roses people are always referencing. I need to enjoy every single minute especially the crazy ones because they help me to grow and become the woman I am today and the woman I will be tomorrow.

Back to the subject of weddings; I saw pictures of a really beautiful wedding from Essence's Bridal Bliss. Essence covers many beautiful weddings and it is my hidden desire to be featured in one very soon. Lol. Their color scheme was purple and green, as evidenced by the cake. I love shoes and I especially love purples shoes so the next shot was a treat. And I thought the shot of them dancing was achingly romantic. Don't you agree?

5 days

There are five days left til the wedding and today is not a good day. I am trying so hard to not get stressed over every little thing but its a losing battle. I am a very organized person and I have to do things in a certain way. When things are not done in that certain way, I feel as if I am losing control. I don't like change but I can handle it. There are too many damn changes happening to this wedding and its driving me crazy!

We have rehearsal on Friday and many of the essential wedding party members will not be there for various reasons. This was all dumped on me within the last week so...I'm not a happy camper but I can't change people's schedules. Plus I had to deal with the church wedding planner and she informed me of so much more stuff that I was not aware of. We've had a few phone calls but why do I find out everything the week of my wedding?

I'm trying to get as much done so that I don't have to worry about everything on my wedding day. This is when it would be amazing to have a wedding planner...

And I know I can't control the timeline of the day but...its hard not to fuss over every since second when you can get charged by the church, the pastor, and the musicians. We have spent so much money on this wedding and I am not trying to give out a penny more! lol.

I have been on the phone all day and there is no end in sight...Sigh.

So in the middle of my long angst ridden post, I received a phone call from my future sister in law who has graciously extended an offer to oversee everything. I feel like a weight has been lifted because I've had friends offer to help for certain areas but not for everything. Thank God for family!

Ok...back to my phone calls with much higher spirits! Thanks for allowing me to rant.

Tasty cakes

One week left!! Its so freakin close...ahh...

Today the fiance and I did our cake tasting, too bad we were too sick to really enjoy any of the delicious cake. Last night we had Popeyes because we like to indulge ourselves and we woke up today feeling sooo bad...I literally took a small piece of each cake and dipped my fork in each frosting gingerly. I'm a big cake eater so you know that was hard for me. But I was so afraid of eating anything since my stomach was still...not well...lol. But the fiance and I make a great team; we picked our flavors and cake design super fast! Our cake is super simple; it is covered in ivory frosting with purple beading around each layer and purples roses scattered around the layers as well. It is also covered with curlicues on each layer; it is a very traditional looking cake and my fiance picked it out. I was so excited that he had an opinion on our wedding cake. Here are some cakes that I think are nice;

Then we met up with the limo company and booked our limo. Now we just have to work out the logistics of everything since we are only having one limo. Tis the woes of having your ceremony and reception at two different venues...

Tomorrow we meet with the reception manager and finalize all the other details...like discuss how we went over our 200 people reception...sigh...

Monday is shopping today for all the stuff I have been putting off...so we'll see about that.

On another note...

I have always wanted false eyelashes for my wedding day...my make up artist doesn't know how to do it...Any tips or suggestions?

Dreamweaver

Dream #1: I am in hot stuffy room surrounded by people from high school. You know the usuals; the jocks, the popular kids, the loners etc. My wedding is starting but I am still sitting in that hot stuffy room, dying. Then my dad comes to get me because we have to do the seating chart. And I am not dressed at all. I woke up like, what just happened?

Dream #2: I am hanging out with my bridal party and in a back room is a vaguely familiar girl working on floral bouquets made out of wood. We're watching television and munching on snacks when she finishes and hands me the finished bouquets. They're nice but...why is she doing my flowers and why are they in wood? I start to freak out because I realize I may have inadvertently asked this person to do my flowers when I am already under contract with someone else. I start crying because I don't know how to tell her that I can't use her flowers nor do I have the extra money to pay her. I wake up and remember that only one person is doing my flowers and they are not made of wood.

I decided to go the route of silk flowers, as they fell into my lap. But one definite benefit is that I can keep my bouquet long after the wedding. I can't wait to see them and show you the pictures!

Soo, I have been having a lot of wedding related dreams but those are the ones I can remember, lol. I feel like I should be on the show Bridezillas because my wedding timeline has been mirroring theirs. Today I have been put on limo duty. I know this sounds super late but I refuse to take blame. My fiance didn't want a limo but now he realizes that it would be less hectic if we just had one. He's a silly. I am not looking forward to the seating chart but I plan to start that today...

8 days...

In Your Face Fight Style

I was inspired by today's topic because last night my fiance and I had a fight, over the wedding of course. I think a lot of times when people think of wedding planning, they don't think of fights. Obviously neither did I. But my fiance and I had plenty of wedding inspired fights during this wedding planning process. I, for one, have never been a fan of fighting. I have always heard that fighting is healthy for the relationship and it allows the two of you to become less polite and more, er....real. But we should always remember to fight fair because this is the person that you love after all.

I brought this subject up to remind everyone that wedding planning is not a magical time period. Stuff does not magically fall into place and there will be times when you will be in tears. BUT if you remember the reason why you are doing this and know that at the end of the aisle, you are meeting the man/woman you love; ITS ALL GOOD.

9 days left...oh damn, when did we get into the single digits! Lol...

99 Problems...

Just kidding, I am not having 99 problems...lol...the wedding is in 11 days and my to do list keeps getting Longer!! Its almost funny how many things I have left to do...

Saturday we have our cake tasting with the baker...I'm almost embarrassed by how much I have procrastinated on getting the cake...

I still have to buy the aisle runner, a garter...where can one find a garter from? I don't want to buy one online just in case it takes forever to arrive...Any suggestions would be appreciated

I lost my ring bearer like last week...I'm not upset because there way too many things on my mind right now...

We're meeting with a new photographer today because the one we originally hired has poison ivy and lately has not been returning our phone calls. The wedding is just too close for someone to flake out. I'm disappointed because I was really excited about working with her but...no more drama

I have to get the final guest list from my parents today so that I can start the seating chart. I've already gotten requests from people on where THEY would like to sit...Has anyone else experienced this? I thought that was so funny...

Our wedding bands are getting engraved and can I say how much I love my band!!! I can't wait for him to slip it on my finger....WhoHOOO!

On a more serious tip, we had our premarital counseling with our officiant and it was a real eye opener. We were very open and honest about wanting a good solid marriage and being nervous. Marriage is a HUGE step and its okay to be nervous; its not like a lease that you can get out of in a specific time frame. I thought the premarital counseling was very helpful and I recommend all couples to participate; even if you are already married. Sometimes we need a different perspective from someone who is not in the situation.

Busy Bride to Be!!

Hello all,
I feel like my life has been on crazy nonstop rollercoaster for the past month. So many updates to speak of...my wedding is right around the corner, AHHH!...
March 13th was my bridal shower in NY and it was a fabulous time. The weather was dismal, but most of my friends and family were able to come out. Here are a few pics of mostly me ( I don't like to put other people's faces on the internet w/o permission). The theme was Mardi Gras and I got a mask and lots of beads! My sister made the banner, isn't it soo nice? My cousin gave me that book The Five Love Languages By Gary Chapman. I read the singles version in college and I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to form intimate relationships.

April 10th was my bachelorette party thrown by my bestest friend and one of my Maids of Honor. It consisted of my most closest friends and it was amazing! I've imagined my b-party and it exceeded all imagination. There was food, laughter, dancing...it was a crazy night. They forced me to wear a tiara thing and I got approached by all types of people. This is the part of wedding planning that I enjoy! The penis shaped cookies were my favorite because they were delicious!




Yesterday my FH and I picked out our rings and got them engraved. All invitations were sent out, I put in the order for my flowers (I decided to go silk), I had my make-up trial during the week and my hair trial is next week.
I went on my dress fitting and the seamstress told me that I had gained weight BUT my dress still fit, it was just tighter (which I wanted). Of course I can't GAIN anymore weight so I have been back on my exercise regimen. My shoes were purchased, my jewelry picked out, hotel room booked, tuxes ordered...everything is finally coming together. Thank God!
Until next time...

I'm Alive!!! lol

I know its been a while since my last post. I was busy studying for my board exam for OT which I took on Friday. A lot has been happening and I will be back on very soon!

Have a great Monday!

I'm Back

Sorry, I've been crazy busy these past few weeks and posting has not been top of my list. Lots of wedding and school things going on.

Just a few updates:

~We picked our officiant and just have to set up our initial meeting. I am so excited to finally have someone to marry us

~The invites should be arriving soon although we are behind schedule. I was hoping to send the invites out by Friday but whats the use of crying over spilled milk.

~I have been perusing the web for my dream shoes. They are so close, I can taste them! Hopefully I can get the exact shoes that I want and not have to compromise, :-)

~My bridal shower is RIGHT around the corner, March 13th. I am so excited to see what my girls have come up with. I have no idea what to wear so obviously I have to plan a shopping trip soon as well.

~My licensing boards exam is also right around the corner, so I will probably be posting infrequently but will try to update. Hopefully once that is done, I can focus all my energies on wedding planning!

~Sent out my deposit to book our ceremony muscians!

Things Still Left to Do

~finalize booking blocks of rooms

~Reception music

~Budget stuff (so freaking annoying)

~Finalize the ceremony programs

~Decide and order the flowers for my bouquet

~Order my cake!!

~Purchase my wedding day jewelry

~Pick bridal party gifts

~Hair and make up trials

Those are just a few of the things I have to do...

Until next time...

Wedding Invites

So...the clock is ticking on our wedding planning. It is coming quick! Just a few updates, the graphic designer is finally finished with my invites so I sent her all the wording that I wanted. I was glad to see my FH involved in that process. He had a great phrase to put on the invitations. Now I just have to finish...err start the programs, directions from church to reception, and of course physically go to New York and SNATCH my parents' guest list from them. I have to baby them through this process because they are being so difficult. They've been working on this list for months and still refuse to stick to the guest count my fiance and I decided. No more Mrs. Nice Bride. its time for Bridezilla to rear her ugly head.

I almost forgot; we finally booked our church! If you didn't know, we lost our previous church when we moved the wedding from New York to New Jersey. Read all about it here.

I'm really excited to have my invitations come so I can start addressing them. That sounds like an excuse for a party me. My goal is to sent them out by March 5th, 8 weeks before the wedding. I have a few invites that are out of the country so we''ll deal with those first of course.
Here are a few invitations that I personally loved and sent to my graphic designer for inspiration. All courtesy of Theknot.com of course! We definitely included a floral motif in our invitations and I plan to add some ribbon myself to each invite. Hence my DIY project...lol...baby step, people!

My Wishlist

Thanks to fellow wedding blogger Bicoastal Bride's post here about acessories for the big day, I shamelessly browsed the Etsy's website. Once again I am a believer and you should be to. I have been very hesitant about what type of jewelry I want for my wedding day and I think I am now in the right direction. Looky looky here:

I guess I am a romantic bride because these earrings scream romance and they still give me the pearl effect that I wanted, in a chandelier type fashion. I can also customize the colors if I want, although I love the way they look just so.

Here is the bracelet that I can wear with it, ohh la la. And it has just enough bling bling for a bride on a budget. Platinum weddings here I come!

I can't help but love the idea of a bridal clutch, of course I would have mine lined in purple satin. I don't really know what the purpose would be since I have my bouquet but the ones I found on Etsy.com are so pretty. I would love to give each of my bridesmaids one, they are so cute! I love the bow detail on the pink one.

And you know this ring caught my eye since it has a purple amethyst stone! Love it!! I want it, I want it, I want it!

I thought these blue stone dangly earrings were really pretty as well. I think there's little too much sparkle for my taste, but they are fabulous! Just had to post these. I haven't been this excited about accessories in a really long time. Where has Etsy been all my life.

Moving on from accessories, I love this black vase. I love black as well and we have a lot of black themed furniture in our home. This would fit in perfectly. I should add it to my registry somehow.
Have you found any must have accessories yet?

Tips to Stay Sane during the Wedding Craze

First of all, I would like to say welcome to my new followers. I am really excited that people are willing to follow my lil' ole blog. I hope I can keep you interested, haha.

While I am no relationship or wedding expert, I decided to post a few tips on how to stay sane while planning a wedding. Actually scratch that, I AM an expert...lol...I have been juggling family drama, graduate school, my rotations and now studying for my license while planning this wedding. In fact we are all experts because unfortunately life does not stop just because you are planning on saying "I do". To all those brides who are living real life which comes with drama, unexpected twists and turns; here's to you!


1. If you have any spiritual affiliations, use them all the time. Planning a wedding requires lots of prayer. Meditation is another good way to keep the stress down.

2. Exercise: I know many brides are working to tone and sculpt that body but exercise is great stress reliever. Whenever your FH or FMIL, or Mom get on your nerves, pound the pavement or lift some weights. You'll be pleased at the end results as well.

3. Communication: It is so easy to get into heated debate with your FH about the difference between calla lillies and geraniums. I have to agree, there is a huge difference but there is no need to get into a HUGE argument about it. Take a deep breath, relax, and start over. Remember that this wedding is about the two of you proclaiming your love before all your friends and families. Its not the same if you guys hate each other.

4. Dig your feet in the ground: As a bride who has been turned around many times by family, stick to your guns. If you want the postcard save the dates, get the postcard save the dates. Its your day and it should reflect that. Everyone else will attempt to have you change your mind so that they can get some control, don't let them. It will only lead to deep resentment if you are not satisfied and then the cycle will continue with your kids. Lets break the cycle, please.

5. Wedding Planning 24-7: Its so easy to have Bridezilla and Platinum weddings on TV in the background while you are trying to finalize your guest list as you keep up with twitters from Getmarried.com. Been there, done that. Give your mind some much needed wedding break. There is life after the wedding and you should live it to the fullest. Try to have at least one non wedding related conversation a day.

6. Spend time with your fiance, friends, and family. And I don't mean take them registry shopping or to a bridal show. Do something fun; like paint ball, or watch a movie, or go bowling. Build positive memories. This goes back to Tip #5.

7. DIY: Its nice to have the title of being an DIY bride. I personally, would love to be a DIY bride. But we are all not DIY brides. Just because you are getting married does not mean that you suddenly have that creative part in your brain that can make fabulous invitations or centerpieces. Don't stress yourself out by planning to do all these DIY projects the night before your wedding. Let it go.

8. Its not a Competition: This is your day with your fiance, not your chance to show up your best frenemie who got married last year. This isn't about her, its about the two of you. Who cares if she had nude Brazilian dancers at the reception with fire spewing out of their mouths? While very entertaining, it is not your job to top that. Your job is to enjoy your day.

9. Just Let it Ring: Sometimes you just have to let it ring; your cell phone that is. If the person on the other line is just going to stress you out, just let voice mail get to it. Nobody will know. Why let them ruin your day? Do you really want to hear that your parents invited fifty more people to the wedding than previously agreed upon? Yea...let it ring.

10. Hire a Wedding Planner: Even if its just for the day of; do yourself that huge favor. Do you really want your Aunt Clara rushing at you in the middle of your bridal party photoshoot to ask you where to seat Cousin Bobby who wasn't even invited? They are really not that expensive and they are worth the penny. Even if you don't hire a professional WP, make one of your friends do it. Take her out for a nice sushi dinner later.

11. Savor the Process: People have said this to me many times and I've never believed them. Enjoy every minute because before you know it, its gone. Take the time to enjoy picking out the linens, tasting the food, or selecting the song list.

12. Retail Therapy: Go out and buy yourself one item that is unrelated to the wedding. Just a lil' something to treat yourself. A cute pair of shoes that does not match the wedding colors, or a cute dress that you will not wear to your bridal shower/bachelorette party/rehearsal dinner. You deserve it, you're planning a wedding. Good luck!!

What are some of your tips to stay sane while planning a wedding?+

Aisle Runners

One of the small details that I have neglected to think about is in regards to the aisle runner. Though it may seem insignificant, it is a big deal. It plays a pivotal role in the momentous entrance of the bride. Even so, I don't want to spend a lot of money because I can't remember ever looking at the aisle runner at previous weddings I've been to. I'm thinking of taking a trip to Michael's and purchasing a few initials to place on the runner myself. Just another DIY project for me to do.
Hopefully the church we get married in doesn't place too many restrictions on flowers because I like the idea of walking on rose petals. Lol.
Does anyone even know where to get aisle runners from? I personally have no idea but thank God for google!
Target is selling assorted white aisle runners for $35-$43
Linen TableCloth has white and ivory for $20-$30
Amazon.com has assorted aisle runners ranging from $10-$40
Ooh Ooh!! I just found this great website called Originalrunner.com where you can purchase aisle runners in all colors and with customized designs. Its sad how excited I just got, lol. They have some great pictures on their website.

Here a few pictures from Theknot.com
(Photos courtesy of Karen Lisa Artistic, Danny Weiss Photography, Sharon Shuster Photography, In His Grace Photography, Photomomento.com, Heather Donlan Photography)

Real Life Purple Weddings

I can't help it. I just LOVE anything purple, so you can just imagine how excited I get when I see purple featured in real weddings. I bookmark them so I can gaze at them anytime I want, I kid you not.
Here are two really cool purple weddings I found recently. I just loved the way both brides incorporated the beautiful royal vivid purple hue in their wedding.

This wedding is from Theknot.com with photography courtesy of Scarlett Lillian Photography.
I love her bird cage veil with the purple flower on the side. Its such a great way to incorporate color and its modern and vintage at the same time. I've seen a few of these similar veils on Etsy.com. Can I say how much I love her peep toe purple pumps! I was thinking about wearing purple shoes as well but the shoes that I really want only come in silver, copper, and gold.
Of course I love the vibrant hue of her bridesmaid dresses and their bouquet.

The next wedding was found on Essence.com with photos courtesy of Joseph Pessar.
I love how their traditional attire is purple. I am also going to wear traditional attire for my wedding but I haven't seen the fabric yet. I can't wait to see what we will be wearing. I love the purple satin wrapped around the bouquets, it looks very vivid against the white flowers. And i just love the purple calla lillies in the last picture. I never cared for calla lillies until I started planning my wedding, now I am obsessed with them.

Hairstyles of the Rich and Famous

I am still working on what type of hair style I would like for my wedding day. What better source for ideas than our very own celebrities? Here are a few from last night's Grammy's as well as from assorted red carpet events.

I am really feeling the side ponytail thing as shown on Lala Vasquez and Nia Long, its so pretty and feminine! And it works on various lengths. I want to showcase my dress and this will allow people to see the details without my hair getting in the way.

I love the half up-half down look on Kelly Rowland but I think its a style that I wear too much in my regular life. I want something a little different than my usual style.

Here is another side style as worn by Melanie Fiona ( my new favorite R&B singer). It looks really elegant on her.

I just LOVED Rihanna's make-up. I don't think I could pull this off but it looks amazing on her.
Have you decided on your wedding hairstyle?